Three Stooges Volume Four: 1943-1945

BY Keith CarmanPublished Oct 14, 2008

Legends of physical comedy, the Three Stooges need no introduction. Still, if one found a person living under a rock for the past century, this fourth instalment of their legacy would be the perfect prologue. Wily and goofy yet smart and energetic, Volume Four is definitive Three Stooges. The highest point in their lengthy career, this collection finds Larry, Curly and Moe at their finest. Featuring 21 shorts over the course of three years, Volume Four is decidedly raunchy and provocative for something so seemingly innocent. In typical fashion, we find the brothers in a vast array of unusual and improbable situations, such as farmers stumbling across Japanese war criminals, inadvertently becoming opera sensations and as a trio of general repairmen who accidentally thwart a Nazi sabotage. Yes, this chronological compilation is very WWII-influenced but given the weight of the times, the Stooges use such fodder incredibly, turning uneasiness into brilliant laughs. Even the questionable political incorrectness of racial profiling can be forgiven under the circumstances. When one casts aside ignorance and focuses strictly on effort, Volume Four is stunning. The Stooges’ humour is incredibly well planned and wonderfully executed. They keenly deliver the perfect balance of tongue-in-cheek wit, outright slapstick and visual gags. Moreover, by this point Larry, Curly and Moe had refined their act into a smooth affair, eliminating some of the rough edges that hampered earlier work. Curly is still the lovable child and Larry the almost straight man to Moe’s grumpy leader, yet things haven’t become predictable shtick or a faltering mess, as would happen in later years. Incorporating then current events only served to cement these boys into the annals of great, albeit violent, comedy indelibly. No extras.
(Sony)

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