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.

Larry, Curly, and Moe are cleaning a movie studio office. Of course, they do it poorly. It just so happens that the studio is looking for a gorilla opposite movie star Mirabel Mirabel in an African adventure. The boys claim to be actors and Curly is an animal impersonator. They are hired on the spot. In the jungles of Africa, the boys encounter a real medicine man. Curly buys some love candy to woo Mirabel. Then comes a real lion and a real gorilla.

A lion licking those feet is probably the most impressive stunt in the whole short. That's worth extra for the stuntmen. The slapstick is generally good. The witch doctor is awkward for the modern audience. The gorilla suit does block Curly's great facial expressions. Maybe if he loses the gorilla head, it would have him running around looking for the head and avoiding the real gorilla. Overall, there is good Stooges work here.

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!

The Stooges go from totally-inept janitors to actors working for the "Super Terrific Productions" movie company, under the leadership of "B.O. Botswaddle." That occurs when the latter takes a good look at our guys and proclaims, "We've found our missing links."

They look just like the Neanderthals Botswaddle is looking for to shoot his next motion picture. The Stooges are too dumb to realize they've just been insulted. They are just happy to become actors.

The real fun happens when the film crew arrives in Africa. We get tons, literally, of gags signs to puns to outrageous physical stuff. (i.e. The Stooges see a sign on a hut that reads, "Dr. Ba Loni Sulami, Medicine Man, Hours 2-5 Or By Appointment.")

The best gags, IMO, come, when a real ape appears and gets confused with Curly the ape role. Both look identical and mayhem ensues and nobody knows if it's Curly or the real gorilla.

Jane Hamilton looked hot as the film-within-in-a-film female star "Mirabel Mirabel."

Absolute bananas, thanks to producer Jules White, who directed this mini classic and many more to come for good reason. White, like his brother Jack, wrote the book on Stooge comedy.

A Hollywood setting, Moe, Larry and Curly are janitors(?) at a movie studio called, Super Terrific Productions. Producer B. O. Botswaddle (James C. Morton, ofcourse) needs an actor to play a gorilla and Curly is chosen -- because he's just plain NUTS. Botswaddle claims he looks like the missing link? No arguement there. The guys head to Africa to film, "Jilted in the Jungle"(?) and its insane.

Best gag is Curly dressed as an ape confronting Naba, another gorilla (played by stuntman Ray "Crash" Corrigan) and the tribal witch doctor, Dr. Ba Loni Sulami (real life boxer John Lester Johnson). The doc gives him a "love portion" pill which is something like Viagra! Amazing

Lots of funny names; character actor Monte Collins plays Herbert Herrybone and Jane Hamilton plays Mirabel Mirabel. Searle Kramer's script is nuts, and enough material to have made this into a film. The Stooge possibilities were endless. Kramer later branched into tv and wrote for the FLYING NUN and GREEN ACRES.

Memorable line; "We're terrific! We're colossal! We're even mediocre!"

Always on remastered Columbia dvd, generally by decades, 30s, 40s and 50s episodes. Thanks much to METV for running these oldies Saturdays.