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Stop! Look! and Laugh!

  • 1960
  • Approved
  • 1h 18m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
329
YOUR RATING
Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Paul Winchell, and Jerry Mahoney in Stop! Look! and Laugh! (1960)
SlapstickComedy

Paul Winchell is trying to tell stories to Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff, which are of course his ventriloquial figures. But the Three Stooges keep inserting themselves into his tales ... Read allPaul Winchell is trying to tell stories to Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff, which are of course his ventriloquial figures. But the Three Stooges keep inserting themselves into his tales giving them a different interpretation.Paul Winchell is trying to tell stories to Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff, which are of course his ventriloquial figures. But the Three Stooges keep inserting themselves into his tales giving them a different interpretation.

  • Directors
    • Don Appell
    • Louis Brandt
    • Jules White
  • Writers
    • Felix Adler
    • Edward Bernds
    • Clyde Bruckman
  • Stars
    • Moe Howard
    • Larry Fine
    • Curly Howard
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    329
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Don Appell
      • Louis Brandt
      • Jules White
    • Writers
      • Felix Adler
      • Edward Bernds
      • Clyde Bruckman
    • Stars
      • Moe Howard
      • Larry Fine
      • Curly Howard
    • 12User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos2

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    Top cast43

    Edit
    Moe Howard
    Moe Howard
    • Moe
    • (archive footage)
    Larry Fine
    Larry Fine
    • Larry
    • (archive footage)
    Curly Howard
    Curly Howard
    • Curly
    • (archive footage)
    Paul Winchell
    Paul Winchell
    • Self - Ventriloquist
    Jerry Mahoney
    • Self - Ventriloquist's Dummy
    Knucklehead Smiff
    • Self - Ventriloquist's Dummy
    Joe Bolton
    • Officer Joe
    • (as Officer Joe Boilton)
    The Marquis Chimps
    • Themselves - Trained Chimps
    Beatrice Blinn
    Beatrice Blinn
    • Nurse
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Stanley Blystone
    Stanley Blystone
    • Longhorn Pete
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Symona Boniface
    Symona Boniface
    • Mrs. Bixby
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Lynton Brent
    Lynton Brent
    • Mr. Allen Radio Exec
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Edmund Cobb
    Edmund Cobb
    • Construction Foreman
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Chester Conklin
    Chester Conklin
    • Pianist at Party
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Gino Corrado
    Gino Corrado
    • Italian Singer ("Micro-Phonies")
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Beatrice Curtis
    • Mrs. Bedford
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Vernon Dent
    Vernon Dent
    • Mr.Blake
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Dudley Dickerson
    Dudley Dickerson
    • Cook
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    • Directors
      • Don Appell
      • Louis Brandt
      • Jules White
    • Writers
      • Felix Adler
      • Edward Bernds
      • Clyde Bruckman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews12

    5.6329
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    Featured reviews

    10KatMiss

    AN INTERESTING COMPILATION OF OLD AND NEW FOOTAGE

    "Stop! Look! and Laugh!" is basically nothing more than a compilation film designed only to make a quick buck from the millions of Stooge fans. Apparently Moe Howard thought the same thing, because he sued Columbia to prevent the film from being released. Eventually, he relented after Columbia offered to finance and distribute all Stooges features thereafter. If anything, "Stop! Look! and Laugh" made the Three Stooges even more popular and at least washed the awful taste of "Snow White and the Three Stooges" away.

    Basically, producer/director Jules White (who directed most of the shorts clips were taken from)edited the best moments from such classic shorts as "Micro-Phonies", "A Plumbing We Will Go", "Calling All Curs","How High Is Up" among others and shot new footage with Paul Winchell and his dummies, Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff. This made sense, since the Stooges shorts were packaged into a half hour show and shown along side "The Winchell/Mahoney Show" on regular TV. This way both shows get exposure.

    Unfortunately, fans looking for a full fledged Stooges feature will be disappointed. But take solace in the fact that this so called "compromise" film was actually much better than most of the New Three Stooges features that followed. We get to see the original Stooges team in top form, great gags with Winchell and Mahoney and many memorable moments. The editing is excellent; much of it is seamlessly handled by a team of skilled editors; it should have garnered an Oscar nomination.

    The only thing that sort of slows this film down is the Marquis Chimps sequence, which I could have done without, but if seeing animals acting silly is your thing, fine, enjoy it. But it doesn't take away from the previous 60 minutes of hilarity.

    **** out of 4 stars
    7tavm

    Footage of old Stooges shorts are mixed in with new material

    About a little more than 35 years ago, when I was a young teen staying with a family my parents were good friends with in Gulfport, Mississippi, someone in that family who was my age at that time was flipping through TV channels and stumbled at the beginning of this movie and was about to flip again when the credits said, "Starring the Original Three Stooges-Moe, Larry, Curly" which was all that got me to say "Leave it there!" So he did. It turned out to feature clips from their classic shorts that I had seen several times on my local station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for years with wraparounds featuring Paul Winchell and his dummies Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff as well as another new segment featuring The Marquis Chimps doing "Cinderella". I remember loving the vintage Stooges clips with a new music score being used on them, laughing at Winchell's comedy, and being partially amused by the chimps sequence with familiar voiceovers that I just found out were of Alan Reed and June Foray. Having just rewatched this on YouTube, I feel the same way now though I wish the YouTube upload had filled most of the screen instead of just the lower left-hand corner. Good thing I watched on a large-screen TV instead of the computer. So on that note, Stop! Look! and Laugh! is worth a look if you don't mind seeing vintage Stooge material mixed with a ventriloquist who was popular at the time. Incidentally, Winchell would eventually be the voice of Moe after he passed in 1975 when Hanna-Barbera would produce "The Robonic Stooges" cartoon series a couple of years later. P.S. After the success of Have Rocket --Will Travel, Columbia wanted another Stooges feature right away so Harry Romm-at the time the Stooges' manager and the producer of that movie-obliged with this one without his clients' consent. They sued, Columbia apologized, Romm was fired, and the studio agreed to fund the Stooges' subsequent features from their new production company, Normandy Productions.
    6krorie

    Stop! Look! and Edit!

    I saw "Stop!Look!and Laugh!" as part of a double bill when I was a teenager and found it amusing, but strictly for the small fry. Whether the viewer enjoys this picture or not depends greatly on being a fan of the Three Stooges and Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney. Even Three Stooges addicts will be disappointed with the disjointed nature of the editing culled from some of the Stooges best film shorts.

    Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney became TV's answer to the extremely popular Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy radio program. Though Winchell was a much better ventriloquist than Bergen, his humor basically was for the kids whereas Bergen appealed to a much wider audience, pleasing adults as well as children. So in this movie, Mahoney is presented as Winchell's little boy who hates school and uses all types of stratagems to stay home.

    The film has a major problem in making transitions from Winchell and Mahoney's comic routines to the archival footage featuring the Three Stooges. The transitions are at best forced and at times complete failures. The archival footage of the Stooges presents the goofy trio in much edited versions, sort of like a celluloid Reader's Digest. Still, the slapstick humor of the Stooges often rises above the sloppy editing to make the audience laugh.

    Never serious competition for Laurel and Hardy or the Marx Brothers, The Three Stooges could deliver the belly laughs at times, especially the original Moe, Larry, and Curly, with Curly turning out to be one of the best visual comedians of his day. Many of the scripts were well-written and the early shorts well directed. Unfortunately Curly's humor suffered in later years as a result of poor health. So rather than wasting your time on "Stop!Look! and Laugh!," rent "Disorder in Court," the Clark Gable parody, "Men in Black," or "A Plumbing We Will Go" to see the Stooges at their very best. If you're a fan of old-time slapstick you will certainly enjoy the Classic Stooges but may find "Stop!Look!and Laugh!" a bit disappointing.
    Schlockmeister

    Good film... in it's context

    This film was made to be a B picture, meaning it opened for the main movie. As a B picture, it is sufficient, it does it's job, holds the attention, provides Stooge and Paul Winchell fans with some laughs. This film was never meant to satisfy an audience would would come 40 years later, spoiled by pristine remastered complete prints available with the click of a DVD player.

    No, this was for the kids who wanted a quick laugh, familiar gags they had probably seen a hundred times (by 1960 the Three Stooges as well as the Little Rascals were syndicated on many kiddie TV shows), so this movie fulfills it's requirement of keeping audiences happy till the main feature came up.

    So, if you want to see this, watch it in that spirit, get up one Saturday morning, pop some popcorn and get some soda pop put this tape in , watch a few cartoons after it's over and then you will be warmed up for something like a film from the Sinbad series, early Jerry Lewis or something else you might enjoy from the period.
    4stanbabe143

    Lots Of Paul Winchell,Some"Officer Joe"But No "3 Stooges"!

    When this film was first publicized by Columbia Pictures and The film's producer:Harry Rome in l960.They promised that "The Three Stooges"(Who at that time were:Moe Howard,Larry Fine & Curly Joe DeRita)would appear in the film with Ventrilloquist/Entertainer:Paul Winchell and with NYC based kids tv host/performer:"Officer Joe"Bolton.But when audiences did see:"Stop Look & Laugh!"? "The Three Stooges"(Moe,Larry and Curly Howard.Who died during the winter of l952)only appear in stock footage from the l930's and 40's.Hence! "The Three Stooges"never really appeared in this film.Thus depriving the audiences of seeing their favorite comedy trio in action.The film does feaure some witty banter and slapstick from Mr.Winchell and his puppet pals:"Jerry Mahoney"and"Knucklehead Smiff"and a wonderful cameo from"Officer Joe"Bolton.(At that time Mr.Bolton was still hosting reruns of "The Three Stooges"Films from the l930's and 40's on WPIX TV Ch.ll NYC's:"Three Stooges Funhouse!")but the Stock footage with the boys is brief and forgetable.When shown with horrible music and graiting sound effects.And "The Marquis Chimps"parody of the Fairy Tale "Cinderella"(Which also using the charming voice over talents of Ms.June Foray.Best remembered as the voices of "Rocky Squerill and Natasha Fatale')is nothing more than cheap timefiller for the more memorable comedy squences featuring Mr.Winchell and his puppets.Hence! This film should not tell you to"Stop Look & Laugh!".But to"Stay away from this Three Stooges RippOFFF!".

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    Related interests

    Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
    Slapstick
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filmed at the 20th Century Fox Film studios on 10th Avenue in New York City.
    • Goofs
      When Paul tells Jerry to go to bed he says it's almost 10 o' clock; then a few minutes later when the party next door starts, he says it's 2 in the morning.
    • Quotes

      Paul Winchell: [after noticing Jerry has got back in bed] Jerry!

      Jerry: Don't holler! Don't holler!

      Paul Winchell: How'd you get back in bed?

    • Connections
      Edited from Goofs and Saddles (1937)
    • Soundtracks
      Stop! Look! and Laugh!
      Lyrics by Stanley Styne

      Music by George Duning

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 1, 1960 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • YouTube - Video
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Detente, mira y riete
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 18m(78 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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