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Filmography

The Official Three Stooges Filmography

The Three Stooges Meet Hercules

Production Information
Title: The Three Stooges Meet Hercules
Studio: Columbia
Release Date: January 26, 1962
Running Time: 1′ 29″

“He has got it hooked up all wrong – any idiot can see that.” “Well, you oughta know.”

Short Take

The Stooges work at Dimsal’s Drug Store in Ithaca, New York. They befriend Schuyler Davis (Quinn Redeker), the owner of the shop next door, who is attempting to build a time machine. With The Boys’ “help”, the machine transports The Three Stooges, Schuyler, and his girlfriend, Diane Quigley (Vicki Trickett) back in time to ancient Greece during the reign of the lecherous King Odius (George N. Neise). Almost immediately, the King falls for Diane. Meanwhile, Schuyler and The Boys free Ulysses, the rightful king, who was imprisoned by Odius. This leads to Odius banishing them to the galleys. However, the constant rowing causes Schuyler to become extremely muscular and superhumanly strong.

After an escape and shipwreck, they kill a monster with the help of Joe’s sleeping pills and start billing Schuyler as Hercules at a local gladiatorial arena. The real Hercules (Samson Burke) gets wind of their game and confronts them, but after single combat, The Stooges convince Hercules to help them rescue Diane in a chariot chase. The time travelers remove Odius and, navigating by observing the progress of military technology, manage to set history straight by dumping him off into the Wild West where a tribe of Native American warriors chases him off into the distance. After that, the travelers return to Dimsal’s Drug Store. Dimsal touches the time machine and disappears, but eventually returns with a pillory. The Stooges are able to remove the pillory with an electric tool.

The Three Stooges Meet Hercules Cast & Crew

Directed by	Edward Bernds
Produced by	Norman Maurer
Written by	Norman Maurer Elwood Ullman
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe DeRita Vicki Trickett Quinn Redeker George N. Neise Samson Burke Emil Sitka Hal Smith Marlin McKeever Mike McKeever
Music by	Paul Dunlap
Cinematography	Scotty Welbourne
Edited by	Edwin H. Bryant

The Three Stooges Meet Hercules Trivia

The working title was Hercules and The Three Stooges
Marlin McKeever played as a linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams at the time of filming
Samson Burke’s career includes several years in Hawaii as Tom Selleck’s stand-in and stunt double on Magnum P.I.

Production Notes

Filming occurred between June 6-22, 1961
The film utilized stock footage from Half-Shot Shooters and You Can’t Take It With You
Larry was reportedly knocked unconscious while filming the chariot scene

Feature Films Filmography

Snow White and The Three Stooges

Production Information
Title: Snow White and The Three Stooges
Studio: Twentieth-Century Fox
Release Date: June 21, 1961
Running Time: 1′ 47″

“I love you just as you are, all three of you.” “Gee, only our mother ever said that without laughing in our faces.”

Short Take

This film is an adaptation of the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, with The Three Stooges filling in for the dwarves. Upon the King’s death, the Queen (Patricia Medina) takes control of the Kingdom with the help of her wizard aide Count Oga and imprisons her stepdaughter Snow White.

Several years earlier, the Queen arranged for Hordred the Archer (Buddy Baer) to kill the bordering kingdom’s Prince Charming in order to void his promised betrothal to Snow White. However, the Prince was rescued by three traveling medicine men (Moe, Larry & Curly Joe), and Hordred kept his failure a secret from the Queen. Unable to remember anything, The Stooges adopted the Prince and he spent several years traveling with them as Quatro the Magnificent.

Back to present-day, the Queen feels threatened by Snow White’s beauty and orders Hordred to kill her as well, but the archer frees her and tells Snow White to flee the kingdom. She meets The Stooges, and Snow White and Quatro fall in love. During a performance at the castle, the Queen discovers that Charming and Snow White are still alive, and orders the deaths of them and The Stooges. The Boys escape with the Princess and take refuge in a high mountain cabin. But with the help of Oga and his magic, the Queen discovers their hideaway, and plots to kill Snow White herself. Meanwhile, Prince Charming has regained his memory and organizes the kingdom’s citizens into a coup against the Queen and Oga.

Snow White and The Three Stooges Cast & Crew

Directed by	Walter Lang
Produced by	Harry A. Romm Charles Z. Wick
Written by	Noel Langley Elwood Ullman Charles Wick Frank Tashlin (uncredited)
Based on	Snow White by The Brothers Grimm
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe DeRita Carol Heiss Edson Stroll Patricia Medina
Music by	Earl K. Brent Harry Harris Lyn Murray
Cinematography	Leon Shamroy
Edited by	Jack W. Holmes

Snow White and The Three Stooges Trivia

Frank Tashlin was originally set to direct the film at a budget of $750,000 ($6,141,982 today). Fox then replaced him with Walter Lang, who had previously directed The Stooges in 1933’s Meet the Baron. Lang transformed the film into a lavish epic with a budget of $3.5 million ($28,662,584 today)
Patricia Medina recalled that Carol Heiss repeatedly tried to get her fired from the film
Despite the significant investment, Snow White and the Three Stooges did poorly at the box office

Production Notes

This was the only 1960s Stooge feature film in color
The studio was unable to recover the film’s costs because the comedy-fantasy was tailored specifically to children who paid only fifty cents each for admission. It would have taken an audience of over 15 million minors for Snow White and the Three Stooges to break even
The film was nominated for the Writers Guild of America award for Best Musical Screenplay for 1961

Feature Films Filmography

Have Rocket – Will Travel

Production Information
Title: Have Rocket – Will Travel
Studio: Columbia
Release Date: August 1, 1959
Running Time: 1′ 16″

“Say, they made Moe really ugly, didn’t they?””Oh I don’t know, I think he’s uglier in person.”

Short Take

The space agency’s latest attempt to launch a rocket into space has failed, and Mr. Morse (Jerome Cowan) lays blame with Dr. Ingred Naarveg’s fuel formula. Janitors Moe, Larry and Curly Joe want to help her and break into the laboratory at night to concoct their own special brand of fuel.

Wrecking the lab in the process of pumping the fuel into the rocket, The Stooges find themselves on the run from Morse when he stumbles across their latest disaster. Hiding in the rocket, they accidentally launch themselves into space on a collision course with the planet Venus, where they find a giant flame-breathing tarantula, and a talking unicorn whom they befriend. But also waiting for them is a computer brain that controls the planet, which plans to create robot replicas of The Stooges and conquer the Earth.

The final reel finds The Boys back on Earth to a heroes’ welcome, recreating the party scene from Hoi Polloi (1935).

Have Rocket – Will Travel Cast & Crew

Directed by	David Lowell Rich
Produced by	Harry A. Romm
Written by	Raphael Hayes
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe DeRita Anna-Lisa
Narrated by	Don Lamond
Music by	Mischa Bakaleinikoff
Cinematography	Ray Cory
Edited by	Danny B. Landres

Have Rocket – Will Travel Trivia

This was Joe DeRita‘s inaugural screen appearance with The Stooges, having replaced Joe Besser after Columbia ceased production of The Stooges’ shorts
The title is a parody of the then-popular television show Have Gun, Will Travel
The narrator, Don Lamond, was married to Larry’s daughter

Production Notes

Filming lasted for 13 days between May 18-June 1, 1959
The Stooges had already filmed three shorts for Columbia revolving around the space travel theme (Space Ship Sappy, Outer Space Jitters, Flying Saucer Daffy) and would follow up with another space-themed feature (The Three Stooges in Orbit)

Filmography June Shorts

Sappy Bull Fighters

Production Information
Title: Sappy Bull Fighters
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 190
Release Date: June 4, 1959
Running Time: 18:25

“Hey you guys even smell like a bull!”

Short Take

The Stooges are vaudeville entertainers who trek to Mexico to perform their gag bullfight shtick, with Joe as the brave matador, and Moe and Larry dressed in a bull costume. Unfortunately, their gig is canceled once they arrive. According to the trio, the manager fired them after they refused to do 10 additional shows for free. With no money to return home, The Stooges are stranded. Feeling bad for them, attractive señorita Greta (Greta Thyssen) gets The Boys a gig at the local bullring. However, when she leaves Greta mistakenly takes the trio’s suitcase instead of hers. They go to retrieve it, however, while there Joe becomes attracted to Greta and begins to kiss her. Initially, unbeknownst to him, her evil man-hating husband José (George J. Lewis)sees this and becomes jealous, he orders them out and threatens Joe if he ever sees Joe again. The Stooges leave but realize they again have the wrong suitcase forcing them to return and hide from a sleeping José. José awakens and chases The Three Stooges but they escape with their correct suitcase.

The next day, The Stooges perform their act in front of a live crowd and the act goes without a hitch, however, once José recognizes the trio, in an act of revenge he pays the bullring attendant (Joe Palma) to release a live bull into the ring. Moe and Larry flee the ring, but Joe is unaware of the switch. He eventually head-butts the wild animal, and is paraded out of the ring to the rousing cheers of “Olé, Americano!”

Sappy Bull Fighters Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Saul Ward Jack White
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe Besser Greta Thyssen George J. Lewis Joe Palma
Cinematography	Irving Lippman
Edited by	Harold White

Sappy Bull Fighters Trivia

Sappy Bull Fighters was the last of 190 Stooge shorts released by Columbia
This was also Joe Besser’s last appearance with The Boys
During Joe’s bull ride you can still hear a brief “woob, woob, woob” from Curly
On the introductory poster shot, it reads “Julio Blanco” (Spanish for Jules White)

Production Notes

Filming was conducted between June 30 and July 1 of 1957, two years before the short was released

February Shorts Filmography

Triple Crossed

Title: Triple Crossed
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 1189
Release Date: February 2, 1959
Running Time: 15:48

“Now no fibs Joey. How many shots?” “None.” “None?” “Hit it with my car.”
(Angela Stevens & Joe)

Short Take

Larry is a womanizer who is having an affair with Moe’s wife Belle (Mary Ainslee). At the same time, he is also making eyes at Joe’s fiancee, Millie (Angela Stevens). However, Moe tracks down the conniving Larry at his pet shop and gives him the works before Larry calms him down. Realizing he needs to cover his tracks, Larry looks for a “fall guy” in the form of Joe. Larry then gets Joe a job as an underwear salesman and the first place he goes is Moe’s home.

While Joe is modeling his ware, Larry lies to Moe about Joe’s advances on Millie. Both of them go storming over to Moe’s, while Joe flees up the chimney. After making a quiet getaway, Joe bumps into Larry and turns him in.

Joe explains to Moe how Larry had set him up. Millie reveals how Larry had tricked her into coming there. Moe tells her Larry had tricked him, too. Millie and Joe make up while an angry Moe punishes Larry.

Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Warren Wilson
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe Besser Angela Stevens Mary Ainslee Diana Darrin Connie Cezon
Cinematography	Fred Jackman Jr.
Edited by	Saul A. Goodkind

Triple Crossed Trivia

The Stooges play separate characters in this short and Larry has the main role.
Over the course of their 24 years at Columbia Pictures, The Stooges would occasionally be cast as separate characters. This course of action always worked against the team; author Jon Solomon concluded: “when the writing divides them, they lose their comic dynamic.”In addition to this split occurring in Triple Crossed (as well as He Cooked His Goose, the film it originated from), the trio also played separate characters in Rockin’ in the Rockies, Cuckoo on a Choo Choo, Gypped in the Penthouse, Flying Saucer Daffy and Sweet and Hot.
This short is a remake of He Cooked His Goose, with Joe taking over Shemp’s place, but there are a few instances where they forgot to edit Shemp out: First, when Larry is walking to meet Moe’s wife, Joe is hiding in the closet wearing a Santa Claus outfit, but if you look closely at who quickly peeks around the closet door and whistles, you can tell that it’s Shemp. Also, when Moe fires the gun up the chimney at Joe, they leave in Shemp’s yell from the original scene. And finally, in the reused shot of Moe trying to pull the vase off of his head, you can see Shemp’s face in the background peeking from under the bearskin rug.
In addition, you can also see Shemp when he opens the janitor closet door and slams Moe.

Production Notes

Triple Crossed is a remake of 1952’s He Cooked His Goose, using ample stock footage. New footage was filmed on December 18, 1957, the day before shooting commenced for Flying Saucer Daffy, the last Stooge short to be filmed.

Filmography October Shorts

Flying Saucer Daffy

Production Information
Title: Flying Saucer Daffy
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 187
Release Date: October 9, 1958
Running Time: 16:07

“With all that space up there, there might be a space ship!”

Short Take

Joe’s accidentally takes a snapshot of a paper plate blown by a breeze, and people believe it to be a UFO. However, Moe and Larry take the credit for the photo, and receive a huge sum while Joe becomes their servant.

Angered, Joe leaves the boys for a camping trip, only to meet two genuine and beautiful aliens from Planet Zircon who allow Joe to photograph them. Moe and Larry end up arrested when their UFO picture is revealed to be a fraud. They are put in straitjackets and incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital while Joe becomes a national hero.

Flying Saucer Daffy Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Jack White Warren Wilson
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe Besser Gail Bonney Emil Sitka Harriette Tarler Diana Darrin Bek Nelson Joe Palma
Cinematography	Fred Jackman Jr.
Edited by	Saul A. Goodkind

Flying Saucer Daffy Trivia

Although it wasn’t the last released short, Flying Saucer Daffy was the last Stooge short produced by Columbia
Flying Saucer Daffy features Moe and Larry’s more “gentlemanly” haircuts, first suggested by Joe Besser
Besser later reported that Flying Saucer Daffy was his favorite Stooge comedy

Production Notes

Filming took place on December 19–20, 1957
The short features stock footage from Earth vs the Flying Saucers

Filmography September Shorts

Sweet and Hot

Production Information
Title: Sweet and Hot
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 186
Release Date: September 4, 1958
Running Time: 16:17

“Please, open your mouth… I don’t want to walk in, I just want to look!”

Short Take

Small town boy made producer Larry returns to his hometown. There, he hears and watches as his friend Joe and his sister Tiny (Muriel Landers) work on their farm. Talented Tiny is singing. As she sings, the animals in the barn move to the beat. After hearing Tiny finish her song, Larry asks them to join his New York nightclub act. However, Tiny has a fear of performing in front of a live audience, so Larry and Joe take Tiny to a German psychiatrist (Moe), who uses hypnosis to take Tiny back to the childhood origin of her problem.

At the psychiatrist’s office, Tiny, under hypnosis, reveals that she has been scared since an incident in her family’s barn. She was singing and pretending to play on a piano in front of her father (Moe) when her uncles (Larry and Joe) came inside to listen to her singing. Moe demands she sings more for them because she was so good. Tiny refuses and hides in fear. After being scared again, the psychiatrist convinces a hypnotized Tiny that she should sing because people love hearing her sing. Tiny agrees and is cured of her fear. She becomes a professional singer, making her debut on stage with Joe and Larry. Tiny sings while Larry plays a violin and Joe dances. The audience gives their applause and Tiny is happy.

Sweet and Hot Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Archie Gottler Jerome S. Gottler Jack White
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe Besser Muriel Landers
Cinematography	Irving Lippman
Edited by	Edwin H. Bryant

Sweet and Hot Trivia

Over the course of their 24 years at Columbia Pictures, The Stooges would occasionally be cast as separate characters. This course of action always worked against the team; author Jon Solomon concluded: “when the writing divides them, they lose their comic dynamic.” In addition to this split occurring in Sweet and Hot, the trio also played separate characters in Rockin’ in the Rockies, Cuckoo on a Choo Choo, Flying Saucer Daffy, Gypped in the Penthouse, He Cooked His Goose, and its remake Triple Crossed
Sweet and Hot features Moe and Larry’s more “gentlemanly” haircuts, first suggested by Joe Besser. However, these had to be used sparingly, as most of the shorts with Besser were remakes of earlier films, and new footage had to be matched with old
Read more about actress Muriel Landers

Production Notes

The story and screenplay were written by Jerome Gottler, who also wrote the story and screenplay for their musical, Woman Haters. Thus, in Sweet and Hot, we again have a musical routine and The Stooges appearing in separate roles
Filming took place from August 22-23, 1957

Filmography June Shorts

Pies and Guys

Production Information
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 185
Release Date: June 12, 1958
Running Time: 16:09

“There is definite evidence of Vacancy of the Cranium.”

Short Take

Pies and Guys, the third Stooge adaptation of Pygmalion, the trio are repairmen who make a scene in the presence of two psychologists, Professors Quackenbush (Milton Frome) and Sedletz (Gene Roth). Quackenbush makes a bet with Sedletz that he can turn The Boys into gentlemen. Training is slow and painful for the professor, who pulls his hair out in disgust. However, The Stooges do have the opportunity to flirt with the professor’s assistant (Greta Thyssen), while learning proper table etiquette. Finally, The Stooges will decide the wager by their behavior at a fancy society party.

Naturally, the party goes awry. Joe greets the Countess Spritzwasser (Harriette Tarler) by kissing her hand and biting off the diamond in her ring. Realizing this, Moe and Larry take Joe to a secluded area to lecture him, only to find he has swiped a load of silverware.

Joe then grabs a pie from a pastry table and tries to eat it whole. Moe sees this, swipes the pie, and pushes Joe out of the way. Seeing another guest, Mrs. Smythe-Smythe (Symona Boniface), approaching, Moe tosses the pie straight up—to which it attaches itself to the ceiling. Seeing that he can barely get a sentence out, she sympathetically comments, “young man, you act as if you have the Sword of Damocles hanging over your head.” Moe replies that Mrs. Smythe-Smythe is a psychic and flees, to which the pie comes crashing down on the society matron. This sparks off a massive pie melee that takes no prisoners.

Pies and Guys Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Jack White
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe Besser Greta Thyssen Milton Frome Gene Roth Emil Sitka Harriette Tarler Helen Dickson
Cinematography	Irving Lippman
Edited by	Harold White

Pies and Guys Trivia

Pies and Guys is a scene-for-scene remake of 1947’s Half-Wits Holiday
Greta Thyssen also appeared in Sappy Bullfighters which was also released in June.

Production Notes

New footage was shot in two days on May 6–7, 1957

December Shorts Filmography

Oil’s Well That Ends Well

Production Information
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 182
Release Date: December 5, 1957
Running Time: 16:17

“Hey, there’s a cow out there. What comes from cows?” “Steak?!”
(Moe & Larry)

Short Take

The Stooges learn in a letter that their father’s life depends on an operation, but he doesn’t have the money for it. He writes that his property has a uranium mine, and they’re sure to strike it rich. So Moe, Larry & Joe head out to their father’s cabin while dealing with Joe’s uncanny luck in wishes coming true. Finding no uranium, the Stooges still manage to create plenty of explosive mayhem. Deciding to call it quits, Joe’s wishing ability comes through by turning up an oil strike on Papa’s country homestead.

Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Felix Adler
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe Besser
Cinematography	Irving Lippman
Edited by	Edwin H. Bryant

Trivia

Oil’s Well That Ends Well is one of two Stooge films that does not have a supporting cast, the other being 1950’s Self-Made Maids.
The title Oil’s Well That Ends Well is a pun of “all’s well that ends well.”
In addition, when Joe pulls the rope out from under Larry’s feet and knocks him over, Larry’s hat falls off his head. But in the next shot when Moe pulls him up to his feet, Larry is still wearing his hat.

Production Notes

The film was shot over two days on August 26–27, 1957.
Though technically a reworking of Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise, none of the original plot is featured in this short. In addition, the only recycled footage utilized in Oil’s Well That Ends Well is the shot of Curly Howard riding the oil gusher up into the sky. In addition, the concept of Joe wishing for things that come true was borrowed from Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise.
Oil’s Well That Ends Well contains a rare instance where the Stooges break the fourth wall and directly address the camera audience. Joe, after being chastised by Moe and told to sit down, turns around to the camera and mouths “I hate him!” to the audience before walking off-screen.

December Shorts Filmography

Outer Space Jitters

Production Information
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 182
Release Date: December 5, 1957
Running Time: 16:17

“I’ve heard of hot lips, but your’s sizzle!”
(Moe)

Short Take

Professor Jones and the Stooges travel to the planet Sunev and greet its inhabitants’ leader the Grand Zilch, and his military commander the High Mucky Muck. The Stooges’ gracious welcome and dinner celebration with three amazon beauties hides a Sunevian plot to conquer the Earth with an army of prehistoric zombies. Jones and the Stooges learn of the invasion plot but find their attempt to foil the aliens’ plans complicated when they accidentally release one of the zombies.

Cast & Crew

Directed by	Jules White
Produced by	Jules White
Written by	Jack White
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe Besser Philip Van Zandt Emil Sitka Dan Blocker Gene Roth Harriette Tarler Diana Darrin Arline Hunter Joe Palma
Cinematography	William Bradford
Edited by	Harold White

Trivia

Outer Space Jitters features Moe and Larry’s more “gentlemanly” haircuts, first suggested by Joe Besser. These had to be used sparingly, as most of the shorts with Besser were remakes of earlier films, and new footage had to be matched with old. In Outer Space Jitters, however, Larry’s frizz is combed back, while Moe retained his sugarbowl bangs. This seeming inconsistency (which would occur in future films) accommodated the gag of a frightened Moe with hair standing on end.
This short marks one of the few moments where one of the Stooges breaks the fourth wall. As the professor and The Three Stooges are being introduced to the leader of Sunev, Larry says, “And don’t forget to see Pal Joey, folks.” This is a reference to the film of the same name that was released two months earlier.

Production Notes

Outer Space Jitters was filmed on July 25, 1957.