The Shorts of Volume 3
The most efficient way to tackle the included shorts is probably via a list, so without ado, let me present the twenty-three shorts here:
-You Natzy Spy! – The gang pose as political leaders in the fake country of Moronica.
-Rockin’ Thru the Rockies – The Stooges are leading fellow actors Nell and her Belles through a forest in California but everything goes wrong. They run into Indians who kidnap the girls, a bear who takes their food,and their horses run off.
-A Plumbing We Will Go – One of their most famous shorts, The Stooges, on the run from the law, pose as plumbers in a rich person’s home and completely wreck it.
-Nutty But Nice – The Stooges and their slapstick ways attempt to find and reunite a kidnapped bank worker with this very sad daughter, fighting off the team of kidnappers and bank robbers at the same time.
-How High Is Up? – Can you imagine the Stooges asriveters on a 97 story building? That’s just what they get themselves into in this hilarious short.
-From Nurse To Worse – A friend of the Stooges tells them they can quit working by scamming an insurance company; this of course back fires and the Stooges are on the run from the law.
-No Census, No Feeling – Having just escaped prison,the Stooges take up a job for the Census Bureau tallying population.
– Cookoo Cavaliers – The Stooges take over a salon, not a saloon as they thought they were getting, in Mexico and managed to shave the heads of four showgirls bald.
-Boobs In Arms – The trio manages to inadvertently sign up for the Army after being caught trying to impress a married woman. The angry husband of the woman is their commander, and he puts them through their paces.
The shorts from 1941 that are on this DVD set are as follows:
-So Long, Mr. Chumps – The Stooges find themselves in prison yet again, only this time they are looking for a particular man and hope to break him out. Their attempt at painting their prison uniforms like guard uniforms goes wrong whenever they forget to paint their backsides.
-Dutiful But Dumb – Playing as photographers, The Stooges are sent to Vulgaria to take pictures of a new weapon; unfortunately the penalty for taking photos in Vulgaria is death.
-All the World’s A Stooge – A man’s wife wants to start taking in war refugees to take care of them, but he disagrees. He goes to a dentist and foolishly has the Stooges remove an aching tooth. He ultimately takes the Stooges in, but they drive him crazy and he drives them out.
-I’ll Never Heil Again – This is actually somewhat of a sequel to “You Natzy Spy!” as the trio again plays as leaders of Moronica. They’re tricked into thinking the entire world is plotting against them. A football match settles things somewhat, but ultimately the Stooges lose their positions.
-An Ache In Every Stake – The Stooges take over in the kitchen after causing two people to quit, however, they are unknowingly working for a man they made really mad earlier in the short.
-In the Sweet Pie And Pie – The Stooges escape a hanging sentence by agreeing to an arranged marriage with three rich heiresses as their husbands in the Navy were shipped out. The marriage must be legal by midnight for the heiresses to gain their inheritance.
-Some More of Samoa – The Stooges must escape cannibal son the island of Rhum Boogie while trying to locate a particular persimmon tree for a rich, dying man.
Rounding out this two disc DVD set are shorts from1942. They are as follows:
-Loco Boy Makes Good – The Stooges, out of cash, try suing a hotel owner after a planned accident. Meanwhile, another hotel owner who is about to have her property repossessed wins the hearts of the Stooges and they do whatever they can to help fix up her place and make it presentable to a columnist who has come to visit.
-Cactus Makes Perfect – Gold hunting is the theme here.After the Stooges stumble into a lost mine, they find themselves under pursuit by some shady prospectors.
-What’s the Matador? – The Stooges take a bullfighting act to Mexico, meeting a woman as they travel. Suitcases get switched, and the Stooges finally manage to track it down at the woman’s home. An angered husband manages to release a real bull on the Stooges during one of their bullfighting acts.
-Matri-Phony – Emperor Octopus Grab us is seeking red-haired girls, and when one is caught in the Stooges’ shop, they’re arrestedand must escape.
-Three Smart Saps – The Stooges are all set to get married when the father of the brides is mistakenly jailed. The Stooges infiltrate a gangster dinner party to snap some photos of incriminating evidence in order to get the father released from prison.
-Even As IOU – The gang tries to help a woman and her child who are (also) out of money by betting the little girl’s piggy bank on a horse race. Some bad information leads them to bet on an old horse, whom Curly tries to energize with a vitamin that gets inadvertently put back in Curly’s mouth; he’s taken to a hospital and gives birth to a colt that can talk.
-Sock-a-Bye Baby – When a baby is placed on the doorstep of the Stooges, they try to take care of it but obviously have no idea how. A newspaper reveals that a baby was kidnapped. The Stooges ultimately reunite baby with mother, but end up running from the law as we’ve seen them do so many times.
Conclusion
I’m a Three Stooges fan; this trio of Larry, Moe, and Curly is possibly comedy’s best trio ever assembled. The timing, wit, antics, mannerisms, enthusiasm, and acting of this bunch really hasn’t been matched in the years that have passed. Their shorts are as funny today as they decades ago with hilarious stories and scenarios, putting them in all kinds of awkward, but hilarious situations. Even when you’re not laughing out loud, just watching to see what happens next is entertainment in itself. This batch of episodes is arguably when the trio was at its prime, and the quality of the shorts really displays that.