The Three Stooges Meet Hercules

Product Details

Twice condemned as galley slaves, the Stooges see that Schuyler now has the muscles but not the self-confidence to rescue Diana and the rest of Greece from the odious Odius. Schuyler is tricked into thinking himself all-powerful and performs many Herculean labors (with many a stuffed animal and some decent backscreen projection).

Although Curly Joe seems a few notches above his namesake in the brains department (which is not saying all that much), his reactions at times of real and supposed danger are quite ordinary compared with the old Curly. In fact, it is Moe who takes on the Curly bark at a recalcitrant prop. But the old sound effects are there to punctuate blows to belly and head, although eye pokes are out, due to parental objections to the influence of the trio, newly popular on television. --Frank Behrens

Product Reviews

(3 stars) - A little past their prime
Sadly, by the time this film was made (1961, according to the copyright date on the film itself, not 1962), the Three Stooges shtick was a little beyond its prime. Partly that was because of the age of the Stooges (Moe was 64, and Larry and Curly-Joe weren't far behind), but partly it was because of the age itself -- their trademark physical comedy had to be heavily toned down because it was no longer acceptable to over-protective children's advocates. And partly, of course, it was because the act no longer had either of its classic line-ups: views vary on the worth of Curly-Joe DeRita, but it may be agreed he was neither Curly Howard nor Shemp Howard.

That said, this film has more resonance of the classic Stooges shorts than most of their later films, even if without the belly laughs. It is also interesting that the producers cared enough about it to invest in wide-screen format, but not enough to invest in making it in colour. There was a lot of that going on in Hollywood in the late 50s and early 60s. Interestingly, there is a promo on the disc for a series of colourised Stooges DVDs, but this one has not itself been given the treatment.

It is disappointing that, aside from that promo, there are absolutely no extras on this disc.

Nevertheless, this is fair value, but probably for hard-core Stooges fans only. Anyone wanting to be introduced to the Stooges for the first time would be better served with one of the many anthologies of their short subjects available than one of these films from the later period. But if you do want to dip into the movies, this is probably the best of them.

(5 stars) - Awsome Movie!
This was sooo good! It was really funny, clean, well priced, and had great quality. I highly recommend this movie.

(5 stars) - Nyuk nyuk nyuk....
This is quite possibly the single greatest work of that great comedy troupe known as "The Three Stooges".
Laughs and more laughs from start to finish. If you are a fan this is the one title you cannot do without in your dvd collection. In fact, the price is so reasonable you should buy extra copies for your friends and family.

(3 stars) - Curly - joe era stooges
I like this film but please these are not the spry young Stooges of the Curly era. And as such should not be compared as. So what do we have but a comedy,science fiction, and adventure film that was aimed at those Saturday morning audience. So enjoy it as it is, beside it is alot better for my 3 and 4 year old to watch at this stage and they enjoy it especially the 2 headed cyclops.

(5 stars) - The knuckleheads meet the musclehead
This is arguably the best Three Stooges feature of the bunch. It was fun to watch, and kept me engaged all the way through it. Even Moe Howard himself said that in 1962, this was a box-office smash upon its release, with lines often stretching all the way around the theatre block!
The secret behind TSMH and the other Stooge films is clever scripting and direction. We're never painfully reminded we're watching comedians well into their sixties; Moe, Larry and Curly Joe (the final member to join the ranks)are able to function & clown superbly without performing major physical stunts. BTW, Curly Joe's character in these films seems to have a closer comic styling to Lou Costello than the original Curly. And he seems to be smarter (though not by much!).
Another factor is the satirical jokes & modern-day references that make TSMH seem fresh & funny. Mel Brooks must've mined the humor for his "History of the World" comedy, which coincidentally, includes a Roman sketch.
And there's even throwbacks to the early Stooge days: the familiar sound effects and pie-throwing (done during the chariot race climax).
If you've never seen the Stooges during their 60's career revival, this is a good film to start with!

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