Joe DeRita was most famous for being a member of The Three Stooges during their later years--when they were no longer making shorts but full-length films. And, these later Stooges films were far gentler...with far less violence. His character, Curly Joe, was sweet but also very forgettable.
Until recently, I never really thought about what DeRita might have done before joining the Stooges. I found, surprisingly, that like the Stooges he worked for Columbia Pictures making comedy shorts at the same time when the Stooges were still making shorts at the same studio. However, after seeing a few, I see some similarities between his films and some dissimilarities. The directors, music and look of the shorts sure look a lot like Stooge films....but his character was far gentler and harmless....but also very likable.
In "Slappily Married", Joe plays a really nice guy who is continuously slapped around and misunderstood by everyone. His wife thinks he's cheating on her and a woman's husband also thinks he's a cheater. But all he wants is to be a good husband and to get his wife back....as she's left him due to her jealously. To make it worse, the wife is staying at a residents for women only....so how is he going to see her in order to explain everything and win her back?!
The pace and style of this film is quite likable. There is a nice vulnerability to Joe here that, unfortunately, you didn't see later. Later, he played most everything for pathos...here, however, he's a nice guy who STILL gets the snot beat out of him! Overall, quite an enjoyable little film...and one that is similar in many ways to the shorts Shemp was making at Columbia at the time.
