History of The Three Stooges (Part III: The Classics Continue - 1940-1942)

By the latter one-third of the 1930s, The Three Stooges' popularity soared almost as fast as the economy did during at decade. While Part I focused on the Stooges' early years heading into their long run at Columbia Pictures, Part II was about their prime, the years that saw the beginning of their rising popularity, which included the Stooges being caricatured in a number of classic cartoons.

The 1940s was an interesting decade for the trio, and the shorts that came out during the beginning of the decade definitely set the tone for what the 40s would bring:

1940

1940 delivered a lot of gems, beginning with You Nazty Spy!, which spoofed how the Nazis rose to power. This short was released on January 19 of that year, mere months after the invasion of Poland began the Second World War. So this was a WWII short released during a period where the U.S. was neutral regarding the war. The plot in this one: a trio of munitions manufacturers overthrow the King of Moronica and places three paperhangers (the Stooges) in power, with Moe (surprise, surprise) as the dictator. This was a very hilarious one; Moe and Larry definitely thought so--they claim it's a favorite of theirs.

Rockin' Thru the Rockies followed, which had its funny moments but really didn't need the backwards depiction of Indigenous people. After that, it was A Plumbing We Will Go, one of the most famous shorts out there, and was also a favorite of Curly's. The short has the trio posing as plumbers and working the pipes at a lavish estate, and it goes as well as one expects. The short marked the Stooges debut of Dudley Dickerson, the most frequently used Black actor in the Stooges shorts.

Nutty But Nice had the boys searching for the missing father of a young girl who became lethargic following her father's disappearance, and I loved this one as well due to a lot of the comedic moments, including redoing the dumbwaiter gag from Three Little Pigskins. How High is Up? featured the boys as repairmen who end up working construction on a building with 97 stories, and From Nurse to Worse has Curly being portrayed as being insane so the boys could cash in on the insurance, but the doctor's plan to operate kiboshes the scheme. No Census, No Feeling has the boys as census takers, and I can't help but love how Curly and Larry both messed with Moe with that "born in Lake Winnepesaukee/one of a litter of three" gag. Cookoo Cavaliers has the boys as fish salesmen turned salon owners, and Boobs in Arms featured the boys as greeting card salesman who look to escape the insanely jealous husband of a customer by getting into an army enlistment line. The boys are enlisted men, but there's one problem: that jealous hubby is their sergeant!

1941

1941 kicked off with So Long, Mr. Chumps, a short that sees the Stooges--after returning a wallet filled with money--being tasked with finding an honest man, and being promised a reward for doing so. The task ends up landing them in jail, and also learning that they had been gypped big time. Next up was Dutiful but Dumb, the short with two big attributes. One, the short introduced the "three watches" gag ("This one is 10 minutes slow, this one is 20 minutes fast, the one in the middle is stopped at 2:00"), and secondly, the short is more known for Curly's hilarious battle with the oyster. All the World's a Stooge has the trio as cleaners turned makeshift dentists who ended up adopted as refugees by a wealthy couple.

And then, there's I'll Never Heil Again, which was released on July 4, 1941 and was the sequel to You Nazty Spy!, marking the first instance of a Stooge sequel. Remember the three jokers who overthrew the King of Moronica to put Moe in as dictator? Well, they realized they messed up royally, and went to the King to put him back in power and get the Stooges out. Of course, the trio was back playing their similar roles from the first film, and both shorts ended in the same way: with the Stooges knocked off.

An Ache in Every Stake was a hilarious one with the Stooges as ice salesmen who end up serving as the cooking staff for a party after the actual staff quits, and In the Sweet Pie and Pie is another of my favorites, which features the Stooges as convicts awaiting execution, who are also targets of a scheme by three wealthy women. The scheme: the women would marry the Stooges just to get their inheritance, and when they're hanged, the girls would marry their boyfriends. One problem: the Stooges were exonerated because they were innocent, and the women are stuck with them. The standout in this short is the wild pie fight scene in the climax, deliciously good stuff! Some More of Samoa has the Stooges as tree surgeons who head to Samoa to find a mate from the rare Puckerless Persimmon tree, with a lot of hilarious results.

1942

1942's first short was, IMO, the best one from that year: Loco Boy Makes Good. The short sees the Stooges attempt a slip and fall scheme, but when they see the building's elderly proprietress hassled, the Stooges step in and do their best to save her business. A building makeover later, the Stooges host a big event that sees magic tricks, a musical performance, and seltzer. Cactus Makes Perfect has the Stooges' search for gold see them encounter gold raiders who want to do them in, and What's the Matador? places the Stooges in Mexico as they look to get their comedy bullfight act going, while also avoiding a jealous husband (another one?!).

Regarding Matri-Phony, I'll say this. The short debuted another new version of the Three Blind Mice theme, which was faster paced and included accordions. That and a clip of this short being played in the 2001 film, Saving Silverman, may be the only positives from this. It's been said that this wasn't among their best shorts; it was one of only two directed by Harry Edwards, and from what I read, he sucked and made things quite tedious. Three Smart Saps had the boys set to be married, but their sweethearts' father, a prison warden, is locked up himself, as a criminal took it over, leading to the Stooges looking to rescue their future father-in-law. Even as I.O.U. was an interesting one that had the boys betting on a race horse to help a homeless woman and her child, and Sock-a-Bye Baby has the Stooges raising a baby that was left on their doorstep.

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These 23 shorts were released on DVD as the third volume of The Three Stooges Collection on August 26, 2008. These shorts saw the Stooges' prime continue, and their popularity skyrocketed. However, the next batch of shorts would see the beginning of a drastic change to the trio's dynamic, but that's another story for another time.