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Rating:  - Surprising in its ambitiousness.
This is not your typical Three Stooges short. This is a full length feature film. The beginning is inspirational, starting with images of classic pen and ink drawings of Martians, with a Mike Wallace-type narrative. What follows is a typical Three Stooges routine, regarding hotel regulations against cooking, and the Three Stooges' quest for finding a new place to live. Eventually, the trio finds residence in a scientist's home, where they view his invention (a flying submarine) and discover spies from Mars. The scientist is on the verge of successfully marketing his invention to the U.S. military. The Three Stooges successfully derail the Martians' attempt to take over the earth. The narrative builds up slowly, with amusing footage of a small mockup of the flying submarine, and then, the actual flying submarine, and eventually, footage of an actual atomic bomb blast over the Pacific Ocean. The flying submarine is the size of a mobile home, and it is actually shown to fly. It is a Rube Goldberg gadget, with the charm of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine. It is shown to fly over the Egyptian pyramids, over New York City, over Athens, and over San Francisco. The film is reminiscent of Speilberg's zany and astonishing movie, 1941, as well as of the clever and heartwarming The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000), featuring Jason Alexander and Robert DeNiro. But please save your money and use it, instead, for buying 1941 or for the 2000 production of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Despite its ambitious qualities, the film under review has some detracting qualities. Although Three Stooges in Orbit has some clever moments, e.g., the exchange of the submarine's carburator for an atomic bomb about to be tested in the desert, and some amusing moments, e.g., when the flying submarine flies past a laundry line, thereby propelling a woman's brassiere into the face of a U.S. military general, there are some problems. First of all, the martians are ugly and irritating to look at. They are obviously just actors in rubber Frankenstein masks. How uncreative. If the martians had the typical Roswell, Arizona appearance, then I'd give this movie a higher rating. Another problem, a minor one, is the scene showing Curly repeatedly being hit on the head with a crowbar being shoved through a wall. This is not amusing. Another problem is that the film tries to be a monster movie and a science fiction movie at the same time. Much of the story takes place in the scientist's scary castle. Perhaps it would have been better for these sequences to take place in a university laboratory, e.g., at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Please recall that the Three Stooges do have one film short taking place in a college laboratory: "Violent is the Word for Curly" (1938), one of the cleverest and funniest of all Three Stooges shorts. In Violent is the Word for Curly, the Three Stooges are mistaken for elitist college professors. And so, it might have been nice for Three Stooges in Orbit to be based in a college laboratory. Also the sound is bad. There are cracklings throughout. These irritating crackling sounds can also be found in abundance in the video version of the story of Alexander Graham Bell, featuring Don Ameche.
Rating:  - PURE FUN
This movie does not try to make any type of statement or change the world. It was made to make you LAUGH!! It is just pure HUMOR!! You do not have to think for hours before you catch on to the punch line. Just sit back and be a kid again!
Rating: - "The Three Stooges"stop a Martian invasion and Get laughs!
Once again."The Three Stooges"Spoof Science fiction films.But in this cinematic venture.They never leave the earth.But they still save the human race from invaiders from Mars.And still get laughs Too! The plot has our bumbling trio trying to find new lodgings(After they get thrown out of their old rooming house.When "Curly Joe's"Cooking is spotted by their unkind landlady and the boys are forced to look for another home).Their househunting leads the team to "Hawk Hill Manor".The home of goofy scientist/inventor"Prof.Danforth"(Played here by perreniel Stooge Foil Emil Sitka)and his daughter Carol(Carol Christiansen)."Prof.Danforth"has inadvertedly discovered that his butler is really a spy for the martians.Who want to steal the scientist's new invention:A combination sub/hellicopter and tank and use it to conquer the earth.AT first,Moe,Larry And "Curly Joe"Think "Prof.Danforth"is totally off his rocker.But when the martian spy threatens them with his ray gun.The boys are now convinced that the earth is doomed.Unless they help their new landlord stop these alien madmen from destroying the human race.To complicate matters.The Stooges(Who are three struggling kids tv hosts/performers)are told by their not too understanding bosses at the tv station"Either create,produce and air a new cartoon and new comedy skits on your show before the next meeting of the station execs and the sponsors in two weeks or you're through!".And it doesn't help matter much that the boys louse up "Prof.Danforth's"Attemps to sell his invention to a tough no nonsense general during a failed test of the secret weapon.Most of the topical jabs at 1960's tv is dated and again The romantic leads:Ms.Christiansen and Edison Stroll(Who had already worked with the team in the ill fated:"Snow White & The Three Stooges"a year before at 20th Century Fox)as a handsome but not too bright US Air Force Capt.hamper the film a bit.But The Stooges Make up for these flaws with their tried and true slapstick and some exciting battles with the two Alien Spies"Zogg & Ogg".Originally.This film was ment to be a live action/Animated TV Cartoon kids show pilot for Saturday morning TV.When the series pilot:"The Three Stooges Scrapbook"was turned down by many tv execs.Normandy Productions Manager/producer and director:Norman Maurer turned the show into the team's second feature film instead.A wise choice and a funny one at that!
Rating: - THREE STOOGES IN ORBIT
VERY FUNNY. UNLIKE MODERN COMEDIES, THIS MOVIE CAN BE ENJOYED BY THE WHOLE FAMILY. THIS IS THE FUNNIEST OF THE THREE STOOGES FEATURE FILMS. ALL STOOGES FANS UNITE AND BUY THIS VIDEO!
Rating: - EXCELLENT STOOGE MOVIE!!!
This is some of the best stuff the Stooges ever did even though it doesn't have the great stooges like Curly and Shemp. It has Curly-Joe. I have to be honest. I didn't like Joe Besser as a Stooge at all but Curly-Joe has heart. He fits in very well with Moe and Larry. I don't want to go into detail with the movie because I don't want to ruin it. All I can say is that this is classic 3 Stooges slapstick material. If I made a video of the best Stooge moments I would be using this video quite a bit. If you're a true Stooge fan you'll enjoy this movie at the very least.
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