Product Details

• Actors: Larry Fine, Moe Howard, Joe DeRita, Carol Christensen, Edson Stroll
• Directors: Edward Bernds
• Writers: Norman Maurer, Elwood Ullman
• Producers: Norman Maurer
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: May 23, 1995
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303442366
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,421 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Three Stooges in Orbit has the team playing not only themselves but themselves trying to make it big on a television show. Since they keep breaking leases by cooking in their apartments, they rent a room in a spooky castle that houses not only a wacky professor (played by "the fourth Stooge," Emil Sitka, veteran of many a Stooge short) and his pretty daughter, but a pair of Martians who are waiting for him to perfect his latest invention and use it to conquer the Earth. After an old situation-device in which the craft is too large to leave the workroom, the Stooges make a trip into space that adds nothing to the plot, and finally defeat the invaders by hoisting them on their own petard. The usual chase routine is replaced here by a fairly well done sequence in which the team is outside the craft trying to thwart the two Martians locked inside the craft, while a death ray is wiping out most of California. (The use of stock footage from other monster-invasion films is unintentionally hilarious.)

The love interest, deemed so necessary in films aimed at young audiences, is brief and tinged with mild comedy. The Martian make-up is obviously based on the original Frankenstein head shape, and it is a relief to hear them speak in some babble other than English as subtitles "translate" for us. In fact, the cleverest bit in this film is Moe's reading a subtitle to learn of the proposed destruction of this planet--a gag worthy of Mel Brooks. The film reveals its age when the chief Martian bangs his boot on the table in the manner of Khrushchev and his shoe at the United Nations. But the only real weaknesses are Curly Joe's fright reactions, so much funnier when done by Curly or Shemp in the past. --Frank Behrens

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT STOOGE MOVIE!!!, August 31, 2001

By 

Michael L. Wrigglesworth (West Seneca, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 3 Stooges: In Orbit [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is some of the best stuff the Stooges ever did even though it doesn't have the great stooges like Curly and Shemp. It has Curly-Joe. I have to be honest. I didn't like Joe Besser as a Stooge at all but Curly-Joe has heart. He fits in very well with Moe and Larry. I don't want to go into detail with the movie because I don't want to ruin it. All I can say is that this is classic 3 Stooges slapstick material. If I made a video of the best Stooge moments I would be using this video quite a bit. If you're a true Stooge fan you'll enjoy this movie at the very least.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the 4 Best Three Stooges Features, April 26, 2000

By 

Joshua Downham (Muncie, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 3 Stooges: In Orbit [VHS] (VHS Tape)

After the huge success of "The Three Stooges Meet Hercules"(1961), Columbia Pictures didn't waste time in signing Normandy Productions(Moe's son-in-law's film studio)to produce another stooge picture. Titled "The Three Stooges In Orbit"(1962), it is one of the team's funniest films and is almost on a par with their best feature "The Outlaws Is Coming."

The plot: After being thrown out of every apartment and hotel in Los Angeles, the Stooges take shelter in Professor Danforth's(Emil Sitka) spooky mansion. The boys are TV stars and they need a place to rehearse their lines for their television show, The 3 Stooges Scrapbook. Soon after their arrival, Danforth starts talking about Martians trying to steal his secret war machine. The trio thinks he's off his rocker, but it doesn't take long for them to learn the truth and the mayhem begins.

The Three Stooges Scrapbook was an actual unsold pilot for an unsold TV series in 1960. The footage of the haunted mansion and the Stooges on their TV show was derived from this show. "The Three Stooges In Orbit"(1962) was Moe, Larry, and Joe's last shining moment at the box-office. Soon their popularity would begin to slip. They had reached their peak in this terrific film. It was directed by Edward Bernds, the talented man who directed Shemp's first short, "Fright Night"(1947) and the classic "Brideless Groom"(1947) among many others. If you liked "Have Rocket, Will Travel"(1959) check out "The Three Stooges In Orbit"(1962).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It Has It's Moments . . ., September 18, 2009

By 

Professor Pepperwinkle (Metropolis USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Three Stooges in Orbit (DVD)

Pretty much what you would expect from the crazy antics of The Three Stooges. Moe Howard and Larry Fine reprise their roles from the early Columbia short subject days. Joe DeRita takes over the third stooge part from cry baby Joe Besser, who, to put it bluntly, just plain sucked in that role.

DeRita at least *somewhat* resembles Moe's younger brother Jerry (who played "Curly" in the original short subjects from Columbia). Curly is and always will be most everyone's favorite stooge, earning the title "Super Stooge."

The Three Stooges in Orbit is entertaining but predictable. Of the full length "feature" movies Columbia released featuring the Stooges, all released in the early 1960's, only one was bad: STOP, LOOK AND LAUGH! just plain sucked.

I also have "The Three Stooges Meet Hercules" and "The Three Stooges Go Around The World in a Daze." The only one I regret buying is "Stop, Look and Laugh" which featured butchered bits of the original Columbia shorts wrapped around by Paul Winchell and his two dummies. It is sickening and insult to the Stooges and their fans.