The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze

Other reviewers compare this to the other Stooge films and that's okay, but this is also a sequel to Jules Verne's AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS and more specifically the 1956 film starring David Niven as Phileas Fogg and Cantinflas as his servant Passepartout. Now a few generations later, the great grandson of Phileas Fogg, Phileas Fogg III (Jay Sheffield) is tricked into re-staging the bet that made his great grandfather famous. While scheming, two bank robbers recap the original story for the viewers benefit: The original Phileas Fogg makes a bet he can travel around the world in 80 days and at the same time is accused of stealing money from the Bank of England only for the real bank robber to be caught in the end. The scheming bank robbers decide if they rob a bank, set up Fogg III as the accused, and bump him off before he completes his journey, then they will get off scot-free. And so we have a second journey around the world this time with the added handicap of not being allowed to spend any money while doing it. In steps the stooges as Fogg III's man servants who assure Fogg "we're born chiselers" and will have no problem escorting Fogg around the world without spending a dime. Whereas the original group rescues attractive Indian Princess Aouda (Shirley MacLaine), the new group rescues attractive American tourist Amelia Carter (Joan Freeman). The stooges comedy is much broader than Cantinflas and though both get top billing in their respective films, this was a Three Stooges vehicle. Similar to their other film efforts their co-stars play it mostly straight. In black-and-white and obvious back-lot locations, this is on the opposite side of the production scale of its Academy Award winning predecessor, however, it does a good job in creating a reasonable sequel.

Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze, The (1963)

** (out of 4)

The Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, Joe DeRita) play servants to the great-grandson of Phileas Fogg. Fogg the third (Jay Sheffield) is taken by a con man who says he won't be able to make it around the world in eighty days so Fogg takes the bet with the Stooges going along for the ride. This was the fifth feature film for the Stooges after regaining their popularity and sadly it's really not a very memorable one. It goes without saying but the film is spoofing the Jules Verne classic but it seems like the writers just thought that the Stooges spoofing it would be funny enough and it's not. The film contains a few nice laughs but the thing falls well short when it comes to big laughs. One of the running gags has Curly Joe going crazy when he hears "Pop Goes the Weasel" and fans of the group will remember this is something the original Curly did to perfection in some of their earliest Columbia shorts. The comic bit is decent here but it never gets a major laugh and when you see it you can't help but think back to when Curly was doing it and doing it much better. Another gag early on has the boys inside some large trunks, which of course get bumped and tossed around. The joke here doesn't work because it's obvious the Stooges aren't in any trunks and its even more obvious that the camera is doing the "twirls" that we're seeing. One funny gag that does work has the boys in China when three psychiatrists are trying to "work them over" but instead they come out acting as dumb as crazy as the Stooges in their original shorts. This bit actually has some good laughs in it and there's even a nice joke about the eye poking that this group of Stooges wouldn't do any more. Moe, Larry and DeRita are all in fine form but it's clear that age slowed the boys down. I know many fans can love all stages of the Stooges but I'm still in belief that their greatest days were their earlier ones and these here just don't have that same power. This film here will probably appeal to younger viewers because it is very child-like but I think most adults will still prefer the earlier shorts where the Stooges were at their prime.

It's now the 60s and Phileas Fogg III great grandson of the original Fogg of Jules Verne's famous story makes a similar bet with a couple of crooks who have just robbed the Bank of England and thrown suspicion on him. But instead of a Cantinflas like man Friday he has three house servants who accompany him. Guess who those servants are?

There's a twist to this bet. Jay Sheffield has to do it all without spending a dime or working for passage. No credit cards allowed. But as Moe says he's fortunate to be employing three of the biggest chiselers around. The Stooges are ingenious at finding ways to travel on the arm.

Like in the book and the Mike Todd extravaganza the super punctual Phileas Fogg finds some romance in India and in this case it's stranded Joan Freeman from Council Bluffs, Iowa.

My favorite bit is how the guys drive the Chinese Communists crazy by resisting brainwashing techniques. Quite simple, they're too stupid for them to have any effect. Shades of The Manchurian Candidate.

Another good piece is Curly Joe's attempts at Sumo wrestling. You have to see this one.

Stooge fans should approve.

Many hardcore Stooges fans look down on the latter-day Three Stooges, but "the Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze" is a fine film and a worthy addition to the Three Stooges canon. Shemp and the original Curly Joe aren't here, but this is Joe Derita's finest moment as a Stooge. The Stooges are in fine form, slapping and clobbering each other and falling into various misadventures(based loosely on the classic Jules Verne novel). You needn't worry about the romantic subplot drawing too much attention away from the boys - this film's sense of proportion is admirable. The Stooges resurrect a few of their old routines and throw in some new ones. The gentlemen playing the heels also turn in admirable comic performances. For my money, my favourite part of the movie is when the Three Stooges go to Red China. This part alone is worth the price of the movie. See for yourself. People who hate the Stooges won't be converted here, but the faithful will find much to rejoice in. Even in their latter days, they could still mug and thwock. Onesies or twosies? Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck. Greg Cameron, Surrey, B.C., Canada

I have seen alottttt of stooge movies in my day and this has to be one of the greatest FULL stooges movie there ever was. If you want Larry, Moe, and Curly-Joe? Watch this, this has to be the funniest one yet made by the stooges faction!

MY rating out of 10 = 10.