Three Stooges in Orbit, The |
USA • 1962 • 90m •
   • Directed by: Edward Bernds. • Starring: Joe DeRita, Larry Fine, Moe Howard, Carol Christensen, Edson Stroll, Emil Sitka, George N. Neise, Rayford Barnes, Norman Leavitt, Nestor Paiva, Don Lamond, Peter Brocco, Thomas Glynn. • Music by: Paul Dunlap.     The Three Stooges have a show to do, but since the rehearsals require cooking, they manage to get themselves thrown out of every hotel they can find. They finally find room and board at the home of the goofy inventor, Professor Danforth, but that home has it's own problems. Namely, the Professor is working on a new all-terrain, flying, space worthy submersible. With some persuading, the Stooges agree to help him finish his invention and demonstrate it to the military. However, the Martians are interested in the vehicel as well and when they learn of its perfection, they plan to steal it and destroy the Earth. Like it or not, the fate of the world rests on the courage of Moe, Larry and Curly-Joe.
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Review:
I have read that "The Three Stooges in Orbit," directed by the usually great Edward Bernds, is not one of the better feature films that the Stooges made. Indeed, the story is not well put-together; it might have just been an excuse to incorporate stock footage from the Stooges' unsuccessful TV pilot "The Three Stooges Scrapbook" into the first twenty or so minutes of "Orbit." Adding to the flimsiness of sixties sci-fi production values are the appearances of the Martians; they are basically human bodies with hideously over-sized heads and embarrassingly unintelligible language. And the music score of Paul Dunlap, while somewhat interesting, may not be enough to enhance the picture. However, "The Three Stooges in Orbit" is still entertaining to watch, and the boys are greatly supported by their long-time pal Emil Sitka, who has a substantial role as the eccentric Prof. Danforth.
Here are some of my favorite highlights from "Orbit" (do not read on if you have not yet seen the picture). The model of the professor's tankhelicoptersubmarine buzzes Curly-Joe while he takes a shower; he ends up dousing Moe, Larry, and the professor when they arrive to help him. The Stooges resemble Martians in their white costumes and makeup when the professor films them applying the latest dance craze for their faltering cartoon show. When Martians Ogg (George N. Neise) and Zogg (Rayford Barnes) hijack the professor's vehicle and traverse the sky while the Stooges hold on for dear life, Curly-Joe gets his head stuck in the ray gun that the Martians installed. While the Stooges help the professor fine-tune the vehicle before showing it to the Air Force brass, Larry accidentally squirts oil onto Curly-Joe's face; Joe, in turn, staggers onto the vehicle's controls, causing Moe to fearfully spin around on a helicopter blade. At a climactic moment, Moe figures out what the Martians are up to by reading the English subtitles off the screen; the boys then accidentally knock each other out in trying to knock out Ogg and Zogg. The Stooges make a total mess out of their demonstration of Prof. Danforth's vehicle for the Air Force. And finally, Curly-Joe proves he doesn't know how to work a hammer and chisel; Larry tries to help him, but he proves himself not much smarter.
So "The Three Stooges in Orbit" may not be the best feature film that the boys tackled. But I would like to believe that every film has its good points, and this film delivers at least a few laughs for the Stooge fan.
Review by slymusic from the Internet Movie Database.
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