Reviews (5)

On balance this is one of the better Three Stooges vidoes
"Boobs in Arms" is a military comedy from 1940, although it starts with the Stooges selling greeting cards and getting involved with a woman (Evelyn Young) who wants to make her husband jealous. This actually explains how the Stooges end up in the army. The payoff is the best part of this above-average effort from Moe, Larry and Curly, with the Stooges setting off a laughing-gas bomb and taking a ride aboard an artillery shell.

"Nuts to You" has a great opening where the Stooges are operating an automated dog-washer. They then find a baby on a doorstep which they think has been abandoned, but of course they end up being wanted for kidnapping. Curly has a great bit as Mrs. Dennis O'Toole, from Ireland, before the chase is on. This is a rather unique short in that we actually get back to the automated washing center at the end of the short; usually whatever starts off a Stooges two-reeler is long forgotten by the time you get to the second reel, let along the end.

"What's the Matador?" is a 1942 effort where the Stooges are supposed to be going to Mexico but have to get their suitcase back from a jealous husband (is there any other kind in a Stooges short?). Of course this sets up a bullfight, where Curly is the matador and Moe and Larry play the part of the bull (take a wild guess which Stooge plays which end), and Curly ends up taking on a real bull.

The first half of this last short is average Stooges fare at best, but the grand finale is enough to make this particular trio of comedies one of the better Stooges videos available. You will rarely find more than one classic comedy on a single video, but while the title comedy is the least of this trio, it is the strongest last place comedy I have seen on one of these Stooges videos. That would be a good thing.

What's the Matador?
BOOBS IN ARMS- A pretty funny short. About fourteen minutes of this short is funny, except where the Stooges are asleep during the war. That copies off HALF SHOT SHOOTERS, my least favorite Three Stooges short. This is a pretty funny short though. The end, where the Stooges get carried into the sky by a rocket is one of the funniest endings ever. The best short on this tape.

MUTTS TO YOU is another funny short. Vernon Dent is funny as the Stooges landlord. The only drawback is that backgroud music is added at the end of the short. I always disliked shorts that had background music.

WHAT'S THE MATADOR? is funny as well. This was remade as SAPPY BULLFIGHTERS with Joe Besser. That wasn't as good as this, though. This short, however, is not that special or new, but has some pretty good scenes.

This tape is worth adding to your collection.

MUTTS THE MATADOR?
BOOBS IN ARMS (1940) - This short holds a special place in my heart, because it's my favorite Three Stooges short of all time. I love this short, because it's excellent from beginning to end. A very fast-paced short, and Curly's at his best in the marching scenes. The ending with the boys being blown with laughing gas is the most funniest and outrageous Three Stooges ending ever. I never get tired of this.

MUTTS TO YOU (1938) is a bad short. I never really liked any of the "baby" shorts the boys did, and that goes for this one as well. There aren't a lot of funny scenes, and for the most part, it's a pretty boring short.

WHAT'S THE MATADOR? (1942) - A pretty good short. The best part is the second half with the Matador act - Curly is hilarious as the matador, and the ending is great, too.

Great tape, with only one weak short, but I still recommend it.

Some of their Best
These are some of the Stooges best, but I liked "A Ducking They Will Go" better. Still, these are classics.

These are three classics. For Stooge fanatics must buys!
First Classic: "Boobs in Arms." Anyone who has ever been in the Army will appreciate this one. Curly is at his best. I love the part where the Sergeant shows them how to skip to get into step; Curly - and then the whole squad - starts skipping, unbeknownst to the Sergeant. Also, when they hide in duffle bags used for bayonet practice and the Sergeant does some bayonet lunges that tickle the three recruits' noses. Doing shoulder arms drills results in three accidental kills - of ducks flying over! This one will break your gut!

Second Classic: "Mutts to you" is a favorite with spouses of Stooge maniacs, because it is a cutesy, not-so-rough episode, not real funny, but very amusing. It's a classic, but a relief from laughing so hard after the two other classics.

Third classic: "What's the Matador?" the title skit, is a great saga of the majestic sport of Bull Fighting. Especially stunning when Curly finally meets a bull head to head. ... Read more

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In the Sweet Pie and Pie (1941, No. 58 in the series) starts with a plot right out of The Yeomen of the Guard, in which three chiseling women, in order to claim an inheritance, marry the Stooges, who are condemned to be hanged the next day. The execution scene is a rare bit of black humor, as the event is treated like a sports event with a Bill Stern-type announcer. They are pardoned and the wives saved from the consequences by insisting they become high class. This leads to a dancing lesson from an earlier film and a good deal of what the title promises.

Phoney Express (1943, No. 75) is a minor effort. Mistaken only briefly for marshals out in the Old West, the boys bungle their one assignment of guarding the town bank and have to find the missing money, which they do all too easily. The only sign of something new is a fully armed Curly hiding inside a stove with the money, which gets set on fire by the villain's cigar. The result is a superweapon spouting shots all over. But nothing is made of it except a fade-out and "The End." Using Curly as a bloodhound shows off his comedic talents, but it is all a bit degrading.

In Playing the Ponies (1937, No. 26) we have a real animal as the star. After mismanaging a restaurant in which "chicken soup" means boiled water poured over a chicken and Larry tallies up a bill by seeing what still clings to the customer's clothing (a bit stolen from Charlie Chaplin), the boys swap it for a non-winning horse. The animal does react, however, to some pepperinos and it actually wins the race. For a change, the short ends happily with a wealthy trio sharing a victory dinner with the winner. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Two great shorts, one mediocre one.
IN THE SWEET PIE AND PIE is a very funny short. The pie fight at the end is hilarious, but too slowly paced. A great short, only one bad moment.

PHONY EXPRESS is a pretty mediocre short. Not enough entertainment, too westerny. A few good scenes, but this needs help.

PLAYING THE PONIES, on the other hand is great. Some great scenes at the racetrack. "Follow the water, Thunderbolt."

A great tape, needed for a Three Stooges collection.

THE SWEET PHONY PONIES
IN THE SWEET PIE AND PIE (1941) - Stars the Stooges as convicts who get duped into marrying 3 women who are just doing it to collect a legacy. This short does have it's similarities to HOI POLLOI (and even has a reused scene from it), but this short can stand well enough on its own. I love the wild pie fight at the end. This short is a gem.

PHONY EXPRESS (1943) - One of the few Stooge Westerns I actually like. This was surprisingly well-done for a western - very fast-paced, zany and cartoony. Curly's bloodhound scene is a killer.

PLAYING THE PONIES (1937) - stars the Stooges as restaurant waiters, who give up their job to get into horse racing business. A great short, and this must've been one of Larry's favorite's, since he loved betting on horses. The scene where he gets a rake caught up his behind kills me every time.

Also, there's a mistake on the back of the video box. For the description of PHONY EXPRESS, they use a picture of PLAYING THE PONIES by accident, and the other way around for the description of PLAYING THE PONIES.

"One of their best"
"In the Sweet Pie and Pie" is on of the Stooge's best. What's really funny about it is that in 'In the Sweet Pie and Pie" they're trying to turn them into slobs and in "Hoi Polloi" they're trying to turn them into gentlemen. ... Read more

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"Cookoo Cavaliers" (1940) and "Booby Dupes" (1943) are respectively the 51st and 84th entries in the Columbia series of Three Stooges shorts. While most of the shorts on these releases are in no particular order, both of these episodes start with the boys in the fish business. In the first, their 30-day-old catches and lack of customers force them to purchase what they think is a saloon down in Cucaracha, Mexico, but it turns out to be abeauty salon. Here one feels a little sorry for the senoritas whose hair istotally destroyed by the Stooges' ineptitude. However, Curly's pantomime (withsound effects) of a bartender is a gem.

"Booby Dupes" begins as a literal remake of the 1932 Laurel and Hardy classic "Towed in a Hole," and perhaps it suffers by comparison. It is business as usual as they try to fix up a craft that is not seaworthy, whichthey of course manage to sink on their first fishing trip out. Their signaling a plane with a towel that has a paint stain very much like a Japanese flag is merely a contrivance to bring the film to an all-too-common hasty conclusion.

"Busy Buddies" (1944, #78) has them as restaurateurs with Curly as a cook to whom chicken soup means passing boiling water through a hen. A pie deliverydoes not lead to what one would expect but to their need to earn $100 by Curly'swinning a milking contest so they can pay their bills. They lose when the crowdrealizes he is milking a fake cow with Larry, Moe, and a huge supply of milkinside. The film ends with the three beating a hasty retreat, this time from thearena. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (5)

On balance these are below average Three Stoogies shorts
This trio of Three Stooges shorts from their work at Columbia all come from the early Forties, and while the first one is a decent efforts from the boys the other two are below par:

"Cookoo Cavaliers," a 1940 short, introduces the boys as Larry Hook, Moe Line, and Curly Sinker. For a month they have been trying to sell fresh fish from a trunk, only they did not use any ice in an effort to save money. However, this is just a minor prologue for the main event, which is when the Stooges buy a beauty salon in Cucaracha, Mexico. Some beautiful women come in to have their hair bleached blond and are lucky to get out of the salon alive after the boys are done with them (suffice it to say Curly has more hair than the four women put together). This one is clearly the best of the bunch.

"Booby Dupes" is from 1945 and also starts with the Stooges selling fish, and once again, things are not going well. So they decide to cut out the middleman and buy a boat to prove that they are worse at catching fish than they are selling them. Then Curly proceeds to find several ways to help sink the boat. This below average effort is not helped when the boys wave a white flag with a big red dot on it so that they the army bombs them thinking they are Japanese (I suppose they could have been the vanguard of a fleet of sinking fishing boats).

The 1944 short "Busy Buddies" opens with the Stooges running a restaurant into the ground and needing to come up with $97 to pay for a pastry bill. This sends them out to try and find ways of quickly raising the money, from getting a penny for every poster they hang over town and then entering a milking contest. This is a minor effort at best, and Moe's attempt to win the milking contest by cheating is less than inspired. Besides, what sort of comedy short involves throwing only one pie?

Keep looking. There are much better collections of Stooge shorts out there than this one, which a fan would pursue in an effort to collect all 190 of the Columbia shorts out of a pathological need for completeness.

Good tape.
COOKOO CAVALIERS, BOOBY DUPES, and BUSY BUDDIES were all great shorts. I think the best one is BUSY BUDDIES, but COOKOO CAVALIERS IS a classic.

COOKOO CAVALIERS (1940)- An excellent short. The Three Stooges accidentally buy a beauty salon instead of a saloon. Great short, a classic!

BOOBY DUPES (1945) is my least favorite on the tape, but still good. A pretty good short, but I wonder if the Stooges had a low budget at the time. Many of the backgrounds have nothing to do with the scene, and some scenes aren't very realistic. Still good, though. The ending where they're mistaken for Japanese was excellent.

BUSY BUDDIES (1944)- Another excellent short. The cafe scenes are excellent, and so is the rest.

This tape is between A+ and A.

Great tape
"Cookoo Cavaliers" - A classic. This short starts out with the stooges having no business with their fish selling so they decide to go into the saloon business and instead get a beauty salon. Then the stooges wreck havoc on their customers' hair which turns out to be hilarious! The best short on this tape.

****

"Booby Dupes" - Not as strong as the last one but still pretty good and funny. This was Del Lord's last effort on a Curly short and it is one of Curly's last shorts when he is in good health. Anyway, the beginning is quite similar to "Cookoo Cavaliers" because the stooges are in the fish business again. This time they decide to catch their own fish after a fiasco with cats and fish. There were many funny scenes, like when the stooges fix the boat, and the fishing part was also pretty good stuff. The only weakness of this one is the "jealous boyfriend" part which strays from the plot and seemed to be time-filler.

***1/2

"Busy Buddies" - Another good short. The cafe scenes are classic. The rest isn't as good, but it was still pretty funny. We actually get to get a glance of what the stooges would be like live since there is an audience that seems so well-dressed for a cow milking contest! The problem here is that Larry only gets 7 lines and doesn't get punished by Moe once! He seemed to be more of a supporting actor than one of the stars.

***1/2

BUSY COOKOO DUPES
COOKOO CAVALIERS (1940) - A pretty good short. Curly's no-dialogue scene where he's fixing up an imaginary drink is hilarious, and watch out for one scene where it looks like Curly and Moe almost get into a real fight (it's when the Stooges are putting the mud on the lady's face). Afterwards, there's a cut and the boys are going on with the short. Sometimes, I heard the Stooges got into fights behind the scenes whenever something would go wrong.

BOOPY DUPES (1945)- The short opens up basically the same way the previous short does. The boys are fish men with lousy business, so they decide to get more fish by buying their own boat and going fishing themselves. Not a great short, and in fact, it's pretty weak for a Curly short. There's not much plot, and not much funny gags to back it up. The scenes in the second half with the Stooges on their boat are awkward, and look like the Stooges were working with no script. There's tons of flubbed lines, and missed cues. Del Lord's declining directorial efforts from the mid-40's really took it's toll here.

BUSY BUDDIES (1944) - Another weak Del Lord effort from the mid-40's. Although this had some funny scenes, overall, it's not a great short, and weak in several places. The ending especially had no sting.

The first short is solid, but the last two are duds. A weak tape.

three of the best
This three stooges video features the shorts,"Cookoo Cavaliers","Booby Dupes," and "Busy Buddies." ( All Curly shorts.) In "Cookoo Cavaliers", the stooges are Larry Hook, Moe Line , and Curly Sinker, fishsalesmen who've been trying to get rid of their fish because the fish smell really bad. So, the stooges decide to get out of the fish business and go into the saloon business. But the stooges' investment broker thinks that they want to buy a beauty salon and sells the stooges an abandoned beauty salon in Mexico, where the stooges create havoc by giving four women horrible facials and horrible haircuts. In "Booby Dupes", the stooges are fish- salesmen again. This time, they decide to catch their own fish and buy their own boat, because they first got their fish from a store and they were selling it off the street in their car and business was really bad. They also want to get rid of the middle man. In "Busy Buddies", Moe and Larry enter Curly in a milking contest at the county fair. The reason why: their breakfast restaurant is about to go out of business so they think this "contest" will help them save their breakfast restaurant from going out of business by winning the prize money. When Moe and Larry take Curly to a pasture to pratice for the contest, Curly doesn't know the difference between a cow and a bull! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The past is a blast in this trio of Three Stooges comedies
For some reason in 1948 the Three Stooges did a lot of comedy shorts for Columbia which were set in the past. Three of them are collected on this video, and are even arranged in chronological order (in terms of the time periods they represent), thereby providing a look at the Three Stooges in three stages of ancient history:

I'm a Monkey's Uncle" is a two-reeler finds the Stooges in the Stone Age, dealing with the problems of sleeping, hunting, cooking, finding girls, and avoiding their boyfriend, with Shemp usually getting the worst of every situation. However, things actually end up with the boys on top for once. Ah, the good old days.

"Mummy's Dummies" was the next comedy from the Stooges, with this one set in ancient Egypt where the boys are used chariots salesmen. Brought before the Pharaoh Rootentooten, Shemp turns into Painless Papryus and saves his majesty from a toothache. The boys are rewarded with high positions at court and actually continue to do good deeds, leading to another happy ending (sort of).

The best of this set is "Squareheads of the Round Table," which was the first of these three to be filmed in 1948. The boys are but simple troubadours on the way to the court of King Arthur when they become involved in the quest of Cedric the Blacksmith to win the hand of the Princess Elaine, who has been promised to the Black Prince. The Stooges are eager to help, but serenading the Princess only gets them throw in the castle dungeon. They escape and find there is a plot to kill the king and for the third time in a row on this video the Stooges carry the day.

Is there some sort of deep meaning to the fact that the Three Stooges have much more success in the past than they do in the present? Are we seeing an indictment of the modern condition, a rejection of technology and the trappings of modernity? Come on, get real, people. These are the Three Stooges and we should be impressed by the fact that a couple of these shorts have actual plots.

A Five-Star Tape.
I'M A MONKEY'S UNCLE, MUMMY'S DUMMIES, and SQUAREHEADS OF THE ROUND TABLE. There's no best short on this tape. All three are equally funny.

I'M A MONKEY'S UNCLE is so funny, especially Shemp with Dee Green. She tackles well. She'd make a good football player. A priceless short. Remade as STONE AGE ROMEOS.

MUMMY'S DUMMIES is also very funny, especially the supporting cast. This should could not have been better, but the quality could.

SQUAREHEADS OF THE ROUND TABLE is possibly the best Three Stooges short set in medevil times. This was great. The quality of the three is best on this one. A great short.

Notice that all three of these shorts take place in a different time period. The quality of the tape comes out darker than usual. I give this 4 1/2 stars.

I'M A DUMMIES OF THE ROUND TABLE
A back-in-time themed video tape, and all shorts ironically come from the same year:

I'M A MONKEY'S UNCLE (1948) is disappointing. Set in the Stone-Age. With the Stooges set as cavemen for the whole short, your expectations are high for a great, unique short, but they really wasted the premise. What we get is a lot of weak scenes, another 5 minute scene with Moe doing another poor Curly imitation (see also SHIVERING SHERLOCKS), and a weak ending. Although the interaction between Shemp and Baggie (Dee Green) is funny. But they didn't do much with this premise as they should've. Same thing with SELF MADE MAIDS, which casts the Stooges playing all the parts, even the supporting roles - and that clever premise wasn't handled well at all. Still, worth seeing the Stooges as cavemen.

MUMMY'S DUMMIES (1948) is a better short. Set in ancient Egypt. Some great scenes, and my favorite part is where the guard is quickly unraveling the mummy bandages wrapped around Shemp, sending him spinning though the whole room. Incidentally, this is the only pre-1950's Shemp short that was not remade with the Stooges later on.

SQUAREHEADS OF THE ROUND TABLE (1948) is a wonderful short. Set in Medieval times. Great writing and direction, with a great supporting cast, topped off with a wonderful castle scene makes this one of the best shorts the Stooges ever did.

Starts out bumpy, but the shorts on the tape progessively gets better as it goes along.

Four stars for the movies, two stars for the prints
Three costume comedies with the Stooges. I'M A MONKEY'S UNCLE has the Stooges as cavemen in a typical slapstick outing. MUMMY'S DUMMIES has "Honest Moe, Honest Shemp, and Larry" as used-chariot salesmen in a funny spoof of sword-and-sandal epics. SQUAREHEADS OF THE ROUND TABLE is a clever comedy pitting Ye Stooges against The Black Prince; there's a memorable musical interlude with soprano Christine McIntyre and the Stooges. Columbia's video releases are technically fine as a rule, using 35mm theatrical masters, but not this time -- the tape is taken from darker-than-usual, 16mm TV prints! It's about the same quality as seen on some smaller labels, and it's watchable, but a few notches below Columbia's usual technical standard. Shemp deserves better.

Can't give them all 5 stars! Not classics, but good anyway!
"I'm a Monkey's Uncle" is the Three Stooges' version of the Flintsones, only much funnier. Great, but average for the Stooges.

"Mummy's Dummies" is a bit better. The King's tooth plucking is pretty funny, and the chase through the palace is OK. Another average short(for the Stooges.)

"Squareheads of the Roundtable" is a good spoof on opera, but the stupid serenade is funny. Their timing has been better. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

An "I" tape.
This is an interesting tape, because all three shorts begin with the letter "I". IDIOTS DELUXE, I CAN HARDLY WAIT, and IDLE ROOMERS. The best one is IDLE ROOMERS. The Stooges work at a hotel and let Lupe, the Wolf Man loose. Some great hijinks, including Lupe tearing up a trombone. IDIOTS DELUXE is another great short. Moe is a sick man, who is very funny. The bear driving a car is priceless. I wonder if Moe was really sick here. I CAN HARDLY WAIT is too painful for me to watch. I makes me afraid to see the dentist.

A good, "I" rated, tape.

IDIOTS CAN HARDLY IDLE
IDIOTS DE LUXE (1945) - An interesting short, and pretty good. Moe gives in a hilarious performance as a nervous wreck. "Oh, my nerves! My nerves!"

I CAN HARDLY WAIT (1943) - Another interesting short, since most of it's in dream form, and the whole short revolves around one simple little problem, but it's a hilarious short regardless, and the Stooges get to perform many gags. Also, note that the entire first half has no supporting cast.

IDLE ROOMERS (1944) - An okay film, although not some of the Stooges' and director Del Lord's best work. Note that this is the very first time that supporting cast member Christine McIntyre appears in a Three Stooges short.

Review For Idiots De Luxe
Ya know, the only reason this tape isn't 5 stars is for the fact that there are even better ones than these classics. These are 3 of my FAVORITE episodes, but I just can't bring myself to saying it's top-notch stooges (Such as the movie "A Plumbing We Will Go)

The first episode, "I Can Hardly Wait", is, in my opinion...the funniest episode on the tape. It starts off with Larry, Moe, and Curly, as defense workers, coming home and making dinner. There are the usual antics while preparing the food, which are funny, but not even as close as to what happens next. Moe and Larry split a ham and an egg, and leave Curly with a full egg shell and a whole bone. (They make it sound as if their being generous to the poor guy.) Curly, being Curly, believes them and attempts to eat the bone, cracking his tooth. It all results in Curly moaning and groaning and keeping Moe and Larry from sleeping. They try several "home remedies" (Hilarious) but when they fail, they take him to the dentist. I'll leave the ending out, as to not to spoil the funny scene at the end. Fans, this video is almost worth the price just for this episode.

Next is "Idiots De Luxe" which is funny, I would say the 2'nd best. I remember seeing this short when I was very little, and loving it. Curly and Larry are prosecuting Moe in court for "attempted murder". It then goes back in the past, where Moe is a nervous wreck and Curly and Larry take him for a trip to the woods for peace and quiet. It ends up they have the company of a bear in their cabin, who eats their food and gives them all quite a scare. This is funny episode, and I especially like Larry in it, he seems to have more energy and has many more lines. Great episode!

Last is the worst episode on the tape, but still very amusing, "Idle Roomers". Moe, Larry, and Curly are hotel workers who, while cleaning a room, find a wearwolf-guy prowling around. The thing is, whenever this wearwolf-guy hears music, he goes crazy! (Of course he hears music more than once and goes totally crazy on the 3 guys) It's a very funny episode, but I didn't laugh out loud many times, if...at all.

All together, you HAVE to buy this tape. It's one of the few Columbia House videos of the Stooges that have all 3 episodes on it very good. (They try to spread all the GREAT episodes out on different tapes.) But for this one...all 3 are wonderful and it is DEFINETLY worth the price. Get this one now fans, and hurry! -Stooge Fan

Classic films that never grow old.
Three shorts: I CAN HARDLY WAIT; IDLE ROOMERS; and the masterpiece of forest life IDIOTS' DELUXE. Not top Stooges, but far from a letdown.

Words cannot describe these Stooge classics!
"I Can Hardly Wait" & "Idiots Deluxe" are the funniest of the three on this tape. I nearly cried at the first one, I was laughing so hard! ... Read more

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"Crash Goes the Hash" (1944, short number 77 in the Columbia series) is pretty much a rehash of material often used by the Three Stooges. Mistaken for reporters, they are sent to a highbrow party to get a story. They pose as cook and butlers, causing the expected chaos, even down to the old parrot-in-the-turkey routine and the one in which a Stooge has one arm in the baddie's jacket sleeve during a fight. Perhaps it is as an acknowledgment of all this recycling that we have the butler commenting that they remind him of the Three Stooges, to which Curly replies, "That's an insult."

"From Nurse to Worse" (1940, number 49) has a rare bit of symmetry in that a "friend" who gets them involved in an insurance scam at the start of the film gets his comeuppance at the end of it. Curly gets to do an extended dog imitation to prove he's nuts and collect on the insurance; but when faced with surgery, it's time to escape--into a dog catcher's wagon to facilitate an extra routine inside a fumigation room.

The third film, "G.I. Wanna Go Home" (1946, number 94)--the word Go is missing on both the box and the tape label!--starts with a touch of realism as the boys are in uniforms looking for a lift. Because of the housing shortage, they cannot get married and take up residence in an open yard; but after another tired round with a parrot in a turkey, a truck arbitrarily ruins their domicile. They manage to find a small dwelling, the bedroom of which consists of two sets of three-tiered bunk beds. The brides simply disappear into the bathroom as another old routine of Curly having to take the top berth is repeated. This is not a particularly satisfying entry as Curly is restrained by health problems. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (5)

A lot of recycled Stooges routines redeemed by Curly
Recycled routines are the order of the day for this trio of Three Stooges shorts from the 1940s, when the group's lineup was still Moe, Larry and Curly:

"Crash Goes the Hash" is a 1944 offering has the editor of the "Daily Star Press" mistaking the Stooges for reporters for a rival newspaper. He offers the trio $100 for photographs of Prince Shaam of Ubeedarn, so the boys pose as a cook and two butlers and invade the home of the widowed socialite the prince is going to marry. This means the usual havoc in the kitchen. The title is rather interesting because so much of this one is re-hashed from previous shorts by the Stooges (e.g., the bird flying into the cooked turkey so that it starts jumping around).

"From Nurse to Worse" hails from 1940 and finds the Stooges as wallpaperers. But the plot has to do with the boys buying an insurance policy worth $500 a month if they claim Curly is crazy. This means a visit to the offices of Dr. D. Lerious, an insurance examiner, where Curly is brought in on a leash pretending he is a dog. But when the doctor wants to operate on Curly thing start going badly. Bringing the dog catcher's truck leads to some nice moments involving fleas, but this way deteriorates into being chased through the hospital.

"G.I. Wanna Go Home" came out in 1946 and has the boys home from the war to see their sweethearts (Jessie, Tessie, and Bessie). Things are tough, especially when it comes to housing, which explains why the boys all end up living in a backyard. For the second time on this tape we get the gag where a bird flies into the cooked meal and disrupts dinner. Then there is the truck that comes crashing through and destroying their happy home. The climax involves six bunk beds with Curly on top, so you can imagine what ends up happening.

There seem to be a lot of recycled routines on this particular videotape, but getting the bird bit twice mandates a one star reduction in the rating. If this video was your introduction to the Three Stooges you would not be aware of how repetitive and redundant the routines were getting, at least not until the last one. But Curly has several good bits throughout the tape, and his physical comedy forgives a lot of the faults of this collection.

Crash Goes The Hash
Crash Goes The Hash(1944)-It's an excellent short with alot of scenes. I especiall loved the part where Curly carreis the ice with his and hands and only yells out "here you are folks". The turkey routine needs a plot but anyway a nice short.

From Nurse To Worse(1940)-Another excellent short. All the scebes were the best, including Curly's impersonation of a dog at a hospital.

G.I. Wanna Home(1946)-Very funny short. A must see for fans

Three excellent shorts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CRASH GOES THE HASH, an excellent short. There is no best scene. All of the short is equally funny. Everyone is at their best here, even the supporting cast. A great short.

FROM NURSE TO WORSE is another excellent short. Once again, all sixteen minutes is zany, fast-paced, and hilarious. There's an excellent chase scene toward the end.

GI WANNA GO HOME is the best short here. I think this is one of the funniest shorts ever made. All of this short is just too funny.

Overall, an excellent tape, with great quality.

GI WANNA SEE MORE STOOGES
In my opinion,the episode "gi wanna home" is one of the best three stooges episodes ever made. Despite curly's illness i think he did really well and i thought the scenes with Moe and Larry were really hilarious. Another hilarious scene is when Moe and Larry were fighting and Curly came up and he said "whats all the rumpus" in which Moe replies(concerning Larry)"I'll rumpus him in a minute" I thought that was a funny use of the word.I also thought that Moe had some very funny moments especially with the tramp who was trying to rent a room with the stooges. I also liked the scene where they were trying to rent an apartment from a landlord who would only rent to the stooges(i quote) "from 4 to 5...A.M.!!! An exceptionally good episode.

CRASH GOES THE NURSE HOME
CRASH GOES THE HASH (1944) - This is a fast-paced, hilarious short, and the boys at their best. The plot has them as newshounds, disguising as butlers and cooks to get a picture of Prince Shaam and Lady Van Bustle (Symona Boniface). This has plenty of funny gags, and the ending is hilarious, even if it has no real ending (the point is that it's funny). Pay attention to Larry's reactions in the background at the end when Curly and Moe are slapping each other around. His reactions are priceless! One of the Stooges' best shorts.

FROM NURSE TO WORSE (1940) - Another gem. Curly goes to an insurance doctor and pretend he's insane as a scam for the Stooges to get some money from the Insurance doctor, but the boys' plan backfires when the doctor actaully wants to operate on Curly's brain! A creative plot, with a lot of hilarious scenes, especially when Curly's pretending to be a dog in the doctor's office. The great hospital chase towards the end is great, too. I wonder why they reused that one small scene from DIZZY DOCTORS (1937) toward the end. It seemed forced and the boys have to wear the same outfits for the whole short that they wore in DIZZY DOCTORS just so they fit the stock footage.

G.I. WANNA HOME (1946) - First off, to Frank Behrens, who wrote the review for this tape: actually, the video tape cover is correct. There is no "GO" in the title, the title is just G.I. WANNA HOME - just watch the short again and pay attention to the title card for yourself, and you'll see. Okay, as for the short - this is a pretty average, nothing special short. The Stooges, after returning from WWII, have trouble finding a house to move into, so they instead move into a vacant lot. Nothing real outstanding in this short, but some pretty funny scenes, especially when Larry climbs up the tree to get the nest of eggs, only to spill all the eggs on Moe's head. Then Larry slips off the tree when getting off and falls of top of Moe! ... Read more

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"Heavenly Daze" (1948, short number 109 in the Columbia series) begins unusually on a supernatural plane. Shemp seeks admittance into Heaven but is told by a St. Peter type (played by Moe in a long silvery beard) that he must reform the other two Stooges before he can enter. There is some good fun as he frightens not only Larry and Moe, who have inherited his $140 and are planning a swindle, but the now-unacceptable black butler. It would have been better, perhaps, had Shemp been invisible to viewers as well as the Stooges, but that would have called for expensive special effects.

"The Ghost Talks" (1949, number 113) has the boys in a haunted castle that has actual ghosts, the chief of which is the spirit of Peeping Tom. Here, in a flashback, we see he did not look on purpose at Lady Godiva, but his punishment was swift and terrible: a pie in the face. When a very bored sounding Godiva shows up in a bathing suit and rides off with the suit of armor inhabited by Tom, pies from the past end this uneven film.

"Hokus Pokus" (1949, number 115) has the boys waiting hand and foot (and foot in mouth) on a beautiful blonde (Mary Ainslee) who is in a wheelchair to defraud an insurance company. Working in a theater to help her out, the boys run into a hypnotist who tries to get publicity by getting them out on a flagpole to dance. With obviously painted backdrops, there are no thrills; but their efforts to get back in do tie in with the original plot, which is not always the case in this series. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The Three Stooges in a trio of supernatural encounters
There is actually some vague notion of thematic unit to the trio of shorts the Three Stooges did for Columbia that are included on this video as Moe, Larry and Shemp deal with various aspects of the supernatural:

"Heavenly Daze" is a 1948 short where we begin with Moe as Mortimer, the keeper of the Pearly Gates, who has to deny Shemp entrance into the Heaven. Shemp is given a choice between getting an asbestos suit or returning to earth to reform Moe and Larry, and returns to earth to haunt his cousins. This proves to be rather difficult and the short ends up with a lot of whipped cream pies being thrown. This short is the best one of the bunch on this particular video.

"The Ghost Talks" is a 1949 effort where the Stooges are movers from the A to Z Express Company who are supposed to be moving things out of a castle. However, the ghost of Peeing Tom (the guy who checked out Lady Godiva during her infamous ride) causes all sorts of mischief because he does not want to move. This sounds like an idea that might go someplace, but it really does not.

"Hokus Pocus," another 1949 short, begins with the Stooges attending poor Mary, a blonde in a wheelchair who is trying to scam an insurance company for big bucks (the boys do not know this). The next thing we now the Stooges are dealing with the great hypnotist Svengarlic, who sends them out of a flagpole. Of course, something happens to Svengarlic so the boys come out of their trance, thereby setting up the final collision of the two plot lines. This has several decent bits by the boys and the best ending of the three episodes.

Some of Shemp's Best
This tape is a must have with all three shorts being memorable ones. Heavenly Daze is hilarious thanks to Shemp. The first time I saw this I was in High School and remember having cramps from laughing so hard. Ghost Talks is a classic and a must see. Hokus Pokus is pretty good with Shemp hypnotizing Moe. This short has Some of the best animal impersonations I have ever seen.

Ghosts, ghosts, and flagpole walking
HEAVENLY DAZE (1948) - An instant Shemp classic! This one is in my top five favorite Shemp shorts. HEAVENLY DAZE was made when Shemp rejoined the stooges (his debut short being FRIGHT NIGHT).

THE GHOST TALKS (1949) - A very funny short! The stooges, as movers, come face to face with poltergeists when they're hired to clear out a haunted castle.

HOKUS POKUS (1949) - A hilarious stooge short! The scene where Shemp is trying to set up the table is very funny! The flagpole scene is the highlight.

HEAVENLY DAZE, THE GHOSTS TALKS, and HOKUS POKUS: 3 well-done and very funny stooge shorts. A must-own for every stooge fan (especially Shemp fans!).

My favorite short, an average short, and a good short.
HEAVENLY DAZE (1948) is my all-time favorite Three Stooges film. It starts with Shemp in Heaven learning that he can't get in until he reforms Moe and Larry. Moe is in a lawyer's office diving up their inheritance from Shemp between him and Larry. Lawyer I. Fleecem (Vernon Dent) is his usual funny self. Moe and Larry spend all of Shemp's inheritance to rent a fancy apartment, get a butler, and are soon trying to sell a phony invention (a fountain pen that writes under whipped cream) to a rich family. Then comes the best part. Shemp, in an invisible spirit, turn the whipped cream machine on high and cream flies out of the machine and lands on everyone's faces. But Shemp wakes up and finds out he's been dreaming on a burning bed (it's burning because he's been smoking in bed). I believe that this is the funniest film The Three Stooges have ever made. The film ends with Shemp getting a pie in his own face. A++ for this short.

THE GHOST TALKS (1949) on the other hand was quite weak. It's a rather strange Stooges film. the only thing that saves this film is the stooges being hit with pies through the window. Rating- C-

HOKUS POKUS (1949) on the better side makes up for the previous short on this tape, THE GHOST TALKS. The flagpole scene was excellently done and not weak. The only part that was too long was when Shemp was setting up the table. But that doesn't take away the enjoyment of the rest of the film. A-

HEAVENLY DAZE is the best short ever made. I recommend it to all fans of the Three Stooges.

THE HEAVENLY DAZED GHOST TALKS
HEAVENLY DAZE (1948) - A creative short. Shemp has died, but cannot get into heaven until he reforms Moe and Larry for their bad deeds, and he must stop them from selling a phony fountain pen that writes under whipped cream to a rich couple (Vic Travers and Symona Boniface). The whole short is pretty good, and Shemp gets a lot of attention, although in several parts, he plays in a more straight role which is interesting to see.

THE GHOST TALKS (1949) - One of my least favorite Shemp films. The Stooges go to an old castle to move some antiques, but one of the antiques, a suit of armor, happens to be taken over by a dead spirit. I thought this was very weak. The plot was pretty lame as well as most of the gags, and this didn't have many funny gags to back it up. The actress who played "Lady Godiva" has to be one of the worst performers in a Stooge short, even if it was only for a few seconds. She couldn't look any more bored, and her acting was awful. Not even any effort was put in the title.

HOKUS POKUS (1949) - An okay short. The Stooges are helping out Mary, their neighbor who they think is confined to a wheelchair. What they don't know is that Mary's faking it so she can get some money from the Insurance company. Later in the short, the Stooges meet a hypnotist (Jimmy Lloyd) who they try to get to hypnotize Mary to make her walk, but he hypnotizes them to walk on a flagpole from a very high distance. An okay short. The flagpole scenes are the highlight.

Decent collection. ... Read more

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"Corny Casanovas" (1952, short number 139 in the Columbia series) has only the barest of plot, and even that doesn't start until nine minutes of destructive housekeeping are dispensed with. Somehow a sexy blonde (Connie Cezan) has talked each of the boys into getting her an engagement ring, and she has to keep each of them from finding the other two hidden in her apartment. Other than the rare occasion of Larry beating Moe into submission, there is little new here.

"A Missed Fortune" (1951, number 137) concerns Shemp's accidentally winning a small fortune in a contest. The team lives high on the hog in a hotel before finding out that after taxes the prize money comes to just under $5. This time there are three sexy gold diggers who do little more than get soaked, and even regular Stooge foil Vernon Dent is limited merely to showing anger at what they have done to the suite they rented.

On the other hand, "He Cooked His Goose" (1952, number 140) is a rare treat. The characters played by the Stooges do not act as a team. A very uncharacteristic Larry is a lady's man, playing around not only with Shemp's girlfriend but also with Moe's wife (!). Moe himself tries to create a different sort of character, although the results are as usual. To prove Shemp a philanderer, Larry sends him to Moe's wife to sell some lingerie, and the result is a merry mix-up in the true tradition of the French farce. It would be hard to find an episode in which Larry has as many lines as he does here. One suspects a good deal of vaudeville sketch material was put into this excellent script. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Worthwile shorts!!
This tape has some of the best and funniest shorts made by the Three Stooges. There are three good ones here, "A Missed Fortune" "Corny Casanovas", and " He Cooked His Goose." All are very entertaining and will make you laugh hard. This tape is espacially good for Shemp fans, as he is in all three. This is a very worthwhile tape, coming in at a pricey $11.99.

Mostly a Field Day For Stooge Detractors
The Three Stooges are probably the most under-appreciated comic actors in history. They were multi-talented with remarkable timing and adlibbing skills. Most of their films were much better than those of their contemporaries in the two-reeler market - indeed, there are many which supersede the great Laurel and Hardy in laugh content. They were very well written; expertly edited. In addition, the supporting players were well utilized. Unfortunately, "Corny Casanovas" contains the kind of stuff than even Stooge devotees cringe at: some of the most gruesome and gratuitous violence ever captured on film, which degrades the remainder in this package.
In this 1952 film Larry and Moe manage to knock each other out, using devices such as chimney bellows and shovels. Moe whacks Larry on the side of the head, leaving him unconscious. But that's not enough - he places the bellows in Larry's mouth and pumps soot into his gut which momentarily distends like a balloon. Larry wakes up in a rage and smashes Moe over the head repeatedly until he too hits the floor. Another horrible gag involves Moe swallowing tacks - he is saved from choking when Larry shoves a magnet down his throat! It's unbelievable.
The purpose of the long scene, apparently, is to set-up the gleefull departure of the flim-flaming golddigger who has fooled all three (not too daunting a task!), and left with jewelry.
In their best films, the poking and punching was included as a kind of personality quirk of the easily riled Moe, and nobody really got hurt. In fact, the real humour came from the viewer's belief that Curly actually had some kind of other-worldly ability to take any kind of punishment and would show pain out of loyalty to his mentor!
"A Missed Fortune" has a fairly predictable plotline about winning a large sum of money and going out on the town. In the boys' excitement they rent a huge room in a luxurious hotel managed by who else? - Vernon Dent. Their only oversight is that the money hasn't arrived yet. Naturally, they wreck the place. There is some good dialogue, but the only decent scene involves the arrival of three ladies with dollar signs in their eyes, who meet with a bucket of water. The physical humour is not as rough as in "Corny Casanovas".
"He Cooked His Goose" is by far the best of the three, as it gives the under-rated Larry Fine a chance to essentially dominate a film! Instead of playing the "neutral" Stooge, he's a fast-talking (and highly UNsympathetic)entrepreneur who exploits Shemp and Moe in his plot to win their women. Moe steps back and just reacts this time, an interesting departure.
This collection is strictly *collectors only*.

Great tape.
This tape is great. It includes three shorts, CORNY CASANOVAS, A MISSED FORTUNE, and HE COOKED HIS GOOSE. HE COOKED HIS GOOSE is the best one on this tape, but the other two are great too.

CORNY CASANOVAS (1952)- Excellent Three Stooges short. The Stooges are all dating the same woman, but don't know it. There's a rare treat in this short, Larry beating up Moe. One of my favorite Stooge films.

A MISSED FORTUNE (1951)- Another great short. This is basically just a remake of the Curly Classic, HEALTHY, WEALTHY, AND DUMB. This remake is interesting. I'm torn deciding if this is better, or the original.

HE COOKED HIS GOOSE (1952) - An excellent Three Stooges short. The plot twist at the end where Larry sends Shemp to Moe's house while his fiance and Moe are waiting there is pure Stooge heaven. An excellent short.

This tape is great. CORNY CASANOVAS was remade with Joe Besser as RUSTY ROMEOS, but the trivia note said the title was LUSTY ROMEO. HE COOKED HIS GOOSE was remade, with Besser, as TRIPLE CROSSED. A funny and interesting tape. The quality is about the same as BUBBLE TROUBLE is on the LISTEN, JUDGE tape. Buy this today!

THE CORNY FORTUNE CASANOVA COOKED HIS GOOSE
CORNY CASANOVAS (1952) - One of my favorite Three Stooges shorts. A hilarious plot with the boys each dating the same girl but not knowing it. The fight at the end with the Stooges is the highlight. Man, Moe really gets his in this episode. He gets his head stuck in a bucket full of water, gets poked in the face repeately with a mop handle, gets the top of his head blown off with a gun, gets dozens of tacks shot into his behind, has a magnet shoved down his throat, mistakenly shaves with shoe polish, and finally gets the (...) knocked out of him with a shovel. He must've been having a bad luck day, or something.

BTW, the trivia note on the back of the video box incorrectly says that this short was remade as LUSTY ROMEO - the correct title is RUSTY ROMEOS.

A MISSED FORTUNE (1952) - A remake of HEALTHY, WEALTHY AND DUMB (1938) made with Curly. Nothing that notable about this remake. It's alright. A little slow paced, but I prefer the original version.

HE COOKED HIS GOOSE (1952) - Honestly, this is one of my least favorite Stooge shorts. This one casts the boys as separate characters, and I never liked those "different" Stooge shorts. Larry gets the main role, but again, I like him better in that "third Stoge" role. Plus, Moe's "bad luck" from CORNY CASANOVAS seemed to carry on to here. Didn't really seem necessary, and Moe acts more goofier and giddier than usual. Shemp doesn't have that much to do. This short just didn't seem fit for the Stooges.

Pretty good Shemp shorts
There are three episodes on this tape, Corny Casanovas, A Missed Fortune, and He Cooked His Goose. The best one is Corny Casanovas. In Corny Casanovas, the Stooges have proposed to the same woman, but don't know it! When they discover this, the stooges get into a big fight, in the end, no one wins. A Missed Fortune is the least best because it is a remake of a previous short, and second of all, it just isn't as funny as the other two. He Cooked His Goose is an interesting episode because Moe, Larry and Shemp are not a team, they are basically competing for two women, but Larry loses, and he deserved it. These films were funny, and I just hope Columbia releases all of them, because there are 55 episodes they have not distributed yet. ... Read more

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"Spook Louder" (1943, short number 70 in the Columbia series) has little more than the sinister presence of Charles "Ming the Merciless" Middleton to recommend it. The short is told as a flashback by a nutty-professor type, and the flimsy plot has the boys in a "haunted" house being terrified by three men in costume (but mostly by each other). There is a running gag of pies being thrown by some invisible hand, but it does not work and nor does the explanation at the end.

"If a Body Meets a Body" (1945, short number 86), however, is a great improvement. In fact, it bears more than a casual resemblance to a 1930 short, "The Laurel and Hardy Murder Case," in which Stan comes to a spooky mansion to claim an inheritance (a role played by Curly here). Even the detective, Fred Kelsey, is the same in both shorts. It is to be noted that Curly seems to be slowing down a bit here, not so intense in his reactions to fright or Moe's violence, not quite so surreal as usual. The reason, sadly, is that he had suffered his first stroke before filming and the effects are evident.

"Men in Black" (1934, short number 70) is notable for three reasons, at least. First, it is the only Three Stooges effort to be nominated for an Academy Award®! Second, it is their first "in character" effort for Columbia after "Woman Haters," which some consider an experiment in rhyme that is something of a false start to the series. Finally, "Men in Black" incorporates several vaudeville routines: the Gracie Allen kind of nurse, the surgery with pneumatic drills, the appearance on a different mode of locomotion each time they are called to service. And of course, there is the glass door that is broken so many times that the glazier finally breaks it himself to save them the trouble. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The Stooges' only Oscar nominated short (and two bad ones)
The title of this particular trio of Three Stooges shorts is not an indication of what is the one classic episode you will find here. Just keep in mind that you have to sit three two lesser efforts to get to the one worthy classic short this time around:

You have to keep in mind that "Spook Louder" was produced in 1943, during World War II, which explains why the Japanese spies in this Three Stooges short are portrayed in such a racist manner. The plot has the boys having a hard time selling the Miracle Reducing Machine door-to-door and being hired by a paranoid inventor to watch out for Japanese spies. Of course the spies show up, dressed up as goblins, but the boys do more to spook each other than the bad guys. Even without the racist elements, "Spook Louder" is a minor effort by the Stooges.

The mad scientist theme continues in "If a Body Meets a Body," a 1945 short, where Curly turns out to be the missing heir to the $3 million estate of the late Professor Robert O. Link (get it? Curly is "the missing Link"). However, the boys learn the professor was murdered and seems to have neglected to leave a will. This allows the Stooges and the villain to run around and bump into each other. This is another minor effort from the Stooges, although this particular short is pointed to as the first evidence that Curly had already had a small stroke, before the one that would end his career the following year.

After these two disappointing efforts, this particular video has a measure of redemption in the finale, "Men in Black." This 1934 short was the third the Stooges did for Columbia and the only one of their works to be nominated for an Academy Award (they lost to the animated short "La Cucaracha"). The Stooges work at the Los Arms Hospital as doctors (they graduated with the highest temperature in their class). This is the short where the immortal line "Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard" was first uttered. The call is repeated and each time the boys respond to it with a different mode of transportation. Then there is their ability to break the glass window of the hospital superintendent's office door. "Men in Black" is at least a Top 10 nominee for the Three Stooges.

It is just a shame that it is part of a package with these other two.

Three excellent shorts.
SPOOK LOUDER (1943) - A great short with some very good laughs.

MEN IN BLACK (1934) - One of my favorite shorts. It's full of non-stop laugher! The Three Stooges first "official" comedy and their only short to be nominated for an Academy Award (as Best Short Subject).

IF A BODY MEETS A BODY (1945) - A very funny short. Curly and Larry going nuts at the bird walking around under the skull was hilarious.

SPOOK LOUDER, MEN IN BLACK, IF A BODY MEETS A BODY: 3 great shorts. A must-have for any Three Stooges fan.

3 great shorts worthy of 5 stars
SPOOK LOUDER (1943) - A great short with some very good laughs.

MEN IN BLACK (1934) - One of my favorite shorts. It's full of non-stop laugher! The Three Stooges first "official" comedy and their only short to be nominated for an Academy Award (as Best Short Subject).

IF A BODY MEETS A BODY (1945) - A very funny short. Curly and Larry going nuts at the bird walking around under the skull was hilarious.

SPOOK LOUDER, MEN IN BLACK, IF A BODY MEETS A BODY: 3 great shorts. A must-have for any Three Stooges fan.

The Three Stooges' only Academy Award Nomination.
SPOOK LOUDER is a very strange and unfunny Three Stooges short. Thw whole thing was basially redone as THREE PESTS IN A MESS. That one was better, and still not very good.

MEN IN BLACK is actually a great short. The first "A" rated Stooge film. This is the only short from the Stooges that was nominated for an Academy Award. In this short, the Stooges play zany surgeons who work at a hospital. This should've won an award.

IF A BODY MEETS A BODY- This is not well-known to Stooge fans, but this is a remake of THE LAUREL AND HARDY MURDER CASE. Not as good as the original, but funny.

A good video, needed to complete any Stooge collection.

For Stooge afficionados only
"Spook Louder" was released at a time - 1943 - when the Three Stooges' shorts were fairly consistent in entertainment value and overall quality - unlike most of their competitors in feature length or two-reelers. Curly was still dependable as the main clown, delivering great (presumably) unscripted lines and physical bits. Unfortunately the "haunted house" plot gets in the way. It is said that the story is based somewhat on a Mack Sennett film; another flick involving an eccentric scientist, a trip to Washington D.C., and bungling guys guarding a weapon, is Laurel and Hardy's 20th Century Fox disappointment "The Big Noise" - released in 1944!.
Charles Middleton plays the Butler with style, but can't help this below standard Stooge issue.
"Men In Black", from 1934, ofcourse is their third Columbia short which won the Academy Award nomination, and this is notable as it was their first real "team" effort. It is said that the boys adlibbed the famous hospital "operation" scene, which is the best scene in the movie. However, despite good dialogue and tight editing, and the addition of comedy great Billy Gilbert as a patient, there are very few laughs.
"If A Body Meets A Body", from 1945, marks a turning point for the boys. Their prior film "Idiots Deluxe" featured a somewhat subdued but in-character Curly Howard. It has been written that he suffered his first stroke prior to shooting the follow-up. Only Stooge historians can sit through this depressing experience - a true comedy genius is suddenly just going through the motions, and struggling at that. The childlike character seems *childish* instead. An added negative feature is a tired plotline involving heirs to a will gathering at an old mysterious mansion. [Here is another Laurel and Hardy reference: "The Laurel and Hardy Murder Case" from 1930 provided a similiar story]. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Wearysome...
I have never been a fan of Buster Keaton, even though I can appreciate what his fans think of him. But, in my opinion, he spoils the whole movie here. The lovely Anita Page stars in this picture which is reminiscent of "Angels With Dirty Faces." Set on the Lower East Side of New York, nobody really sounds like it, except Miss Page, who hails from Queens. The story progresses through Keaton's character, Homer Harmon, buying and fixing up a gymn for the neighbourhood kids, and continuing through some very tiring shticklech with Ukelele Ike, such as a mock wrestling scene(yawn!). Some action ensues with an older thug getting ahold of Miss Page's 14-year-old brother and attempting to turn him into Junior Thug, which he only partially succeeds in doing. There ensues a ridiculous courtroom scene with Keaton doing pratfalls(yawn)and the whole debacle thankfully ends as it always did in 1930's movies: the bad guys are put down, and the good guys win. Ho-hum. If you like Anita Page, which I do, she is the only reason for viewing this laborious flicker.

The Sidewalks of New York
THE SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK is awful. Think of The Dead End Kids mixed with a bad Three Stooges short (except without the stooges). That about sums it up. There is not much to like about The Sidewalks of New York. Buster plays a weathy man who attempts to reform a group of steet kids who live in a building he owns. This was Buster's fourth (of seven) sound features for MGM (fall 1931). By this time Buster had lost all creative control and support. View The Sidewalks of New York only if you wish to see everything Buster was in. MGM should be ashamed of themselves.

Slumlord Buster
Buster plays Homer Harmon, a wealthy landlord of tenement buildings in a poor Irish neighborhood of New York City. He falls madly in love with the older sister of a teenage delinquent, whose gang is defacing his property. In order to win favor with the sister, Buster builds a gym for these unappreciative brats. The gang uses dialogue like "yer yella", "you big lug", "you mugs" - sort of like pre-Dead End Kids, but not as serious.

One of the best scenes in the film is where Buster gets beat up a lot while trying to teach the youngsters wrestling and boxing, something his character knows nothing about, and borrows techniques he used in the 1926 silent "Battling Butler". His partners include his co-star Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards (who growls at him), and what is probably a 1931 junior wrestling champ hired for this film, a guy named Baloney (who really shows him a thing or two).

Another good scene is where Buster and Ike put on a show to raise money for the neighborhood. Bus dresses up like a gypsy girl and flirts with Ike, who's playing the part of a Russian Cossack. Later, he appears in drag again when he's mistaken for a crook named the Blonde Bandit and appears in a dress that struck me as looking like it was borrowed from Joan Crawford's dressing room.

Buster disliked "Sidewalks of New York" the most out of all the features he made at MGM between 1928-33, but it's really not that bad. The pacing moves along without dull moments, and it made a lot of money at the box office, probably because the subject matter attracted kids. But it wasn't up to his standard of quality entertainment (he knew he could do better). ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Believe it or not, the Three Stooges meet Sea Biscuit!
This volume in the Three Stooges video collection has one classic comedy and a cameo that is became a lot more interesting in the last year:

"So Long, Mr. Chumps" is a 1941 short where the Stooges start out as street cleaners and are then hired by a guy to find an honest man who could be an executive (if you think this sounds strange, hang in there, you are right). The honest man is Percy Conroy, who is in jail for stealing, but he did not do it. So the boys get themselves arrested so they can find Conroy and break him out of jail. Yes, the ending where the Stooges break out of character is a nice touch that helps make this an above average two-reeler (did you ever notice that most of the classic Stooges comedies have a premise with a great big hole in it?).

"Three Loan Wolves" is a 1946 are operating a pawn shop ("Here Today Pawn Tomorrow") who explain to their seven-year-old how he got there. Once upon a time a baby was left by Molly, the moll of mobster Butch McGee. This involves some average Stooges dealing with a baby bits and an ending that is something of a downer. Plus we are getting really close to the stroke that ended Curly's career and already he is showing signs of breaking down. This one is below average.

"Even as I O U" is a 1942 short that has the Stooges as con men in the first reel giving racing tips at the track, but then they are helping a mother and daughter who have been dispossessed. This is an average Stooges outing that is memorable for two things. First, it is the first time the Stooges pass as journalists with the respective signs "Press," "Press," and "Pull" on Moe, Larry, and Curly. Second, the Stooges meet the famous Sea Biscuit, and if that is not a surprise I do not know what would be. Who knew racehorses did cameos?

Anyhow, with these three Columbia comedies you have "So Long, Mr. Chumps" to win, "Even as I O U" to place, and "Three Loan Wolves" running out of the money. But the legions of new fans made for Sea Biscuit by last year's movie might find this one of passing interest as well.

the classics continue
SO LONG MR.CHUMPS-this short is teriffic.the best part is when the stooges are in jail.notice when moe is painting curly,es suitthat scene plays twice.this also had a funny ending. THREE LOAN WOLFS-on the other hand is good but not better than so long mr.chumps.even though i sid this tape is a classic i never really liked the stooges with babys.plus larry plays the third stooge. notice when curly taps the milk top a pot next to him falls over.EVEN AS iou-now this is a classic. this has two diffrent plots.its funny when moe hits larry on the head with a picture. otherwise that is the only hit he gets. other than that this is a classic

EVEN AS MR. LONG WOLVES
SO LONG MR. CHUMPS (1941) - A great short. The beginning scenes with the Stooges sweeping the street has plenty of funny gags, the middle with the Stooges searching for an honest man in the streets is pretty good, and the last half with the boys finding their honest man in jail, then painting their jail uniforms to look like guard uniforms is hilarious. The ending, with Curly ad-libbing "That's a real one - I'm no fool!" when Larry and More are about to break a real rock over Curly's head is classic. Watch Larry and Moe to crack up as Curly says this line.

THREE LOAN WOLVES (1946) - I never liked this. I never thought the boys made any good "Baby" shorts, and that goes for this one as well. Just plain weak. And where is Curly in this short? I understand that he was ill at the time, but the man hardly gets any lines or screen time here. Larry seems to step into the third Stooge role here as he has most of the lines and screen time, which is very rare for him. As much as I love Larry, I like him better as the middle man. He really can't carry a short in the third Stooge role. This short's just a plain mess.

EVEN AS I O U (1942) - Good short. This has almost two entirely different plots, but it's still a great short. Curly giving birth to a colt at the end is weird, but funny. ... Read more

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"Loco Boy Makes Good" (1942, short number 60 in the Columbia series) is a cut above the average entries. Trying out an insurance scam, the boys find themselves helping a little old lady get her hotel on a paying basis to save the mortgage. Somehow on $52 and a pickpocketed watch, they manage to do a wonderful job; but when their act does not appeal to the ritzy audience, a series of mistakes with a magician's jacket and their natural stupidity save the day. There is an incident in which Curly acts very human, walking out when a drunk hits him with a tomato. A very interesting look at the Stooges as performers.

"Matri-Phony" (1942, number 63) has much to offer. We have the ancient Roman setting replete with anachronisms, Vernon Dent (without mustache) as the Emperor Octopus Grabbus, the old routine of manipulating an unconscious body from behind a screen, a variation on the living oyster in the soup routine (here, a crab), and Curly in drag being chased by the "husband" around the room. But with little plot, there is the all-too-usual non-ending.

"Saved by the Belle" (1939, number 40) has the boys trying to sell fur coats to the natives of a sleepy but earthquake-prone town south of the border. Of course, there is a revolution about to break out and attractive Carmen LaRoux enlists them to obtain a secret map to the leader. The leader turns out to be the hotel owner that they stiffed only a short while before, and they are taken away to be shot. The unusual bit is Curly's reference to his real-life wife, Elaine. The rest is good Stooging with a simple plot to tie the routines together. --Frank Behrens ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good tape for your collection.
LOCO BOY MAKES GOOD was an excellent short. I laughed at this short possibly more than any other. Possibly Curly's funniest short ever. One of my personal favorite shorts.

MATRI-PHONY is another funny short. Vernon Dent is funny as the emperor. Curly in drag is funny as well. A great short.

SAVED BY THE BELLE is not that funny. There are a few good scenes, but not enough of them.

Still a good tape for your collection.

Three Solid Curlies
A good collection of fine stooges shorts. As usual when the boys do right good things happen and when they do wrong chaos enuses.

My favorite of the lot is MATRI-PHONY (1942) which in my mind ranks with the best of their stuff. (which doesn't say much for my mind.)

A very good choice for the new stooges fan and once again an old reliable one for us old timers with appearences of all the old backround crew.

Basically the stooges shorts are a snapshot of vaudville which thanks to the magic of television will live forever. That alone makes them worth the money. Even better they are a very funny snapshot.

SAVED BY A PHONY, LOCO BELLE
LOCO BOY MAKES GOOD (1942) - An excellent short. Excellently written, directed, and performed, and the scenes in the nightclub with all the pests running amock is simply hilarious. Ironic that this short deals with suing somebody, since Columbia was actually sued for this short in court because writer Clyde Bruckman stole some of the material from a Harry Lloyd movie without permission, and Lloyd wasn't too happy with that.

MATRI-PHONY (1942) - Taking place in Roman times. A good, fast-paced short. I notice that the "plunk" sound effect (for when somebody gets stabbed or eyepoked) is used in this short more than any other. There's a pretty bad error in this one, though: in the part where the emperor is about to kiss Curly (in drag), it suddenly and for no apparent reason replays an earlier, unrelated scene for a few seconds, then it goes back to the original scene. That was some really weird editing there. It's like this on every print I've seen.

SAVED BY THE BELLE (1939) - A good Charley Chase film, one of his best (and his last short with the boys). The ending will have you howling.

Great tape. I recommend it.

"Loco Boy Makes Good" is one of Curly's best - a Classic.
The other two on this tape (Matri-Phoney) and (Saved by the Belle) are pretty good also, but "Loco Boy makes Good" is truly hilarious. The threesome entertains a sophisticated audience with some unusual dance steps, as Curly accidentally ends up in a magician's coat. I like the part where all three as waiters appear to walk into each other and you cringe, expecting the crash - but twice they miss each other. It really fakes you out. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

An okay tape, but could be better.
RHYTHM AND WEEP is the funniest short here. I think it has some funny scenes, especially when the Stooges are about to jump off the building. Too many dancing scenes though. BACK FROM THE FRONT was okay, but not great. Moe does his Hitler impression also done in all three shorts on the THEY STOOGE TO CONGA tape. Good toward the end. THE THREE TROUBLEDOERS was just too boring. There are a few funny scenes, but not enough. I don't usually like westerns.

An okay tape, but nothing special.

Rhythm and Weep
RHYTHM AND WEEP (1946) - One of the worst Curly shorts. The whole short is basically a rip-off of the earlier Stooge shrost GENTS WITHOUT CENTS (1944). Both have the boys as actors, they run into 3 female dancers and they instantly fall in love with each other. They are all hired to do a play - the boys a comedy play, and the girls a dance number. I never thought much of GENTS to begin with because of the over-long musicals, but at least that has the classic "Niagra Falls" routine. RHYTHM doesn't really have much highlights.

BACK FROM THE FRONT (1943) - A good WWII film. Bud Jamison as the German officer is hilarious, and there are some good performances from the Stooges as well. Great to see Moe's Hitler impression again.

THE THREE TROUBLEDOERS (1946) - Pretty boring western. My favorite parts were the scenes showing the Stooges riding on the triple-bike in fast-motion is hilarious, as well as Dick Curtis' double-take when seeing the sun fall, then quickly rising back up again. I didn't like the ending, though.

Pretty bad tape.

Careful, Curly fans.
Curly fans will see very little of their hero's usual personality. Two of these shorts date from 1946, when Curly Howard was at the end of his career. (Very ill at the time, he struggled through these films and it shows.) RHYTHM AND WEEP is the better of the two, with the Stooges auditioning their song-and-dance act for a producer. THE THREE TROUBLEDOERS is a Western spoof that Curly just wasn't up to making. BACK FROM THE FRONT is a wartime comedy with the Stooges doing their best to sabotage the German war effort. Completists will want these episodes, but they aren't prime Stooge material.

Top Stooges at their comedic best.
Three gems features funny, but not masterful, Stooges

No classics on this tape. Funny if you are a stooge fanatic.
Cleverness of gags - 3 stars.

New stuff - 1 star.

all three episodes are average stooge shorts.

I love these guys, but these are not in the first tier of Stooge skits, in spite of many neat Curly antics. I laughed out loud often.

(When I watch the real classics, I laugh until I am breathless. Not here.) ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Sing a Song in the Palace.
MALICE IN THE PALACE (1949)- A true Shemp classic. This is probably Shemp's most famous short. Every bit of this is hilarious. Too much to discribe. You must see it.

SING A SONG OF SIX PANTS (1947) is another true Shemp classic. This was great. Once again, too much to discribe. A must-see.

Too bad this tape only has two shorts.

Two good shorts, godawful quality
The shorts on this tape are great shorts, but the quality is horrible, even according to videotape standards. Plus, there are only two shorts on this tape! Not enough to sustain any stooge fan and there are better releases of these same two films by other companies! I'm giving this one two stars because the two shorts on the tape are quite funny.

SHEMP IS THE BEST STOOGE!!!!
This is one of the funniest stooge episodes I have ever seen with Shemp. Shemp was able to fill Curly's shoes and then some. Besides, Shemp was a stooge before Curly was. I guess fate wanted the original stooges to be around for awhile. All stooge fans need to see this classic Shemp episode.

Stooges!
This is the budget edition, recorded on SLP (EP), the firstthing on the screen is "Adjust your Tracking." Talk aboutpre-emptive strike. Still it's a good value and the picture is decent. Whatdya expect for a 60-70 year old serial! Numbskull! 5 Stars for the Stooges, Zero Stars for the picture quality, AVG = 3

Nice Work, Shemp
These short subjects were made at the time of Curly's recuperation, NOT his full retirement: it appears that efforts were made to bring him back, in fact "Malice" is the picture which reportedly originally featured Curly as the Cook! (One source claims that the only remaining evidence is the "lobby card" with the "FOUR Stooges"; another source says that the sequence was not deleted but remains in the form of an alternate version!). At any rate, the first "third Stooge" does a fine job in the '49 flick and in "Six Pants" - both are strong efforts with clever gags. ... Read more