Topic: What do YOU think?

[falsealarms]

I'm curious:

1 - What's one short widely seen as one of the better ones that you DON'T like?

2 - What's one short widely seen as one of the inferior ones that you DO like?

[Giff me dat fill-em!]

I'm curious:

1 - What's one short widely seen as one of the better ones that you DON'T like?

2 - What's one short widely seen as one of the inferior ones that you DO like?

Hhhhmmm ...
1) Hard one to pin down, but if I had to, I would choose Wee Wee Monsieur, because they used the "Santa Claus" trick to get into the Sultan's Palace, and in the short Malice in the Palace, Moe, Larry and Shemp do the same trick, but much better (IMHO).
2) Believe it or not ... I enjoy Sweet and Hot, if only for Moe's performance in this short. (fast forward thru the boring singing crap, and voila!)

[ThumpTheShoes]

1 - What's one short widely seen as one of the better ones that you DON'T like?

Men in Black

Don't get me wrong! I do like this one, it's just not up there on the list! I don't think it is worthy of the praise often given it.

2 - What's one short widely seen as one of the inferior ones that you DO like?

Cuckoo on a Choo-Choo

Funny as it can be! Shemp's laugh is infectious! Also has a line that I still get to use, occasionally:

"Hey! Don't spoil my sandwich with that stinky stuff! I got a weak stomach!"

-Th

[falsealarms]

Yeah, I never got into Malice in the Palace. I don't know, it just didn't do it for me. Rumpus in the Harem is probably better. Three Little Pirates, which some call the last good Curly short, isn't that hot for me. I don't know, you just watch it knowing the end was near and Curly's voice-change of the mid 40's comes off as offsetting to me. Crime On Their Hands, usually lauded as a Shemp classic, comes off as a little too slow and boring for me.

Woman Haters usually gets a mixed reaction, but I really like it, along with the vast majority of the early Curlies... something magical about those first few years. I'm not usually into musical type entities either.

[Moe Hailstone]

I used to dislike "Woman Haters", but after watching it on the new DVD set a few times, I've started to really enjoy it.

I need to look up the name of it, but it is the short where Larry adopts the kid and they run the pawn store.  The short is called "Three Loan Wolves".  Not sure if a lot of people like this one or not?

I absolutely love "Studio Stoops", but once again I'm not sure if this is seen as a popular short or not?

[Hammond Eggar]

I absolutely love "Studio Stoops", but once again I'm not sure if this is seen as a popular short or not?

I'm with you on this, Moe Hailstone.  Studio Stoops is actually my favorite of the Shemp era, with titles such as Fiddlers Three and Sing a Song of Six Pants not far behind.  As for Studio Stoops, it's one of my top three favorite Stooges shorts all together.  Here's my top three.

1) An Ache in Every Stake
2) Three Little Beers
3) Studio Stoops

[Justin T]

I'm curious:

1 - What's one short widely seen as one of the better ones that you DON'T like?

2 - What's one short widely seen as one of the inferior ones that you DO like?

1. Three Little Pirates- It's a popular one from the sick Curly era, and there is some funny stuff but I dont think its as
great as most people do. This version of the Maharaja Routine, while funny, still pales in comparison to the first time they did it in
Time Out For Rhythm. The stuff in the Pirate Bar is good but overall I consider this one okay, but not great.

I'd put Malice in the Palace in this catagory also for a Shemp one.

2. He Cooked His Goose- Not alot of people seem to like this one because the boys dont act as a team, but I still
think its hilarious, I really love how Larry gets the spotlight in this and gets to be the villian, playing Moe and Shemp for
suckers for most of the short. I also love the music that plays whenever Larry gets an evil idea in his head.

Another one would be Cuckoo on a Choo Choo which some consider the worst short, but I dont. It's VERY weird but its still funny.

Also, I'm with you Moe and Hammond, I consider Studio Stoops one of the best Shemp shorts, I really love that one  and its
one of my all time favorites.

[xraffle]

1 - What's one short widely seen as one of the better ones that you DON'T like?

"Back To The Woods"

2 - What's one short widely seen as one of the inferior ones that you DO like?

"Rhythm and Weep," believe it or not. As weird as it sounds, I like that short.

[skeit]

1.  I'll probably be tarred and feathered for this one, but I could never get into Brideless Groom.  For some reason it doesn't do it for me.  I chuckle, but don't laugh nearly as much as I do for many of the other ones.  On a compliation tape I have with the four P.D. shorts, I always skip this one.  I'm also not a big fan of Grips, Grunts and Groans. 

2.  This is a toughie, but...There are a lot that I think are underrated.  I think If A Body Meets A Body is one of their most underrated shorts.  Some of the Besser ones are better than they get credit for.

[locoboymakesgood]

You Nazty Spy and I'll Never Heil again in terms of most overrated IMO. I'm not a fan of the WWII themed shorts any way [with the exception of They Stooged to Conga and Higher Than a Kite]. Every year a local theater back home had Stoogefests, and every year without a doubt they showed You Nazty Spy on the big screen. I think I was just over saturated with it when I was younger.. I just don't really like either of those two. Not that I'm saying I won't watch them when they're on TV.. I thoroughly enjoy all 190 shorts but those two stick out like a sore thumb to me.

As for hated and underrated, I'd say Sweet and Hot. I really like the Besser's, and to me people just never liked those because it wasn't Shemp or Curly. The 16 Besser era shorts may not be the cream of the crop, but every one is good on their own merit.

I dunno maybe I'm just an anit-hater. I don't dislike anything the Stooges ever did.

[archiezappa]

1.  Funny, I can't think of any that I don't like.  Which leads me to question #2.

2.  I like "Sweet And Hot."  It's one of my favorites.  I like the singing.  Larry playing the violin.  Moe as the doctor.  Joe was actually pretty good in this one, in my opinion.  He's not as good in some of the others.  The only problem I've found with it, is that I think Christine McIntyre would have played the role better than Tiny Landers.  Too bad this one wasn't made in the Shemp era.  Imagine Shemp playing Joe's role and Christine McIntyre playing Tiny's role.  Now, that would have made a good short.

[Moe Hailstone]

I was thinking about this.

Was there a poll or chart that was made by fans of the Three Stooges to show what shorts they liked/disliked the most?

[Curley91]

1) As crazy as this may sound, "Men In Black."  I know it was the only one to be nominated for an Academy Award, but it never did much for me.  I don't care much for "Back To The Woods", either.  I thought "Saved By The Belle" was so-so. 
Not too many others.

2) I have heard tons of negative reviews for "Half-Shot Shooters" on other sites. I think it is one of the more underrated Curly shorts. I never get tired of watching the Stooges firing the cannon every which way.  Another one is "Spook Louder."  I can always get a good laugh at Curly running around like a chicken with his head cut off, and his battle with the balloon. 

As far as Shemp is concerned, I would say "Studio Stoops" is probably my favorite, closely followed by "Who Done It?"  Plus, I would have to say that in some cases, I even enjoy watching some of the remakes moreso than the originals.  For example: "Scotched In Scotland," "Creeps," and "Hot Ice."

My favorite Joe short is "Pies And Guys." 

[locoboymakesgood]

2) I have heard tons of negative reviews for "Half-Shot Shooters" on other sites. I think it is one of the more underrated Curly shorts. I never get tired of watching the Stooges firing the cannon every which way.  Another one is "Spook Louder."  I can always get a good laugh at Curly running around like a chicken with his head cut off, and his battle with the balloon. 

I agree with you 100 percent there. Half-Shot Shooters is in my top 3 all-time favorite Curly shorts. I love Blackie and every time I watch it I almost die seeing Curly as the Justice of the Peace. His line "Do you take this horse collar as your lawfully wedded harness?" ranks up there as one of the best Stooge quotes of all-time.

Spook Louder I don't think is really ranked too low in terms of overall Stooge-quality. I always thought the "Who threw those pies?" gag was considered one of the best in their Columbia years.

[xraffle]

Another one is "Spook Louder."  I can always get a good laugh at Curly running around like a chicken with his head cut off, and his battle with the balloon. 

Yeah, that's another good short that's underrated.

[falsealarms]

I don't think many (or any...) Besser shorts are considered "classics" by any fan. However, I don't mind many of them and like most of them.... though certainly not to the extent of the 34-36/40-41 Curly's or the 50-52 Shemps.

Flying Saucer Daffy is rated here at 1.32, a rather pathetic number. But it's original for the Besser-era, and really, not that bad. It's as good as any other Besser short and may be the best of them all. Space Ship Sappy isn't nearly as good, but it references Elvis Presley, which has to count for something.

[xraffle]

Maybe another short I should add to question #2 is "Slaphappy Sleuths." That's definitely underrated because it's not shown on TV nor released on VHS or DVD. That popcorn bit is a classic. It's one of the funniest shorts. Too bad many people can't see it anymore. Fortunately, I have a poor print that was recorded from TV decades ago, but it's uncut so that makes me happy. It's hard to find an uncut copy of that short, especially a copy that has the blackface gag intact.

[Waldo Twitchell]

Better ones that I don't like:
Who Done It?

This one always gets credit from fans and critics alike, but there are others that are so much better (ie. Pardon My Clutch, Fuelin' Around, Crime on their Hands, Scrambled Brains)

Inferior ones that I do like:

Half-Shot Shooters (banned in Holland upon its release - land of wooden shoes, prostitutes, and lines down the block at BK from too much "hooka")

He Cooked His Goose - this one was good, but not as good as Gypped in the Penthouse. These shorts were criticized for splitting up the team, but they were absurdly funny nonetheless.

[falsealarms]

Half Shot Shooters is rated 3.73 on here - in other words, very highly. I'm not sure that can be interpreted as an inferior short
 

[busybuddy]

Half Shot Shooters is rated 3.73 on here - in other words, very highly. I'm not sure that can be interpreted as an inferior short
 

Cuckoo on a Choo Choo is interpreted as an inferior short, but as I recall it has a pretty good rating.

My Choice:
Overrated: Any of the public domains and Men in Black.

Underrated: Muscle UP a Little Closer. A lot of people say this is the worst Joe short, but I think it's the best.

[xraffle]

Better ones that I don't like:
Who Done It?

Wow, that's a great short! One of my favorite Shemp shorts! Well, I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

[Justin T]

Maybe another short I should add to question #2 is "Slaphappy Sleuths." That's definitely underrated because it's not shown on TV nor released on VHS or DVD. That popcorn bit is a classic. It's one of the funniest shorts. Too bad many people can't see it anymore. Fortunately, I have a poor print that was recorded from TV decades ago, but it's uncut so that makes me happy. It's hard to find an uncut copy of that short, especially a copy that has the blackface gag intact.

I 100% agree with you. Slaphappy Sleuths is one of my favorite Shemp shorts from the 1950-52 era, I love the popcron bit too. I got a very nice
uncut copy of it from ThumpTheShoes earlier this year, the quality was one of the best i'd ever seen. I can't wait for this one to be completly restored on DVD

[Justin T]

Better ones that I don't like:
Who Done It?

This one always gets credit from fans and critics alike, but there are others that are so much better (ie. Pardon My Clutch, Fuelin' Around, Crime on their Hands, Scrambled Brains)

Inferior ones that I do like:

Half-Shot Shooters (banned in Holland upon its release - land of wooden shoes, prostitutes, and lines down the block at BK from too much "hooka")

He Cooked His Goose - this one was good, but not as good as Gypped in the Penthouse. These shorts were criticized for splitting up the team, but they were absurdly funny nonetheless.

I disagree about Who Done It? I think thats a Shemp classic. But I do agree with you about He Cooked His Goose, Like I said earlier I
think its great, I think people are too hard on that, Choo Choo and Gypped because they tried something different with the boys not acting as a team.

Also,I think falsealarms is correct about Half Shot Shooters, just look at the poke rating and the fan reviews on the website here. It doesnt look unnappreciated to me either. I've always loved it myself.

[Justin T]

I don't think many (or any...) Besser shorts are considered "classics" by any fan. However, I don't mind many of them and like most of them.... though certainly not to the extent of the 34-36/40-41 Curly's or the 50-52 Shemps.

Flying Saucer Daffy is rated here at 1.32, a rather pathetic number. But it's original for the Besser-era, and really, not that bad. It's as good as any other Besser short and may be the best of them all. Space Ship Sappy isn't nearly as good, but it references Elvis Presley, which has to count for something.

I hear you, I'm not a big fan of the Besser shorts either but some of them are pretty decent. I like Flying Saucer Daffy, Quizz Wizz, A Merry Mix Up and Oils Well That Ends Well. I think their decent.

[locoboymakesgood]

Also,I think falsealarms is correct about Half Shot Shooters, just look at the poke rating and the fan reviews on the website here. It doesnt look unnappreciated to me either. I've always loved it myself.

Jeez, I got Half-Shot Shooters confused with The Three Troubledoers. Boy am I dumb.

That's the short I assumed we were discussing since it's gotten a lot of flack over the years on the Board.

Now that is one highly underrated short that I love.