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Three Stooges - Healthy Wealthy & DumbRating:
Release Date: 23 September, 2003 Retail Price: $19.94 OUR Price: $17.99 You SAVE: $1.95! Cast: |
Three Stooges - Healthy Wealthy & Dumb Reviews
A somewhat mixed bag
It's unclear if this disc is supposed to be organised around a specific theme, the way most of the other discs in this series are. There are three Western-themed shorts, with the other three covering a wide variety of subjects. One wishes that Columbia would just get their act together and either start releasing these discs with shorts that all actually have something to do with the self-proclaimed theme, or start over from scratch by releasing the shorts in chronological order (and with a "Play All" feature; it's very annoying how you have to select the shorts one by one instead of having at least the option to play them all back-to-back). That said, the shorts included are:
'Whoops, I'm an Indian!' (1936) This short has some funny moments, like the fishing scene, Bud Jamison's French accent, and the opening fixed gambling scene, but other than that it's one of their weaker entries from 1936. It's solid and entertaining enough, just not anything really special or memorable. There's also far too little slapstick or punishment, and the ending also is pretty weak and abrupt.
'Healthy, Wealthy, and Dumb' (1938), the title short, is a classic. I can't believe some people feel that the remake, 'A Missed Fortune' (1952), was actually better and funnier. Everything flows so well, with not a wasted scene or gag, and there are too many funny and classic scenes to mention. As a animal lover, I also loved the gold-diggers' cute little pet monkey. The only somewhat weak spot in this short is the ending, which didn't provide any resolution to their troubles with the hotel manager.
'Rockin' Thru the Rockies' (1940) is a Western-themed short, though at least it doesn't find the boys playing a bunch of dopey cowboys. This makes it funnier and quicker-paced than most of their other Western shorts. I did cringe a bit at how the Native Americans were portrayed, but frankly I've seen much, much worse in films of this period, so it's not like this is the most offensive and inaccurate depiction of Native Americans ever set to film. And they're not even in that many scenes, so they're not the main focus of this short. Maybe not one of their topmost classics, but this is a nice little gem that's one of their oft-overlooked second-tier classics.
'Phony Express' (1943) is a real Western, which means it's not as funny or fast-paced as most of their other shorts. The beginning is pretty good, but it really slows down from that point on. In addition to the fact that I already don't like Westerns, the boys just never really seemed believable as slow-witted cowboys or in an Old West setting. Of course they were already pretty dumb, but underneath that outward veneer of stupidity, we know that they're actually quite witty and smart. The Old West setting also gave these shorts a much slower pace, which isn't very good for slapstick. We also see another ending that doesn't really have the greatest resolution of the situation. Still, at least it's one of their better Western shorts, and it is better than the dreadful remake 'Merry Mavericks' (1951).
'Gents Without Cents' (1944) is a bona-fide classic, even if only for the "Niagara Falls" skit. It also demonstrates how entertainers in those days really had to be able to do it all (singing, dancing, acting, the whole nine yards), particularly since many of them got started in vaudeville, as opposed to entertainers today who only can do one thing. However, I do agree that it kind of slows down with the dancing routine the girls do at the show put on at the shipyard (although at least they cut into less time than in the similar 'Rhythm and Weep' [1946]). Still, it's nice to get a glimpse of what their vaudeville act must have been like.
'If a Body Meets a Body' (1945) is a remake of 'The Laurel and Hardy Murder Case' (1930), and officially ushers in the sick Curly era. It's shocking to see how different he sounds and looks from how he did in the classic 'Idiots Deluxe,' the short that came out just prior to this. Still, this is one of the few enjoyable shorts from this painful era, since here he has significantly more energy than in something like 'Three Loan Wolves' or 'A Bird in the Head.' He also still has a lot of physical coordination and dexterity in this short. So it's not one of those later shorts where you're really distracted by how he looks, sounds, and acts like a sick man (though there are a few eerie moments here when his cries of pain actually sound real and not just like he's acting). Overall, a pretty good short and a nice spoof of horror movies.
These shorts might not all be of the same consistently great quality, but there are enough good ones here to recommend it.
You stupid idiots!
Don't pay any attention to the reviews about the DVD version. This is the VHS version, and it contains three episodes--Healthy, Wealthy, and Dumb, Disorder in the Court, and Pardon my Scotch. The first and last are both classics, some of the stooges best work. Disorder in the Court is very funny too, but part of the public domain, and every stooge fan already has it.
As for those idiots who thought this was the DVD version, you all are the real stooges.
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