Topic: Merry Mavericks (1951)

[metaldams]

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/132
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043800/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7elyC0Lfyo4

Watch MERRY MAVERICKS in the link above



      I really have no clue how I'm supposed to have much intelligent to say about this one.  Really, talk about a film that's middle of the road.  There's nothing bad about it, per se, so it's a passable time waster, but very little that's great.  It is going to get even tougher to form strong opinions when we get to the Shemp remakes.  The Bessers will be welcome, because then I can at least review with passion, even if that passion is negative.  This week, it's blandsville.

     OK, what to say about this one?  Well, it's a combination remake of PHONY EXPRESS and PUNCHY COWPUNCHERS.  The dancing scene from the former is used, and a poor man's version of Jock Mahoney and Christine McIntyre are cast.  Seriously guys, don't you miss Christine?  Forget the beauty contest stuff, Marion Martin is fine looking on her own merit, but beauty is more than looks, and one of the reasons I'm attracted to Christine is because she brings personality and talent to her roles.  Ms. Martin has the charisma of, I don't know, a piece of belly button lint.  Have you ever seen a charismatic piece of belly button lint?  Neither have I.  The Jock Mahoney guy just lacks the stunt double awesomeness and aw shucks stupidity Jock brings to these roles.  Also, Marion Martin as the ghost is completely laughable, you can see her through the thin bed sheet!

      The boys are OK in this one, the best part of the short belongs to them.  About 9:30 into the short or so, the scene where Moe asks Larry about the fist and initially uses Shemp to demonstrate what he can do with the fist is funny stuff.  I like good scripts and great sight gags as much as the next guy, but really, funny, quick little exchanges are the true reason why The Three Stooges were put on this Earth.  Don't have much else to say except does anyone else notice how barren the bar setting is?  Really, nothing but principal players, no extras.  Really a sign of the low budgets at this point.  I have nothing else to say, simply a passable short, but not a good example of prime Stooges.

6/10

 

[Paul Pain]

Metaldams sums up my feelings exactly.  This short can BURN IN HELL.  It has some moments... Shemp and Larry sleeping at Moe's description of Peaceful Gulch, the Clarence Cassidy routine, Shemp's closet fight with the "headless Indian," and the ending.

Overall a weak short... 5/10.

I am going to save my praise of westerns for SHOT IN THE FRONTIER.

[GreenCanaries]

Another positive about this short I'll add: I like Emil Sitka's scene as "Deputy Mort." "Hey, Al. What took you so long?"

Among the other Columbia shorts Marion Martin was in was the El Brendel short LOVE AT FIRST FRIGHT (1941), which can be viewed here. MERRY MAVERICKS was one of her last film appearances.

[Shemp_Diesel]

Yes, it's kind of ironic--to me anyways--how Ed Bernds usually gets great praise for his Shemp shorts, and right after Jules White gave us his arguable best, Bernds follows up with his worst. Pretty much, the only real "lemon" Ed made during the Shemp years.

As Metal pointed out & something other stooge fans have remarked on, the supporting cast for this one is very 2nd rate--no Kenneth McDonald, Christine or Jock; just poor replacements.

The stooges themselves don't seem to get many opportunities to do something inspired--although, I did enjoy the bit at the beginning with Moe taking down the boys wanted poster & Larry and Shemp falling asleep as Moe describes the peaceful location out west.

4 out of 10....

[Dr. Hugo Gansamacher]

(1) Larry and Shemp falling asleep in response to Moe's description of Peaceful Gulch and then getting slapped awake (Shemp: "A bee bit me or something!"); (2) Moe testing Larry's intelligence by requiring him to identify a hand, a fist, and a punch in the eye: I think those are the (feeble) high points in this short.

The only objection made here against this short that I would contest is the low rating given to Paul Campbell by comparison with Jock Mahoney. One of them seems to me as good or as bad as the other overall, and Campbell's handling of the bit at the end, when he faints at the sight of blood, seems to me superior comic acting to any that I remember Mahoney doing.

[JazzBill]

Not one of my favorites but it's not one the worst. A couple good lines but mostly reused bits. As mentioned, I guess all the top co-stars were on vacation that week. (except Emil Sitka) I rate it a 6.

[Lefty]

Not a classic by any means of the imagination, especially with the "B" actors, but I will add a couple of goodies to what has already been said:

1.  Shemp doing his "family" descriptions -- this high, this high, and THIS high.
B.  Shemp saying to Marion Suplee* "All right sister, get going or I'll knock your brains out!" -- with his hat on and then without.

* -- Marian Martin's real name, and her only regleaming feature was that she was a native of Philadelphia.

[Kopfy2013]

 This is a tough one to rate.   I feel that it is watchable but not funny. Shemp  is good in it .

 Actually all the stooges are fine. It's the material they had to work with. I give it a six

[Signor Spumoni]

Aside from #1 in Lefty's highlights, I don't care for this one much at all.

[Woe-ee-Woe-Woe80]

I didn't think this short was as horrible as many people made it out to be but it's definitely not one of their best, I would've liked it better if they've had a better supporting cast, I don't know why they didn't get Kenneth MacDonald and Christine McIntyre to play the villains in this episode, I can see why the villains here never appeared in another stooge film, I somewhat enjoy this episode although it was the weakest Edward Bernds short he directed during the Shemp years (the only episode I've thought he did that was worse is "The Three Troubledoers"), my favorite moments was Larry telling Moe he was scared and Moe telling him he was imaginating what he was seeing, Larry & Shemp falling asleep to Moe describing Peaceful Gulch and Larry & Shemp barking after Moe telling them they'll throw the female villain to the dogs.

I give this film a 6/10, at least it's not as horrible as some of the Jules White clunkers he directed like "Self Made Maids" and "Don't Throw That Knife".

[Tony Bensley]

Regarding this short, I'm clearly in the minority, in that I rather enjoyed it. Yes, MERRY MAVERICKS (1951) does borrow quite a bit from PHONY EXPRESS, and most of the then usual supporting players are absent this time around.  Nevertheless, this short just worked for me, somehow, and I give it 7 out of 10.

I also find it interesting that this western themed Three Stooges short was released by Columbia a mere two days prior to their feature length Monogram Pictures western, GOLD RAIDERS (1951), another pre Curly Joe feature that apparently many Stooge fans consider a bit below par, but that I rather enjoyed!  Perhaps I was just in the right levitous mood earlier this evening? I'll also give that a 7 here, as for some unknown reason, I'm unable to find it in the Weekly Episode film listings, although I swear up and down I have seen it there, before!  The other pre 1959 Three Stooges featured Features have seemingly disappeared as well, or am I imagining things?

CHEERS! 

[Dr. Mabuse]

There's more outdoor footage of Shemp in "Gold Raiders" than in all of his Columbia shorts combined. For the record, the 1951 feature was released by United Artists.

[metaldams]

There's more outdoor footage of Shemp in "Gold Raiders" than in all of his Columbia shorts combined. For the record, the 1951 feature was released by United Artists.

GOLD RAIDERS is sadly the film that has a defect on about every DVD copy, including mine.  I’ll search online to see if I can watch it, I’d love to review that one.  You’re correct about the outdoor footage.

[Dr. Mabuse]

Watch this one.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4e57j8

[metaldams]

Watch this one.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4e57j8

Thanks!  I’m doing SOUP TO NUTS in March and will probably do this in April.  I want to try to do a Stooge related film once a month.

[Daddy Dewdrop]

Did I mention I'm not a fan of the Stooge westerns (of course, I did!)?  Well, this is another one that just doesn't muster up enough laughs amid the sagebrush and stale "haunted house" ending.  I've got a feeling there are more like it straight ahead in the countdown.

#165. Merry Mavericks