The Three Stooges Meet Hercules
The Three Stooges Meet Hercules is a 1962 American comedy fantasy film directed by Edward Bernds. It is the third feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita (dubbed "Curly Joe"). Released by Columbia Pictures, The Three Stooges Meet Hercules was directed by long-time Stooges director Edward Bernds. It was the most financially successful of the Stooges' feature films.
| The Three Stooges Meet Hercules | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Edward Bernds |
| Produced by | Norman Maurer |
| Written by | Norman Maurer Elwood Ullman |
| Starring | Moe Howard Larry Fine Joe DeRita Vicki Trickett Quinn Redeker George N. Neise Samson Burke Emil Sitka Hal Smith Marlin McKeever Mike McKeever |
| Music by | Paul Dunlap |
| Cinematography | Scotty Welbourne |
| Edited by | Edwin H. Bryant |
Production company | Normandy Productions |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $420,000[1] |
| Box office | $2 million[1] |
Plot
The Stooges work at Dimsal's Drug Store in Ithaca, New York, where they befriend their eccentric next-door neighbor Schuyler Davis (Quinn Redeker), who is attempting to build a time machine. With the boys' "help", the machine transports the boys, Schuyler and disaffected girlfriend Diane Quigley (Vicki Trickett) back in time to Ithaca in ancient Greece during the reign of the lecherous King Odius (George N. Neise). The King, after defeating and imprisoning Ulysses because the Stooges are believed to be gods, has a yearning for Diane. Realizing they have disrupted the proper course of history, Schuyler and the boys free Ulysses, after which Odius banishes them to the galleys. However, the constant rowing causes Schuyler to become extremely muscular and superhumanly strong, equal to Hercules.
After an escape and shipwreck, they kill a monster Siamese Cyclops with the help of Joe's sleeping pills and start billing Schuyler as Hercules at a local gladiatorial arena. The real Hercules (Samson Burke) gets wind of their game and confronts them, but after single combat, Schuyler convinces Hercules to help them rescue Diane in a chariot chase. The time travelers remove Odius and, navigating by observing the progress of military technology, manage to set history straight by dumping him off into the Wild West where a tribe of American Indian warriors chases him off into the distance. After that, the travelers return to Dimsal's Drug Store. Dimsal touches the time machine and disappears, but eventually returns locked inside a pillory. The Stooges manage to remove the pillory with an electric tool.
Cast
- Moe Howard – Moe
- Larry Fine – Larry
- Joe DeRita – Curly Joe
- Quinn Redeker – Schuyler Davis
- Vicki Trickett – Diane Quigley
- George N. Neise – Ralph Dimsal/King Odius
- Samson Burke – Hercules
- Emil Sitka – Shepherd/Refreshment Man
- Hal Smith – King Theseus Of Rhodes
- Marlin McKeever – Ajax (The Siamese Cyclops)
- Mike McKeever – Argo (The Siamese Cyclops)
- John Cliff – Ulysses
- Barbara Hines – Anita
- Terry Huntingdon – Hecuba
- Diana Piper – Helen
- Gregg Martell – Simon
- Gene Roth – harbor captain
- Lewis Charles – Achilles the Heel
- Edward Foster – Freddie the Fence
- Cecil Elliott – matron
- Rusty Wescoatt – Philo, the Horator
Reception
Moe Howard expressed his fondness for the film in 1973, stating "Of course Hercules I liked very much. Especially when we were in the slave ship. We had a great special effects team on that."[2]
See also
References
- Howard Maurer, Joan; Jeff Lenburg; Greg Lenburg (2012) [1982]. The Three Stooges Scrapbook. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Review Press. pp. 326–327. ISBN 978-1-61374-074-3.
- Cox, Steve; Jim Terry (2005). One Fine Stooge: Larry Fine’s Frizzy Life in Pictures. Nashville, Tennessee: Cumberland House. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-58182-363-9.