http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/326http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0176657/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Last week's short shocked me with how good it was, as it had interesting characters, a unique plot, great performances, and a perfect pace. Does lightning strike twice? Is the Joe Besser series up there with early 40's Stooge greatness? Well, not exactly. Forgetting for a moment that the latter shorts of this mere 10 short series are recycles of earlier shorts, DIZZY YARDBIRDS brings the series down back to Earth. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad short, it's perfectly acceptable entertainment. The perfect adjective for this week's solo entry would be - stock.
What he have here is basically an army comedy. It's released in 1950, you know, after SHOULDER ARMS, DOUGHBOYS, BOOBS IN ARMS, BUCK PRIVATES, etc. etc. etc., yadda yadda yadda. Soldier who is incompetent? Check, that's Joe Besser. Angry sgt.? Check, that's Dick Wessel. Incompetent soldier has to peel potatoes and annoys equally angry cook? Check. Also, not an army cliche, but two superior officers bet for and against Joe becoming a soldier who with proper grooming, can be promoted in a month. Kind of Hoi Polloish, no? Perfectly normal scenarios we've seen dozens of times, kind of like slapstick comedy comfort food.
Joe is naive and incapable of seeing the mayhem he causes in this one, and even at the beginning, is shown to be a grown man living with his mother. Not bad, but again, stock. Compare to last week when Joe was basically a normal grown man (engaged with his own place), with one really weird habit of chasing fire truck. I find that contrast funnier and more original. I do like the table varnishing scene, even if it contains more character actors than Joe. Great job by Emil Sitka in said scene.
Overall, a good short, 15 minutes of fun, but nothing that stands out amongst a slew of other comedies. Shorts of this description usually get a.....
7/10
