The Three Stooges Meet Hercules

Amazon.com

Very much in the tradition of such Columbia Three Stooges period shorts as "Back to the Woods," the 1962 costume epic The Three Stooges Meet Hercules is 100% pure Moe-Larry-Curly Joe comedy, with the barest of a ho- hum love interest to detract from the nonsense at hand. Working at the pharmacy of an ill-tempered boss (George N. Neise) and friends of a budding time-machine inventor named Schuyler (Quinn Redeker), the Stooges and Schuyler, along with the obligatory attractive female, Diana (Vicki Trickett), are transported back to the time of Hercules. Here the legendary hero (Samson Burke) is the enforcer for King Odius (Neise in a double role), and anachronisms are rampant in an English-speaking ancient Greece.

Twice condemned as galley slaves, the Stooges see that Schuyler now has the muscles but not the self-confidence to rescue Diana and the rest of Greece from the odious Odius. Schuyler is tricked into thinking himself all-powerful and performs many Herculean labors (with many a stuffed animal and some decent backscreen projection).

Although Curly Joe seems a few notches above his namesake in the brains department (which is not saying all that much), his reactions at times of real and supposed danger are quite ordinary compared with the old Curly. In fact, it is Moe who takes on the Curly bark at a recalcitrant prop. But the old sound effects are there to punctuate blows to belly and head, although eye pokes are out, due to parental objections to the influence of the trio, newly popular on television. --Frank Behrens

Description

The Three Stooges hop in a time machine and are transported to the era of the Roman Legion in Greece. Dressed in sandals and togas, they are trapped on a galley ship, battle cyclops, and wind up in a madcap chariot chase. Former professional football players and real-life twins, Mike and Marlin McKeever, are along for the ride, playing a Siamese-twin cyclops.

Customer Reviews:

Not the same with out the orrigional Curlie.......2007-04-05

I realize this is only my thoughts but I believe this picture comes in 2nd or 3rd for their work. Snow White Meets the 3 Stooges was the best of the ones I have seen. There wasn't so much of there tv days stupidity that some people may be crazy enough to call slapstick. However,The makers of the films I have seen, should have had the intelegence to make them while the orrigional Curlie was still with us.

The Stooges are Strong in this one!.......2007-03-19

I will have to agree with some of the reviewers about The Three Stooges Meet Hercules. It was one of their funniest from the 1960s! 90 minutes of classic slapstick as they turn the pages of ancient Greek history. I highly recommend this. Whenever there is nothing that great on TV I will turn on the THREE STOOGES!

THE ABSOLUTE BEST, NO QUESTION.......2007-02-09

Of the few feature films The Three Stooges made, this is without a shadow of a doubt their very best. Along with the Stooges usual slapstick their is also a well written adventure. The DeRita period may not be at the same level as the classic Curly and Shemp periods, but it is certainly much better than the much despised and hated with a passion Joe Besser period. Now quit reading this review and buy this DVD numbskull!!!

Probably their best feature.......2006-10-10

Not that it's saying much, considering the type of material they were given to work with in the DeRita era, but this is probably the best starring feature they did. Most of the DeRita features have very weak scripts and really embarrassing cringe-worthy childish storylines, something that generally only children and nostalgic aging Boomers actually like, but there are a handful of them that have pretty good scripts and supporting casts, such as this one. It was also directed by the wonderful Ed Bernds, which might account for the surprisingly positive change in direction, going from bad kiddy fare to a movie that, while not nearly at the same level as classics like 'Hoi Polloi' or 'Brideless Groom,' can still be watched multiple times and be enjoyed by non-Boomers and people over the age of ten. Under Bernds's direction, they look and act decades younger! Sure there are some moments (like the scene with the hokey-looking Cyclops) that do seem geared to the kiddy matinee audience, but overall it's something that flows along seamlessly, a great plot that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It doesn't even have the same dated quality as 'The Outlaws Is Coming!,' their other best DeRita feature, making it even stronger. Even DeRita isn't as teeth-gratingly annoying as he usually is; he's tolerable so long as he stays in the background and is taken in small doses. This picture also has their longtime supporting player Emil Sitka, which is always a good thing; another supporting player I really enjoyed was Samson Burke as Hercules. He was so hilariously hammy! And though there isn't that much slapstick in here (due to all of the parents who thought their kids would imitate their violent antics), it does feature in more than usual, complete with sound effects. Probably the only thing I can find to really find fault with here is how Moe does a number of Curlyisms. It's as embarrassing and cringe-worthy as it always is when he tries to imitate his (by that time deceased) baby brother's trademark noises and mannerisms.

The only extra besides basics like scene selection is a self-congratulatory preview for the colorised DVDs that Columbia had released around this time. Why wasn't an actual trailer for this movie included in lieu of that? Although this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, given how no-frills their other Stooge DVDs are, barely any hint that they're DVDs and not video cassettes. Overall, it's one of the few DeRita features I would recommend instead of urging people to steer well clear of.

Simply put........the best of their feature films!.......2005-06-29

The best!
Watch it and see for yourself!
It's like almost watching the stooges from their glory days!!

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