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IMDbPro

Rockin' in the Rockies

  • 1945
  • Approved
  • 1h 3m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
436
YOUR RATING
Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Cappy Barra Boys, Spade Cooley, Jay Kirby, Curly Howard, Mary Beth Hughes, Gil Taylor, Paul Trietsch, Ken Trietsch, Charles Ward, The Hoosier Hotshots, and The Three Stooges in Rockin' in the Rockies (1945)
ActionComedyFamilyMusicWestern

While Rusty Williams is away at college, he leaves his cousin, Shorty Williams, in charge of his large ranch. Shorty, more concerned with his prospecting ambitions, wanders into town looking... Read allWhile Rusty Williams is away at college, he leaves his cousin, Shorty Williams, in charge of his large ranch. Shorty, more concerned with his prospecting ambitions, wanders into town looking for backers. At the Wagon Wheel Cafe, he encounters a couple of vagrants, Curly and Larry... Read allWhile Rusty Williams is away at college, he leaves his cousin, Shorty Williams, in charge of his large ranch. Shorty, more concerned with his prospecting ambitions, wanders into town looking for backers. At the Wagon Wheel Cafe, he encounters a couple of vagrants, Curly and Larry, who are just a step or two ahead of Sheriff Zeke, who have won some money at the roulett... Read all

  • Director
    • Vernon Keays
  • Writers
    • J. Benton Cheney
    • John Grey
    • Louise Rousseau
  • Stars
    • The Three Stooges
    • Moe Howard
    • Larry Fine
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.8/10
    436
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Vernon Keays
    • Writers
      • J. Benton Cheney
      • John Grey
      • Louise Rousseau
    • Stars
      • The Three Stooges
      • Moe Howard
      • Larry Fine
    • 20User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos2

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    Top cast37

    Edit
    The Three Stooges
    The Three Stooges
    • Shorty Williams…
    Moe Howard
    Moe Howard
    • Shorty Williams
    • (as The Three Stooges)
    Larry Fine
    Larry Fine
    • Larry
    • (as The Three Stooges)
    Curly Howard
    Curly Howard
    • Curly
    • (as The Three Stooges)
    Mary Beth Hughes
    Mary Beth Hughes
    • June McGuire
    The Hoosier Hotshots
    The Hoosier Hotshots
    • Ranch Hands…
    Ken Trietsch
    • Hotshot Ken
    • (as The Hoosier Hotshots)
    Paul Trietsch
    • Hotshot Hezzie
    • (as The Hoosier Hotshots)
    Charles Ward
    Charles Ward
    • Hotshot Gabe
    • (as The Hoosier Hotshots)
    Gil Taylor
    • Hotshot Gil
    • (as The Hoosier Hotshots)
    Jay Kirby
    Jay Kirby
    • Rusty Williams
    Cappy Barra Boys
    • Harmonica Musicians
    Gladys Blake
    Gladys Blake
    • Betty Vale
    Tim Ryan
    Tim Ryan
    • Tom Trove
    Spade Cooley
    Spade Cooley
    • Spade Cooley
    • (as Spade Cooley King of Western Swing)
    Eddie Bruce
    Eddie Bruce
    • Hotel Clerk
    • (uncredited)
    Steve Clark
    Steve Clark
    • Hank
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Rube Clifford
    Jack Rube Clifford
    • Sheriff Zeke
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Vernon Keays
    • Writers
      • J. Benton Cheney
      • John Grey
      • Louise Rousseau
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews20

    5.8436
    1
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    Featured reviews

    6bkoganbing

    Your Inner Stooge

    It was said of the Three Stooges that they stuck to shorts because they couldn't carry a feature length film. Now with a 70+ minute length, Rockin' in the Rockies barely qualifies as a feature film. Still it might have been interesting if they had left the Stooges on their own out in the wild west.

    Moe plays a character named Shorty Williams who lives, maybe a better word is mooches, off cousin Jay Kirby at his ranch. He's got a cash flow problem, needing some capital to go prospecting which is his first love. In come Larry and Curly who he manages to bilk out of their funds and makes them partners.

    Before long a couple of stranded show girls, Mary Beth Hughes and Gladys Blake, and a quartet of cowboys who'd rather be on Broadway all get in on the scheme. Add to that a traveling Broadway talent agent played by Tim Ryan who's come west to get away from auditions and you've pretty much got Rockin' in the Rockies.

    The Stooges do have their moments, especially pretending to be exterminators to try and get Tim Ryan to stay at the ranch, but I think Harry Cohn made a mistake in not letting them have more of the story. This might have led to feature films for them.

    Still the film is to treasured by Three Stooges fans everywhere of every age. Watch the film and get in touch with your inner Stooge.
    4princebuster82

    Stooge fan curio only

    I gave this a four purely out of its historical context. It was considered lost for many years until it popped up out of the blue on Showtime in the early nineties.

    Moe is the straight man and Larry and Curly act as a duo. Spade Cooley has a couple of numbers. I guess it had something to do with working on a ranch. I'm not quite sure because the plot was so minimal nothing really sticks in my memory. I vaguely remember it being a western musical comedy. Even the Stooge's seem to be going through the motions. Overall there's nothing much really to recommend here.

    If you're not a Stooge fan then don't bother. If you are a Stooge fan, then stick with the shorts.
    7jmtpubs

    Not a typical Three Stooges movie

    If you are looking for a comedy that has a substantial plot, this one isn't it.

    If you are looking for a movie that features the Three Stooges doing their usual performance and patter, this one isn't it.

    Rockin' In the Rockies is a typical Columbia House movie that showcases Columbia Records musical talent and offers a little bit of a plot as an excuse. In what can be described as a glorified MTV video, Moe Howard plays a would-be prospector (more of a con artist) who partners with Larry and Curly, two vagrants who wander into town and need jobs before the Sheriff throws them into jail. Enter Mary Beth Hughes and Gladys Blake as two failed saloon singers determined to leave the west for New York. Moe falls for Mary Beth and invites the girls back to the ranch. The singing group, the Hoosier Hotshots, play ranch hands and the Cappy Barra Boys and Spade Cooley make appearances as well.

    Although the Three Stooges were an odd choice for casting (apparently Cary Grant wasn't available), Moe does a surprisingly good job as a character actor in this movie. Mary Beth Hughes is his primary comic foil, adding a hint of "war between the sexes" element to what is pretty much one of Columbia Picture's signature "screwball comedies." The movie will disappoint Stooge fans who expect the familiar routines and writing of either Felix Adler or Jules White, and those who despise country-western music will faint, but overall the movie qualifies as a pleasant serving of chewing gum for the mind.
    8morrisonhimself

    NOT your typical Three Stooges movie, but still fun and interesting

    Moe Howard actually plays a non-stooge: "Shorty" Williams, a ranch foreman, but one who really wants to be a prospector.

    He does a good job, too.

    This movie is a must for Stooges fans, if only because it is not typical, but it is so unusual it's a must for any movie fan.

    Besides, Mary Beth Hughes is in it. Someone with whom I was not familiar, Gladys Blake, but whose lovely legs make her very watchable, played her performing partner, Betty. She didn't act long, but had many gigs.

    Most of the plot is to give excuses for musical numbers, and some of the numbers are pretty good, especially "Wahoo." Though Ken Trietsch was a guest on a TV show I directed, I hadn't realized the Hoosier Hotshots had been so active in movies. They actually had a lot of talent, as both musicians and actors. This film was a revelation.

    Some of the alleged comedy was done poorly, and can't be called good slapstick. Probably the director should be blamed.

    Still, this is a lot of fun, is a must for Stooges fans, a must for movie historians, a must for fans of Western Swing and for -- a term I think I coined -- Midwestern Swing, and a good time for anyone just looking for pleasant fun.
    Michael_Elliott

    Poor Film

    Rockin in the Rockies (1945)

    * (out of 4)

    Incredibly bad film is certainly the worst thing I've seen The Three stooges in, although it's more like The Two Stooges here. Moe, acting as a solo, cons a bunch of people into looking for gold while some of them also have plans to make it on Broadway. This is an incredibly uneven film that never really seems to know what it wants to do. There's the stuff with Moe playing the con man yet this never goes anywhere and at times it takes a back seat the the Broadway stuff. Then, at times, the film forgets all about the con and centers on the music. I think I laughed a total of two times throughout this film and by the forty-minute mark I was ready to pull my eyes out. The music itself isn't that good so when you mix that with the lack of laughs then you're stuck with a really bad film. Larry and Curly are wasted playing the dumb ones. Now that Columbia has issued The Three Stooges shorts on DVD there's really no reason to pay this film any attention.

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    Western

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In one slapstick bit, Curly forgets himself and refers to Shorty Williams as "Moe". While Curly and Larry used their real names in the picture, Moe wasn't Moe. He was Shorty Williams.
    • Quotes

      Shorty Williams: Remember pardners, woman is the root of all evil.

      Curly: Gimme some more of that root!

    • Soundtracks
      Rockin' in the Rockies
      Written by Harry Tobias and Mac Neuborn

      Sung by Mary Beth Hughes at the Wagon Wheel

      Also performed by Mary Beth Hughes, Gladys Blake and The Hoosier Hotshots at the end

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • April 17, 1945 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • YouTube - Video
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Three Stooges: Rockin' in the Rockies
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 3m(63 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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