Moronika
Film & Shorts Discussions => The Three Stooges - Curly Years => Topic started by: metaldams on August 01, 2014, 05:18:15 PM
-
http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/67
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036429/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
It is required you watch the link below before reading the rest of this.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-9Uf1SYr7E4
Oh my. Where to begin? I am only capable of conveying words, mere words, and I'm afraid words can't do this justice. I'll try my best anyway.
My name is Metaldams, which means I like metal music. If THEY STOOGE TO CONGA is a metal album, it would be Slayer's REIGN IN BLOOD. To you non metal folks out there, which is most of you, REIGN IN BLOOD to me is a masterpiece and about as extreme as metal should get in terms of pure speed, heaviness, and subject matter. Anything more extreme and you're going overboard. Believe me, metal bands have been more extreme for thirty years, with ridiculous results. Well, it's the same with THEY STOOGE TO CONGA. It's as extreme as the slapstick of our heroes ever got, and the results are glorious. Yes, episodes of JACKASS involve sticking toy cars up rectums and various stunts that involve breaking bones, more extreme stuff than CONGA, but needlessly so. To my tastes, Moe Howard getting a spike through the head, eye, and ear is really the final say in extreme slapstick. Of course it's only funny because mere seconds later, it's as if nothing happened, and he had the wherewithal to shoot a flamethrower up Curly's ass.
Man, my sides literally hurt from laughter watching this one. Dudley Dickerson rules when the phone explodes in his ear. Sony needs to release every short he ever made the same way they did with Charley Chase and Buster Keaton. The man rules and was a comic genius whose scare reactions are a thing of beauty. You're the man, Dudley.
This is also the first post Pearl Harbor short that really delves into WWII outside of small references. What does propaganda do? Why, it dehumanizes the enemy, and the Japanese guy speaks perfect Engrish and the German's goose step is as comical as they come. I wish propaganda could always be this entertaining. A great Vernon Dent performance in this one.
Oh, what other great parts are there? Well....all of it. I love the beginning when the sexy mind reader triple slaps the Stooges and slams the door on them. It's funny because it's implied they were thinking something really dirty, and we as the viewer get to determine what. I have my theories, but I won't say, I need to keep things fucking clean for any children who may be reading this.
The Nazi maid lady is the only Stooge appearance of Minerva Urecal, a character actress who had quite a nice career. Check out her imdb page. 1943 would have to be her peak, though. When in the same year you appear in this gem and play the wife of Bela Lugosi as an ape, the level of awesomeness is beyond comprehension in my world.
Oh yeah, love the bit where they are playing tug of war dragging each other through the wall. When Moe loses and is trying to drag Curly back in, the combination of Moe's expression and Curly's scream make it seem like Satan dragging an unfortunate victim through the gates of Hell. It's quite hysterical.
Yeah, this short rules on all levels, definitely one of the all-time greats.
10/10
-
Oh, and one more thing I want to add. All this mayhem ensues because The Three Stooges are trying to fix a doorbell. To get so much out of something so simple is a thing of wonder.
-
This is it. The number two Curly short of all time. 1943 starts with this one, the last explosive short of the Curly era. Here we have the most violent without being planned as so, like the intended violence shown on IN LIVING COLOR. Here. we have Moe get a spike in the eye, ear, and head, pulled through a wall with a support beam bashing his skull in, right after a phone gets thrown at him. Curly gets denosed with a pipe cutter, renosed with a cutting wheel, and electrocuted in three different ways. Dudley has a phone explode in his face and gets a waffle iron on his butt. Last, everyone gets blown up. A sub full of column-five krauts gets blasted to Atlantis.
Pure awesomeness. We have a perfect propaganda film here that denigrates enemy spies and forces while leaving the citizens intact. A blood thirsty Tojo mocker, and a devious German are our foes. Fortunately, the Stooges win, but only after Curly gets electrocuted because he messed up Lloyd Bridges' phone call.
Top notch acting from all brings this messterpiece together to create the ultimate pleasure. THIS is how slapstick should be when it is "extreme," not our modern garbage.
-
I failed to mention the hilarious exchanges between Dent and our unidentified Japanese spy (He looks familiar though, as if this might not be his only Stooge role). One conversation discusses destroying the world "Oh, so!" "So what?" "SO!" They also agree to shoot our heroes "in the back."
The sub splashing and floundering in the bath tub water was also a riot. Curly wanted to hear the Lone Ranger, so he dialed in. Even back then people feared the FBI...
-
It's one of the episodes that I would later marvel at for the technical features. A nice mix of convincing effects (screw driver in left ear, light bulb in right explodes) and silly ones like the aforementioned sub in the tub.
One of my top 10.
-
You guys have said it all. Moe is angry from the first frame.
-
A great short. It starts with Moe dishing out pain but in the end it is Moe who receives some just deserts. Plenty of sight gags, the radio bit and Moe getting dragged thru the wall are LOL funny. Curly still looks in great form and I don't notice any slowing down on his part. I put this short in my top 10 and rate it 9 1/2.
-
This is definitely a Top-10 short, maybe Top-5. I liked everything from start to finish, and the Stooges even came out victorious.
For a long time I thought that "Mah-shah" the maid was Joe Palma in disguise, as he is in "If a Body Meets a Body."
-
Wow I am in a huge minority. I thought the short was just okay. The best part of it was the Nazi interaction. The triple slap with a mind reader was also good.
The short Was probably too violent for me and did not serve a purpose. They went out of their way for those gags.
Great to see Lloyd Bridges however. I will give this a seven. Sorry.
-
Well I re-watched this and I will bump the rating to an eight because of the uniqueness of the war information and the violence.
Other Notes: Vernon Dent was excellent. I loved the way Moe eye-poked Hitler.
Curly gyrating because of the electrocution is a classic.
-
OMG; ever since I got DVD set #4 I have been obsessed with this short. From the WWII posters on the wall in the beginning; the "Zoot!" leg kick, the no-look punch that Moe does to perfection on Larry; the stock "Oh!" noise when our boys tumble into the house...and that's just in the first 60 seconds. The destruction of the house is unparalleled; Curly measuring out arm-lengths of wire at a time and at one point talking directly to the camera; the pre-ass-kicking look Moe gives Curly when he smashes the radio over his head..(love Eddie Loughton's cameo as the radio announcer...). I also love the lamp in the background! Then it ramps up....Dudley Dickerson as always just so on point; not even flinching when you know he knows the phone is going to explode; playing stereotype with grace and great humor. Then we move to the telephone pole....oh Jesus how I love this scene. "Trouble ain't in the house; that's definite".....yeah, it must be someone else's fault. "Look out....look out with that climbing spike!" "Gee, did it hurt?" "No, did this?" with that flat-hand neck chop....Moe setting Curly's ass on fire and the scream Curly lets out....the ever-popular dummy-drop and subsequent lightbulb explosion -- Curly must've gotten tinnitus from that! Of course the guy playing the Japanese military guy is painful but you know what? It was WWII and they were our enemy so it is what it is. Vernon Dent: "Of course, Germany gets the biggest half." Moe yet again throwing out the Schickelgruber insult and doing a better Hitler than Hitler. This short has very quickly become one of my absolute favorites; maybe because it's so violent. This is quintessential Stooges; this short is the reason people don't let their kids watch our boys; this is truth in advertising; this IS the Stooges nonpareil. [3stooges]
-
I'm watching this short again today for the umpteenth time. I seem to see something I never noticed in any previous viewings. Is Vernon Dent wearing a Star of David on the left side of his coat? It's made like a large medal or military decoration, and part of it is obscured by his lapel, but it looks like one to me. Am I hallucinating?
-
Just viewed this today... well worth 16 minutes. That definitely is NOT a Star of David, though what it is I do not know. Repeated viewings allow me to pay attention to Larry's reactions better, and he is always a classic.
-
Well, I was just watching some of the shorts off of Volume 4 again & gave this one another whirl. My opinions of it have not changed much--it's good, but to call it the GOAT or one of the all-time greats; I don't know, it's never struck that chord with me. And yes, I know I'm in a very tiny minority feeling that way.
Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of funny shit here, but even when watching some of those scenes--like Moe getting dragged through the wall--I kept flashing to Listen, Judge and thinking how it was pulled off better there. Not only that one, but the "Can we fix it" routine or the painting coming down on a stooge's head.
And I do wince more than a little bit whenever the climbing spike action occurs...
I know I'm being a party pooper, but Conga, while entertaining, is hardly the pinnacle of shorts for me--sorry folks, just my lousy $0.02...
8 out of 10....
-
Well, I was just watching some of the shorts off of Volume 4 again & gave this one another whirl. My opinions of it have not changed much--it's good, but to call it the GOAT or one of the all-time greats; I don't know, it's never struck that chord with me. And yes, I know I'm in a very tiny minority feeling that way.
Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of funny shit here, but even when watching some of those scenes--like Moe getting dragged through the wall--I kept flashing to Listen, Judge and thinking how it was pulled off better there. Not only that one, but the "Can we fix it" routine or the painting coming down on a stooge's head.
And I do wince more than a little bit whenever the climbing spike action occurs...
I know I'm being a party pooper, but Conga, while entertaining, is hardly the pinnacle of shorts for me--sorry folks, just my lousy $0.02...
8 out of 10....
Geez, this is your first review of this film. LOL. Better late than never. Gotta admit one thing about Conga Listen Judge doesn't have....Dudley.
-
Can't add anything to the conversations above, but I will say this short does have one of the most bizarre non-sequitur titles ever. I know now it's supposed to be a play on "She Stoops to Conquer", but how many viewers would have actually figured that out?
-
One of my all time favorite Stooge shorts, Moe getting abused with the climbing spike is one of my all time favorite Stooge moments along with Moe bashing Curly in the head with a radio, Curly repeatedly smacking Moe in the head with a hammer, Moe & Curly throwing the radio at each other, I also loved Moe telling Marsha to beat it and the way he acts towards the snobs, admittedly when I've first seen Larry wearing the Japanese Officer's outfit I actually thought it was someone else!
I always love the more violent episodes of the Three Stooges and especially seeing Moe getting the brunt of the violence! Also is it just me or does this feel more like a Jules White directed film than a Del Lord directed film?
I give this episode a 10/10 and it's definitely in my Top 10 all time favorite Stooge shorts!
-
http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/67
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036429/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
It is required you watch the link below before reading the rest of this.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-9Uf1SYr7E4
Oh my. Where to begin? I am only capable of conveying words, mere words, and I'm afraid words can't do this justice. I'll try my best anyway.
My name is Metaldams, which means I like metal music. If THEY STOOGE TO CONGA is a metal album, it would be Slayer's REIGN IN BLOOD. To you non metal folks out there, which is most of you, REIGN IN BLOOD to me is a masterpiece and about as extreme as metal should get in terms of pure speed, heaviness, and subject matter. Anything more extreme and you're going overboard. Believe me, metal bands have been more extreme for thirty years, with ridiculous results. Well, it's the same with THEY STOOGE TO CONGA. It's as extreme as the slapstick of our heroes ever got, and the results are glorious. Yes, episodes of JACKASS involve sticking toy cars up rectums and various stunts that involve breaking bones, more extreme stuff than CONGA, but needlessly so. To my tastes, Moe Howard getting a spike through the head, eye, and ear is really the final say in extreme slapstick. Of course it's only funny because mere seconds later, it's as if nothing happened, and he had the wherewithal to shoot a flamethrower up Curly's ass.
Man, my sides literally hurt from laughter watching this one. Dudley Dickerson rules when the phone explodes in his ear. Sony needs to release every short he ever made the same way they did with Charley Chase and Buster Keaton. The man rules and was a comic genius whose scare reactions are a thing of beauty. You're the man, Dudley.
This is also the first post Pearl Harbor short that really delves into WWII outside of small references. What does propaganda do? Why, it dehumanizes the enemy, and the Japanese guy speaks perfect Engrish and the German's goose step is as comical as they come. I wish propaganda could always be this entertaining. A great Vernon Dent performance in this one.
Oh, what other great parts are there? Well....all of it. I love the beginning when the sexy mind reader triple slaps the Stooges and slams the door on them. It's funny because it's implied they were thinking something really dirty, and we as the viewer get to determine what. I have my theories, but I won't say, I need to keep things fucking clean for any children who may be reading this.
The Nazi maid lady is the only Stooge appearance of Minerva Urecal, a character actress who had quite a nice career. Check out her imdb page. 1943 would have to be her peak, though. When in the same year you appear in this gem and play the wife of Bela Lugosi as an ape, the level of awesomeness is beyond comprehension in my world.
Oh yeah, love the bit where they are playing tug of war dragging each other through the wall. When Moe loses and is trying to drag Curly back in, the combination of Moe's expression and Curly's scream make it seem like Satan dragging an unfortunate victim through the gates of Hell. It's quite hysterical.
Yeah, this short rules on all levels, definitely one of the all-time greats.
10/10
Great, great, great review.
Anyone with a modicum of sense will put this at a 9/10 or higher. How can anyone not like the short that is cited as there most violent? Indeed watching this is the visual equivalent of listening to "Angel of Death". Metaldams: we salute you.
-
Great, great, great review.
Anyone with a modicum of sense will put this at a 9/10 or higher. How can anyone not like the shirt that is cited as there most violent? Indeed watching this is the visual equivalent of listening to “Angel of Death”. Metaldams: we salute you.
Good to see you again, Vomit!
-
Good to see you again, Vomit!
Glad to be back. I’ll try & stop in more. Winter is coming on & I need to keep busy. Idle hands are the devils playthings I hear.
-
If you want Stooge ultra-violence, look no further than the hilarious "They Stooge to Conga." Everyone is at the top of their game in the team's best wartime comedy, which makes the *½ rating in The Three Stooges Scrapbook (1982) rather puzzling. The authors seemed to base their negative assessment entirely on the spike gag (which was cut from the TV print I watched on San Francisco station KBHK in the early 1970s). U-boat commander Frederick Giermann would later appear as Sig Ruman's Nazi assistant in the Marx Brothers' "A Night in Casablanca." Definitely among my Top 10 Curly Classics.
10/10
-
The Nazi maid lady is the only Stooge appearance of Minerva Urecal.
I always thought it was Minerva Urecal as the Nazi housekeeper. However, according to Threestooges.net, it's actually Fern Emmett in her only Stooge appearance.
https://threestooges.net/cast/actor/2390
-
I always thought it was Minerva Urecal as the Nazi housekeeper. However, according to Threestooges.net, it's actually Fern Emmett in her only Stooge appearance.
https://threestooges.net/cast/actor/2390
Thank you, and good eye. I stand corrected.
-
Thank you, and good eye. I stand corrected.
Back when we had the original discussion about this short, it did say that that was Minerva Urecal; it's been corrected since, apparently.
-
Motion Picture Herald: "What the Picture Did for Me" (1943)
https://ia800908.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?id=motionpictureher153unse&itemPath=%2F7%2Fitems%2Fmotionpictureher153unse&server=ia800908.us.archive.org&page=leaf0357
https://ia800906.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?id=motionpictureher151unse&itemPath=%2F3%2Fitems%2Fmotionpictureher151unse&server=ia800906.us.archive.org&page=leaf0681
-
These old reviews are great, Dr. M, and combined with the addresses of the theatres give a great idea of stooge demographics. Excellent research. Thanks a lot.