This particular Shemp film is one of my favorites. One of the funniest scenes is when Shemp is hiding under a bed and trying to keep quiet while a baby alligator crawls up his leg. The timing is great throughout and the old stooge chemistry is there. At a point when the Stooges quality had begun to fade, this episode captures the old magic. Check it out!
3 Reviews
The Stooges ain't born to dance!
slymusic10 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
"Hula-La-La" is a very good Three Stooges short that casts the boys as dance instructors for a major motion picture studio, although just how they could have held this position for more than a half hour is quite inconceivable. They are assigned to travel to an island in the South Seas in order to teach the headhunting natives how to dance.
Highlights from "Hula-La-La" include the following (DON'T read any further until after you have watched this film). This just might be the Stooge film in which Moe gets slapped the most times, and it had to be by a four-armed idol! In probably the funniest moment in the whole short, the Stooges' boss Mr. Baines (Emil Sitka) tells the boys that he doesn't want them "to fall down on the job"; Baines then misses his own chair and falls on his ass. A baby alligator crawls on top of Shemp while he hides under a bed; upon spotting a full-sized alligator, Shemp screams! And finally, the closing dance sequence is a very nice touch.
"Hula-La-La" is more about dodging headhunters than about giving dance lessons. It was supposed to be directed by the capable Edward Bernds, but he wasn't available, so the assignment went to producer Hugh McCollum instead. In an unusual casting move, Kenneth MacDonald, usually cast in Stooge films as the suave, sophisticated, pin-striped suited villain, is perhaps miscast in this film as Varanu, the head witch doctor.
Highlights from "Hula-La-La" include the following (DON'T read any further until after you have watched this film). This just might be the Stooge film in which Moe gets slapped the most times, and it had to be by a four-armed idol! In probably the funniest moment in the whole short, the Stooges' boss Mr. Baines (Emil Sitka) tells the boys that he doesn't want them "to fall down on the job"; Baines then misses his own chair and falls on his ass. A baby alligator crawls on top of Shemp while he hides under a bed; upon spotting a full-sized alligator, Shemp screams! And finally, the closing dance sequence is a very nice touch.
"Hula-La-La" is more about dodging headhunters than about giving dance lessons. It was supposed to be directed by the capable Edward Bernds, but he wasn't available, so the assignment went to producer Hugh McCollum instead. In an unusual casting move, Kenneth MacDonald, usually cast in Stooge films as the suave, sophisticated, pin-striped suited villain, is perhaps miscast in this film as Varanu, the head witch doctor.
Shemp at his worst.
crusefamily24 September 2001
HULA-LA-LA is the worst Shemp short I've seen so far. I don't like the plot on this one. There's only one funny line in the whole short. If you want an African stooge short, watch THREE MISSING LINKS or SOME MORE OF SAMOA.
* out of 4 stars.
* out of 4 stars.
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