The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962)

not horrible nor great

Good concept, poorly executed.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

The Three Stooges -- hot-tempered Moe Howard, bumbling Larry Fine, and doltish Curly Joe De Rita -- are sent back in time to ancient Greece along with meek nerdy inventor Schuyler Davis (a likable performance by Quinn Redeker) and the sweet Diane Quigley (winningly played with spunky aplomb by the lovely Vicki Trickett). The evil King Odius (a perfectly slimy portrayal by George N. Neise) takes Diane as his wife and makes Schuyler and the Stooges his slaves. The Stooges manage to escape and travel the country passing Schuyler off as Hercules. Naturally, they all return to Rome to save Diane from King Odius and confront the real Hercules (brawny behemoth Samson Burke). Director Edward Bernds, working from a blithely silly script by Elwood Ullman, relates the enjoyably inane story at a constant brisk pace and does a good job of maintaining a properly good-natured and lighthearted tone throughout. The Stooges are all in fine wacky and spirited form, with the definite comic highlight occurring when our nutty trio dress up in drag and pass themselves off as slave girls. Another funny bit has Hercules cracking nuts with his biceps. Hal Smith is simply delightful as the jolly King of Rhodes. Moreover, this film even delivers a few thrills like a lively fight between Schuyler and Hercules and an exciting climactic chariot chase. The surprisingly lavish sets and costumes give this picture an impressive sense of scope. Paul Dunlap's robust and rousing score hits the madcap spot. Scotty Welbourne's sumptuous black and white cinematography likewise does the trick. A total hoot.

All the Stooges films set in past historical eras intentionally spoof historical genres with anachronisms (ancient Egyptians comment on baseball, a Civil War general makes a reference to a radio show, Medieval knights worry whether Lady Godiva might offend the censors, etc.). But anachronisms are tossed about so gleefully here, you begin to realize that this is what the film is really all about - how movies set in the past pull the wool over the eyes of their innocently romantic audiences with a few spangles, a bit of flash, the inevitable tear-jerk scene, and a good dose of beefcake/cheesecake. In fact, the recipe for this film could make for pretty heavy satire if the Stooges weren't so clearly making a light-hearted (and light-headed) romp of it all.Those who complain that the boys are looking pretty old in the film pretty much miss the point. An aging clown looks bad when he tries to play it young; but by working one's whiskers into the act, the clown regenerates himself as a new personality. These are not the old Stooges who bounced their way through the madcap shorts of the '30s; but they are a heck of a lot more fun than the Stooges of the '50s, trying to pretend that age had never happened. True, in their later features, they were very dependent on their scripts, which frequently let them down. But here the script is really not bad at all, and the Stooges are having a grand time, and we should, too. Just set your critical mind at rest and enjoy the show.

Most comedy is subjective. Whether one enjoys the comedy of the Stooges, like the Marx Brothers, WC Fields, Martin & Lewis, A&C, etc., is up to the individual. BTW, the Ritz Brothers were seldom funny, and the Dead End Kids really wore thin. This individual loves them. I did when I was a kid - and still do now that I'm pushing 50. I'm primarily referring to their 20-minute shorts (1932-1959). Personally, I feel that this is far and away their best feature. Most of their features are rather long in the tooth and geared towards kids. This one makes me laugh. I hope you enjoy it as much as I.

i'm 13 years old and i love the stooges. this movie is good. the three stooges get sent back in time where they meet hercules. it is very funny movie for kids or adults! i own the movie!!! Stooge Fan Jeremy