Cuckoo on a Choo Choo

That appears to be the general attitude regarding "Cuckoo on a Choo-Choo". This episode draws a great stir among stooge-heads, pro or con. Myself, I'm on the "pro" side. The weirdness of the "imaginary canary" doesn't seem to farfetched if you keep in mind this is a Three Stooges comedy and the fact that once Moe gets on the train, the regular dynamic of Moe bossing the other two around, quickly settles in. I would recommend any stooge fan watch this short and see for yourself what side of the fence you may fall on. Grade: B+

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-

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+

I must be one of the few people that likes this short. I guess you have to understand what The Stooges are making fun of here. This film makes fun of A Streetcar Named Desire, hence the reason Larry is trying imitate Marlon Brando and the torn T-Shirt, and Harvey, which explains Shemp seeing and animal no one else can see and Shemp imitating James Stewart when he is talking to the canary. Coincidently, Victoria Horne who plays Roberta in this film appeared in Harvey. My favorite gag is when Larry tells Moe, "If you don't want to lose Roberta, you'd better play ball with me." I guess this is 50's slag for You better Listen to me. Then after that, Moe whips out a ball and he and Larry toss it at each other. Although there are better shorts, this one is ok.

"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.