The Three Stooges in Orbit

Rather than retread my own version of the old "Joe Derita as a stooge debate," I'll just say that when you accept the older 60s stooges for what they are, some of these films do get a bit better, after awhile. A point I already knew years ago seeing these for the first time, but sometimes, it's not bad to take a break from the short subjects and pop in a feature.

"Daze," and "Hercules," still make for slighty better fun, but orbit is still a good one. The plot is cornball as hell (obviously) and the martian makeup won't knock your socks off, but maybe Joe himself has his best perfromance as "Curly-Joe."

I have seen live clips of Derita with Moe & Larry where he seems to flex more persona, so maybe this speaks to the format of the actual Columbia films as to whether or not he was restrained or not overly overt as a comedic dynamo like the obvious Curly, or even Shemp.

Not to mention, a few of his Columbia solo efforts were pretty good...

First of all, let me tell you that I'm a huge stooge fan. I consider them one of the most underrated teams in comedy history, only supported by a huge fan base but not for the critics. The stooges are much more than Moe hitting the others or flying pies. But sadly, the last years of his glorious legacy are far from the rambocious, lunatic and uproarious days with Jerome "Curly" Howard or even with Shemp. And this movie is a clear example. Slow paced humor and only a few good jokes aren't enough for sustain a 90 minutes film. The old stooges try to do their best, but even the scrip doesn't help. The martians are fun to watch, Emil Sitka was always a good companion for the boys, but the overall feel is bittersweet. I prefer them in their legendary Columbia shorts, the kind of stuff that influenced Seinfield's trio Jerry, George and Kramer, and many many others.

Sure, I know this film is not a great comedy, or even a good one. But for alot of us aging boomers this film is a sweet memory. It recalls a more innocent time in movies, and an appreciation for the Stooges in their autumnal years. And what's wrong with dancing Martians?

This is one of the weaker things the later Stooges did, and you can mark that down as coming from a lifetime fan of all their two-reel shorts (be they with Curly, Shemp or Joe) as well as their feature films with Curly Joe DeRita. This movie just flat out ain't very funny. Having Moe, Larry and Curly Joe tangle with old professor Emil Sitka and cool-looking Frankensteinian martians (well, they look cool to those of us who grew up loving cheesy monster movies) should have helped make for a sure fire bullseye. Instead, this nonsense is all over the place, hopping from one unfunny bit of business to the next, trying to fill in the running time with all sorts of unrelated junk (including a meaningless relationship for the professor's daughter). This makes their Joe Besser shorts like OUTER SPACE JITTERS and SPACE SHIP SAPPY look positively first-rate. ** out of ****

I enjoyed watching this movie and is more entertaining than Have a Rocket We Travel. The story itself has too many going on like the Stooges helping the scientist build his machine, while he have a way to help their business, and there also aliens who does generic stuff in the movie. I found each of the plot to be connect with each others, but the one with the Stooges show is the reason why they decide to help the scientist. The comedy is a hit or miss with a couple of funny moments from the Stooges and the gags that you see throughout the movie. I found Professor Danforth to be a interesting character with his weird machine and how he helps them with their business. He also has a daughter who has nothing to do with the plot and I forgot that she exist. As for the alien plotline, it your standard stuff with them decide on what they going to them and the motive is generic. Also, don't expect good makeup effects in this movie because the aliens looks pretty bad and their design is weird. I found the movie entertaining with them driving that submarine and going on a rampage, and the climax itself is pretty entertaining.

The Three Stooges in Orbit is a fun movie that I enjoyed watching despite it flaws.