Cuckoo on a Choo Choo

I am among those who are drawn towards this bizarre Stooges short; certainly because of the reference to the "Penciltucky R.R. Co." (nyuk, nyuk, nyuk) and the railroad car named "Schmow," among others, plus this not being a "typical" Stooges entry. (And in this film in particular, Larry looks almost like a hippie version of former New York Mayor Ed Koch, especially when you consider the longer hair.)

But one has to wonder if this being judged among the worst of their offerings has as much to do with what was going on behind-the-scenes at Columbia's short-subjects department at the time this was being produced, as anything else in the film. This was from the period after Jules White became the sole producer/director of the Stooges (a situation, or 'soicumstance' if you will, which would stand until the closing of the short-subjects unit in 1958), following the firing of producer Hugh McCollum and the resignation of director Edward Bernds (all of whose directorial efforts of the Stooges were under McCollum) out of loyalty to his just-sacked boss and mentor. It is agreed among many Stooge-o-philes that the quality of their shorts plummeted mightily after White took full control. (To be sure, the Stooges' films weren't Shakespeare or anything else even slightly resembling "high art"; but for what they were, opinions differ among fans on when the quality decline took place - Curly's career-ending stroke and Shemp replacing him, the aforementioned backroom studio politics, etc.)

The question thus has to be asked (and probably unlikely to be answered, since almost all the participants are now dead, with the possible exception of actress Patricia Wright who played "Lenora"): How would the McCollum/Bernds duo have tackled such an unorthodox, offbeat script as this? Bernds is usually regarded by Stooge aficionados as helming some of their better entries, and especially his dealings with the actors and working around them (i.e. the final Curly shorts he crafted, where he took into account Curly's illness when making them, unlike White who merely shifted the action towards Moe and Larry; not to mention, in general, White's forcing everybody to work according to his idea of what "worked" in two-reel comedy).

"Cuckoo on A Choo Choo" has often been called the worst Three Stooges short. While it's not their best film, the uniqueness of this work in the series begs for a second look.

Larry and Shemp have swiped a railroad car called Schmow, with Larry hoping to marry his girlfriend. Shemp is a rich drunk who would rather woo an imaginary canary than the sister of Larry's girlfriend. Moe plays a railroad detective who discovers the car.

"Cuckoo on a Choo Choo" is a broad satire on "A Streetcar Named Desire." Larry satires Marlon Brando's role in that movie, and it is a delight to see him in a role other than middle Stooge. Shemp's drunkard character adds some comedic highlights as well.

True, the film is budget-thin (the streetcar is basically the only set) and tedious at times. But the satire and the broad humor make this film unique (much like the uniqueness of their first Columbia film, "Woman Haters," which included rhyming dialogue).

This is not the worst film in the series (the racist "The Yoke's on Me," which shows Japanese-Americans that escaped from a California relocation camp, surely rates that honor). I encourage Stooge fans to seek out this hard-to-find film and compare it with "The Yoke's on Me" or half of the Joe Besser shorts for awfulness. "Cuckoo on A Choo Choo" offers enough funny business and satire to appeal to the casual Stooge fan. 6 out of 10.

CUCKOO ON A CHOO CHOO is a very bizarre Three Stooges short. The gags are all rather silly and dumb other than genuinely funny, and the Stooges act stranger than usual here. I think it's one of the worst ones I've ever seen, and I never was a fan of the shorts that have the boys playing different characters. That comes off too forced and drama-like.

Grade: D-

Larry and Shemp are living in a stolen railroad car. Lenora won't marry Larry until Shemp marries her sister Roberta first as dictated by family tradition. All Shemp does is get drunk. Railroad investigator Moe tracks down the stolen railway car. He's actually been searching for Roberta who turned down his marriage proposal. Meanwhile, Shemp is hallucinating a giant canary.

This one stands out a little more with the canary and the skunk. They do plenty of gorilla suit characters, but this is a giant canary-man. It's a surreal ridiculous sight. It's weird and I like it. It's mildly humorous. The skunk is also unusual. They used a real skunk at times. I think they can de-sense the skunk, but it still smells.

This short is extremely weird, but some of the gags are quite funny, but some of the gags are just too silly. The idea about Shemp seeing an imaginary canary is absolutely ridiculous and very silly. Unfortunately, Shemp is not that funny in this one because he spends too much time acting drunk than actually being funny. But Moe and Larry do a pretty good job. Overall: C+