Category: TV Series

SUMMARY:        Running Time: 16:00 Min. (Black & White)

Directed by Jules White, this black-and-white Three Stooges sitcom is among the four of its 190 two-reel Columbia Pictures comedies in the public domain.  The others are: 1936’s Disorder in the Court; and 1947’s Brideless Groom and Sing a Song of Six Pants.  All four titles are also available elsewhere in a colorized format.    

As low-rent restauranteurs somewhere in the Middle East, Moe, Larry, & Shemp bumble-and-stumble into a hush-hush conspiracy between their two ruffian customers.  At stake is the fabled 100-carat ‘Rootin-Tootin’ Diamond.  Disposing of these ruthless hoods, the Stooges use a stolen map to plot their own heist to rob the vile ‘Emir of Schmow’ of the diamond. 

Assuming that they can infiltrate the gangster’s palace and elude the Schmow’s fearsome bodyguard, nabbing the gem for a big reward should be a cinch.  Or will it?      

Moe: Moe Howard

Larry: Larry Fine

Shemp: Shemp Howard

Schmow’s Bodyguard: Everett Brown

Emir of Schmow: Johnny Kascier

Palace Guard: Joe Palma

Hassan Ben Sober: Vernon Dent Haffadolla: Frank Lackteen

Ginnaromma: George J. Lewis  

Note: Meant as a cameo, a near-unrecognizable Curly Howard’s footage as the Stooges’ chef was deemed unusable by Columbia Pictures.  Re-working the kitchen sequence, Larry replaces Curly as the chef.  The only known evidence left of a mustachioed (and much thinner) Curly’s almost-presence in this episode is a production still. 

REVIEW:

In all fairness, Malice in the Palace rates as one of the Stooges’ best Shemp-era (1946-1955) shorts.  Its most inspired element is a crass extended gag where Moe & Shemp are forced at knife-point to taste-test their suspicious customers’ meals.  Larry’s distractions in the kitchen are perfectly synchronized to his buddies’ growing discomfort. 

This extended gag sequence is followed by more well-played chuckles, including an ingenious idea where the Stooges’ map offers a potpourri of campy wordplay re: various fictitious countries and geographical locales.  The joke, however, is near-sabotaged by the camera freeze-framing far too long on the map (so viewers can catch all the puns).  

Despite this glitch, Malice in the Palace (including an impromptu game of leap-frog with the Schmow’s bodyguard) literally hits its targets often enough to make this jewel heist worth catching. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars

SUMMARY:         Running Time: 16:00 Min. (Black & White)

Directed by Jules White, this Three Stooges sitcom spoofs Gary Cooper’s iconic 1952 Western film, High Noon.  Immediately after marrying their far-younger brides, cowardly saddle-sores Larry, Moe, & Shemp are jilted for not defending their wives against the scurrilous Noonan Boys. 

With the sheriff unavailable to intervene, the skedaddling Stooges can’t skip town fast enough before their nasty rivals (dressed in classic villain black) can perforate them as lead pin-cushions.  It’s up to Moe, Larry, & Shemp to muster the courage for a wild shoot-out to win their sweethearts back.   

Moe: Moe Howard

Larry: Larry Fine

Shemp: Shemp Howard

Ella: Vivian Mason

Stella: Ruth Godfrey White

Bella: Diana Darrin

Lem the Guitar-Playing Cowpoke: Emmett Lynn

Noonan # 1 (Bill): Kenneth McDonald

Mandy: Babe London

Noonan # 2 (Dick): Mort Mills

Sheriff / Justice of the Peace: Emil Sitka

Noonan # 3 (Jack): Joe Palma

REVIEW:

As Emmett Lynn’s off-key guitar player nearly steals the show, the cartoony “Shot in the Frontier” rates among the better capers from the Shemp era (1946-1955).  Instead of the Stooges bashing one other, this episode emphasizes their fun teamwork against desperate odds.  Including some nifty tombstone wordplay, a string of violent gags parodying Western shoot-em-up’s delivers the goods. 

Further, utilizing an outdoor Western frontier town set adds worthwhile scenery.  Curiously, what ought to be a predictable finish (an irritated Moe settling a score vs. the guitar player) shifts to a low-key Shemp moment.  To this episode’s credit, a sentimental touch proves a nice alternative to another crass gag.  

Earlier, an energetic music cue accompanying the Stooges’ attempted getaway is an unforced gaffe.  Its sound implies a track lifted wholesale from some silent-era slapstick chase scene.  The music’s sped-up beat is entertaining, but its pacing doesn’t mesh with the far slower Stooges. 

More problematic is the eyesore of the fifty-something Stooges implausibly hooking up with actresses a good thirty years younger.  Suffice to say, it’s cringe-worthy viewing.  The fact that both the runaway brides and the ever-dangerous Noonans are pure caricatures also adds next to nothing.    

Despite these weaknesses, the Stooges’ ode to High Noon is more satisfying than expected.  Even for casual fans, “Shot in the Frontier” proves the trio’s derided mid-fifties misadventures still had a few sparks left.      

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars