Cuckoo on a Choo-Choo

As in He Cooked His Goose (which was released earlier in 1952), the usual Three Stooges brotherly camaraderie is lacking in this odd comic short. Larry, Shemp, and a pair of sisters (Patricia Wright and Victoria Horne) have, for some unknown reason, stolen a railroad car from the Penciltucky Railroad. They're making themselves at home there when Larry gets into an argument... (read more) with the younger girl, who won't marry him until her older sister, Roberta, weds the wealthy Shemp. Shemp, however, is a drunk who only has eyes for a six-foot tall canary which he occasionally hallucinates into being. Moe shows up in this weird scenario as a railroad inspector. It turns out he already knows and loves Roberta, who refuses to marry him. Although Moe is supposed to arrest the railroad thieves, it's all forgotten when various Stooges mayhem -- including a scenario involving a wayward skunk -- ensues. When Moe's electric razor falls down Shemp's back, it turns him into a sizzling kisser and both girls wind up fighting over him. Shemp, however, still wants the canary. There's an exceptional amount of slapping in this picture, even for the Three Stooges. In one of the film's funnier moments, Larry tells Moe, "If you don't wanna lose Roberta, you'd better play ball with me." "All right," says Moe, who promptly pulls a ball out of his pocket, which they toss back and forth. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Cast:

• Larry Fine
• Victoria Horne
• Moe Howard
• Shemp Howard
• Patricia Wright

Director(s):

Jules White