Violent is the Word for Curly

This is a Stooge short w/ a famous segment: 

(Short # 32 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

A.K.A. The short with Swingin’ the Alphabet. Even if you’re not that familiar with the trio or their shorts, you may have stumbled across the only full-length musical number they did in their 190 shorts during their time at Columbia. As the story goes, the family maid of director/producer Charley Chase taught the song to his kids. Only decades later did people learn it was originally a 19th century song written by the tremendously-named Septimus Winner. The ditty is a catchy tune revolving around singing each consonant to all five vowels.

The rest of the short was also delightful. The trio have another blue-collar job: new employees at a Mobil gas station. They are bumbling in their full-service job while servicing Professor Feinstein, Professor Frankfurter & Professor Von Stupor. Via circumstances, they have to run away from the gas station in an ice cream truck w/ the bags of the professors. This is how they were mistaken by the faculty of Mildew College as the new educators.

There were plenty of creative gags at the gas station-such as Curly vs. a gas station tire pump, which continued once the setting changed to the world of academia. This ends… on a bang. As for the title-which has no bearing on the contents of the short-it references a long-forgotten 1936 Paramount movie, Valiant is the Word for Carrie.

Oh, and I’d be remiss to not mention a gag that almost turned tragic. Curly is in the back of the ice cream truck for over 3 hours, necessitating a thawing out. This is done—via being roasted like a pig on a spigot! Well, he was portly and the straps holding him came loose, and believe it or not, suffered some first-degree burns. Thankfully he was saved in the nick of time.

Man of the West

Man of the West (1958)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Anthony Mann

Starring: Gary Cooper, Julie London, Lee J. Cobb, Arthur O’Connell, Jack Lord

From: MGM

Discussion on a messageboard a few months ago + this movie leaving Prime at the end of the month meant it was overdue for me to check this out. The chatter elsewhere was positive; at the time I apologized for not being able to contribute but now I can. Getting to view more Gary Cooper and more Anthony Mann are never unwise ideas.

Cooper played Link Jones, a (former?) outlaw on his way to Fort Worth via train. He, singer Julie London and gambler Arthur O’Connell play an unlikely trio who flee to his old cabin after they were lucky to escape a train holdup. It’d be a crime to reveal much more except that he meets his old gang, headed by Lee J. Cobb. The presence of a nice cast is a huge asset; Cooper and Cobb were the highlights, a contrast between the former’s typical understated acting style and the OOT character the latter portrayed.

A mature, complex tale well-directed by Mann, in scenic settings (filmed in California) with a nice score and an interesting story that wasn’t all drama; when there’s action, it’s meaningful & well-done. The key note I have to share concerning the film: it is DARK. I don’t mean in terms of cinematography-that always looked great in Cinemascope. Rather, I am referring to the tone. Man of the West is stark; unless you are allergic to Westerns in that tenor, the movie is well worth checking out if you’re interested in the main principals.

 

A Quartet of Stooge Shorts

These are also the first four shorts released in 1938: 

Termites of 1938: 

(Short # 28 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

A funny installment-although the plot conceit is rather unfortunate. Now, I don’t mean the idea that a mistake happened where a rich lady accidentally hires the Stooges from the Acme Exterminating Company instead of the Acme Escort Bureau to escort her to a fancy soiree… no, it’s that the mistake occurs because the rich lady asks the Black maid Mandy (Etta McDaniel, sister to Hattie) to dial the phone number and because she is stupid/illiterate, the wrong number is dialed from the phonebook. 

Those are some awful implications by 2025 standards. After that regrettable moment, the rest of the short is delightful. The trio are unsuccessful at killing a mouse. Believe it or not, bringing out a miniature cannon to use in a Rube Goldberg device and Curly playing the piccolo like he’s the Pied Piper was not a success. At the party, the rich folk still think they are “college men” from Ivy League schools; the general plot description sounds like Ants in the Pantry… in practice, there are distinct differences.

Different in general is that during a hysterical dinner scene involving all the guests, incidental orchestra music is played (a rarity in this universe) as the Stooges act in an uncouth manner & the guests, they foolishly mimic their actions. Technically that song was diegetic as a small orchestra is shown in the next scene to be playing the song. The trio then pantomime playing a song themselves-according to a Stooges fan site, that song is called “Frederic March”; no, really. In addition, during that performance, there’s literally a Milli Vanilli moment!

There are pests present, requiring the trio to use their skills; the result is bedlam. Thus, after an unfortunate opening minute, the short (its name is a spoof of films w/ names like “Gold Diggers of 1935”) is quite humorous.

Wee Wee Monsieur: 

(Short # 29 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

Not their strongest effort from 1938, yet still quite amusing . The title reveals that the Stooges are in “Paris… somewhere in France.” They are starving artists (literally) who are in hot water w/ their landlord for the little matter of rent being 8 months past due. They also run afoul of a Parisian police officer who looks like Inspector Clouseau; they run into a French Foreign Legion office, thinking it’s just like the American Legion. It’s not.

Once in the desert, their captain (named Gorgonzola!) is kidnapped by “Arabs”… IRL, white guys as Arabs. Wee Wee Monsieur is a wacky good time. Bicycle horns are heard at random times, for reasons that are lost to time as to the correlation between France and the honking of those horns. Only in the beginning do you hear the trio speak French but it was still a treat. Curly’s painting would have been Picasso proud. There are amusing moments throughout, along with some inspired decisions…

For example, the trio sneak into the Arab palace by… dressing like Santa Claus?! It’s not established that it was that time of the year so the absurd visual had to be the punchline. For certain, it’s easy to guess what the intent was behind the boys dressing like harem girls. If you understand that times were different then and entertainment thought it OK to have ethnic roles played by white dudes… I found this to be pretty good.

Tassels in the Air: 

(Short # 30 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

A nice debut in the director’s chair for Charley Chase. The silent film actor was an associate producer for a few previous Stooge shorts before directing a quintet of them. The other four weren’t as great as this and in fact at least one was mediocre but Tassels in the Air was a gem.

The gags were a-plenty as the gang once again had blue-collar jobs: this time, painters. Nouveau riche lady Maggie Smirch desires the famous interior decorator Omay to work on her house for social status. The Stooges are painting in the building where Omay’s office is and due to the boys being victims of circumstances that involve (among other things) Pig Latin-of course Curly is confused by it-Maggie hires them by accident.

This is yet another case where Curly goes bonkers via an external source—in this case, tassels. This was only part of a burgoo stew of gags; just from painting a table are several sidesplitting moments. There’s even a running gag involving Maggie’s blue-collar husband Bud Jamison sarcastically being told by Moe to “create spotted paint” and he attempts to do so. They made fun of everyone in this one, not just the rich.

From playing checkers using paint cans on a checkerboard floor and acres of humorous dialogue to Curly being “um-day in any language” and the comedy that was mined just from painting a table purportedly from Louis XVI… this short painted quite the pretty picture.

Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb: 

(Short # 31 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

Taxes in the United States were even a b**** in the late 30’s. The first few minutes are the trio eating breakfast & playing poker at the same time, using pancakes in the place of poker chips. Several laughs came from a can of glue being mistaken from a can of maple syrup. Via a radio announcement, the boys hear that Curly won $50,000 in a contest to create a jingle for… “The Coffin Nail Cigarette Company”! The perfect name for a company that sells cigarettes… they live it up in a penthouse at the Hotel Costa Plente, then discover how much money Curly will receive after taxes.

Healthy, Wealthy & Dumb was entertaining throughout. There were a nice variety of gags & jokes, along with puns like the ones listed already. They also run into a trio of gold diggers who want to marry the Stooges. Randomly, the dames possess a capuchin monkey—amazingly named DARWIN. It was the source of the funniest jokes, whether it be the monkey’s name or the havoc it caused once the Stooges see it… Larry’s line “Ow! My pants bit me!” is riotous in context.

As an aside, earlier in the month, a Letterboxd mutual commented how the Stooges were rarely shown on television in his European country of origin; physical media releases in said country are about as common as hen’s teeth. At least all 190 shorts are available on the brand’s official YouTube channel (Three Stooges +) but I do understand why people would be envious I have all of them on DVD.

Passenger 57

Passenger 57 (1992)

Runtime: 84 minutes

Directed by: Kevin Hooks

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Bruce Payne, Tom Sizemore, Alex Datcher, Bruce Greenwood

From: Warner Bros.

Yeah, I will first mention what happened last night… it was a tragedy that an American Airlines flight (out of Wichita; no, no one I know was on the plane) collided w/ a military helicopter in the air over Washington, D.C., resulting in 67 people passing away. Of course, people on Twitter made it political—I won’t do so. Those not in the United States, you should be glad you’re not given the temperament of everyone here once a certain someone returned to power. I won’t immediately think “sabotage!” or “conspiracy!” I’ll wait to hear the opinions of the experts before forming an opinion myself; presumably it will be months until 

At least in the world of cinema, a hero can be on board an airplane when a captured terrorist and his minions commandeer a passenger aircraft on its way to Los Angeles. Thankfully in a post 9/11 world, it is much more difficult to sneak a gun on an airplane. I did see this film once—back in the VHS days, likely soon after it was first released on VHS. Thus, there were only a few faint memories; cultural osmosis is how I remembered Wesley Snipes uttering “Always bet on black!”

After viewing the film—wow is it a dumb Die Hard clone! After hilarious of its time opening credits-where the surprising revelations came that for some reason the lead villain has the same name as William Devane’s character in Rolling Thunder (!) and jazz legend Stanley Clarke was the composer-Bruce Payne proclaims he doesn’t want anesthesia for his facial plastic surgery! What?! As Rane’s flown to Los Angeles commercially, the 57th passenger on the plane is law enforcement badass John Cutter (Snipes); what fortunate luck that he’s present for Rane’s hijacking scheme.

I was thankful that this provided unintentional laughs for viewing this afternoon; that crash was a bummer so a dopey action film did brighten my mood. Heck, The movie is immeasurably helped by the presence of Snipes as the lead. I’ve only reviewed a few of his movies on Letterboxd although there were a few others I saw before my time on the site. What a star he was; a shame that-among other things-he felt that paying taxes was optional! Payne was also fun as the big bad. The film had several other familiar faces: Tom Sizemore, Bruce Greenwood, Robert Hooks, Ernie Lively, and it was also the first time I’d ever seen Elizabeth Hurley. 

As stump-dumb as Passenger 57 was, I can also appreciate a modestly-budgeted R-rated action film which had nice action beats, wasn’t intolerable, and was only 84 minutes in length. It’d be nice to get theatrical movies like that again.

 

Wolf Man

Wolf Man (2025)

52% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 221 reviews)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: Leigh Wannell

Starring: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger, Ben Prendergast

From: Universal/Blumhouse

Lowered expectations & waiting to see the film probably helped. It was impossible to ignore since the film was released a week and a half ago that many were not happy with how Wolf Man turned out. In addition, the reasons WHY people were crestfallen became public knowledge to anyone w/ a Letterboxd account. However, someone I know on a messageboard had rave reviews for the directions the film went in so I used my free time this afternoon to finally check this out. My high opinion of the director’s Upgrade & The Invisible Man was a good reason for me to take a chance.

Admittedly, discovering that this was yet ANOTHER modern horror film revolving around grief and trauma gave me tremendous pause; so did the Blumhouse involvement. However, the idea that a father’s sins were passed on (lead guy Blake’s dad was shown to be verbally & emotionally abusive) then as an adult he’s fighting the dog in him-so to speak-to not repeat the same behavior to his daughter Ginger… at least it’s a new idea. As the kids like to say, much of this was a three-hander with mom, dad & kid.

Blake and wife Charlotte have a rocky relationship; his missing father was finally declared deceased so Blake decided to bring his family to rural Oregon to save the marriage as they clear everything from dad’s property. A werewolf attacks Blake and well… I understand the complaints. At times Blake comes across as a sensitive wuss! The film is visually dark too often, although that’s a modern movie-making issue. This is a different take on lycanthrophy, including the appearance of the werewolves.

By the time I viewed Wolf Man in the afternoon, the expectations were low. Thus, even with a few complaints, “the movie is fine” is my verdict. There are some scares, moments of body horror-it clearly was inspired by a famous 80’s genre example-and the idea that it’s centered around a family’s love for each other was something that worked for me. It was anchored by the small cast doing swell as a whole- Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, & Matilda Firth. A sweet sound mix was a solid asset.

There is more than one obvious metaphor & at least one moment where I rolled my eyes. That noted, the movie’s rejection by the public and movie fans is unfortunate. I was happy this wasn’t one of those pretentious insufferable modern horror films that don’t entertain me. 

Instead, the small scale and the focus on mom/daughter’s horror at dad’s metamorphosis… also, thank goodness there’s only a bit of humor and that went away after the big attack. Hopefully I haven’t revealed too much. Before this flick, one of the (many) trailers seen was the controversial second trailer for Companion. Besides it revealing the movie’s twist for no good reason, it also implied it’d be full of unfunny “comedy” and it implies a “miss” for me even if the twist wasn’t spoiled.

Nevertheless, Wolf Man may go down easier if you know what to expect & the premise sounds worthwhile. Don’t expect the Lon Chaney Wolfman or the famous early 80’s werewolf films.

Support Your Local Sheriff!

Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Burt Kennedy

Starring: James Garner, Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan, Harry Morgan, Jack Elam

From: United Artists

A movie leaving Prime at the end of the month, that I had seen before a little less than 30 (!) years ago, and last year there was discussion of it & its sequel on a messageboard… as I haven’t tackled too many Westerns in months, this was a nice way to fix what I’ve been deficient in honestly in the past year. This was a comedic Western that cleverly spoofed its tropes without any mean-spirited streaks.

James Garner portrayed gunslinger Jason McCullough; he was passing through the rowdy town of Calendar when he decides to become temporary sheriff for the paycheck. He’s on a slow journey to Australia, as he mentioned a few dozen times. It’s full of ruffians who either run off or murder the previous sheriffs; it is de facto run by the corrupt Danby family. There is a romance but that was amusing and Joan Hackett’s clumsy character entertained me.

Heck, the entire movie entertained me. It was a nice sendup of genre tropes which is helped by Garner’s natural charm. Even the absurdity of the sheriff constantly tricking a bearded Bruce Dern to stay in a jail without bars worked in this scenario. Such character actors as Dern, Walter Brennan, Harry Morgan, Kathleen Freeman, Jack Elam and others were naturally an asset.

Sheriff is a laidback, breezy motion picture; those vibes won’t be for all tastes. However, for me it was both funny & charming; a happy revisit, it was. There’s also action in the finale. To answer an obvious question many will have: no I’ve never witnessed the 1971 sequel Support Your Local Sheriff, which reunited quite a few people from this production but the actors played different roles. One day that will be viewed then reviewed.

Grizzly

Grizzly (1976)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: William Girdler

Starring: Christopher George, Andrew Prine, Richard Jaeckel, Joan McCall, Joe Dorsey

From: Film Ventures International

A fun Jaws ripoff, this was. It’s free for me on Prime, I enjoyed director William Girdler’s Day of the Animals (where all the animals go bonkers, due to the depleted ozone layer) and if I ever do decide to check out the-apparently terrible, but what a backstory it has-film’s sequel, the OG effort needed to be checked out.

Yeah, this is full of casual 70’s sexism that was a product of its time but otherwise, the movie’s delightful even if the beats are predictable due to the obvious template they were following. Christopher George as Brody… er, I mean the lead park ranger in an unnamed National Park even has two buddies that help him out. His opinion of the opposite sex aside, he made a nice team w/ Andrew Prine’s helicopter pilot and Richard Jaeckel’s naturalist. Of course, there’s an idiot park supervisor that’s the equivalent of Amity Island’s mayor. The conversation between the trio was just delightful.

Also delightful was the northeastern Georgia rural location serving as the setting. Plenty of scenic rustic woods were on display. It was a nice formula they followed, and the formula wasn’t executed poorly. The cast was fine, the cinematography nice, the Robert O. Ragland score appropriate for what was on screen. Plus, it had an utterly hysterical ending and bloody moments—don’t think that children are immune. For a picture concerning an unnaturally huge grizzly bear in an area purported to have only brown bears… it is acceptable as B-movie entertainment.

A Trio of Three Stooges Shorts

Cash and Carry: 

(Short # 25 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

The Stooges… sentimental? Yes, it happened here. They rarely showed compassion for others but when there’s a poor young woman and her kid brother (Sonny Bupp; yup, he portrayed Charles Foster Kane III in Citizen Kane a few years later) and the latter has a brace on his leg so they’re saving pennies for the longshot hope that one day they can afford an operation… it’s nice that the trio decide to help him, albeit in bumbling fashion.

I’ve seen a complaint that the leads were “even dumber than usual”; sure. This includes them not being able to read a map & not knowing the answer to 6 + 6. They were all victims of circumstances; they attempt to deposit the duo’s meager savings into the bank. As Curly proclaimed to the question “is it safe to deposit money in the bank? Will they give it back?” he responded “Sure. They didn’t used to, but now they do!” as Moe glared. Unfortunately, there was a time early in the Depression when money wasn’t safe in the bank although it probably was by ’37.

Once they were swindled and given an abandoned house, the insanity from the boys using shovels & other tools was a delight. Moe in particular suffered plenty of abuse. It all leads to a conclusion that is even rarer: a happy ending for the trio! That includes a famous real-life figure as portrayed by an actor only seen from the back. It’s nice which makes it quite enjoyable.

Playing the Ponies: 

(Short # 26 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

The Stooges running a restaurant: a swell idea. This short does stand out for the first half. They run a failing seaside restaurant and typically it was Moe & Larry in the front interacting w/ customers while Curly the Chef was in the back. This formula worked as there was a decent amount of funny jokes & sight gags, including Curly (addicted to salted peanuts; understandable) making “chicken soup” by pouring hot water over a chicken carcass taken from the fridge that’s in a strainer into a bowl. Also in front was three containers which held mints, salted peanuts, and “chili pepperinos.”

No, I don’t know what “chili pepperinos” are either! From a quick Google search, people in modern times assume it’s a device invented for this short. Think “black peppercorns” that look just like salted peanuts, and are as hot as a Carolina Reaper pepper. The trio are swindled by two shysters where the restaurant was traded for a racehorse that had false accolades attached to it but in reality was a lame equine.

The antics at the stables then the racetrack aren’t as spectacular (the race itself was farcical compared to a standard horserace) yet there are still chuckles present, including the conceit that the lame horse-Thunderbolt-runs faster than Seabiscuit after eating those pepperinos. It has another nice happy ending for the Stooges & Thunderbolt. This may be fun to watch if you fish for your seafood out the window of your place like Curly does here.

The Sitter Downers: 

(Short # 27 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

The Stooges go on strike in order to marry sisters named Florabell, Corabell, & Dorabell. The ladies live with their father, who constantly refuses the marriage proposals. The strike lasts for weeks & earns national attention. He finally acquiesces and to their good fortune, a company offers them a ready-cut house. The first 6 minutes is quite amusing, full of funny puns and such moments as Curly “sitting on an octopus” (sitting on sewing needles and the always-great sound effects of an item being pulled from Curly, usually from his posterior).

The final 10 minutes are in a park somewhere, the Stooges required to build the house from the pieces of lumber given to them. Their attempts are as inept as expected. Moe and Larry run after each other/beat each other up as Curly is stymied while creating a cement floor. There’s acres of great slapstick and funny one-liners. Curly has cement shoes (long story) requiring the usage of… dynamite!

Not only is there Howard, Fine, & Howard, but their wives are also amusing whenever they appear. June Gittelson (a heavy-set woman; this was her last appearance in his universe… a shame as she always made me laugh), Betty Mack and Marcia Healy (yes, the sister of their former boss Ted Healy) helped make this an entry that many Stooge fans are fond of. In fact, this short… brought the house down.

For Y'ur Height Only

For Y’ur Height Only (1981)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Eddie Nicart

Starring: Weng Weng, Beth Sandoval, Yehlen Catral, Carmi Martin, Anna Maria Gutierrez

From: Liliw Films International

A movie viewed thanks to Letterboxd discussion. Several days ago, I reviewed the lousy 1979 Thai Jaws ripoff Crocodile, and mentioned how the version Shudder had was the International Cut as done by producer Dick Randall. A Letterboxd mutual commented that he was wary of the movie despite its producer and mentioned how fun the dub was of this movie.

Of course I’ve known of this Bond spoof for ages; how can you forget that a(n in)famous Filipino export was a movie starring a dude named Weng Weng, a little person only 2 foot 9 (i.e. 83 centimeters) tall. As the movie is on YouTube, about time I saw a technically bad but bizarrely entertaining picture where Weng played secret agent 00, tasked with defeating lead heel “Mr. Giant” and his dozens of goons, all of whom are crippled or killed. Truth be told, there seemed to be an endless onslaught of 00 killing SOB’s and it became monotonous after awhile; so did the same few soundtrack tunes played ad nauseum.

That duly noted, the movie’s still fine. Plenty of the charm is in the inept filmmaking & seeing an adult man w/ dwarfism dress in fancy clothes, use several gadgets from the Bond universe (including a jetpack!) and romance normal-sized women. Believe it or not, the original Tagalog language version is lost media; without knowing the original script, the English language dub from Dick Randall helped with adding a goofy tone to a movie that shouldn’t be treated seriously. The dialogue was full of puns & camp, which helped with the monotony of the movie at times. To steal a line, Weng Weng sounded like JON LOVITZ, no kidding.

I don’t know about now but in the past, Y’ur was a cult classic. I was happy to finally discover why the film is still one of the most popular cinematic exports from The Philippines.

 

La Collectionneuse

La Collectionneuse (The Collection) (1967)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: Eric Rohmer

Starring: Patrick Bauchau, Haydee Politoff, Daniel Pommereulle, Alain Jouffroy, Mijanou Bardot

From: Les Films du Losange/Rome Paris Films

7 months ago, I saw my first Eric Rohmer film: 1986's The Green Ray. Not only was it great, after the review was posted, several mutuals posted comments which encouraged a further exploration of his filmography. Of course it’s me so it was just now that a second Rohmer was tackled. The plot description intrigued.

The title in English is “The Collector”; it refers to the Bohemian lady known as Haydee, who meets the pompous Adrien and his buddy Daniel at the centuries-old villa where the men are temporarily residing. Admittedly, the two men are shown to be highly pretentious who associate w/ pretentious people. Even before the villa, we see Adrien hanging out with a pair of women-one of them harshly bemoans ugly people. Once at the villa, both insult Haydee to her face; sure, it’s bluster to mask their true feelings but not everyone will enjoy that plot point.

The Collector is full of those characters interacting w/ each other yet the trio (later turning into a quartet for a bit when another dude-Sam-enters the picture) was still interesting so my attention never wavered. It was well-shot in scenic French Riviera locations; the film felt natural as Rohmer created a few scenarios then the three leads improv’ed the rest. Credit should go to Patrick Bauchau, Haydee Politoff, and Daniel Pommereulle not only for their acting but also the story they created. Sure, by modern standards the men are intolerable but that makes Haydee stand out all the more for being likable.

It's a relaxed, chill movie where my attention never wavered despite its methodical pace. Not only was the scenery nice, so was the sound design of birds chirping, swirling wind & water running. The plot of The Green Ray was more intriguing for my tastes; be that as it may, La Collectionneuse was not a bad selection at all for my second Eric Rohmer.

 

Goofs and Saddles

Yep, another Three Stooges short from 1937: 

(Short # 24 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

Another example of the Stooges in the Wild West, but this time it is one I dig because it deviates from the formula at times. There seemed to be less slapstick and plain slapping each other around than usual. Yet, that seemed irrelevant in this case when there were several new routines that tickled me pink. Plus, for the first 7 minutes or so, the boys wore wigs and had facial hair; quite the look for them.

They played Buffalo Billius, Wild Bill Hiccup and Just Plain Bill—two spoof names of legendary Western figures and (according to Wikipedia) the last was the name of a popular radio program at the time. They are tasked by General Muster to corral some castle rustlers. This is done via the old canard of disguising themselves as bushes. Instead of it being a quick sight gag, they are in disguise for a few minutes where a few bits are done w/ henchmen addressing why a dog keeps barking at shrubbery.

A few minutes later, there’s a funny segment involving Moe & Curly attempting to cheat at a card game where the other player is the film’s lead heel, Longhorn Pete. From there is an escape on a covered wagon before a final showdown which uses a meat grinder in creative fashion. It’s a short I either had never seen before or not in ages, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Back to the Woods

Another Stooge short from 1937: 

(Short # 23 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

“The Stooges as Pilgrims” is the gimmick here. Another gimmick is to sometimes hear everyone (including the leads) speak Olde English. In “Merrie Olde England” they were about to be sentenced by the judge to years in the hoosegow, until prosecutor Bud Jamison convinces him of the alternate punishment: moving them to “the colonies” (America) so they can help in the battle against “The Indians.” Back at the time people thought it was OK to have white dudes don redface, stereotypical Native American garb and do the “whooping Indian” bit, but boy has it aged like curdled milk by today’s standards.

Even then I did not hate the short and in fact there were aspects I did dig. They did some similar routines from previous efforts but it did not feel hackneyed. The funny wordplay extended beyond the language from a few centuries ago. There was even an amusing dance routine-a minuet, to be exact-for at least two minutes which delighted. The battle against "the Indians" did elicit some chuckles.

And, Ethelreda Leopold (an amazing name) appeared in almost a dozen of these but she got a rare speaking part as one of the trio of ladies the boys were interested in; as typical their names were a source of a chuckle (Faith, Hope & Charity). It was nice she was able to showcase her talents here. Note that the ending here is a clip lifted from the earlier short Whoops I’m an Indian; this was the first instance of what would happen often in the future.

The White Reindeer

The White Reindeer (1952)

Runtime: 68 minutes

Directed by: Erik Blomberg

Starring: Mirjami Kuosmanen, Kalervo Nisslia, Ake Lindman, Jouni Tapiola, Arvo Lehesmaa

From: Junior-Filmi

An appropriate movie to review; in the United States, most are experiencing brutally cold weather. This includes Florida; a few hours northwest of me-still in Florida-it SNOWED several inches, which is a once in a lifetime occurrence. Right now at home it is 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius!) Henceforth, my decision to view something related to the winter vibes.

Regrettably, despite its presence on the second volume of All the Haunts be Ours: A Compendium of Folk Horror (released just several months ago), it took a particularly deep dive into The Bowels of the Internet to find a copy that either was dubbed or subbed in English-fortunately a subbed copy was found.

It was a standard story set in the northernmost Finnish area of Lapland-full of rural woods and snow-where boy meets girl, boy & girl fall in love, boy starts ignoring girl, girl decides to visit a shaman for a love potion, potion goes awry so she turns into a shape-shifter who’s a white reindeer but also a witch AND a vampire… like I said, a standard story.

As many are experiencing conditions comparable to the planet Hoth, the sparse, snowy landscape of the past and the barren dwellings is the perfect vibe for this week. There are nice performances from lead girl Mirjami Kuosmanen (director Erik Blomberg’s wife; they wrote the story) and Kalervo Nissila, a.k.a. the Finnish Joseph Cotten, to steal a phrase. There were strong vibes throughout, whether it be the whimsy of the lead couple’s burgeoning love during sled racing w/ reindeer as their noble steed or the lead girl’s horror at realizing she’s cursed.

The dialogue is usually sparse; thus, it’s a blessing that the bold score from Einar Englund was awesome. It was a compelling 68 minutes and it’s a shame that in the United States, the movie is hard to track down for streaming purposes and in terms of physical media it’s not easy either unless you have the second volume of the Haunts set.

 

Crocodile

Crocodile (1979)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Sompote Sands

Starring: Nat Puvanai, Tanny Tien-Ni, Manop Aussawathep, Angela Wells, Kirk Warren

From: Cobra Media

A Thai ripoff of Jaws? Sure. I haven’t used Shudder often as of late and this recently appeared on the platform. As it’s a film known to me and the exotic setting intrigued… I pressed play.

A shame then that the movie had long stretches of boredom. What Shudder has is an international dubbed version from Dick Randall which was “different” from the original Thai release by director Sompote Sands. I was hoping for some bizarre fun-years ago I viewed his Hanuman and the Five Kamen Riders, which-no kidding-used plenty of unauthorized footage of a Toei Kamen Riders picture and it was like a fever dream. Crocodile… whether the international version was to blame or not, Crocodile caused drowsiness at times. I also wish this cut had excised the random footage of a crocodile being butchered by a knife but alas…

A doctor experiences tragedy involving family at the hands of a giant crocodile that blatantly changes sizes. I mean, to borrow a quote, “is it the size of Jaws or Godzilla?” The creature was both sizes at times. There’s also a random opening that features nice miniatures being wrecked due to a tropical storm. The attacks from the titular animal weren’t all that exciting-until it attacks an entire village and maims a throng of people; now that was campy fun as more miniatures are destroyed. Then, we’re back to boredom.

Sure, it’s funny that a supporting character is introduced wearing a bizarre pair of overalls w/ no shirt underneath (it’s to show off an eagle tattoo on his chest that’s family lore!) and a leather cap and at least in this cut it’s hysterical that they show the exact same scene twice except with different dialogue… but, when the third act is a blatant copy of the final act of Jaws except that the trio present is a pathetic imitation of Brody/Hooper/Quint I couldn’t have possibly cared less about-and then the big conclusion is best described as “perplexing.”

For many, Crocodile will likely also feel disappointing to the campy fun it could have been. Not even the usage of such stolen music as CJ & Co.’s Devil’s Gun was enough for me to even say it was OK.

 

3 Dumb Clucks

Another Three Stooges short from 1937: 

(Short # 22 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

Curly plays dual roles but it was a short I didn’t love. It started off absurd with the trio in the slammer together. After receiving a letter from their mom that their “Popsie-Wopsie” divorced her so he can marry a gold digger woman… who we find out later is in the scheme w/ two male villains. They easily break out of jail as comically, the trio have an entire set of tools under their mattress in their cell-including a jackhammer.

Afterwards-the law is never after them for some odd reason-they meet their dad, also played by Curly but this time sporting sideburns. His voice is more like how Jerome Horwitz spoke IRL. Too much time is spent at a haberdashery on a joke that wasn’t too funny (plus, Curly had what looked like hair covering up a scar that came from a stunt gone awry!) but at least “haberdashery” is a great word…

Popsie-Wopsie has his sideburns shaved off so the expected happens with them looking identical on the wedding day… isn’t it ironic? There’s amusing moments and it’s a nice bit where the villains are confused because they are unaware of Curly Squared but the short does redeem itself in the last minute or so with a big gag involving a flagpole on top of a skyscraper.

I’ll just shrug my shoulders and note that it is OK if director Del Lord (he mainly directed a few dozen shorts during the Curly years) and screenwriter Clyde Bruckman (wrote many different shorts, mainly during the Curly years) “only” created something that was good instead of better.

Ten Cents a Dance

Ten Cents a Dance (1931)

Runtime: 77 minutes

Directed by: Lionel Barrymore; yes, he directed a few films he did not act in

Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Ricardo Cortez, Monroe Owsley, Sally Blane, Blanche Friderici

From: Columbia

One of Barbara Stanwyck’s first movies, directed by Lionel Barrymore? Color me interested. There are several films starring Stanwyck on the Criterion Channel’s current collection “Pre-Code Columbia”; I chose Ten Cents a Dance mainly due to my curiosity at seeing Barrymore the Director. On several occasions, he sat in that chair and did not in addition act in the film.

While a little rough around the edges at this nascent point in her career, a brunette Barbara was still the highlight. Based on a song by Rodgers & Hart which was a hit at the time, Babs portrayed a taxi dancer who is forced to choose between a poor dude (Monroe Owsley, who portrayed a real A-hole) and a rich dude who are interested in her. As taxi dancers are a phenomenon from almost a century ago, an explanation is due. Taxi-dance halls were a thing in early 20th century America; men would purchase tickets and give it to lady dancer so they could cut the rug for the length of a song-in the film’s case, a dime a ticket.

The film was far from dynamic—Ten Cents a Dance is full of static shots where two characters talk to each other. It also becomes melodramatic in the back half. This did not mean the movie is dull, basic storyline aside. Several of the actors I recognized and were fine (like Ricardo Cortez, Loretta Young’s sister Sally Blane) and much to my amusement, Phyllis Crane-who was in a few Three Stooges shorts-had a supporting role.

Owsley’s character Eddie is successful at making the audience loathe such a lout-a gambler who steals from his employer, among other sins. It’s not a spicy Pre-Code entry in the “Pre-Code Columbia” collection (presumably, some of the others are) but those that love early 30’s soapy melodramas featuring a suffering wife—there’s a chance you’ll really dig the film. More certain for me: the jazz heard in the halls was quite delightful.

 

Two More Stooges Shorts

We start off the year 1937...

Grips, Grunts, & Groans: 

(Short # 20 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

The Stooges in the world of professional wrestling: yes, please. I say that even though this was rather reminiscent of their first “proper” short, Punch Drunks. Instead of boxing, the trio get involved in the world of wrestling after running into a boxing/wrestling club… they were hobos running away from the cops. During that chase, they… run into a woman and her stroller, knocking the stroller over! It understandably has received some criticism, despite a shot of the baby in the carriage unharmed. It was an oddly dark moment which seemed out of lockstep compared to the norm.

After that, it was standard fare. A loud, boisterous wrestler named Bustoff befriends the trio. As he is similar shape and size to Curly, you can guess what occurs after Bustoff becomes plastered drunk right before his big championship fight. They can’t run away as Bustoff’s handlers are gangsters. Like in Drunks, an external stimulus causes Curly to go bonkers. This time, it was… wild hyacinth perfume; random.

There was funny slapstick (an entire set of lockers falls on a prone Bustoff!), gags and wordplay which make the short a pretty good time.

(Short # 21 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

A short divided into three parts that flowed together rather well. The Stooges are married men who live together in one domicile w/ their three wives but the boys are all ne’er-do-wells that let their wives work without working themselves. The women finally get fed up so they are forced to find work. A snake oil salesman peddling a medicinal product known as Brighto is what they find. After not even knowing what the product is, they are corrected and… go to a hospital as hey, “it’s full of sick people.” Makes sense to me.

In that setting, the energy is almost as anarchic as in their last hospital-related short-Men in Black. In those different settings spawned a wide variety of slapstick & verbal wordplay where each Stooge got a chance to shine w/ both their physical and aural dexterity as Brighto damages car exteriors, leather, and clothing. Getting to hear Moe deliver a radio pitch for the faux medicine on the hospital intercom: delightful.

There’s plenty of comedy & wackiness in a fun short that even has some visual puns, plus for my tastes, both Vernon Dent and Bud Jamison. Those different elements tied together rather well.

 

Catching Up on Stooges Shorts

There's three in total...

False Alarms: 

(Short # 17 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

This effort concerning firefighters reminds me to give a shoutout to those in that field dealing with those wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The Stooges as fireman was as humorous as expected. Their boss Stanley Blystone gives those screw-ups one last chance before they are… fired. Unlike typical, they have relative success with the ladies. Curly sneaks away to hang out with their gal-pal and two friends new to them. This includes a heavyset woman who is portrayed as “not attractive,” which is lamentable. Still, June Gittelson was amusing in that role, even if there were comments concerning her size & strength.

This had different, interesting gags so it felt fresh. This includes mishaps involving firehoses and a few quality sight gags. A wild ride you’d expect from Mr. Toad is also present. The expected carnage happened once the captain’s new car was introduced and Moe & Larry are once again too late to jump on the firetruck. Also nice is all the exterior shooting done in the Los Angeles of 1936. This isn’t the only entry revolving around firemen but I recall it as the best one. To assuage any fears about seeing fire in 2025, that element is never shown in the short.

Those that like Curly will like seeing him get the spotlight; as others have noted, already by this point he’s improved as a comedic performer.

Whoops, I'm an Indian!:

(Short # 18 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

The Stooges in the pioneer Daniel Boone days was amusing. There are other efforts I definitely prefer but even in ones where I don’t love the story as much as others, there still is lines of dialogue that made me laugh, funny gags, and a nice premise where they get to spend time in the woods. They are on the run from the sheriff; they were caught cheating at a gambling game. After calamity while attempting to make a fire and hunt for food, they run a-foul of Bud Jamison’s Pierre.

They do dress like stereotypical Native Americans, Moe & Larry don face paint and Curly is in a wig as “an Indian squaw.” How offensive it is to you depends on taste and your experience. I’m a dumb white guy but it wasn’t too tasteless for me. Of course, Pierre falls for Curly in drag.

Technically it’s the “worst” of their 1936 efforts, although that’s not a huge insult when it was such a strong year for them and as some of the kids say, it was banger after banger after banger.

Slippery Silks: 

(Short # 19 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

Those wondering when the first pastry fight happened with The Three Stooges, it was the conclusion of Slippery Silks.

It will sound wacky that the first few minutes are the Stooges in the field of “artistic woodwork” then they inherit their late uncle’s gown shop then a pastry fight breaks out—it works in context. In that shop they are given “the most valuable piece of antique Chinese woodwork in the world” to make a duplicate. That goes as disastrous as expected, leading to a common sight in their oeuvre: a chase.

Once in the gown business, they put on a fashion show and after a few traditional outfits-they took the time to properly build the joke-some bizarre examples are shown—frankly, it’s no more bizarre than the hideous-looking “clothing” seen in any high-end fashion show for years! Howard, Fine, & Howard were truly trendsetters. Another common theme: the plot threads eventually connect, no matter how improbable.

The conclusion is the pastry fight; the few times they occurred (footage was later reused more than once) they looked similar… but that was alright as I’ll never not laugh. As it almost always featured “distinguished people” acting like immature fools, that is always worth a solid laugh. Plus, a woman is named MORGAN MORGAN.

Se7en

Se7en (1995)

Runtime: 127 minutes

Directed by: David Fincher

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, a famous actor in a key, uncredited role, several famous faces in supporting parts

From: New Line Cinema

Until Wednesday night, I had never seen Se7en in full. I realize how preposterous this will sound to most, but until seeing the last IMAX showing, only a few minutes had been watched. As mentioned before, I am not a David Fincher fan. The one time I tackled Fight Club (25 years ago) I found it to be insufferable; the same goes for Gone Girl, which also had a completely illogical story. He's a director that in general is avoided; that's despite really liking Zodiac.

However, I haven't been to the cinema much in recent months, it's a movie with over 2 million ratings on Letterboxd and curiosity finally won out. Due to cultural osmosis the ending WAS known to me years before; somehow, who portrayed John Doe wasn't, or was forgotten by me! More on that later.

The assumption will be made that some still haven't watched the film themselves so specifics won't be mentioned besides the basics of a wacky cop duo in an unnamed city (old wise veteran Morgan Freeman and country bumpkin idiot Brad Pitt) discover a serial killer who has elaborately killed people utilizing methods based on the seven deadly sins. Yes it's all highly improbable although it's the movie standoffish tone, how frustratingly dumb Pitt's character was and a few sigh-worthy moments which made me not love the movie quite as much as everyone else.

The actor who portrayed John Doe (the villain) wasn't mentioned in the opening credits. Thus, for me imagine my shock! I won't spoil it for others even if it's quite easy to accidentally find out; it's a performer whom people think differently about now compared to 30 years ago, for reasons... that actor's presence helped make the final 10 to 15 minutes tremendous. That part of the movie I did have heart eyes for, one hilarious line reading from Pitt aside.

The cast full of solid pros was an asset; Gwyneth Paltrow IRL is a weirdo but I've never questioned her acting skills and she did shine in the few scenes she had. The unrelentingly grim tone didn't really bother me; at least the film was shot well and the Howard Shore score matched the dark aesthetic rather well. Of course I can't comment on the controversy over the CGI and AI tweaks that Fincher made to the film; “it did look and sound great in IMAX” is all I can say about the audio and visuals.

The director is someone I'll never fall in love with, and that is alright w/ me. There's no shortage of cinema more aligned w/ my peculiar tastes. It doesn't mean I don't appreciate the chance of the initial viewing in such a big setting, a film that was quite influential the past 30 years.