Idiots Deluxe

This was the film in which we first see Moe on trial for trying to murder Curly and Larry. The rest of the film, except for the ending, is a flashback and what led to Moe losing control and trying to murder his buddies.

It's fairly famous for that, and for the scenes with a bear out in the woods, who licks honey from Moe's glass and eventually drives away in their car while signaling for a left turn!! Who can ever forget that? No matter how many times I view those scenes, I laugh out loud. Those bear scenes are true Three Stooges classic moments.

This is one of the top 20 short films, in my opinion, of all time regarding The Three Stooges. It's full of classic slapstick scenes.

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.

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.

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)

*** (out of 4)

Moe is on trial for assaulting Larry and Curly but he pleads with the judge to allow him to tell what actually happened. We learn that Moe was being treated for a nervous condition so Larry and Curly took him into the woods where they ended up running into a bear.

IDIOTS DELUXE is a very funny short for The Three Stooges so fans of them will certainly enjoy it. I'd also argue that if you're unfamiliar with their work then this would be a good place to begin because there are some really funny gags along the way. There are several very funny moments scattered throughout the short but the highlight has to be the sequence with the bear being "dead" and in the back seat of the car. The joke that happens is rather obvious but it's still a lot of fun.