Topic: Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961)

[metaldams]

http://threestooges.net/filmography/episode/231
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055458/?ref_=nv_sr_3

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

Watch SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES in the link above



      The Three Stooges have some legal troubles with Columbia, go to Fox for one film, and SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES is the result.  Filmed in technicolor, there are really two ways to review this film - as a Three Stooges film, and as a Snow White/Robin Hood film.  I will attempt to do both.

      As a Stooge film, in the traditional sense, a complete failure.  When it comes to Stooge comedy, we have an OK opening scene where their faces appear in book form, interrupting a serious prologue at opportune times.  We have the best comic scene, which is enjoyable but hardly classic, of the boys selling hair tonic.  Then we have a pie scene where the bad guy gets pies in the face to disorient him, really a lame excuse to have some pies in a Stooge comedy.  This takes about maybe 10 minutes of a 107 minute film.  The Stooges do appear a lot in the film, mainly as likable characters trying to help Snow White and Quattro.  They do fine in this role as actors and are perfectly acceptable in this capacity.  The problem is several people could have done their roles in this film, while only they are capable of being The Three Stooges, something they do very little of here.  Bear in mind Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello worked in the fairy tale genre as well in BABES IN TOYLAND and JACK IN THE BEANSTALK, respectively.  Each team's trademark humor is on display much better in their films than it is here for The Three Stooges.

      As a film itself, there are some good points.  The production values are great, I love the sets and scenery.  The outdoor forest type stuff where the queen's men are chasing the Stooges and Snow White is great as is the castle and dungeon sword fight stuff, which reminds me very much of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, a film I love.  The Snow White stuff?  Not really my wheelhouse, but I admit it's a timeless story.  Carol Heiss gets some skating scenes in, and she's obviously good, but again, not my wheelhouse.  The musical numbers...again, not my wheelhouse, but very well produced.  Herein lies this film's main problem, it tries to appeal to too many people yet in doing so, appeals to very few.  I like the action Robin Hood type stuff when it's there and like the idea of The Three Stooges being in this film, it's just that their comedy is diluted.  The Snow White, ice skating, and musical stuff appeals to another audience.  I get the feeling the producers were trying to appeal to both boy and girl children when this probably would have been a better film had they focused on making certain areas stronger and eliminating others.  You know, less music and Snow White, more Stooge comedy and Robin Hood, or vice versa.

      A fascinating movie, a great chance to see the boys with good production values and color, but a waste of good Stooge comedy.

5/10 as a film
1/10 as a Stooge comedy

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

I was still too young to see this on its first release, I saw it maybe two years afterwards, and haven't seen even a snippet again until tonight, when I sat through a DVD I bought for cheap on eBay, as did Metaldams, I think, a purchase I did my best to shame him into, as can be read on some earlier posts.
     Undeniably, this is a slog.  One gets the idea that someone at Fox had the idea for a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs extravaganza, and then some hip young genius said, No, that's corny, let's update it, the Three Stooges are hot at the moment, how about Snow White and The Three Stooges !!!
     It might have been better if someone at 20th was familiar at all with the Three Stooges.  They brought in Elwood Ullman as a writer, but they needed a stooge director, someone to give them some schtick, because that's what's really lacking here is schtick.  At one point, the three of them actually walk through a door that's too short and too narrow for them, and they DON'T get stuck, they DON'T bump heads, they actually just WALK THROUGH THE FUCKING DOOR !  That's just one of a dozen opportunities that just scream for Stooge Slapstick 101 and are completely missed.  One gets the feeling that the director or whatever other powers-that-were said, No thanks, boys, that's too slapsticky for our movie, completely forgetting what the title of their movie was.  Actually denying them the moves that you can see coming a mile away, and then just don't happen.
      The photography and color are indeed beautiful, and of all things, it's in CinemaScope, which it certainly wasn't when I saw it at a kiddie matinee in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1962.  My cheapo eBay DVD is lovely.  Edson Stroll, whom I knew only as one of the crew extras on the old TV show McHale's Navy, was not bad at all as Prince Charming.  Carol Heiss skated nicely, cried quite credibly, and aimed for Judy Garland-as-Dorothy Gale the rest of the way, to less success.  There are quite a few Wizard of Oz references - all right, steals - here, in fact, the most blatant being Patricia Medina as the Wicked Queen/Wicked Witch.  She is as hammy as the Smithfield factory.  She's awful.
     I'm beating a dead horse here.  This was a dog when it came out, bombed at the box office, it's a dog now.  I told Metaldams when he was reluctant to review this that he didn't have to do it sober.  Well, after the first fifteen minutes, neither did I. 

[stoogerascalfan62]

Saw it on TV once. Didn't do a thing for me.

[Shemp_Diesel]

Ungghhh, I'm going off memory again for this one. Awful then, still crap now. A few merits--the stooges popping up in the book at the beginning & the stooges selling hair tonic. I especially got a kick out of Moe telling some lady to grow a beard & surprise her husband.

The rest--pure garbage...

1 out of 10 pokes....

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

Yikes.  I just read on imdb that Frank Tashlin was an uncredited director on this film.  Frank Tashlin was a very good comedy director and gag man, he must have been assigned to the stooges.  How bland must they have been before Tashlin got there?  Either that or his suggestions were rejected by management and he quit early, hence the no-credit.  Anybody know anything about this?

[metaldams]

Yikes.  I just read on imdb that Frank Tashlin was an uncredited director on this film.  Frank Tashlin was a very good comedy director and gag man, he must have been assigned to the stooges.  How bland must they have been before Tashlin got there?  Either that or his suggestions were rejected by management and he quit early, hence the no-credit.  Anybody know anything about this?

According to Wikipedia, Fox made the decision.  With Tashlin, the budget was $750,000; with Lang, 3.5 million.  My guess is the studio decided to go in a different direction overall with both change of directors AND budgets.  Who knows, maybe this was initially more Stooge oriented, I'll have to do more research.

[BeAStooge]

According to Wikipedia, Fox made the decision.  With Tashlin, the budget was $750,000; with Lang, 3.5 million.  My guess is the studio decided to go in a different direction overall with both change of directors AND budgets.  Who knows, maybe this was initially more Stooge oriented, I'll have to do more research.

This was covered in detail recently in "The Three Stooges Journal," reporting the extensive information contained in the film's production files, which were obtained two years ago by The Stoogeum.

Tashlin's involvement is not documented, only reported in "Scrapbook" and assumed to originate from Norman Maurer's recollections.  Evidence indicates that IF it's true that Tashlin was originally involved, that never extended beyond the discussion stage.

From 20th Century Fox's records, Walter Lang is the only credited director on every document (and there're hundreds), including the very first call sheets and payroll records going back to the beginning of skater rehearsals and cast screen tests in mid-November 1960.

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

I've subscribed to the TSJ fo years.  How did I miss that?

[Paul Pain]

By the 40 minute mark, I was dying of cancer and gave up.  What a sack of shit.

[7stooges]

I remember the first time I heard about this film. "Wow, the Stooges in color," I thought to myself. "That might be interesting" (yeah, yeah, sue me).

So I watched the theatrical trailer. It's 3 minutes long. The Stooges appear in it for 12 seconds. No exaggeration. That immediately told me what I was in for.

A lot of you folks may already know about the Stooges' musical number that was cut from the film, but if not, here it is:

[Big Chief Apumtagribonitz]

Boy, this flick is really snake bit.  Even the song is stupid as a bag of hammers.

[Umbrella Sam]

I find this a very conflicting film, because while it does fail at using the Stooges effectively, I feel there are actually some areas that it succeeds. Yes, the Stooges are completely misused in this one. Really, the only moment I found to be funny was the opening when the Stooges constantly interrupt the narrator trying to introduce the character. I've never been a big fan of the hair tonic scene, so I can't really say much there. Otherwise, there's a lot of wasted comedic potential.

It's pretty obvious that they were trying to tell a good Snow White adaptation and to their credit, they actually are able to do a decent job. I actually like the fact that the prince has a backstory and that there's some actual development between him and Snow White, something that I wish I could have seen in the animated Disney version. In addition, the visuals are really nice, if a little odd. It's so strange to see the Stooges on a set that looks like it had an actual budget to work with. It's also interesting that the Big Chief brings up the Wizard of Oz connection considering one of the writers of this film actually worked on Wizard of Oz.

That being said, even as a Snow White adaptation, it's not perfect. Carol Heiss' performance isn't really that good and the villains are pretty uninteresting as well. In addition, remember that this movie is not just called Snow White... it's called Snow White and the Three Stooges, so it was fair to expect that this would be somewhat funny as opposed to a more straightforward adaptation!

I don't think I hate it as much as most people do, but it's still not something I can really say I enjoyed, even as a Snow White adaptation. For now, I'll just stick with the Disney version.

4 out of 10

[Tony Bensley]

While I too, don't despise this film as much as some others, I also recognize that SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES basically falls somewhat short on nearly all counts.

I will expand a bit regarding one in which there was arguably some improvement.  Yes, Prince Charming is decidedly more involved in this edition than in the Disney animated feature, whereas the 1937 animated feature had very little of the Prince.  However, the reason for this was because during SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS production, it was found that too much Prince Charming was proving problematic, which was why Disney kept stripping his scenes.  Would SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES have been better with more, or less of Prince Charming?  Debatable.  Mostly, it would have been better with more of The Three Stooges doing their thing.

It also has occurred to me that the about face in the spiraling budget that kept the film from making a profit in its initial release may have been an early indicator of poor decisions that would lead to 20th Century Fox's near bankruptcy state by the mid '60s, pre SOUND OF MUSIC (1965).

Anyway, enough of the history lesson. This feature doesn't appear nearly so dreary as most of the lesser Besser shorts.  It gets 5 out of 10 Magic Mirrors.

CHEERS!

[Umbrella Sam]

While I too, don't despise this film as much as some others, I also recognize that SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES basically falls somewhat short on nearly all counts.

I will expand a bit regarding one in which there was arguably some improvement.  Yes, Prince Charming is decidedly more involved in this edition than in the Disney animated feature, whereas the 1937 animated feature had very little of the Prince.  However, the reason for this was because during SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS production, it was found that too much Prince Charming was proving problematic, which was why Disney kept stripping his scenes.  Would SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES have been better with more, or less of Prince Charming?  Debatable.  Mostly, it would have been better with more of The Three Stooges doing their thing.

It also has occurred to me that the about face in the spiraling budget that kept the film from making a profit in its initial release may have been an early indicator of poor decisions that would lead to 20th Century Fox's near bankruptcy state by the mid '60s, pre SOUND OF MUSIC (1965).

Anyway, enough of the history lesson. This feature doesn't appear nearly so dreary as most of the lesser Besser shorts.  It gets 5 out of 10 Magic Mirrors.

CHEERS!

Yeah, when you really think about it, a lot of SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS’ appeal came from the Dwarfs themselves. While I do wish there was a bit more focus on the prince there, I can definitely see why Disney cut so much down.

Interestingly enough, Frank Tashlin claimed to have worked for Disney for a few years. Knowing he had experience there as well as at Warner Bros, I feel SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES potentially could have been great under his direction.

[Tony Bensley]

By the 40 minute mark, I was dying of cancer and gave up.  What a sack of shit.

I did find that it picked up somewhat in the second half.

CHEERS! 

[metaldams]

I did find that it picked up somewhat in the second half.

CHEERS! 

Cancer usually does that. 

[Paul Pain]

Cancer usually does that. 

Yeah, I think it finally killed me by late September last year.

[MJ]

I'll be starting to watch "Snow White" tomorrow if things go as planned. I noticed that there's no forum for "Stop, Look, and Laugh," so I'm sticking this here.

I have not found a copy to watch yet. Anybody knows who carries it?

As a kid, I went to see "Rocket" within a week of it's release and the kid next door and I thought is was GREAT! Seeing it all these years later makes me question my sanity in those early years. Of course, he and I along with a few others, went to see "Stop, Look, etc" as soon as it came to town and LOVED it! Reading the reviews here, I need to find out if it was really that bad.

By then, we were aware of the fact that the Stooges we were seeing on TV were the original guys. Well, I guess I should say the Curly guys. So, the bits of film in this feature were just what we wanted to see. Plus, Paul Winchell was our favorite TV guy. All of us! Although Soupy Sales was a close second place. It does seem odd that The Stooges became children's entertainment, but it sure worked out. Naturally, we knew nothing about the depression, prohibition, or WW2 (except that our dad's all fought in it), but it didn't seem to matter. As I recall, the bits assembled for this feature had no background; they were just funny. As kids fare, I suspect the film was perfect for we seven and eight year old kids in a 1961 world.

Perhaps the reviews posted here wouldn't be so harsh if the writers could picture themselves as  little kids who had only three TV stations to choose from and always made sure they were home at 5:00 for the Popeye and Three Stooges Show. If I ever get to see it again, that's the way I'll TRY to watch it.

[metaldams]

I'll be starting to watch "Snow White" tomorrow if things go as planned. I noticed that there's no forum for "Stop, Look, and Laugh," so I'm sticking this here.

I have not found a copy to watch yet. Anybody knows who carries it?

As a kid, I went to see "Rocket" within a week of it's release and the kid next door and I thought is was GREAT! Seeing it all these years later makes me question my sanity in those early years. Of course, he and I along with a few others, went to see "Stop, Look, etc" as soon as it came to town and LOVED it! Reading the reviews here, I need to find out if it was really that bad.

By then, we were aware of the fact that the Stooges we were seeing on TV were the original guys. Well, I guess I should say the Curly guys. So, the bits of film in this feature were just what we wanted to see. Plus, Paul Winchell was our favorite TV guy. All of us! Although Soupy Sales was a close second place. It does seem odd that The Stooges became children's entertainment, but it sure worked out. Naturally, we knew nothing about the depression, prohibition, or WW2 (except that our dad's all fought in it), but it didn't seem to matter. As I recall, the bits assembled for this feature had no background; they were just funny. As kids fare, I suspect the film was perfect for we seven and eight year old kids in a 1961 world.

Perhaps the reviews posted here wouldn't be so harsh if the writers could picture themselves as  little kids who had only three TV stations to choose from and always made sure they were home at 5:00 for the Popeye and Three Stooges Show. If I ever get to see it again, that's the way I'll TRY to watch it.

I’m old enough to remember 13 channels, record stores, VCRs and no Internet, anyway.   STOP, LOOK AND LAUGH I can definitely imagine kids in the late 50’s and early 60’s enjoying.  I used to own it on VHS when I was in my early twenties and it just did nothing for me.  Something I discovered too late in life and in the wrong decade.  We are completely spoiled today with how accessible things are, so not only this Stooge compilation, but also the Harold Lloyd compilations and at the risk of committing blasphemy, the Robert Youngson compilations, have never been of much interest to me - though especially the latter, I respect the historical importance.

[MJ]

Well, at least a search into the Youngston source materials brought a big chunk of "Battle of the Century" back to life.

[MJ]

Yow.....I finally got around to this one. I remember our family going to see it at a drive-in the first week it came out, and being disappointed. It failed as a kids film. I mean, I WAS a kid! It was lousy! So, sixty or so years later, I watched in in our home theater in all its cinaramic glory. Jeez.....

The Carol Heiss skating scenes that my parents loved and I was bored by, now look really good to me. But, that's about as far as it goes. Everyone here has already taken their well-deserved shots at the Stooges performance. I doubt that it was anywhere near their fault, although if they had the integrity to bow out, it would have been a good thing. But, money IS money, and they weren't getting any younger. Get it while you can. It's absolutely understandable.

Possibly the worst part of it, and something I remember from seeing it all those years ago, were the skating Stooges. Maybe on a TV screen it would look OK. On a Cinirama (or whatever it was) screen, as well as my screen, these guys look NOTHING like our heroes. Why didn't someone suggest that they be shot from the back (a la Joe Palma) and edit in some closeups?

Like most of the greats like Laurel & Hardy and Buster Keaton, the last of their films were pretty awful. I guess it's bound to happen with comic actors. Once I'm done with the rest of the features, I'm going to go back to the first two years of shorts to attempt erasing these bad memories.

[metaldams]

Took me a long time to revisit this one just to review it....maybe I’ll watch it again in another fifteen years, assuming I’m still around.    But by reading your review, this seems to be a common once every several decades film.  Never did view this as a child myself, early twenties first viewing and late thirties when I reviewed this, though I don’t think I would have liked it as a kid.

[MJ]

Interestingly enough, Frank Tashlin claimed to have worked for Disney for a few years. Knowing he had experience there as well as at Warner Bros, I feel SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES potentially could have been great under his direction.

I dunno about great, but it would have certainly been more clever in a cartoonish way. One of the Bob Hope westerns (I think it was "Son of Paleface") shows off that style very well. He could have made The Stooges seem almost surreal in additional comedy sequences, even it was based on the special effects available at that time.

[MJ]

This feature doesn't appear nearly so dreary as most of the lesser Besser shorts. 
CHEERS!

I suspect that has a lot to do with the vibrant color. It has a "happier" look which works on an almost subconscious level.

[MJ]

Here's something I ran across. It's pretty cool.