Uncivil Warriors

This review is of the eighth Three Stooges short they made for Columbia Pictures. In this one, Moe, Larry, and Curley (as his name was spelled at the time) are Union spies during the Civil War disguising themselves as Confederates in order to discover their plans. Plenty of many very funny and what would become very familiar routines abound here and they all come together perfectly. And it's always a treat to see usual supporting player Bud Jamison whenever he has a scene with the boys. Also, usual writer Felix Adler and director Del Lord-with only his second film with the boys-do a fine job of making this an almost perfect Stooges short. Oh, and while there's a visual joke near the end that would probably be politically incorrect today, the way Moe explains it does excuse it a little. So on that note, Uncivil Warriors comes highly recommended.

During the US Civil War, Operator 12 (Larry Fine), Operator 14 (Moe Howard), and Operator 15 (Curly Howard) are given a secret mission behind the southern lines. They take on the captured identities of Lieutenant Duck (Larry), Captain Dodge (Moe), and Major Hyde (Curly).

This has all the great Three Stooges slapstick. It has a bit of drama but it's mostly Stooges stupidity in the funniest sense. The feathers in the cake are a charming touch. A cross-dressing Curly is also good. This ends with the guys fired from the cannon and landing on the northern general. It's a bit abrupt but the 20 min short still works. The boys could have at least given a quick report to the general.

I know that if I had a sensitive mission involving obtaining some enemy secrets at wartime, I'd entrust that mission to none other than the team of Howard, Howard, and Fine to get the job done. It's agreed they're the best men for the job.

That's what the Three Stooges have to do in Uncivil Warriors, get some battle plans from the Confederate headquarters which is in an old plantation house. Of course Moe, Larry, and Curly especially Curly aren't exactly housebroken yet to mix in that society.

Funniest scene is them eating a cake where feathers have been stuffed into the batter mix. Seeing these three coughing up enough feathers for an indoor blizzard will really tickle the old funny bone.

The Three Stooges are Union spies sent to snoop on the activities of the Confederates in this different short from their earliest period. This gives them the opportunity to dress up in Civil War costumes, which boosts the level of their shenanigans slightly. Good scenes include them trying to outwit usual foil Bud Jamison, as well as a classic routine that would be repeated many times as this series continued: Curley helps bake a layer cake but mistakenly adds a torn and discarded pot holder into the pan, causing feathers to be coughed up later on while eating it.

*** out of ****

"Uncivil Warriors" is one of the funniest shorts that the 3 Stooges have ever done. Though "Men In Black" was nominated for an Oscar in the Short Subject category, this film could have been nominated as well in 1935. The Three Stooges displayed their greatest comedic energy between 1934 and 1937, and "Uncivil Warriors" is a gem among all of their films. The funniest scene is when the boys are masquerading as Confederate officers and Curly has to dress up as an officer's wife. But when the boys have to "produce" a child to keep up the masquerade and the child is black, that is hysterical. That was a joke that was very brave to do in 1935 - the same year that Southern theater owners didn't want their audiences to see a dance number between Shirley Temple and Bill "Bo Jangles" Robinson. Much respect goes to director Del Lord - for letting the Stooges go to the comedic edge of the universe. Also, much respect goes to actor Bud Jamison, one of the best straight men in comedy at that time. Had Jamison not passed away in 1944, he would have been very much a part of the Stooges legend. Now that television is editing all of the Stooges films for commercial time, it is better to get all of your favorite Stooges films on VHS or DVD.