Moronika
Film & Shorts Discussions => The Three Stooges - Shemp Years => Topic started by: metaldams on January 23, 2016, 07:10:38 AM
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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
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/40/Cuckoochoochew.jpg/220px-Cuckoochoochew.jpg)
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
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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 [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke] [poke]
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Oh, lord, does this suck. Every single frame.
"Horrible, but I like it." [3stooges]
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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.
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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).
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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. ;D
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...
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The film that proves to the world that Larry Fine should have played Don Corleone.
Careful what you wish for, metaldams
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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.
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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.
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Spelling notice: a person who refrains from alcoholic drink is called a teetotaler. No connection with the word "tea."
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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" Teetotal " does seem to be the accepted spelling.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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... :P
For duty and humanity,
JohnH aka QuinceHead
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The things you notice about a certain short when you watch it for the umpteenth time--or maybe something I noticed about myself.
I don't know if I was just in a really good mood when I watched Cuckoo again, but damn, I didn't remember it being this funny. I've always liked this short, but after this most recent viewing, I've got to bump this up to all time classic status. Maybe even in my Shemp Top Ten.
Again, maybe I was just in an extremely good mood, but I was laughing my ass off...
Oh Carrie, my dear--I love but you...
New Rating: 9.5 out of 10 pokes...
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Do my ears deceive me, or is the music that plays around the "little brown jug" the same music from BACK TO THE WOODS?
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It's the same instrument, either a celesta or its miniature cousin a music box, but the melody in Back to the Woods is Beethoven's Minuet in G and the tune in Coo-coo is the drunk's anthem How Dry I am. I'd tell Beethoven on you, but at the moment he's busy decomposing.
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It's the same instrument, either a celesta or it's miniature cousin a music box, but the melody in Back to the Woods is Beethoven's Minuet in G and the tune in Coo-coo is the drunk's anthem How Dry I am. I'd tell Beethoven on you, but at the moment he's busy decomposing.
That drunk music never lasts more than 2 or 3 notes; God bless you for figuring it out nevertheless! Do you know which Beethoven that is?
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Ludwig.
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Ludwig.
[pie] [violent5]
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Not one of the best episodes the Stooges have ever done but definitely not one of the worst either, the boys are in separated form again but I've thought it worked better here than it did in "He Cooked His Goose" (which I did not like), I liked how weird and different this short is to your typical stooge short and it was good seeing the boys do something different.
Overall I give this short a 7/10
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My "Larry as Don Corleone" photo is one of my favorite posts ever... and I'm almost at 1300 of them!
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Just one of those shorts that I occasionally set up, watch, shake my head, and appreciate - somewhat - for the sheer oddity of it.
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A definite oddity, but not one of my favorites. Though I consider "Cuckoo" a mostly unfunny misfire, I understand why the short has its admirers. Worth a look for Larry's bizarre take on Brando.
3/10
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I remember seeing this one for the first time as a teenager in the early 1980s and thinking "what the hell was that?!?" Yes, it's different, but it's just not very entertaining. Anytime the boys don't work as a team, it's usually (always?) not a good sign. I've also never found the drunk act very funny. Maybe it's because I grew up with an alcoholic father or that I was an active alcoholic myself (now sober for the past 12+ years). Until I saw "A Streetcar Named Desire" I never realized that Larry was doing a poor Brando imitation, although knowing it now doesn't make it any better. For all the faults of this short, I must say that the canary is a bright spot for me. It's SO weird, that it actually works and saves this short from being Shemp's absolute worst - that dishonor belongs to "Punchy Cowpunchers".
#185. Cuckoo On A Choo Choo
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Having read all the comments about this short, I approached it with a great deal of apprehension. I have been watching the Columbia shorts in order since the beginning of the year (as not many of them have aired in the UK for many years). Now it was the turn of "Cuckoo On A Choo Choo. It was considerably better than I was expecting. I would rate it 5 eye pokes.
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To me this short feels like listening to a trippy, acid rock tune which I enjoy listening to, definitely off the wall but I enjoy watching it.
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To me this short feels like listening to a trippy, acid rock tune which I enjoy listening to, definitely off the wall but I enjoy watching it.
It's a weird one alright, but I like it. When they open the jug and "How Dry I am" starts playing, I know all is well in the universe.
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I watched this one on Internet Archive (the user 3 Stooges Maniac has every single short that the Three Stooges have ever made). I have to be honest, I did not like this one at all and it is due to the subject matter. I will say that it is not the worst, but it is certainly not the greatest either. Mostly because I find the way Shemp acts to be legitimately worrying. He has a major drinking problem which will inevitably destroy someone’s health (not to mention their life if they are really careless) and a problem with hallucinations on top of that (which I did not find funny either as I found the paper mache suit to look hideous and the fact that he is in love with an animal and a bird at that to also be concerning), all thanks to his drinking. If anything, he strikes me as someone who should be in rehab.
The main reason why his act frightens me is that I remember seeing two guys who were blackout drunk when I was in Yokosuka back in 2018, and one of them took a hard spill on the sidewalk and looked like he was unable to get back up because he was totally smashed. My mom and I learned that alcoholism is a serious recurring problem in Japan. My dad had a major drinking problem as well (he started drinking at age 12 if I recall). The good news is that he had already long quit drinking by the time he met my mom. Once he got sober, he never looked back and never touched alcohol again. I have a cousin who has a terrible drinking problem and has already admitted to driving drunk because he was going to get more beer. I have a friend from high school who got into legal trouble for DUI and he told me to never start drinking (he is a good guy too and he regrets the decision).
I am sorry, I do not want to step on anyone’s toes, but there are too many things that bother me about this story. [3stooges]
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author=Daddy Dewdrop link=topic=5666.msg59955#msg59955 date=1627213094]
I remember seeing this one for the first time as a teenager in the early 1980s and thinking "what the hell was that?!?" Yes, it's different, but it's just not very entertaining. Anytime the boys don't work as a team, it's usually (always?) not a good sign. I've also never found the drunk act very funny. Maybe it's because I grew up with an alcoholic father or that I was an active alcoholic myself (now sober for the past 12+ years). Until I saw "A Streetcar Named Desire" I never realized that Larry was doing a poor Brando imitation, although knowing it now doesn't make it any better. For all the faults of this short, I must say that the canary is a bright spot for me. It's SO weird, that it actually works and saves this short from being Shemp's absolute worst - that dishonor belongs to "Punchy Cowpunchers".
#185. Cuckoo On A Choo Choo
The worst thing that a Three Stooges short can be is not entertaining — or even worse, boring — and that pretty much sums up Cuckoo on a Choo Choo for me.
Like Daddy Dewdrop said, any time the boys are split up/don’t work as a semi-cohesive unit, the short usually suffers — and boy, does it suffer! (Although not as much as the audience does…)
And also like Daddy Dewdrop, I’ve never found the “comedy drunk” character funny whenever one shows up. I had a couple of alcoholic relatives when I was quite young, but they were distant enough that they didn’t have much direct impact on my life (aside from my mother’s rigid disapproval of them). For whatever reason, I’ve always been a natural-born teetotaler (probably from seeing people my age act like complete asses when they were drunk, plus I can’t stand the taste of most alcoholic drinks), so I’ve never seen the appeal of drinking. (But that being said, the older I get, the more I understand why so many people DO drink…)
Anyway — sermon over! Like I said, I’ve never found the “comedy drunk” a funny character (a lot of them crop up in Bewitched, a sitcom practically swimming in hard liquor), so for as good as Shemp is at portraying one, his performance leaves me cold. And don’t get me started on Larry’s take on Marlon Brando — I feel bad for his fellow retirees at the Motion Picture Country House who were constantly subjected to it in the facility’s movie room at Larry’s request!
Even though this short is at the bottom of my “Shemp List”, I still rank it higher than the four Fake Shemp shorts…
For duty and humanity,
JohnH aka QuinceHead
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I've seen this short a few times, and honestly, I don't care for it. It's not the worst short ever made involving the Stooges. But, it certainly is a weak offering. The plot as it is, genuinely bores me. While there is some slapstick silliness, it's not enough to make me care for this short too much. It has an idea that could have been great, with some proper reworking. But, as it stands, it falls flat. Very flat. I've probably watched it at most twice. It genuinely doesn't work for me, it annoys me. A weak offering with the boys, and one I'd rather never see again.