Three Little Pirates

Many Curly fans are disappointed with his 1945-46 performances during which his health got worse and worse to the point where he was no longer his old energetic self. However, his performance in this is as good as one could hope for (no one can play a maharajah better than Curly!) and fans of Curly and the stooges in general would love this short (which I consider to be their best of 1946). The plot: The stooges are sailors who wind up in ancient times and are sentenced to death by the ruler. Luckily, lady Rita is there to help them escape. Using their wits (disguising Curly as a maharajah) and their fighting abilities (they later face a band of cutthroat pirates who challenge them to a game of knife-throwing), they are eventually victorious. As mentioned, Curly's performance in this is just wonderful and there are memorable sight gags throughout. I consider this and "Fuelin' Around" to be director Edward Bernds's best Stooges shorts. RECOMMENDED

Three Little Pirates finds Moe, Larry, and Curly managing to drift into another time as well as another land when they loose control of their New York City garbage scow and drift out into the ocean. They arrive in a strange land that looks like the domain of some 17th century pirates with a jealous king Vernon Dent who throws them into jail just on general principles. As if being a Stooge wasn't enough.

But they are not without allies as the king's mistress Christine McIntyre sees the boys as her means of escape. Foolish girl, but she leads them to the pirate den where of course they have some more problems with pirate leader Robert Stevens.

Curly shines in this one as he and Moe play a visiting Rajah and an interpreter. It's a great comic sequence as they shower the king with 'gifts' from the new world like a lollipop ruby and bubblegum.

A really good stooge short.

Larry, Curly, and Moe are bumbling sailors from a modern day garbage scow. They shipwreck and find themselves taken prisoner by a old time Spanish settlement. Rita Yolanda needs help to escape the Governor and recruits the three boys. They disguise themselves and seeks the help of pirate Black Louie.

It's such a weird mix for a premise. It's somehow old timey but it has all the modern technology like electricity. I wouldn't mind straight-up time traveling Stooges. Their fish out of water would add another layer of comedy. There is plenty of ridiculous hilarity in this one. It's fun stupidity. It would be nice for them to actually escape as an ending.

Only a fool would try to argue that any Stooge short is the "best", but some, like Three Little Pirates, can definitely be termed "one of the best". If you are a Stooge fan, this is the one that you HAVE to see.

The premise is simple: the Stooges, as castaways on an island seemingly locked in the Middle Ages and under despotic rule by an impetuous Emperor, must escape with their lives and take His Majesty's betrothed with them. Easier said than done!

Comedic highlights include the Stooges trying to break out of their cell with a jackhammer, numerous anachronisms (the jackhammer, a pinball machine), Curly's disastrous knife-throwing routine, a painting which comes to life, and jokes about execution.

The highlight, however, is the indescribable "Maha? Aha!" routine. The Stooges are trying to con their way out of the palace as nobility from foreign lands. Curly is the "Maharashi", and Moe is his translator, the "Djinn of Rummi". They chatter in a made-up language, and even though Curly repeatedly bursts into perfect English, and Moe repeatedly slaps him, the Emperor notices nothing.

If you love the Stooges, this is a must-see. It is undoubtedly one of the best ever.

I remember this one best for the film in which Curly wears the ultra-thick black- rimmed glasses with a turban on is head, pretending to be the Raja of Canoli (or something like that).

The story is kind of a time-travel one. The Three Stooges and their garbage scow are washed up along the shore many miles away, off Deadman's Island. They seem to have entered a different period in time where it is now the late 1600s. Immediately, they are called spies and put into jail.

In the first five minutes, this is a very loud episode - at least in prolonged skit early on with guys trying to drill their way out of jail. After that, it's more of a verbal Stooges in that the dialog dominates more than the physical, which is very unusual for a Three Stooges film. Maybe part of that was Curly beginning to fail in his health. However, he seems pretty spry here, but most of his gags come with his dialog with Moe.

The film was done in the short period (mid '40s) where Curly kind of changed his voice. It was higher and that high pitch led to some funny material, although his voice gets a bit grating in this episode. However, you can't help but laugh at his comments.

The story is basically about the Stooges, with help from Rita, trying to escape from the island. She'll help them if they'll take her with them. She (series regular Christine McIntrye) doesn't want to be married to the governor, played by another series regular, Vernon Dent.

The ending is a classic with half-blind Curly (because of the fake glasses) having some knife-throwing contests with "Black Louie" the pirate, and then the boys - and Rita - getting into a brawl with Louie's gang at the saloon. Silly, but fun.