Half Shot Shooters

Larry, Curley, and Moe sleep through most of the war and are the bane of Sgt. MacGillicuddy's existence. Despite being lazy soldiers, they are honorably discharged with awards. They find themselves as bums on the streets. They are tricked into signing up for the US Army again under the command of MacGillicuddy. I like most of this. The guys and MacGillicuddy have great chemistry. I would change the targets of the final sequences. The targets need to be funnier. They could blow silly billboards or setting off an explosion which flips a car crash back to its normal place. The final explosion should be the boys blowing themselves up. That's the only truly hilarious finish.

The Three Stooges were known for their physicality, but most of the antics were supplied to themselves. In April 1936' "Half Shot Shooters," Clyde Bruckman's script was unusually violent for its time. The legendary screenwriter Bruckman, who co-wrote many of Buster Keaton's silent movie classics, inserted many unusual cruel scenes for this, the Stooges' 14th episode.

Actor Stanley Blystone, as Sgt. MacGillicuddy, dishes out the brutally sadistic punishment to our three heroes. "Half Shot Shooters" opens in the last day of World War One on the front. The sergeant spots our three heroes sleeping while the morning battle rages, and proceeds to punch Curly and Larry in the face, giving them both black eyes while he twists Moe's arm so much he breaks it. The three are subsequently given medals for their 'wounds.' The short jumps to year 1935, with the Stooges out of work, and are coerced into joining the Army again. They meet up with their same sergeant, who takes them to the bathroom, makes them dunk their heads in a large sink, and shoots his gun into the water, making them deaf. Lastly, after the Stooges are firing a coast artillery canon in what they think is a practice session, MacGillicuddy arrives, lines them up as if taking their picture, aims the canon at them and fires. All that's left of the Three Stooges are the smoking shoes they left behind.

"Half Shot Shooters" is famous for being the first Columbia Pictures short to not contain any females. In addition, the studio's logo, designed in 1928, was last seen in the opening of this Stooges short. The new logo, introduced in the studio's next film, has the Torch Lady standing on a pedestal, not adorning any headdress, and having the text 'Columbia' chiseled in letters behind her.

"Half Shot Shooters" also introduces to the Three Stooges series veteran actor Vernon Dent, playing the restaurant patron whose chicken is stolen by the Stooges' dog. A Mack Sennett actor in the early 1920s, Dent played in a number of Harry Langdon's movies, and worked alongside comedians Buster Keaton, Charley Chase and Bert Wheeler. Dent appeared in more Stooges' shorts than any other supporting actor-96. He became especially good friends with Shemp Howard when he returned to the Stooges after replacing Curly.

Since my childhood The Three Stooges was in my Life and l grew up watching the show until now....in this episode our friends are in World War I sleeping behind the walls when the war is over,a mad Sergeant catch they and beats on them...after discharge they made a revenge...in 1935 unaware they are on Army again...you can guess who they meet again???....The Three Stooges Forever!

Begins in final day of wwi leave after attacking sgt can't find work...join army again.

Artillary...shoot at flagship instead of target ship very dark ending.

"Half Shot Shooters" begins on the final day of WWI. While the war is STILL going on around them, the Stooges try to catch up on some sleep. And, when they are awoken by the Sergeant and told the war is over, lots of slapping ensues. In the next scene, as they are now home and discharged, they take their vengeance out on their hated Sergeant. But when they can't find work and accidentally re-signup for the army, guess who they'll be reporting to? Yep, their old Sergeant...and wow does he get his revenge in one of the darkest endings I can recall from a Three Stooges film.

This one only has a few laughs and I can't help think that the writers were not particularly inspired when they wrote this. It should have been a very funny short...instead it's an okay short with a dark ending. But this ending is so dark and weird, I recommend you see it...just to see how the story ends.

This kind of story happened in at least three of The Three Stooges short, and all of them are pretty funny. This wasn't as good as the others until the last five minutes when it takes a strange turn with a big cannon, and then finishes strong.

The basic storyline - see if this sounds familiar - is the boys are in the army, are lazy slobs and then get picked on my a gruff sergeant. They are discharged (or the war is over), the boys immediately get revenge on the sergeant when they find out he has no power over them anymore. Later, through a mistake, they re-up into the army and now face that same sergeant, who is out to kill them, at this point.

Here, it's 1918 and World War I is raging. We see real footage of soldiers on the battlefield, running and shooting. Then we see the Three Stooges snoring away in a foxhole. The sergeant gives them the business. The same day, it's announced the war is over and on their way out the door, the Stooges really do a number on the Sarge, beating the crap out of him.

There are parts of this comedy, I might say, that almost shocked me in that some of it wasn't slapstick, but almost downright meanness and torture. The violence goes past the normal laughs. For example, in one scene the Sargent has the boys put their heads underwater and then fires a pistol in the water, deafening the boys. That is nasty. It reminded of a brutal scene in the film noir, "The Big Combo."

Anyway, fast-forward to 1935. It's the Depression and the boys are desperate for work. (They haven't aged a bit, by the way.) Because they are kind of ignorant and never read signs, they wind up re-enlisting....and, of course, the same sergeant is there! What happens afterward is a bit of a surprise. The gag turns out to be something else besides the animosity between the Stooges and the Sarge, but the boys' misuse of a huge cannon during a supposed practice session. The Stooges wind up blowing up houses, chimneys and finally, a ship in our own Navy! Those scenes with the cannon are very funny and ends this comedic short on a high note.