Haut den Herkules

All the Stooges films set in past historical eras intentionally spoof historical genres with anachronisms (ancient Egyptians comment on baseball, a Civil War general makes a reference to a radio show, Medieval knights worry whether Lady Godiva might offend the censors, etc.). But anachronisms are tossed about so gleefully here, you begin to realize that this is what the film is really all about - how movies set in the past pull the wool over the eyes of their innocently romantic audiences with a few spangles, a bit of flash, the inevitable tear-jerk scene, and a good dose of beefcake/cheesecake. In fact, the recipe for this film could make for pretty heavy satire if the Stooges weren't so clearly making a light-hearted (and light-headed) romp of it all.

Those who complain that the boys are looking pretty old in the film pretty much miss the point. An aging clown looks bad when he tries to play it young; but by working one's whiskers into the act, the clown regenerates himself as a new personality. These are not the old Stooges who bounced their way through the madcap shorts of the '30s; but they are a heck of a lot more fun than the Stooges of the '50s, trying to pretend that age had never happened. True, in their later features, they were very dependent on their scripts, which frequently let them down. But here the script is really not bad at all, and the Stooges are having a grand time, and we should, too. Just set your critical mind at rest and enjoy the show.

1) Note the Title. (2) You know the cast. (3) Since Hercules is mentioned, we know the story occurs in ancient Greece. And since we are now in ancient times, the focus will be on galleys, slaves, kings, and wild beasts. There will even be a mythical creature, a two-headed, four-legged Cyclops!

For the first time since 1945 (Rockin' in the Rockies), The Three Stooges came back to features in 1959. About midway into their renaissance came this feature, which has both a plot and decent script. The sets are most acceptable, although some may complain that the budget was not high. The story involves three pharmacy workers who are accidentally transported back in time to the early period of ancient Greece, nearly three millennia ago. They will tangle with the evil usurper Odius and his henchman, Hercules (don't worry, the strongman will later see the right way). Of course there will be the slapstick and obligatory anachronisms, but pay no heed. We will see head-smacks and food in faces. The Greeks will speak and understand English (although Moe will utter something like "… I'll clobber anyone who says it's all Greek to me" when the Stooges encounter a Greek language sign.). As the guys are aging and somewhat subdued, one cannot expect them to sustain their old zaniness of the 1930s. Nevertheless, it is great to see the old comedy act extend into the 1960s, with two of the three original Stooges still around to pick up some royalty checks. Around 1965 there was a Tonight Show episode with Johnny Carson, who had the Three Stooges as guests. He asked about their LAST movie feature. Curly Joe quipped, "You mean our LATEST one." The audience, of course, was delighted. Joe DeRita as Curly Joe assumed the Curly/Shemp/Besser role. While Curly Joe looked like the old Curly, some folks complained that he was not as funny. The criticism is rather gratuitous, as no one else could have been Curly either. And Curly Joe certainly was an improvement over Joe Besser. In all, he fit in pretty well as the third Stooge.

It is a positive thing that the Stooges could finally make movies and receive the financially rewarding royalties, something denied them during their long tenure at Columbia (1934-1959). This movie is a must for Stooges' fans, and is an improvement over their post-Shemp short films of the latter half of the 1950s. People wanted to laugh at the Stooges during their revival, and they were indeed kept happy by some good gags (for one, see Hercules disrupt the king's speech by cracking nuts with his biceps). By the way, this movie made money. It deserved to do so.

The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962) was another theatrical film that the aging "Three Stooges" did for their new generation of fans. Having to tone down the physicality of their slapstick humor, the Stooges had to use a lot more verbal exchanges than they have did in the past. The three lovable geezers work in a pharmacy. Theie boss is a swell guy but he's also a spineless creep. A freak accident causes all of them to travel back to Ancient Greece and create all kinds of havoc. Several questions are raised (aren't there always). How did they wind up traveling backwards in time? Who will greet them in Ancient Greece. Where do they wind up at? How can they communicate to the natives if they speak ancient Greek? To find out the answers to these earth shaking questions then you'll have to watch THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES!!!

Recommended for die-hard geriatric Three Stooges fans.

Hercules, my introduction to the "golden" Derita years. Golden perhaps, given Moe and Larry's age during this time and the fact that after 24 years toiling in Harry Cohn's salt mines, they were finally getting PAID, real money, not the peanuts tossed down to them before. As for the film, nothing golden about it(would you settle for the bronze, Moe and Larry certainly did with Curly-Joe). Maybe that's a bit strong. I hardly think this film is the worst, it's a decent outing. But much like the Besser years, decent is the best you can hope for.

There's something else about these films too, I think it's the stooges themselves and how their on screen personas seem to match their actual age. Even in the worst Besser films, the stooges still seem to be beyond the constraints of old age, still runnin' wild, vandalizing, and smooching with chicks half their age. But all that seems left behind at the closed down shorts department & the boys seem content with being portrayed as the kindly old grandfather figures always in the position to guide some strapping young lad which leads to another drawback of these 60's features, the prerequisite "love story". Just more useless filler to pad the length on these features, I suppose.

If only Cohn had let the boys have features during their prime, and they could've really brought all of their antics to the screen & not have to worry about angry parent groups or toning it down for the sake of the children.

5/10

This is one of the best of all the later '60s feature films to star the enduring comedy trio. It succeeds admirably because Moe, Larry and Curly Joe are kept up front of the proceedings and it doesn't hurt at all (except perhaps for them when they get smacked around) that the comedy is consistent and faithful to what we expect from seeing all those old Stooge shorts. Despite their advancing ages, the "boys" hit all their marks perfectly and never do we get the impression that we're dealing with men well into their sixties. The Stooges are pharmacy workers who get a hold of a time traveling device (it doesn't matter how or why) and find themselves in ancient times where they face a lot more than just Hercules. For such a film, the production looked more expensive than it probably was, and I had to smile at the winks to BEN-HUR. *** out of ****