What wrong with this Stooge movie? Well, there's quite a bit wrong. The later day Stooges features are said to have less comic violence than the Columbia shorts. That's not exactly true in this film. The violence quotient is about the same as a typical Ed Bernds directed short. Even the dreaded Stooge eye poke is used. (Bernds wrote that he never used this move, but he's lying. He just didn't use it as often as Jules White did.) There is a problem of tone in the film. Is this a Saturday matinée item or a typical Stooge comedy? Director Rich and Writer Hayes don't seem to be able to make up their minds. Neither had worked with the Stooges before. The comedy set pieces, probably due to the suggestions of Moe and Larry, are typical Stooges, but that unicorn sends us into kiddie land. In addition, the romantic leads are unlikeable and a waste of footage. The female lead, Anna Lisa, would be better suited to play an escaped Nazi spy. She is so unlikeable that Moe must remind us that she is "a nice girl"! Bob Colbert adds absolutely nothing and is about as charismatic as a snail. Their whole subplot is unnecessary to the film. But the biggest problem with the film lies with the "third stooge". Joe DeRita is so lethargic that the sick Curly Howard of the 1946 shorts seems like a dynamo. DeRita may fleetingly resemble Howard, but he does not have Howard's skills or imagination. He tries to perform the proved gags of the Stooges, but his lack of energy sabotages the comedy. Some have tried to cover for DeRita by saying that he was past his prime when he joined the Three Stooges. Those apologists have probably not seen his shabby work in his own starring Columbia short subject series of the 1940s. He NEVER had much energy. Some say he is an improvement over Joe Besser, who really didn't fit in with the Stooges. However, Besser had a strong character and was loaded with energy. It isn't his fault that the budgets on the Stooge films fell to an all time low. On the plus side, Moe and Larry are excellent as usual, the title song is cute, and it's great to hear Columbia standards "I'll Take Romance" (Oakland-Hammerstein) and "There Goes That Song Again" (Styne-Cahn) during the party sequence. When Ed Bernds returned to direct later features, the quality improved since he knew Columbia comedy well and had lots of experience as the referee on Bowery Boys features. If you want to see how the Stooges fared in feature films, try "Time Out for Rhythm", "Swing Parade of 1946" and "Gold Raiders".
Review of Have Rocket -- Will Travel
