Topic: Three Stooges In Orbit One Of The 50 Worst Movies

[shemps#1]

Anybody who likes hilariously bad movies needs to experience "The Incredibly Strange Creatures...".

[7stooges]

DeRita was actually never particularly fond of those four solo shorts he made for Columbia. He commented on them in an interview later in life, saying something similar to, "They could have gotten a busboy to play my part and it would have worked just as well".

I've heard numerous times from people who actually knew DeRita personally that he was very funny and gergarious person, unlike his rather dull Stooge persona. For instance, Norman Maurer once said that DeRita was "great on ad-libs". I'm not sure if Joe ever did any ad-libbing in his Stooge films, but perhaps most of this took place on stage. DeRita's lack of Stooge persona probably resulted from the fact that he was more of a stock comic.

But I do have to agree that DeRita never really seemed totally enthused about being a Stooge, but like others have mentioned, he really didn't have much to work with. If Moe and Larry really wanted DeRita to be a Stooge, I think that everybody (Moe, Larry, and DeRita includeD) could have tried a little harder to integrate him into the act properly and give him more of a persona.

Incidentally, I've always wondered why Moe claimed he tried to get DeRita as a replacement for Shemp, when DeRita himself made it clear that this never happened.

[xraffle]

I actually own The Three Stooges Funniest Moments DVD. At the very end of the DVD, there is 9 minute "Doctor Sketch" with Moe, Larry, and Curly-Joe taken from The Ed Sullivan Show. There is a lot of slapstick in this sketch and believe it or not, Curly-Joe gives his best performance here. It just goes to show that if Curly-Joe had more to work with, he would've been a great stooge. Like 7stooges said, I don't think Curly-Joe was all that enthused when working in those 5 Columbia movies. Due to the lack of slapstick and the boring plots in those movies, it didn't really give Curly-Joe any motivation to try to put some life into the group.

And yeah, I heard that DeRita was originally selected to replace Shemp, but was under contract at the time. So, they got Joe Besser instead.

[shemps#1]

There's a difference between "wanted/preferred" and "tried to get him instead of Besser". It could be that Moe might have preferred DeRita but the idea was quickly shot down with "he's under contract". Or it could be that Moe did indeed lobby to get DeRita instead of Besser and DeRita never knew about. The option is that Moe knew how much people didn't like Besser as a Stooge and he was blowing smoke up people's asses to try to deflect the "Besser problem" away from him ("I wanted DeRita and tried to get him so don't blame me").

[xraffle]

I know Besser said he had to resign from the group because his wife got sick, but I also think part of it might've been due to the fact that he knew that being a stooge wasn't working out.

[7stooges]

I know Besser said he had to resign from the group because his wife got sick, but I also think part of it might've been due to the fact that he knew that being a stooge wasn't working out.

Not trying to put Besser (or DeRita) down, but I've heard several different stories (most supposedly from Besser himself) about why he left the Stooges. The wife taking ill story is the most commonly heard one. Larry (who spoke very kindly of Joe) was once asked if he actually left the act because he wanted to return to solo work. Larry said that it was probably true, as Besser didn't like being a Stooge, didn't like the physical demands, didn't like the money, etc. When asked in the 70's, Joe mentioned that he had to leave the act briefly when he was asked to do a film with Bing Crosby. Moe and Larry promised his spot would still be available when he was finished, but he never heard from them again. In the 80's, Joe apparently mentioned that he made up the "wife taking ill" story because his wife, Ernestine (a.k.a. "Ernie"), was a little overprotective towards her husband's wellbeing, and didn't care for the abuse Moe dished out to his teammates. He said that she pretty much forced him out of the act, and then said very quietly and seriously, "she cost me millions".

Like I said, I'm not trying to put Besser down, as I've heard that he was a very nice man. But I wish he had kept his story straight.

[Desmond Of The Outer Sanctorum]

Larry (who spoke very kindly of Joe)

I find it interesting that Larry and Moe seem to have had such wildly differing opinions of Joe. While Moe really had some harsh words about Joe,  I've never heard of a hint of an unkind word about Joe from Larry (or about the other two from Joe). I've heard that Larry even had Joe's picture, along with those of the other Stooges, at his room in the nursing home.

[xraffle]

Here are the reasons why I think the DeRita movies are bad:

1) Have Rocket, Will Travel- It started out ok, but once they landed on Venus, the movie really started to bore me. And really? A talking unicorn?? That was really corny!

2) The Three Stooges Meet Hercules- The beginning of the movie was pretty good, but overall, I’m not a fan of the whole going back in time thing. So, this movie really puts me to sleep.

3) The Three Stooges In Orbit- Like mentioned earlier, the fake costumes really ruined the movie. Some parts were ok, but nothing in the movie was funny. The part where the stooges drive around in the Professor’s invention really went on for too long and bored me.

4) The Three Stooges Go Around The World In a Daze- This probably has the best storyline out of the 5 movies, but DeRita’s performance of the Maharaja routine and the Pop Goes The Wesel was really bad. It’s so bad, it makes me cringe when watching it.

5) The Outlaws Is Coming- Some parts were ok, but there’s not much funny parts. And I think DeRita gives his worst performance here as he barely does anything to shine. But overall, this movie barely has any comedy.

I thought Daze was the movie where DeRita had a good opportunity to show us how funny he could be, but he failed miserably. Even with Curly's poor health, he did a MUCH better performance with the Maharaja bit in "Three Little Pirates." And that's really sad because it just shows what little effort DeRita put in.

[pipboytaylor]

Hey xraffle, I agree with most of your points. I think the key ingredient here is boring. I think it basically comes down to pacing and writing. They were old so that takes away most of their physical schtick so they would have to rely on writing and interaction. The costumes didn't bother me since Orbit was a comedy and supposed to be corny. Hey this isn't serious sci-fi and those costumes are no worse than what you would see pop up on Lost In Space. I think he potential was there for the features to have been way better then what they are but I guess Moe and Larry were just too "routine" and probably just glad to be working and possibly after so many years of working they just didn't have the energy or desire to thrust into these projects. I still say, outside of Snow White, they aren't THAT bad. Somewhat boring and slow but not bad to throw in on a slow Sunday afternoon to sit and watch. You just get used to watching the high energy shorts and watching the features cannot compare.

[xraffle]

Not to defend Curly-Joe, but I think Moe and Larry’s performance went downhill as well in these DeRita features. Combine that with Curly-Joe’s lack of motivation. If Curly or Shemp’s health never failed, I have to wonder if these movies would’ve turned out better.

[shemps#1]

They probably wouldn't have been any good due to the neutering of the Stooge style and their ages. Would they have been better than DeRita? Probably.

[ThunderStooge]

I've read a few fan reviews on some of the "Fake Shemp" shorts on the site, and some mentioned that Moe and Larry suggested that they drop the third Stooge.  Can anyone confirm this?  Let's face it, things just weren't going to be the same after Shemp's death, with or without a third Stooge.   But after seeing some Moe and Larry scenes in some of the aforementioned shorts, I think they could have pulled off a relatively decent two-man comedy act.  Considering the material they had to work with by then, it could have played out like a mediocre Curly or Shemp short, or one of the better Besser shorts; not classic, but still somewhat enjoyable.  In the DeRita era, Curly Joe was usually just in the background going through the motions anyway. 

What are your thoughts?

[metaldams]

I've read a few fan reviews on some of the "Fake Shemp" shorts on the site, and some mentioned that Moe and Larry suggested that they drop the third Stooge.  Can anyone confirm this?  Let's face it, things just weren't going to be the same after Shemp's death, with or without a third Stooge.   But after seeing some Moe and Larry scenes in some of the aforementioned shorts, I think they could have pulled off a relatively decent two-man comedy act.  Considering the material they had to work with by then, it could have played out like a mediocre Curly or Shemp short, or one of the better Besser shorts; not classic, but still somewhat enjoyable.  In the DeRita era, Curly Joe was usually just in the background going through the motions anyway. 

What are your thoughts?

Artistically, I agree with you, Moe and Larry could work together just fine.

Financially, the name "The Three Stooges" would sell better than Howard and Fine, and in order to be The Three Stooges, you obviously need three bodies.