The Yoke's on Me

Ma and pa are proud that their sons Larry, Curly, and Moe have joined the armed forces. They are annoyed when their boys return after getting rejected. The boys try to regain their parents' respect by buying a rundown farm and working for the war effort. Some Japs escaped from a relocation center. An ostrich ran away from a circus.

This is a fine Stooges short until the Japs show up. One must remember that this is wartime propaganda. That means belittling the Japanese and even stuffing them with bad teeth. It is ugly. It cannot be ignored even if it is understandable for its times. It colors the whole thing and its off-putting nature sucks out all the fun.

I'll never forget the first time when I watch this stooge short when I was like 13 or 14 on TBS and that was the only time that I've ever seen this short on television and unfortunately they didn't play this short on Family Channel or AMC but to say the least, I have this short on tape.

The boys are discharged from the army and their father tells the boys that they'll be working on a farm and they buy the farm for $1000 and their car (which is a piece of junk) and the same thing goes to the farm and the only livestock they got is a bird and a ostrich, there's a funny scene when Curly steps on a loose board and it hits Moe right in the face, later on the guy they bought the farm is stopped by the police to tell them that a bunch of Japs escaped from a relocation center and after the cop is done talking to him, the car wouldn't start and he actually mutters 'b@$!ard' (a cuss word on a 1940's stooge short).

Then the stooges witness an ostrich eating blasting powder and Curly tears up the feathers and starts a fan dance and later on they start cleaning out the pumpkins and the Japs show and they put their heads inside of a pumpkin, SICK!! And the stooges blow up the Japanese with the ostrichs egg which had blasting powder in it.

I don't understand that why people come down really hard on this short, I actually think that this is one of the best stooge shorts of all time, I also can't believe that one viewer stated that he likes the awful Joe Besser short Sweet and Hot (which I believe was their worst short) better than this stooge classic.

I give this short 9/10.

I saw this as a kid, before it had been yanked from the rotation, and even then it left a bad taste in my mouth. There were some competently worked out gags, but making slapstick villains out of American citizens who'd been interned in camps strictly due to their race was amazingly tasteless.

Moe himself might have wanted this one buried. He was a liberal guy. In his autobiography he told of visiting a town in the segregated South, where he saw a black man get off the sidewalk to avoid passing too close. Moe stepped into the street to show it wasn't a problem, and the man then got back on the curb. Then off again. Finally, the man told Moe nervously that if Moe didn't stop trying to share the sidewalk with him, he might get them both lynched.

Another thing: There are exploding ostrich eggs but no oxen in the film, so the title should actually be (if anyone cares) "The Yolk's on Me."

The Yoke's on Me (1944)

** (out of 4)

After being rejected by the Army and Navy, brothers Moe, Larry and Curly return home where their father makes them by a farm so that they can work. It turns out the farm isn't in the greatest shape but soon some escaped Japanese men meet them.

THE YOKE'S ON ME is one of the lesser Stooges short as there's really not too many funny moments in it. The film starts off on a pretty weak note as there's not a single laugh to be had with the father. From here there are a few minor jokes but there's not a single classic Stooges moment. If I had to pick a highlight it would be the scene dealing with the disappearing jack-o-lanterns. While it could be said there was never an awful short from the boys, this one here is certainly disappointing.

Many people may hate this short only because there is some political incorrectness. But I'm a type of person who does not base reviews on political correctness and I think it is silly to do so. Now lets get to my review. In my opinion, this was quite a funny short, Curly's dance makes this short worth watching! I also remember watching this one at age 9 and loving it. I love the "goose" conversation the stooges have, it is hilarious. The only negative part of this short is when Curly tries to kill a goose(previously done with a duck in "A Ducking They Did Go")which is an old gag. Still a short worth adding to your collection.

Grade: A-