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"Three Arabian Nuts" (1951, short number 129 in the Columbia series) offers a fairly rare element of the supernatural. While the boys are working on a shipment of mostly breakable (and therefore broken) goods from the East for a client (Vernon Dent), Shemp runs across a magic lamp with a real "genius" that grants him his wish of flashy clothing, a gift immediately unwished by a jealous Larry. A good deal of the footage is concerned with two angry Arabs trying to decapitate the infidels. For once, all ends well with the boys getting their wishes fulfilled and Dent (who had given away the lamp) being given a rare chance to stooge an ending all by himself.

"Sing a Song of Sixpence" (1947, number 102) has the boys operating a tailor shop in which a criminal on the lam hides and poses as a tailor's dummy while they strip him down to make a sale. There is the usual series of gags with the cleaning and pressing equipment, including the ray of sunlight on a garment that is mistaken for a spot.

"All Gummed Up" (1947, number 103) will show up again almost in its entirety as "Bubble Trouble" in 1953. Here beautiful Christine McIntyre gets a chance to be really comic as she plays an old wife transformed into a young one, while Emil Sitka does a great turn as her inconsiderate, doddering husband. The mixing of the "youth potion" involves the usual Three Stooges doubletalk but done well in this context. The last fourth of this film should be compared with that of the remake, which is also available in the Columbia collection, titled "Listen, Judge." --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A trio of Three Stooges shorts with relatively happy endings
I have started to notice that a lot of these Three Stooges shorts from the early 1950s begin with some sort of a sign. No deep meaning or insights into the practice, just an observation:

"Three Arabian Nuts" (1951) has the Stooges working in a warehouse when they are taking inventory (read "destroying") dishes. Then things get interesting as Shemp discovers a genie (who is dark-skinned and called "Amos") and the Stooges once again manage to encounter some killers. However, thanks to the genie, this short actually has what would qualify as a very happy ending for a Stooges short.

"Sing a Song of Sixp Pantse" (1947) is one of the earlier shorts with Shemp, and finds the boys as the proprietors of the Pip Boys clothing store (they do everything from tailoring and cleaning to pressing and alterations). After some dry-cleanign gags, the boy get a bill for overdue payment and Dame Fortune sends them Terry "Slippery Fingers" Hargan, a safe robbery for whom a large reward is offered. Hargan hides out in the shop, where he makes the mistake of posing as a mannequin. In taking care of the robber the Stooges almost blow the situation, but even without a genie things work out well for them once again. The bit with the money at the end is a good routine, but Shemp, who was never the master of physical comedy that Curly was, deserves mention for his encounter with the ironing board.

"All Gummed Up" (1947) finds the boys running the Cut Throat Drug Store and dealing with customers in their usual manner. But then their landlord, Mr. Flint (Emil Sitka) shows up and announces he is kicking them out to bring in a new market. Shemp decides to save the day by coming up with a new vitamin that will turn the landlord's wife into a young woman. Amazingly, enough, this works and the old lady turns into CHristine McIntyre, who was the Stooges' primary female foil during this period. This one is noteworthy for the double assault of slapping that Shemp takes from Moe and Larry when they try to get him to come clean about the youth vitamin.

"All Gummed Up" (1947, number 103) will show up again almost in its entirety as "Bubble Trouble" in 1953. Here beautiful Christine McIntyre gets a chance to be really comic as she plays an old wife transformed into a young one, while Emil Sitka does a great turn as her inconsiderate, doddering husband. The mixing of the "youth potion" involves the usual Three Stooges doubletalk but done well in this context. The last fourth of this film should be compared with that of the remake, which is also available in the Columbia collection, titled "Listen, Judge."

The relative happy endings are what stand out with these three shorts, along with the fact that Shemp plays a rather prominent role in each. Again, no classic episodes, but a solid collection of offerings from the Moe-Larry-Shemp era.

Great collection.
THREE ARABIAN NUTS (1951)- An excellent Three Stooges short. The best of these three. The Stooges seem to break more things than ever in this short. Vernon Dent is good in his role here. Moe does particularly well here. I recommend this.

SING A SONG OF SIX PANTS (1947)- Finally, this short is released by Columbia instead of other low-budget companies. The quality is far better than those cheap tapes that are extremely bad quality. This is a great short. A Stooge classic. This could be one of the more violent Stooge shorts, but I think it's okay.

ALL GUMMED UP (1947)- Great short. I've always particularly liked the end gag where gum is mistaken for marshmallows. The Stooges and Christine McIntrye all eat a cake with bubble gum on it. Soon, all four of them are blowing bubbles. I recommend this.

A great Three Stooges tape, well worth adding to your collection.

Classic Stooges
This is what I remember about Saturday mornings when I was a kid. Long live the stooges (Curly was the best)

More Three Stooges.
Three Shorts: ALL GUMMED UP; SING A SONG OF SIX PANTS; and THREE ARABIAN NUTS. Ed Bernds had a hand in the poor direction. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Shemp joins the stooges for some acts of total destruction
"Gents in a Jam" provides a trio of Three Stooges shorts from the early Fifties, when the lineup was Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard. Granted, the best Three Stooges lineup was with Curly, one of the most talent physical comedians of all time, but these are not bad, especially if you like the Stooges destroying inanimate objects instead of physically manhandling each other:

"A Snitch in Time" (1950) has the Stooges as furniture makers who spend more time hammering each other than the furniture they are making. Hired by a woman (Jean Willes) to do some work, which brings them into contact with a couple of bank robbers that ends up with an escalating level of violence.

"Gents in a Jam" (1952) is another standard Three Stooges plot, which starts off with the boys as painters who are hired to do some work and end up destroying the place. But this time thrown into the mix is Rocky Duncan, the world's strongest man, and Shemp's rich Uncle Finius (Emil Sitka). Rocky's wife has an unfortunately encounter with the Stooges that has him trying to tear the boys in half while their landlady manages to get her hooks into Uncle Finius. This one is the best of the trio, which breaks the pattern with these videos where it seems like the best one never gets to double as the title for the video.

"Goof on the Roof" (1953) has a rather strange opening, with the Stooges in kiddie pajamas (complete with bunnies). The story has to do with their friend Bill getting married, which means the boys have to move. When Bill's new television set is delivered, the boys try to install the antenna as a present. The result is that they destroy everything, including the television set. Basically, that is all this one is about.

That idea of destroying their surroundings is the defining commonality for these three Stooges shorts. None of them are classics, but all at at least solid outings for the boys, and while Shemp was no Curly, there was really no serious attempt to force him to fail to become one.

Move Aside, Tool Time!
The 50's were hardly fabulous for the Stooges. Curly died in January of 1952, the loss of Clyde Bruckman and Ed Bernds, and Jules White's fetish for churning out sloppily-made remakes put a big dent in the boys' career. The films on this tape, however, are exceptions to the rule.

A SNITCH IN TIME (1950) is a good example of director Ed Bernds directorial talent. I tend to agree with the previous reviewer who said the table scene borrowed from a Curly short slowed things down, but overall the short is fun to watch. Seeing Moe's character flip for their leading lady is an interesting switch (usually it's the third stooge, or all of them, who have the love interest).

GENTS IN A JAM (1952) is another Ed Bernds classic, also his last film with the stooges. That is, until they started doing features several years later. Again, the boys cause more damage than repairs (I LOVED the bit with the broken radio). And, like most Bernds films, there is a very funny chase scene. In this one, Uncle Phineas (Emil Sitka) takes some VERY real-looking blows. Again, we have a winner!

GOOF ON THE ROOF (1953) is my favorite film of the three. True to Jules White's directing style, some of the film is hilarious and some of it would put a speed addict to sleep. I didn't care for the first half of the film (although seeing Moe eat a soap sandwich and guzzle a bottle of vinegar was amusing). Seeing a guy's head in a bucket of water loses its appeal after the first time. But the second half of the film is a riot! Seeing the boys try (and I do mean TRY) to install a TV and antenna is worth enduring the first half of the film! Overall, it is a MUST SEE! If you liked Tool Time, you'll love the shorts on this tape!

Excellent tape. Excellent Shorts.
GENTS IN A JAM is one of my favorite Three Stooges shorts of all time. The whole film is excellent. 16 minutes of non-stop laughter all the way.

A SNITCH IN TIME may as well be the best short on the tape. It's a reworking of TASSELS IN THE AIR, but much funnier. The painting scenes turn out much funnier here. An excellent short. One of the Stooges' best.

GOOF ON THE ROOF is a classic short. It's a reworking of Laurel and Hardy's HOG WILD. Not as funny as that film, but still excellent.

An excellent tape, worth the price of all three shorts.

GENTS IN A SNITCH ON THE ROOF
GENTS IN A JAM (1952) - Great short. The chase scene between Rocky and the Stooges, with Uncle Phineas getting caught in the middle is hilarious. This is the last short directed by Edward Bernds. There was a nasty dispute going on at Columbia at the time between producers Hugh McCollum and Jules White, and Columbia settled this by firing McCollum, and Bernds resigned after McCollum's firing. Sad, because Bernds was a great director, and in my opinion, the best director right under Del Lord. Columbia was out of their mind for firing Hugh McCollum.

A SNITCH IN TIME (1950) - This short kinda goes in three different sections. The beginning, with the Stooges in their warehouse getting into their usual mischief, is hilarious, violent, and the boys at their best, especially when Shemp and Larry are trying to get Moe's eye unglued. Them middle slows the whole thing down, using old re-hashed gags from TASSELS IN THE AIR that were funnier in the original. But it picks up again in the last half during the wild chase/fight scene. All in all, a pretty good short, slows down after about 7-8 minutes into it, but picks up steam toward the end.

GOOF ON THE ROOF (1953) is one of my favorite Three Stooges shorts. The boys are utter knuckleheads in this, and it's funny how the destruction of the house gets worse and worse each minute. Another Stooge crew-member's swan song, this time it's writer Clyde Bruckman. He commited suicide sometime after the production of this short. Too bad, because he was one of the boys most creative writers and has a lot of credits under his belt.

A pleasant hour with Shemp
A thoughtful programmer has packaged three situation comedies, in which the Stooges tackle various projects with no success whatever. GENTS IN A JAM has the team cleaning house before a rich relative's visit. A SNITCH IN TIME has the Stooges as inept woodworkers (there's some funny dialogue in this). GOOF ON THE ROOF is the broadest of the three shorts, with the Stooges trying to install a TV antenna. None of these are mentioned when "classic" Three Stooges comedies are discussed, but they are fast and funny examples of the Stooges' early-1950s work. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Can't Believe This Is Still In Print!
I had this actual 33-1/3 record album when I was a child (late 60's) and spent many, many hours sitting in front of the stereo listening to it - I played it ragged! I was both shocked and delighted to see that it's still in print to this day! Listening to it for the first time since my album days brings back so many great memories and brought tears of happiness to my eyes. When I was a child I liked "The Alpabet Song", "Mairzy Doats", and "Three Little Fishies" the best and overall there isn't a bad song on this CD! I'm expecting my first child in July and I purchased this CD for him/her. I'm hoping he/she gains as many happy memories listening to it as I did when I was a child - and even now! A+++++ CD! BUY IT!

A must-buy!
This album was made when the Stooges were enjoying a later-in-life renaissance of popularity (late 1950s/early 1960s), and needed to make some money. (They didn't do well off of their shorts, but that's a different story.) They produced all sorts of kid-friendly stuff, and this album was such a gem that it has remained in print right through to today!

Alright, let's get down to brass tacks. My children, girl 12 and boy 10, both love this album! I am surprised, as I had feared that it would be too babyish for them. Instead, all that they have to say about it is that it is too bad that it features Curly-Joe (Joe DeRita - 1909-93), rather than Curly (Jerome Howard - 1903-52) himself. Well, that can't be helped. Anyway, the kids love this new album, and whenever we go out in the car, the whole family ends up listening to the hilarious Stooges.

If you have kids, then you really must buy them this album!

Feeling down? Sing along with the Stooges!
This album is guaranteed to cure the blues! If you've never been a Stooges fan, or thought they were just a bunch of guys who beat each other on the head all the time, this album will change your mind ... and make you happy! If you ARE a Stooges fan, this delightful album is a must for your collection! If you can't resist Moe, Larry and Curly Joe singing "The Merry Go Round Broke Down," you have a heart of stone, my friend! Buy it - Chrissy the Stooges Woman guarantees you'll be a satisfied customer, nyuk nyuk!

Sentimental, Sweet Stooges On This Classic Children's LP
The Three Stooges must have been gratified by the late 1950s to have won over a new audience, via TV, to their then 25-year-old classic short films. It brought their classic comedy to new fans even to this day, explaining why this LP, sub-titled, "The Nonsense Songbook," has remained in print 40 years after its original Coral Records release.

Alhtough most of the Stooges' fun came from seeing, not hearing, them slap and crash their way through every situation, this LP is more for the kids who saw their second set of delightful, full-length childrens' films ("Snow White and The Three Stooges," "The Outlaws Is Coming.") It's wonderful hearing "The Alphabet Song" again, hearing Larry substitute "darn" in "Three Little Fishes," even their sweet versions of "Chickory Chick" and Fanny Brice's "Mairzy Dotes." Lew Douglas' orchestrations recall nothing so much as the classic cartoon scores of Winston Sharples and Carl Stalling.

Only one regret...that, despite Curley Joe DeRita's fine performance here, the original and best Curly passed not only before being able to sing on this record, but before he could be recognized for the comic genius he was. Here's hoping MCA, Rhino, or some other heritage-minded music firm re-releases the Stooges' original "Swingin' The Alphabet," "She Was Brred In Old Kentucky," and the other delightful songs from more than 40 years of classic Stooge films. Recommended for kids and Stooge fans everywhere.

Great for ages 5 to 85
I purchased this cd a couple of months ago because I have always loved the Stooges and their antics. My five year old daughter has learned the "ABC" song and "Mairzy Doats" and sings them often. My Mother has enjoyed it as well as my Grandfather. Great old time songs and great quality sound for such old songs. So not only is it entertaining, it has taught my daughter her vowels! A+++++ ... Read more

Reviews (10)

fantastic cult classic
QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE is a schlocky piece of hokum that's so bad, it's good!

A group of astronaughts led by Eric Fleming (from "Rawhide") crash-land on the planet Venus, which is entirely ruled by women! Venus is governed by a masked Queen (Laurie Mitchell), who rules with an iron fist.

When poor Eric is called on to seduce the Queen, he unmasks her to find a pock-faced old bat, who despises men. The sexy scientist (Zsa Zsa Gabor) and her two comrades decide to revolt and stop the Queen from her diabolical plan to destroy the Earth with her Beta Disintegrator.

With Lisa Davis, QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE was so poorly made that they had to borrow sets and costumes from other B-movies like FLIGHT TO MARS, FORBIDDEN PLANET and WORLD WITHOUT END.

A must-have for all cult and B-movie lovers!

From Hungarian Beauty Queen to Outer Space Queen
I consider this movie one of the best "camp classics" out there, starring, Zsa Zsa Gabor. If you really love this Beverly Hills, cop slapper, and ex convict, she puts in, one of her best 'bad ' performances ever. The whole premise of the movie is that a space crew from the U.S.A goes on a space mission, and somehow crash lands on the planet Venus. They all realize that they are ok and can even breathe the air on this planet without space suits. They are taken as prisoners by the amazon women guards. (no affiliation with this company) They are then taken to the Queen of the planet and then realize that they are the only men on the whole planet ! OH MY ! (get it, planet Venus, all women ) Seems that they had trouble before when the planet was inhabited by men, so the queen got rid of them, or as Zsa Zsa says ......." all man were sent to the prison colony planet" You just gotta love her way with the English language. Of course there is the mysterious Queen, you see, she wears a mask, and actually as the movie progresses the masks get even more elaborate, to match her outfits! The reason being that, she is so absolutely beautiful that she has to cover her beauty so as not to intimidate the other women ............(Yeah right) Well the queen starts to fall in love with the commander, and she is willing to spare his life, if he rules the planet with her, but not the lives of his crew, well, he will have none of that! Of course he is curious about her beauty , and gets a bit nosey, so she gets upset, and decides to kill them all, but not before she destroys the planet Earth with her deadly ray gun beam that they have built. It actually looks like a big refrigerator box with colored xmas lites, like the kind of creations you made when you were a little kid. Well Zsa Zsa finds out, and since she has moves on the commander too, She really doesn't like the queen herself, as she says in the best line in the movie " I hieght that Kuuuuuveeeeeen ! " She plans on overthrowing the queen and saving the whole crew. She gets her girls together, and ties up the queen and takes her mask, and makes everyone think she is the queen herself ......(all these queens! ) but Zsa Zsa gets found out and they all have to escape. The chase scene is the best! While sneaking through the jungle, which is just house plants painted in neon colors, you notice after a while that it's just the same wall of plants over and over again, they're not going anywhere except from one end of the sound stage to the next. I won't say how the movie ends, but there is a power struggle within the ranks. What I didn't get was, how come all the women had on chiffon miniskirt outfits, and Zsa Zsa had floor length creations with slits on the sides? She still was very gorgeous at this time, but she was rather, how would you say ? Voluptous Zaftig, Porcine ? Dahlings, rush to buy this movie, put on your best chiffon, couture outfit, diamonds, fur and a big bowl of greasy buttery popcorn, and you to, can be Zsa Zsa, or "The Queen of Outer Space"

Campy, but very sexy
Yeah, it's campy, but I loved it! As a child of the fifties, I find the women in this movie very hot. Of course, there was no sex in this film, but the kissing scenes were outstanding. I wish I could have been in the shoes of the Lieutenant, or the commander, who gets but one kiss with Zsa Zsa.

They don't make them like that any more, but I wish they did.

Harmless fun. Probably shot on a dime, too.

Queen if Outer Space
This video was bought by me for my Eric Fleming collection. He was Mr. Favor on RAWHIDE in case no one recognizes him as Zza Zza's leading man. In other words, I never would have bought it except for Eric.

I LOVE zat queen!
Watching "Queen of Outer Space" is akin to watching a 1957 Miss World contest while on hallucinogens. Plot summary: Earthmen's rocket is knocked off course by a mysterious "death beam", where it lands on Venus, which is populated solely by women. The women wear mini-skirted tunics, with the exception of "Queen Iliana", who dresses like an evil, masked Auntie Mame, and "Tolleia", beautiful scientist and rebel leader, played by gorgeous Hungarian Zsa Zsa Gabor, in a series of glamorous gowns. Zsa Zsa is carefully "posed" in every shot, particularly her long-shots, where her leg is "artfully" protruding from the thigh-length slits in her gowns. Tolleia and many other man-hungry females secretly oppose the man-hating, pizza-faced queen (MEN were responsible for her radiation-burned face beneath her mask). Tolleia utters the famous line, "I hate her--I HATE zat queen!" The Earthmen, together with Tolleia and her followers, tamper with Queen Iliana's "Beta Disintegrator", with which she plans to destroy Earth. It blows up, reducing her to a charred mannequin, and Tolleia is proclaimed the new queen. This film is irresistibly enjoyable, from its kitschy sets (The queen's palace looks like a cross between a burlesque theater and a leftover set from "What's My Line?"), to the hubba-hubba women's costumes, to the men's costumes, evidently leftovers from "Forbidden Planet". Evidently, someone at Allied Artists had access to MGM's wardrobe department! Some of Anne Francis' "Forbidden Planet" costumes are worn by Lisa Davis, who plays one of Zsa Zsa's compatriots. The silly dialogue, ridiculous sound effects, and a paper-mache giant beetle add to the general hilarity of this comic-book version of the battle of the sexes. Needless to say, this film has an enormous gay following. How could it not? Zsa Zsa writes in her book, "One Lifetime is Not Enough", that her line, "I hate zat queen", gets big laughs from her many gay friends. The lady is extremely entertaining. I may also add to the unitiated that Zsa Zsa was at the peak of her beauty in this film. It's no wonder she had all the men in a spin. You can't accuse her of not having a sense of humor, and she's certainly NEVER dull! ... Read more

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"Listen, Judge" (1952, short number 138 in the Columbia series) uses for the nth time the scenario of a judge dismissing a case only to find the same person(s) wrecking his home. Here a judge (Vernon Dent) finds the Stooges acting as cook, butler, and waiter who inevitably destroy his chances for reelection and his living room via a gas-filled birthday cake. There is the expected and no longer funny routine of "stuffing a turkey" with oyster shells, unopened cans, and so on. Again, it is the Stooges versus high society--and the former have nothing to lose.

"Bubble Trouble" (1953, number 151) should be titled "Remake Trouble." A good deal of footage is taken from 1947's "All Gummed Up," up to the point when the landlord (Emil Sitka) takes the boys' rejuvenation potion, and instead of shrinking as in the first version he turns into a gorilla to give us a different ending. It is a joy to see blonde Christine McIntyre finally get to do some Stooging herself, although the long "bubblegum on the cake" routine does outlive its humor.

"Dunked in the Deep" (1949, number 119) would be pirated for a remake a few years later after Shemp's death and called "Commotion on the Ocean." Here a foreign spy puts some secret documents into watermelons (what they hold is of no concern) and has the three bring them to a ship on which they find they are stowaways. By now, Moe has taken on the Curly expression "Oh, a backbiter" while Shemp uses the very funny Curly slow walk across the set in the midst of an otherwise swift chase. Lack of any real plot calls for such fillers as Shemp trying to get into a hammock and the running gag of his being soaked each time he looks out a porthole. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Pretty good shorts.
LISTEN JUDGE, BUBBLE TROUBLE, and DUNKED IN THE DEEP. Good shorts. The best one on the tape is LISTEN,JUDGE. Columbia Tristar has finally release a Shemp remake, BUBBLE TROUBLE. Every short on this tape is somehow reworked from an earlier short.

LISTEN, JUDGE (1952) is basically a reworking of AN ACHE IN EVERY STAKE (1941). The original short was better, but this was still great. This short also copies the beginning of A-PLUMBING WE WILL GO (1940) with the "flimsy cases" gag. The electricity scenes were somehow a lot like those of THEY STOOGE TO CONGA (1943). This, however, takes those three films and makes them into one funny short.

BUBBLE TROUBLE (1953) is a remake of ALL GUMMED UP (1947) with at least 88% used from the original. The five minutes of new footage is weird, but funny. The original short is heavily edited into this one. This remake was okay, but I like the original better. Columbia is getting better at remakes, but they get better once they get to MUSTY MUSKETEERS (1954), a remake of FIDDLERS THREE (1948).

DUNKED IN THE DEEP (1949) is the least best short on the tape, but still pretty good. The back of the tape says that the short was remade as COMMOTION ON THE OCEAN (1956) and that this short has reused gags from BACK FROM THE FRONT (1943).

Overall, a decent collection of shorts. The quality is good, except it comes out fuzzy on BUBBLE TROUBLE.

BUBBLE TROUBLE IN THE JUDGE
LISTEN, JUDGE (1952) - Pretty average. The plot is basically a combo of A PLUMBING WE WILL GO, THEY STOOGE TO CONGA, and AN ACHE IN EVERY STAKE with lots of reused gags from them. Not one of Edward Bernds' better or more original efforts, but still okay.

BUBBLE TROUBLE (1953) - Absolutely pathetic remake of ALL GUMMED UP. Seriously, I never thought much of GUMMED to begin with, and 98% of this remake is just reused footage from that. Up until the last 3 minutes a lame new plot twist is involved, where Mr. Flint (Emil Sitka) turns into a gorilla after eating the Fountain of Youth, and going after the Stooges. Wasn't necessary and made no sense concerning the plot. This whole short must've taken about 3 minutes to make. A bomb.

DUNKED IN THE DEEP (1949) - A pretty weak short. A thin plot, and some slow-pacing in the scenes. Shemp is forced to do some old Curly routines and gags, and it doesn't fit him at all.

A very mediocre tape, with the best of the bunch being just an average short.

Standard slapstick.
Three shorts: DUNKED IN THE DEEP; BUBBLE TROUBLE; and LISTEN JUDGE. Outstanding plots, weak construction by Eddie Bernds. ... Read more

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"Beer Barrel Polecats" (1946, short number 88 in the Columbia series) should never have been released. It begins, promisingly enough, as a rewrite of Laurel & Hardy's Pardon Us where the Stooges decide to brew their own beer and Curly sells a bottle to a policeman. However, because of Curly's failing health, once they are in prison, Columbia decided to tack on the last half of "So Long, Mr. Chumps" (1941) in which the three have promised to get a certain person out of jail. Viewers not having seen the earlier film will be utterly baffled by the sudden introduction of new plot material without a discernible link.

"Three Smart Saps" (1942, number 64) also concerns their efforts to get into prison, with obvious references to O' Henry's The Cop and the Anthem. This time they have to release their father-in-law-to-be who is the warden of a prison that the corrupt administration has made into a country club for thieves. The best part of this short is Curly's absurd dance steps, made possible by his real-life skills as a ballroom dancer. And the ancient routine of the formal-dress suit that slowly comes apart gets its umpteenth treatment in the same sequence.

"Monkey Businessmen" (1946, number 92) concerns another phony establishment, this time a sanitarium, through which they are chased by the heavies for most of the film. Another item rare in this series is the actually believable acting of the tall, attractive nurse (Jean Donahue) as she seeks for words to announce the boys' arrival at the sanitarium. The mayhem of the opening sequence in which the team tries to act as electricians is quintessential Stooging and good fun as such. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (4)

2 1/2 stars.
BEER BARREL POLECATS is a pretty disappointing short. The scene where the Stooges make beer is funny. But the scenes in jail are disappointing. The new scene where Curly mistakingly socks Vernon Dent is funny, but Curly was sick here. To make the short easier, they reused large amounts of stock footage from IN THE SWEET PIE AND PIE and SO LONG, MR. CHUMPS. Those original shorts were better and funnier. Plus, if you didn't see SO LONG MR. CHUMPS in the first place, you wouldn't understand this short. The Stooges are looking for convict #41144, but why? Watch SO LONG, MR. CHUMPS instead.

THREE SMART SAPS is a lot funnier than the previous. Curly's dancing scenes are the funniest part of the short.

MONKEY BUSINESSMEN- This is the first short that included co-star Kenneth MacDonald. This short is pretty funny, but Curly's sickness is too noticeable.

I give this tape 2 1/2 stars. The quality is far too bright.

Another little batch of laughs
For stooges fans it is of course a beer barrel of laughs. For the avg fan we see the avg stooges skit. The boys get them selves into a mess, get chased and get their cumuppance.

Dry but pleasnt. Nothing spectacular over their normal work but the same stooges fun. For the stooge fan rather than the novice.

THREE SMART BEER BARREL BUSINESSMEN
BEER BARREL POLECATS (1946) - My least favorite Curly film. They reused way too many footage from two earlier shorts, and the reused footage from SO LONG MR. CHUMPS had nothing to do with the short at all and leaves many things unexplained. I understand they wanted to take it easy with Curly since he had just had a stroke, but they could've done a better job than this. Pretty lousy short. Only highlight for me: the line, "We ALL put the yeast". Plus, at least this short spawned off "Three Stooges Beer".

THREE SMART SAPS (1942) - A very good film, creatively written, and Curly's dancing scenes are some of his best moments.

MONKEY BUSINESSMEN (1946) - Decent short, but this is another one filmed after Curly's stroke. It's hard for me to watch Curly in this one. His performacne is pretty slow, and he looks his worst, especially in all the close-ups of his face. I also heard that Edward Bernds had a hard time working with Curly during this one because he couldn't remember any of his lines, and Moe had to coach him.

Kind of a mediocre tape, and visual quality is dismal. All 3 shorts on the tape are too bright, and THREE SMART SAPS even has the old print that was shown back in 1959, with the Screen Gems opening and closing. I don't think Columbia/Tri-Star even tried when they came up with this tape.

Stooges are GREAT!! Video is BAD!!
There is only one reason to purchase this video: "Beer Barrel Polecats". While all of the shorts on this compilation are hilarious and grade-A Stooge shorts, the video itself has a big downfall. The first short, "Beer", looks like it has been given the pristine transfer treatment but the other two shorts look as if someone held a hand camera up to a 16mm screen. They are washed out and shady. I've seen these on AMC's airring of the Stooges and they look a lot better. I would expect this from the low-budget video companies but not Columbia. It was a disappointment. Be warned, if you think you will be getting nice clean copies of these Stooge shorts. This video does not do them justice. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Im in love with a bad girl after seeing this movie
I think im in love with a bad girl name dollie. She is so sexy and pretty, i hope she does more movies than this one. The acting is not natural which consumes the majority of old classics. You would never ever see modern movies where actor's are just playing the part and realism is not there. You know what, for a classic movie, this one is awesome. I can't get enough of watching this show as i have seen it over and over again. sexploitation movies at its BEST! You have romance, murder, and suspense roll up into one package and it spells MUST SEE.

Great 50s B Movie
one of the best J.D. movies of the 50s with some pretty decent performances by the cast. Yvonne Lime is perfectly cast as the good girl trying to go bad. great film just to watch the girls' styles which so many contemporary rockabilly girls try to emulate. The transfer onto tape is super clear and for the money is one of the best films of this genre you can buy.

One of the best AIP teen films from the 50s!
Good girl Yvonne Lime gets involved with bad girl Jana Lund and her gang of Hell-cats, a sorority of not so nice gals who rule the halls of a typical 1950s high school. I am so glad this movie is finally being released on video! It is a really fun film, probably one of the best juvenile delinquint movies of the 50s. Lime is finally given a chance to show her talent (she was wasted in films like I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF) and Lund proves quite capable as a bad girl. But the best role really goes to Susanne Sydney as Jana's jealous co-hort in the Hellcats club. Also in the cast is B-film regular Brett Halsey as Lime's love interest and Rhoda Williams as the kids' understanding teacher. ... Read more

Description

From one of the Civil War's greatest atrocities, when over 200 unarmedmen and boys were murdered in Kansas, to the blood feuds that fueled these raiders, weuncover the story of the Confederate guerrillas, including Frank and Jesse James andCole Younger, who followed William Clark Quantrill, a failed teacher from Ohio. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH OH SO FUNNY!
This is Delightful! We let the kids open one present early for Christmas this year and this was it. We all sat down and watched it as a Family. Oh we all laughed so hard! Dagwood is so funny. He joins the Reserves so look out! Here comes Blondie! And Daisy and her family are adorable! This is rich. Something clean and enjoyable. You'll love it! : ) ... Read more