SUMMARY: Running Time: 17:00 Min. (Black & White)
Directed by Del Lord, this Three Stooges sitcom stars Moe, Larry, & Curly as self-involved vagabonds expecting to hit Hollywood as instant movie star sensations, utterly oblivious to their lack of talent. After arriving in town as freight train stowaways, the Stooges sneak into a posh studio lot. The besieged boss mistakenly assumes the Stooges are the new company executives sent to replace him.
Taking advantage of their unexpected luck, the Stooges impose their obnoxious will on a romantic melodrama being filmed. Once the Stooges’ ruse is discovered, a wild studio lot chase ensues.
Moe: Moe Howard
Larry: Larry Fine
Curly: Curly Howard
Cecil Z. Swinehardt: Harry Semels
Fuller Rath: Bud Jamison
Actress: Mildred Harris
Actor: Kenneth Harlan
Script Girl: Hilda Title
Studio Guard: Heinie Conklin
REVIEW:
Let’s consider it a bad case of irony. A can’t-miss prospect re: spoofing pretentious Hollywood film-making promptly misfires in Movie Maniacs. It’s an early instance where the Stooges are sabotaged by a mediocre script – case in point: their boxcar sequence is a total bore. Far too many of this episode’s half-hearted gags elicit, at most, a faint chuckle. Curly scores a great punchline or two, but that’s the limit. Even a potentially wild finish (i.e. how might the Stooges get their comeuppance) is abruptly cut short, not leaving an inspired gag enough time to work.
The Stooges repeatedly struck comedic gold in 1936 (i.e. Disorder in the Court and Ants in the Pantry) at Columbia Pictures. Unfortunately, Movie Maniacs goes down as a weak swing-and-a miss.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3½ Stars
