I don’t care if you don’t like the Three Stooges. I have been a fan of the Three Stooges since for over 40 years of my life. The first time I actually saw Stooges episodes, they aired on WTEN at about 7 in the morning as part of a Popeye and the Three Stooges television block, just before Commander Ralph Vartigan aired the Good Ship News.
I’ve seen the Three Stooges on various cable television channels, and over time I’ve even purchased some of the VHS tapes of the Stooges. Granted, all six of the Three Stooges have since passed away – yes, there were SIX official Stooges, Moe Howard and Larry Fine were joined at one time or another by Curly Howard, Shemp Howard, Joe Besser and Curly-Joe DeRita.
In fact, here’s a Three Stooges episode for you – “Three Little Pigskins,” co-starring a blonde-tressed Lucille Ball. Yes, THAT Lucille Ball.
There have been several attempts to resurrect the Three Stooges’ brand of slapstick humor and knockabout comedy. But honestly, without “the boys” in it, any attempt to recreate that Stooge vibe falls about as flat as month-old Panther Beer. There was the animated Three Robonic Stooges in the late 1970’s, and a film called Stoogemania (also known as Party Stooge) starring Josh Mostel (son of Fiddler on the Roof‘s Zero Mostel) as a person completely infatuated with Three Stooges films. If you’ve never seen either of these efforts, consider yourself blessed.
Oh, what the hell…
Then this teaser trailer came along – for, if you can believe it, a brand new Three Stooges film for 2012. No, it’s not the original actors in “never before seen” footage; it’s new actors playing the characters that were made so memorable by the original Stooges.
Oh… kay.
Now I have to be completely objective here. I’ve heard that the Farrelly Brothers have wanted to make a Three Stooges film – not a biography of the Stooges, not a documentary about the Stooges, but a film in which the Stooge characters appeared once again – for over 15 years. I’ve heard that everyone from Jim Carrey to Sean Penn to Benicio Del Toro wanted a part in this film. I’ve also heard that this film has been in “development hell” for the past fifteen years – or, in other words, five years longer than the classic Stooges line, “Get the tools.” “What tools?” “The tools we’ve been using for the last ten years.” “Oh, those tools.”
The Stooges’ slapstick humor have been parodied before; watch a Lethal Weapon film and you can see Stooge references all over the place. But I can’t help but think that if someone were to create a film like this, what’s next? Would someone want to recreate the characters Bud Abbott and Lou Costello played in a new film? Should we be prepared for a re-interpretation of Laurel and Hardy, or the Ritz Brothers, or the Marx Brothers?
Oh wait… someone DID do that with the Marx Brothers. It was a film called Brain Donors. And the fact that I’m not posting a YouTube clip of scenes from this film is a message to warn you that Brain Donors is a very, very, very bad film and I don’t want you should be scratching your eyes out after seeing it.
But if you’ve ever been a fan of the Three Stooges… what is your opinion about this new upcoming movie? Are you interested? Are you nyuk nyuk nyuk excited? Are you feeling like you got poked in the eyes? Or are you just feeling meh?
Chuck The Writer 
I’m probably just as big a Stooges fan as you, Chuck. I actually own the recently released, restored and remastered library of Three Stooges short films on DVD (which is must own), and have watched every film multiple times. (I’ve even gone through and broken down my personal ratings statistically per stooge — and blogged it).
The trailer for the new film seems like it’s completely in the spirit of the stooges, and I think I am going to enjoy it very much.
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Love the Three Stooges. I grew up watching re-runs with my Dad on Saturday/Sunday mornings.
Every once in a while on a rare lazy Saturday or Sunday morning I will watch a little with my 9 yr old son, who laughs along with me at their hijinks. My wife will just look at us and shake her head. She doesn’t get it. I tell her it’s a guy thing.
Anyway, I would consider seeing the movie. Sounds like a good idea for a father/son day.
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I would expect to hate it…but that trailer does looks pretty good. I don’t know if they can maintain it for a full-length film…the original Stooges couldn’t.
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Regarding the Stooges’ full-length feature films… there were at least a couple that were as funny as the 20-minute shorts – “Have Rocket, Will Travel” was pretty good. Yeah, “The Outlaws IS Coming” was kinda stale, and “Snow White and the Three Stooges” is proof that the boys actually did make a film where NOBODY laughed.
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I won’t sit here and have you bad mouth Brain Donors…..hey it’s better than Brain Candy at least.
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No thank you, didn’t like them as a kid and have no reason to think I’ll like them as an adult. Enjoy!
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I may not have been a super fan since i’m not still under 30, but I have enjoyed going to the Palace and seeing the stooges shorts on the big screen. I do love me some Marx brothers and good slapstick always makes me laugh. After watching the tralier I def had some LOL momments for me so def going to be seeing this. I have to say Love Letter.
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Every woman who ever forced a man to see “Under the Tuscan Sun,” or crap like that, should be forced to watch this movie.
Definitely going to catch it, though I seldom head to the theater anymore unless its a big sci-fi or Superhero flick. Pay per view if not theater.
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Watched the trailer and really hate to admit it, but I WOULD probably go to the movie. Based on the first paragraph of this post, I’m only a little older than Chuck Miller. I watched the stooges the way he watched them, only I think “Captain Kangaroo and Mr. Green Jeans” came on after the stooges.
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I will bet youse guys a case of BRIGHTO that it
will soy-tenly be worth a look. Will it be the
boys as we know and love em…of course not
knuckleheads, but what the heck. I once met
Moe’s son, Paul Howard , at a fund raising event
in Chatham, where Moe, Larry and Shemp spent
their boyhoods. Great guy with great stories about
Uncle Curly and Uncle Shemp coming over to the house
for family barbeques. Imagine Curly and Shemp as your
Uncles?
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Correction..I meant Chatham was where Moe, CURLY and
Shemp spent their boyhoods, Not Larry. Who’s the
knucklehead now?
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“Every woman who ever forced a man to see “Under the Tuscan Sun,” or crap like that, should be forced to watch this movie.”
I absolutely LOVE this comment!
I saw the trailer and was surprised at how good it was.
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If Jersey Shore is involved, this is just gimmick. It would be catering to an audience that does not even know “The Three Stooges”.
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The trailer had me laughing from the very first scene with the baby Stooges in the duffel bag. I have been a Stooge fan for years, was able to talk with Moe’s daughter Joan, Larry Fine’s brother and the great Stooge character actor Emil Sitka. I always thought it would be cool to see a 3 Stooges movie in modern times, now I get my chance. The casting is great, Will Sasso is a perfect Curly, and Sean has Larry’s mannerisms down perfect, I do not know anything about the actor that plays moe, but he does resemble him quite a bit. Great supporting cast especially Larry David as a nun, can not wait till spring!!!
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This will bomb.
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They were on in reruns back when I was a boy — and occasionally are still on in reruns.. They first appeared on film circa 1930 — their career can be divided into 3 parts — the first lasted for 16 years until Curly suffered a tragic stroke — Shemp rejoined the Stooges which began the second phase which lasted 12 years until Shemp’s sudden, unexpected death. The final and third phase was the nostalgic “comeback” (1958 to 1969) which was ill-fated and short – lived – and quite honestly did NOT live up die-hard fans expectations..
I predict this will NOT live up to expectations either……..
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I myself am a huge fan of the Three Stooges and always enjoyed watching them. I think all of us who were born before 1990 are tired and fed up with the new crappy movies and tv shows. A ton of stupid, scripted reality shows, but nothing half as funny as the stooges to watch. The trailer to me seems like the movie will be quite funny and enjoyable as it depicts everything the stooges are known and loved for. I can’t wait!
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