Cuckoo On a Choo Choo (1952)

metaldams · **on:** January 23, 2016, 07:10:38 AM

http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/142
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044526/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gKV0gTuBuxM

Watch CUCKOO ON A CHOO CHOO in the link above

The film that proves to the world that Larry Fine should have played Don Corleone. I have been looking forward to this one for a while, and while I consider the late 30's and early 40's to be the absolute peak, the extended great Stooge run is 1934 - 1952, and this is the last short of that run. Starting next week, we start 1953, a very transitional year with some bold experiments, remakes, good originals, and stock footage jobs.

OK, CUCKOO ON A CHOO CHOO has been labeled in THE THREE STOOGES SCRAPBOOK as the worst short. Some people love it, some people hate it. Count me in the former. If this short was a Beatles song, it would be "I Am The Walrus." Makes zero sense, yet 100% entertaining, and really, don't we watch these things to be entertained? Not much to say except this short contains bizarre gag after bizarre gag. We are on short number 142 and very few of these gags seem stock, so disheartening knowing with what is to come. Shemp with the hallucinated canary is fantastic. Love watching him dance with the creature only for said bird to disappear, yet Shemp dances on. The play ball gag is cute, and again completely random and like nothing else in any Stooge short. Moe spraying perfume on sandwiches, Shemp's razorback love making scene, and my favorite...really one of my favorite Stooge shots ever, is a hysterical Shemp, grabbing Moe and Larry in a side headlock, bashing their heads together, and laughing like a lunatic. Goo goo ga joob!

10/10

Paul Pain · **Reply #1 on:** January 23, 2016, 07:36:34 AM

Thanks, my friend. I was certain I was going to get eaten alive for my praise of this short. For the 2nd time in a month, we have one-hit wonders, three in this one in Patricia Wright, Victoria Horne, and Reggie Dvorak.

We have here the 2nd of the experiment shorts in which the Stooges are separate characters instead of a unit and Larry has the star role. Part of the interest in Larry is that he gets to be more of a tough guy instead of a comic moron, but the way he does it shows that the boys did not HAVE to be comedy actors. Larry brings the talent in here and excels in his role. How did he steal a car from the MIDDLE of the train?

I never would have thought Shemp would do well as a miserable sot, but he does it incredibly here. He is drunk and insane, which is kind of like having a child-minded Curly as far as how much fun is brought to to the table. How any idiot, drunk or sober, could fall in love with a canary is astounding but hilarious.

Moe is for once the imbecile to be compared to Shemp's feather-brained imbecile. It makes for an interesting change having Moe and Larry swap positions, but it works. I kind of wish they would have played up the order of the roles more than they did because it would have made for some interesting shorts, but once typecast always typecast.

Patricia Wright gets the nod of approval both as a babe who can act and as being Los Angeles's first TV weathergirl. Reggie Dvorak gets my sympathies for having to jam himself in that horrible suit, which looks like it used up much of the short's budget! Victoria Horne, however, IMO, just sucks plain and simple and is not funny for one moment. As a result of the ostrich egg laid by Victoria...

9/10

Dr. Hugo Gansamacher · **Reply #2 on:** January 23, 2016, 08:01:48 AM

It was not until my most recent viewing of this short that I saw that the resemblance of Larry's character to Stanley Kowalski of A Streetcar Named Desire (a movie that I know almost exclusively from parodies and references, having never seen more than a few clips of it) was part of a larger design: the giveaway is the fact that the radio announcer (voice of Moe) refers to the hunt for "a railroad car named Schmow."

If this is a bad short, it's my favorite of the bad ones. To be fair, I think it's all good from the beginning through the sorting-out between Moe and Shemp, about two thirds of the way through, but gets dull when the business with the Limburger cheese and the skunk starts. And I have always found the business with Carrie the Canary tedious. But the wild sound effects of the little brown jug make for some funny gags, especially when they come from out of frame.

The bit that makes this short irreplaceable to me is the confrontation between Moe and Shemp in which Moe orders Shemp to put his fist to his chin and his knee to his elbow, and then kicks the sole of his foot to give him a punch in the head by transfer of motion. I remember that there is an earlier short in which Moe does the same thing to Shemp, but here not only is the setup more formal but Shemp unexpectedly beats Moe to the punch on his second try. Great stuff, that.

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #3 on:** January 23, 2016, 10:25:15 AM

Oh, lord, does this suck. Every single frame. Slow, stupid, other-worldly, nightmarish. I've said it before, but I'll repeat it here because it's especially relevant: the stooges are obviously teatotallers because when they try to act drunk they're embarrassingly hammy, and Shemp is no exception here. The beanpole is indeed dreadful, Larry's role is utterly impenetrable unless you're somehow able to guess that it's a parody of Streetcar, which you cant, the canary is obviously some creep in a paper-mache suit, etc. etc. I need some brain-bleach. And yes, the only decent moments are the Shemp/Moe violence, if you can accept the premise that two guys who just met can beat each other up like this, which I can't. The absolute bottom of the barrel, not one whit better than, and atmospherically equivalent to, the worst of the Bessers.

metaldams · **Reply #4 on:** January 23, 2016, 10:29:37 AM

Quote from: Big Chief Apumtagribonitz on January 23, 2016, 10:25:15 AM

Oh, lord, does this suck. Every single frame. Slow, stupid, other-worldly, nightmarish. I've said it before, but I'll repeat it here because it's especially relevant: the stooges are obviously teatotallers because when they try to act drunk they're embarrassingly hammy, and Shemp is no exception here. The beanpole is indeed dreadful, Larry's role is utterly impenetrable unless you're somehow able to guess that it's a parody of Streetcar, which you cant, the canary is obviously some creep in a paper-mache suit, etc. etc. I need some brain-bleach. And yes, the only decent moments are the Shemp/Moe violence, if you can accept the premise that two guys who just met can beat each other up like this, which I can't. The absolute bottom of the barrel, not one whit better than, and atmospherically equivalent to, the worst of the Bessers.

I can understand your opinion, and realism is not this short's calling card. I agree with your drunk acting observation, except it doesn't bother me. To me, this is a short of surreal Stooge gags inhabiting another planet, and while not for everybody, I still love this short. I can't wait to read your reviews on the Besser horse epics.

Dr. Hugo Gansamacher · **Reply #5 on:** January 23, 2016, 10:56:19 AM

Quote from: Big Chief Apumtagribonitz on January 23, 2016, 10:25:15 AM

Oh, lord, does this suck. Every single frame.

"Horrible, but I like it."

Paul Pain · **Reply #6 on:** January 23, 2016, 12:50:31 PM

Quote from: metaldams on January 23, 2016, 10:29:37 AM

I can understand your opinion, and realism is not this short's calling card. I agree with your drunk acting observation, except it doesn't bother me. To me, this is a short of surreal Stooge gags inhabiting another planet, and while not for everybody, I still love this short. I can't wait to read your reviews on the Besser horse epics.

When you consider that this short was released in 1951, most everyone could figure out what movies were being parodied.

But suddenly the "Besser horse epics" just got more interesting.

Lefty · **Reply #7 on:** January 23, 2016, 01:35:51 PM

Larry as the star, okay. Shemp seeing the skunk on his shoulder and saying, "Oh, a pussy cat!" That was funny. The "city noises" when Shemp took a drink, pretty good. Everything else, worse than today's weather. I rank this the 73rd-best Shemp short (excluding the 4 "Fake Shemp" ones from the count).

Shemp_Diesel · **Reply #8 on:** January 23, 2016, 02:07:37 PM

Well, I knew there would be some dissenting opinions about this one--this the ultimate "love it or hate it" stooge short. I love it, but even if I didn't, I don't see how people could lump this in with some of Besser's worst--but, you know what they say opinions are like.

I enjoy Moe at the beginning of the short & watching Larry's reactions as Moe goes on about the stolen train car (Ah, he'll never find us). The bells and whistles sound effects as a stooge takes a swig from the "magic brown jug" are also a keeper.

I find it interesting that as soon as detective Moe gets on the train, everyone seems to settle back into their "normal" stooge roles--Moe, as the cantankerous boss, Larry bringing his great "middle man" relief, and Shemp being Shemp.

Another big laugh is Shemp with the electric razor down his shirt & all the stuff that follows--beat it hasbin, you're turned down again. I love Shemp knocking Moe & Larry's noggins together & that last shot of Shemp to close out the short is avatar worthy.

8 out of 10...

Paul Pain · **Reply #9 on:** January 24, 2016, 06:43:47 AM

Quote from: metaldams on January 23, 2016, 07:10:38 AM

The film that proves to the world that Larry Fine should have played Don Corleone.

Careful what you wish for, metaldams

GreenCanaries · **Reply #10 on:** January 25, 2016, 07:33:51 AM

Filmed right before the Besser solo CAUGHT ON THE BOUNCE. Uses the same train set, and Reggie Dvorak appears in both (only minus the costume in BOUNCE -- "Candy, cigars, cigarettes, chewing tobacco!"). Speaking of which, out of curiosity: will we be getting into the Shemp/Besser/DeRita solo shorts at some point?

Another interesting note: Victoria Horne was the wife of actor/comedian Jack Oakie.

JazzBill · **Reply #11 on:** January 25, 2016, 09:54:22 AM

I used to hate this short but over the years I have learned to hate it a little less. I think Felix Adler must of been doing acid when he wrote this story. I do enjoy Larry playing out of character with his over the top Marlon Brando impression. There is some good slapstick all around. But the canary bit really sucks in my opinion. I'm not sure that Shemp was a teatotaller. A friend of mine sold a whiskey flask that once belonged to Shemp at a fan club meeting a couple of years ago. Not one of my favorite shorts and I rate it a 6 1/2.

Dr. Hugo Gansamacher · **Reply #12 on:** January 25, 2016, 12:51:39 PM

Spelling notice: a person who refrains from alcoholic drink is called a teetotaler. No connection with the word "tea."

JazzBill · **Reply #13 on:** January 25, 2016, 02:49:39 PM

Sorry, I wasn't sure how to spell it so decided to copy and paste it from another post. I'm sure you knew what I meant. Why don't you just keep your smart ass comments to yourself jerk. Did I spell jerk right?

Paul Pain · **Reply #14 on:** January 25, 2016, 06:59:06 PM

Quote from: JazzBill on January 25, 2016, 02:49:39 PM

Sorry, I wasn't sure how to spell it so decided to copy and paste it from another post. I'm sure you knew what I meant. Why don't you just keep your smart ass comments to yourself jerk. Did I spell jerk right?

JazzBill just retired! He's got nothing to lose.

JazzBill · **Reply #15 on:** January 25, 2016, 08:07:39 PM

Quote from: Paul Pain on January 25, 2016, 06:59:06 PM

JazzBill just retired! He's got nothing to lose.

Yeah, it's a good thing I didn't have to spell good to drive a truck. I think from now on I'll PM all my posts to Hugo so he can proof read them before I post them.

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #16 on:** January 25, 2016, 08:22:48 PM

Dr Hugo, I'm not inflamed, and remember I'm your pal, but I am, let's say, intrigued: Teetotaler does seem counterintuitive, as opposed to someone who totally drinks tea. Do you have a source for this? I'm the guy who opened up this can of worms, and I know I could easily solve it by Googling the OED, but I'm too lazy and too afraid you're right. And BTW, spell-check didn't like the way I spelled counterintuitive no matter how I spelled it ( there it goes again ) so that can't be a source.

Paul Pain · **Reply #17 on:** January 27, 2016, 07:20:40 PM

Quote from: Big Chief Apumtagribonitz on January 25, 2016, 08:22:48 PM

Dr Hugo, I'm not inflamed, and remember I'm your pal, but I am, let's say, intrigued: Teetotaler does seem counterintuitive, as opposed to someone who totally drinks tea. Do you have a source for this? I'm the guy who opened up this can of worms, and I know I could easily solve it by Googling the OED, but I'm too lazy and too afraid you're right. And BTW, spell-check didn't like the way I spelled counterintuitive no matter how I spelled it ( there it goes again ) so that can't be a source.

Teetotaler comes from a group of prohibitionists in the 1800s known as "totalers." Their spokesman who proposed the name apparently had a massive stammering problem, so it came out as "T-t-tee-totaler," and it stuck as "teetotaler."

Source: the internet

Signor Spumoni · **Reply #18 on:** January 27, 2016, 08:24:42 PM

Quote from: Paul Pain on January 27, 2016, 07:20:40 PM

Teetotaler comes from a group of prohibitionists in the 1800s known as "totalers." Their spokesman who proposed the name apparently had a massive stammering problem, so it came out as "T-t-tee-totaler," and it stuck as "teetotaler."

Source: the internet

I never heard that part about a stammer. But I recall my mother's way of emphasizing an insulting comment about someone, "He's a teetotal idiot," or, "What a teetotal ass!" I never gave it much thought at the time. No, she didn't stammer, it was just one of her phrases.

But to the point of this discussion, count me among those who could live happily the rest of my days without seeing "Cuckoo On a Choo Choo" ever again. I didn't know Larry was doing a take-off, of sorts, of Brando until I read it somewhere a few years ago. At least that explains his appearing in an undershirt. Truth be told, I would just leave when this short came on television because I dislike it that mush. I can't stand that looks of that "canary." About the only part I enjoy is where we hear car horns, etc., as sound effects for having drunk alcohol.

However, I say these things with all due respect to those who enjoy this short. Reading posts here on Moronika has broadened my views about many shorts and Stooge-related topics. Sometimes I've changed my opinions because what I read helped me appreciate something I once disliked. Thank you, fellow Morons. I don't get the chance to add my two cents often, but I read the posts whenever I can.

Big Chief Apumtagribonitz · **Reply #19 on:** January 27, 2016, 08:47:06 PM

" Teetotal " does seem to be the accepted spelling.

QuinceHead · **Reply #20 on:** January 28, 2016, 07:01:38 AM

Isn't this the short that Larry would "entertain" friends and visitors with when they visited him at the Motion Picture Home?

For duty and humanity,
JohnH aka QuinceHead

QuinceHead · **Reply #21 on:** January 30, 2016, 08:22:08 AM

To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised there hasn't been more discussion on this short, considering its "Marmite" reputation...

For duty and humanity,
JohnH aka QuinceHead

Signor Spumoni · **Reply #22 on:** January 30, 2016, 11:09:22 AM

Quote from: QuinceHead on January 30, 2016, 08:22:08 AM

To be perfectly honest, I'm surprised there hasn't been more discussion on this short, considering its "Marmite" reputation...

For duty and humanity,
JohnH aka QuinceHead

Good comment, Quincey. So, are you a lover or hater of Marmite??

I had more comments about this, but most of them were describing what I don't like. That seemed tiresome, so I refrained from posting them. One good thing: Larry had a big, fat role`, here. I just wish it had been a different role`. As a Larry fan, I was happy to see him get his due, for a change. In my opinion, he was often shortchanged. I consider this short similar to "He Cooked His Goose" in that we get more Larry, but I just don't like the short overall. I don't care for the writing or directing in this. It can take a lot to overcome something which is occurs entirely on a single, indoor set, and - - again, in my opinion - - this short fails. It feels static and confined.

I don't know if Larry showed this to visitors when he lived in the motion picture home, but I could see why he might have done. On the plus side, Larry really seems to enjoy performing here. I think I read it was his favorite, which would make sense. He has a fine (Fine) time hamming it up.

Kopfy2013 · **Reply #23 on:** February 07, 2016, 01:57:39 AM

One of my favorite Shemp shorts . I like the ' Play ball with me', ... Moe and Shemp's slapping scene, and how to get rid of a red nose .

Definitely a weird one but I liked it.

Did you notice the kissing? Patricia was laying it on Shemp.

I give this an 8.

QuinceHead · **Reply #24 on:** February 08, 2016, 10:08:55 PM

Quote from: Signor Spumoni on January 30, 2016, 11:09:22 AM

Good comment, Quincey. So, are you a lover or hater of Marmite??

I had more comments about this, but most of them were describing what I don't like. That seemed tiresome, so I refrained from posting them. One good thing: Larry had a big, fat role`, here. I just wish it had been a different role`. As a Larry fan, I was happy to see him get his due, for a change. In my opinion, he was often shortchanged. I consider this short similar to "He Cooked His Goose" in that we get more Larry, but I just don't like the short overall. I don't care for the writing or directing in this. It can take a lot to overcome something which is occurs entirely on a single, indoor set, and - - again, in my opinion - - this short fails. It feels static and confined.

I don't know if Larry showed this to visitors when he lived in the motion picture home, but I could see why he might have done. On the plus side, Larry really seems to enjoy performing here. I think I read it was his favorite, which would make sense. He has a fine (Fine) time hamming it up.

I've never tasted Marmite, so I can't say whether I love it or hate it -- I only know of its reputation.

The other anecdote I've heard regarding this short is that when Larry supposedly showed it to visitors, he would often fall asleep while it was playing -- can't say as I blame him...

For duty and humanity,
JohnH aka QuinceHead