http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/116http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041396/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1http://www.emilsitka.com/fuelinaround1949.htmlRead Emil Sitka's diary entry in the link above
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aXOlAJACxmAWatch FUELIN' AROUND in the link above
Número 116 out of 190 is 1949's FUELIN' AROUND, which ranks as another in a long line of average Stooge shorts. Average Stooge shorts are a good thing in the grand scheme of things since I like Stooge shorts better than average entertainment, but tend to blend in amongst a large canon of 190 shorts.
One thing that does stand out is the way FUELIN' AROUND reflects the time period it was made. For years, we had WWII shorts, but we haven't discussed these for a while due to the war's end in 1945. This short, filmed in 1948 and released in 1949, was filmed during the beginning of the Cold War. While we have a country called "Anemia" in this short, no doubt the foreign spies and the competition to land a rocket fuel lends a Soviet feel to the proceedings (a play on Armenia). Though not quite as prevalent as World War II, The Cold War would influence The Three Stooges sporadically over the years, two shorts after this being another example.
I do enjoy the plot device of the spies mixing up Larry for Emil Sitka due to the wild hair, and the beginning of this short we due have many random sensible acts of Stooge violence. Moe, on two different occasions, really makes great use of the combination of a hammer and Larry's skull, two objects God made specifically to intertwine together. The rapid pace at which Moe slams Larry's unfortunate chrome dome with the hammer plays like a Three Stooges thrash metal anthem. Fast and heavy! Moe getting caught underneath the rug is also a highlight. I always love shots of any Stooge suffering slapstick indignities in close up while in tight quarters like Moe is here.
As far as the supporting cast, very good in this one. Vernon is fine as the general. Phil Van Zandt is wonderful as the idiot who wrongly captures the boys, and is especially entertaining as the boys bamboozle him with their made up formula for the rocket fuel, one of those welcome Stooge staples I never tire of. Christine McIntyre is as lovely as ever, getting to flirt it up with both Shemp and Jock Mahoney (also good as the awkward guard), and as for Emil Sitka, he plays an excellent but thankless role. The poor guy, in his thirties, gets to act with a beautiful woman three years older than him. Does he romance her? Does he save her from doom? Is he her hero? No. Why, this slightly older beautiful woman gets to play his....daughter. Ouch!
The ending feels like another rush job, one of those cases where they simply ran out of time so they had to give The Three Stooges a quick get away. Oh well, another good short overall.
8.5/10