Dizzy Detectives

This is a great Stooge short, especially the fight with Pickle and his two henchmen. I always love it when the boys get into a fight as they always get beat up in the beginning but in the end wind up knocking their opponents out in their own way. Also, the ending where Curly rams his head into the gorilla's stomach after it guzzled down a bottle of nitro glycerine is a classic gag. You can see that this was definitely an inspiration for Scooby Doo.

Dizzy Detectives (1943)

**** (out of 4)

Moe, Larry and Curly are working as carpenters when they accidentally cut through the floor and fall fourteen feet into a department where a detective tells them the chief wants to see them. The boys are made police officers with their only job to track down a gorilla who has been breaking into businesses stealing stuff.

DIZZY DETECTIVES is without question one of the greatest shorts that the Stooges ever made. From the opening to the very end there's one giant laugh after another and this is certainly a case where all the great things about the Stooges are done in one short and what a memorable and hilarious one it is. Throughout their careers they played carpenters countless times but never to perfection like they do here. There are some truly hysterical moments including some stuff lifted from their 1935 film PARDON MY SCOTCH.

The truly funny stuff happens during the second half when they respond to a call saying the gorilla is involved in another robbery. There are so many hilarious moments here including the various violence that breaks out. The Stooges were always known for beating one another and they certainly lay on some good slaps and punches here. The stuff dealing with the gorilla is just priceless including the finale where Curly has finally had enough and decides to go after him. Fans of the Stooges will certainly find this one here winner.

Larry, Curly, and Moe are workmen trying to install a door. It goes badly as expected. The boys are excited to be new policemen. There is an ape-man burglar on the loose and the commissioner is under pressure to find him/it. The boys receive a tip and go to find the ape-man.

This is two stories in one. I really like the door story. It's hilarious in the best Stooges way. Then there is this non-sensical switch in the story. I know the Stooges are the masters of nonsense but the writing still needs to flow better than a random flip of a switch. It completely throws me off. This is really better as two separate stories. The gorilla is an often used Stooges device. It has its fun like Curly shooting at his own foot. I'm guessing it's a robo-ape at the end. It could be more explicit. The big thing here is that this needs to be two separate shorts.

If you look carefully, you'll see that the boys look much younger in the opening carpentry scenes than in the rest of the movie. That's because those scenes were filmed eight years earlier for the short, Pardon My Scotch.

Curly, in particular, is completely different. In the earlier stooge shorts, Curly acts more like a sissy, with a higher, more innocent voice, and he tends to keep his hands and fingers together in front of his chest. Once we hit Dizzy Detectives, though, he's much more mature and has evolved his familiar trademarks such as barking and twirling in a circle on the floor.

Another tip-off that these were two different shorts, of course, is the absolute non-sequitor involved in going from the boys being carpenters to them becoming detectives. All you need is a convenient walk-on role saying, "Your application has been accepted by the academy!"

I agree with Jim-500 I thought the episode 'Pardon My Scotch 'looked very similar to Dizzy detective. In fact Moe actually broke his ribs when he feel from table. He was able to get up and complete the scene but quickly passed out soon after. All time great comedy group I only wish AMC would air more episodes..