Idiots Deluxe

Moe is on trial for assaulting his roommates Larry and Curly. Moe testifies in court. He needed peace and quiet. The guys took him into the woods and found themselves facing a bear.

At first, I'm concerned with Moe becoming quiet from his condition. Instead, he just got meaner and that's a good thing for comedic effect. There is one thing I wish they would do for the ending. The bear needs to come into the courtroom and chase the boys around. Moe chasing Larry and Curly takes it to a second level. If the bear shows up at that moment, it would take it to a next level situation.

Not the greatest stooge short, but it still has plenty of laughs. The boys are roommates and Moe has decided to sue the other two because they're literally driving him crazy. The story is told in flashbacks about how Larry and Curly try to soothe Moe's illness while only making it worse.

My favorite bit is when they're in the woods and Larry is giving Curly some rocks to wall up a bear's den, and he decides to play football center and hikes a huge rock to Curly through his legs without looking to see where it goes (it hits Moe in the head, of course). You just can't make people any dumber.

This is the first short where Curly is clearly not himself (he suffered a mild stroke after this short was made). He has a fair amount of energy but his voice rarely gets up into his classic falsetto, and his speech is slightly slurred. Even so, it's easy to enjoy this short as it's another fine example of the stooges doing what they do best.

IDIOTS DELUXE (1945) is the last good Three Stooges short directed by Jules White before falling down into mediocrity. Considering the poor quality of all of White Stooges shorts after this one the credit for this one belongs to writer Elwood Ullman whose script is excellent. With no "poke in the eyes" jokes the two-reeler is effectively structured in flashback and features a lot of inspired gags and jokes. For once, Jules White does not milk the screenplay with protracted and unfunny gags. The version I have seen so far, in Argentina, is in Spanish; however, not even the poor dubbing can undermine the film qualities.

The pillar of The Three Stooges, Curly Howard, was an experienced carouser whose late evening eating and drinking began taking its toll. In the July 1945 release of "Idiots Deluxe," Curly, 42, was clearly showing signs of slowing down from his usual high energy on-screen antics. His voice, purposely forced higher while filming on the set to separate himself from Moe and Larry's lower tonalities, was beginning to lose its falsetto pitch. And his movements weren't as physically adept as in the past. This all was evident shortly before he experienced a series of strokes.

As par for the course, Columbia Pictures didn't release its Stooges' short films until six or more months after they finished filming. In "Idiots Deluxe's" case, its production took place in early October 1944, three months before Curly's first minor stroke. The Jules White-directed movie opens with Moe's nerves shot, prompting Larry and Curly to take him out into the wild countryside for a well-needed rest. Once situated in their rustic rented cabin, a bear lurks nearby, disrupting their intended peaceful vacation. Largely a remake of the Del Lord-directed 1935 Academy Award nominated comedy short 'Oh, My Nerves" starring comedian Monte Collins, "Idiots Deluxe" is famous for the scene showing the vast amount of condiments Larry and Curly slather on their bread while making their sandwiches. Concentrating on preparing their lunch, the two don't notice the bear gulping down the cooked eggs Moe had placed on the table next to an open window. After Moe smacks the heck out of both of them thinking they ate all the eggs, he forces them to cook the breakfast while he prepares his own sandwich. As he pours a ton of honey on the bread saturated in ketchup, Moe gushes, "If there's anything I like better than honey and ketchup, it's bologna and whipped cream-and we haven't got any!" "Idiots Deluxe" is also known for the first time the title of the Stooges film shown over the ancient Greek comic mask of the goddess Thalia, the mythical muse of comedy and poetry. This opening format would remain in the front credits throughout the rest of the Stooges' Columbia series.

Woe is Moe. He's being sued by Larry and Curly for assault. Moe tells the judge (Vernon Dent) he can't help himself, that he is a sick man and a nervous wreck. The film flashbacks to the boys on a hunting trip; Moe gets irate when he thinks Larry and Curly have eaten his food; in reality a bear has devoured the tasty morsels! Will the boys defeat the bear and will Moe get some much needed rest?

"Idiots Deluxe" is a decent Stooge outing, but somewhat inconsistent. Many film buffs and historians cite a later 1945 release, "If a Body Meets a Body," as evidence that Curly had suffered a stroke. I think that "Idiots Deluxe" shows that Curly Howard was already a sick man. Physically, he's still able to do many things, including running into the side of a cabin and getting knocked down by a rock. But listen to his voice; it ebbs and flows between his "Curly" falsetto and Jerome "Curly" Howard's natural voice. This inconsistency does not allow the viewer to fully relax with the film. You know there's something wrong when a bear and not the Stooges get most of the laughs.

Funny, but not outstanding. 6 out of 10.