The Three Stooges: Greatest Routines

The Three Stooges: Greatest Routines is a presentation of various clips of The Three Stooges hosted by "Mike Nelson and Kevin Murphy of Mystery Science Theater and Rifftrax.com." The Stooges material is sourced from the public domain live-action segments of the 1965 TV series The New 3 Stooges and feature Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Joe DeRita.

Program[]

Host Segment One: Mike and Kevin talk about boating and how even something as simple as that can become disastrous in the hands of the Stooges.

"Fishermen": The boys are trying to prepare for a fishing trip, but Curly Joe can't get the gear onboard.
"Sunbathers": The Stooges face various difficulties while trying to relax on the beach.
"Sunken Treasure": Moe, Larry and Curly Joe find their boat far too small and unstable for their treasure-hunting plans.
"Shipmates": Attempting to take Mr. Guffey on a fishing trip, but things don't go as planned.

Host Segment Two: Kevin is doubled over with laughter (while thinking of something else). Mike extols the virtue of physically assaulting ones friends before introducing shorts featuring the Stooges at a marina.

"Salesmen": The Stooges are doing "brisk business" in ice cream, but Curly Joe proves to be a light touch when a young girl has no money.
"Magicians": While putting on a magic show, Curly Joe keeps ruining the tricks.
"Melodrama": The boys put on a dramatic show for the kids.
"Sharpshooter": Curly Joe performs as a sharpshooter, but his prop glasses make it impossible for him to see.

Host Segment Three: Mike and Kevin are in a kitchen and they take a look at the comic potential of the location. When Mike displays a cream pie, not hitting Kevin with it causes physical pain.

"Bakers": Mr. Hassenpfeffer hires the boys to make some pies, but all they end up making is a mess.
"Turkey Stuffers": The Stooges go through their procedure to stuff a turkey.
"Telegram": The over-worked Curly Joe has inherited a fortune from his uncle, causing Moe and Larry to fawn over him.

Host Segment Four: Kevin and Mike are at the dentist's office, where, after Mike insults him, Kevin asks, "Is it safe?"

"Dentist": Moe has gotten his practice dentistry and decides to practice on Larry and Curly Joe.
"Artists": The boys try their hands at painting, with the expected results.
"Decorators": The Stooges are hired to wallpaper a house, but nothing goes right.
"Hunters": On a hunting safari, the boys have had no luck, so Curly Joe switches to hunting butterflies. A lion comes up behind them and changes their plans.
"Barbers": The Stooges have opened a barbershop, but are threatened by the Barber's Union, leading them to over-cut a young customer.
"Doctors": Faced with a pair of troublesome patients, Drs. Moe, Larry and Curly Joe use unconventional methods to cure them.
"Janitors": The boys are hired to clean up an old house and have to contend with a mysterious suit of armor.
"Waiters": Attempting to serve a couple, the Stooges do little but make a mess.
"Electricians": Moe, Larry and Curly Joe are hired to repair a beauty parlor's buzzer.
"Soldiers": Dressing up in their old uniforms to reminisce, the boys are visited by their old sergeant, who wants to make amends for stealing their lunches.

Host Segment Five: Mike and Kevin are in the great outdoors, which they feel was a place of endless danger for the likes of the Stooges.

"Caretakers": Working at the zoo, Moe instructs Larry and Curly Joe to clean up after the elephants, while he matches wits with a monkey.
"Zookeepers": The Stooges face difficulties trying to complete carious tasks at the zoo.

Host Segment Six: Kevin and Mike show the many comedic opportunities of the spade. Kevin takes things too far.

"Buried Treasure": The boys are digging for treasure and eventually unearth a chest, but ultimately get nothing. But opportunity still knocks.
"Rare Bird": The Stooges are on the lookout for a rare bird so they can photograph it.
"Setting Up Camp": Larry and Curly Joe struggle to set up camping equipment, while Moe attempts to assemble a chair. Once they get the tent up, they get an unexpected visitor.
"Lost": The boys get lost while on a hunting trip.
"Outdoor Breakfast": Curly Joe makes breakfast for Moe, but a mix-up with the syrup disrupts things.
"Campers": All set for being cowboys, Moe is irritated to find they forgot the horses. But he has a solution.
"Prospectors": The Stooges are looking for uranium, but they meet up with a prospector who tells them the story of "The Gunfight at K O Corral".

Host Segment Four: Kevin and Mike are on the golf course and they take turns engaging in some Moe-like behavior.

"Golfers": The Stooges get into all sorts of shenanigans while trying to play a round of golf.
"Flat Tire": The boys try to deal with a flat tire on their old jalopy.
"Fan Belt": Stuck at the side of the road, the Stooges try various ways to fix their car.
"Weighing In": At the airport, the boys weigh themselves and receive fortunes of varying quality.
"Pilots": Moe has volunteered the three as test pilots for mini-motorcycles.

Behind the Scenes[]

Cast[]

Hosted by Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy

Crew[]

Produced & Directed by Maria T. Mason
Camera & Sound - David D. Martin, Tony Baldridge
Film Archivist - Sandy Oliveri

Notes[]

Many of the Stooges segments include Emil Sitka, a regular in Stooges shorts dating back to the 1940s, and Margaret Kerry.
- Sitka was mooted as a replacement for Larry Fine in a 1971/1973 configuration of the team, but all that resulted was a few photos of the new trio.
- Kerry served as the motion model for Tinker Bell in the 1953 film Peter Pan.
The segments are edited to remove most references to the cartoons they were originally intended to introduce.
The following live-action segments created for The New 3 Stooges were not used: "Seasick Joe", "Inheritance", "Sweepstakes Ticket", "Athletes", High VOltage" and "Piemakers".

Video Releases[]

Legend Films released The Three Stooges: Greatest Routines on DVD in 2007. Special features include the cartoon shorts "The Babysitters", "The Three Astronutz" and "Three Jacks and a Beanstalk" and a selection of theatrical trailers from other Legend releases including Swing Parade, The Three Stooges in Color, Africa Screams, The Jackie Robinson Story and The Shirley Temple Collection.
The special is also available from various digital stores.