Three Missing Links

Three Missing Links (1938)

*** (out of 4)

The Three Stooges are working as janitors at a movie studio when they're fired but then re-hired to go to Africa where they're filming a jungle movie. In the film Curly is to play a gorilla but sure enough when they start filming a real gorilla shows up on the set. It doesn't appear that this Stooge short has a very good reputation and while it does start off a little slow, things really pick up during the final ten-minutes. The stuff in the office at the start of the film is pretty much "been there, done that" because we get the typical antics like water being slung around and of course each men gets knocked upside the head a time or two. The second half is when things really take off and even though these jokes aren't too original they're still hilarious at times. The highlight for me has the be the scene where the boys are asleep in their tent with their feet sticking out. A lion comes up and begins licking the, tickling the boys but they think it's one another doing the job. More laughs are to follow when the gorilla enters the picture and no one can tell which one is real and which one is Curly. The final ten-minutes had me laughing extremely hard and this is clearly one people should enjoy.

As far as the Three Stooges go, this one is a stand alone classic! All family members will enjoy this one. I highly recommend this Three Stooges short.

In their previous movie, July 1938's "Three Missing Links," the Stooges find themselves as janitors at a Hollywood studio office. Causing all sorts of mayhem, the Stooges find out producer B. O. Botswaddle (James Morton) is having trouble finding a leading man to play the gorilla in his latest film. When Curly performs his classic "chicken with its head cut off" routine, the producer says Curly is the "dead image of the missing link." The three are hired and travel to a remote location in Africa to film the movie. With Curly in the gorilla suit, they bump into a neighboring tribal cannibalistic medicine man (John Lester Johnson), where he introduces them to his "love candy," a candy laced with an early version of Viagra.

"Three Missing Links" was the first of many of the Stooges movies to be directed by producer Jules White, whose brother Jack had handled several of their previous films. Jules' passion was directing, and when the opportunity came up at Columbia Pictures to direct the Stooges, he immediately assigned himself to the job.

"Three Missing Links" was also the first Stooges film without Ted Healy that featured actor Ray 'Crash' Corrigan, who plays the 'real' gorilla using his own monkey suit. Corrigan's specialty was dressed as a gorilla in a number of movies, including 1934's "Tarzan and His Mate." In 1937, while on a hunting trip with Clark Gable, he came upon some southern California acreage he felt would be perfect for filming movies, especially Westerns because of its varying typography, including lakes, hills and caves. After constructing lodging for the film crew and their support staff as well as a Western-themed ranch for a set, Corrigan rented out his land to a number of film studios. Bob Hope in 1966 purchased the little village named Corriganville, and renamed it Hopetown. The area is now Corriganville Park, containing many hiking trails and historical sites.

It's possible that Harry Cohn over at Columbia got wind of the fact that Hal Roach was planning to do an epic about prehistoric times that became One Million BC. So who better to do a spoof on that for a whole lot less money than his favorite comics, The Three Stooges.

After causing the usual amount of chaos and mayhem as janitors at a movie studio, Moe, Larry, and Curly are cast as two prehistoric men and a gorilla. Guess who has the gorilla look about him?

But that's a key part because as the gorilla you get to make love to Jane Hamilton, nicely and scantily clad in animal skins as befits a prehistoric sexpot.

For realism's sake they decide to shoot the thing in the real jungle as real as Hollywood back lot jungles got in those days. Of course when a real gorilla resents the invasion of his turf, the fun really starts.

A lot of the same gags, compacted into Three Missing Links can be found in the later Abbott&Costello feature film, Africa Screams. Best of course is seeing a real battle of wits between Curly and the gorilla.

I'd say they were evenly matched.

The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team!

This is a very good Three Stooges short. Its funny and its cast includes Monte Collins, Jane Hamilton, Naba, John Lester Johnson, and James C. Morton! Very good acting by Johnson and Morton! The Stooges perform very good in this Three Stooges short! The lion and gorilla scenes are hilarious! I recommend this one to all Three Stooges fans!