Customer Reviews

Have Rocket, Will Travel (The Three Stooges) [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Soon after the great success of their re-released classic two-reelers on television (for which Columbia Pictures made $12 million), Columbia finally, after 24 years, offered the stooges a chance to star in their first full-length motion picture, titled "Have Rocket, Will Travel"(1959). They quickly accepted the offer and filming began. Sadly, Curly and Shemp never got this chance. Joe DeRita had filled in the third stooge slot in 1958. "Have Rocket, Will Travel"(1959) turned out to be one of the top box-office money-makers of 1959 and is the best 3 Stooges movie ever produced with Joe DeRita(Joe Besser was unable to stay with the act, due to his wife's failing health).

The plot: Moe, Larry, and Joe are janitors at a space laboratory who try to help Dr. Ingrid Naarveg(Anna-Lisa) produce a rocket fuel after her boss, J.P. Morse(Jerome Cowan) threatens to expel her if she can't perfect the fuel in time for the launch. The stooges concoct the fuel themselves and are accidentally set off into space. While trying to contact the boys, Naarveg discovers that they are unknowingly heading towards Venus.

"Have Rocket, Will Travel"(1959) is the trio's best feature in many ways. It's the one film that plays out like a 3 Stooges two-reeler. It remains faithful to their original shorts throughout. DeRita reenacts the spring on trousers gag and gets caught in a maze of pipes. "Have Rocket, Will Travel"(1959) is the funnest stooge film to watch, mainly because of its similarity to the shorts. All the fun of 4 two-reelers is packed into one hilarious movie. Only in the last half hour does the film start to become a yawner. A sequel was planned, but it never materialized.

Anybody know why this best of the Stooges, their first movie is not out on DVD??!! All of their others are!!

The Three Stooges work as maintenance men at a rocket research facility. The film begins with stock footage showing a rocket taking off, but wavering shortly after blast off, and going off course, though the event of crashing is not shown. Then, we are shown the rocket ship sticking nose down in the ground (it is a life-sized model, not an actual rocket ship). The Three Stooges are asked to stand guard at the crash site, but they somehow enter the ship, and it tips upright, and by accident the Stooges start the ignition, and the ship zooms off to another planet, where it lands.

There is a decent zero-gravity episode, where Larry is shown floating about, attempting to retrieve a floating book.

There is little attempt to make the "other planet" seem other-worldly. It is just a desert, perhaps not far from Los Angeles. Anyway, the Stooges encounter a 50 foot spider that emits a jet of flames. Then a futuristic flying car materializes in a puff of smoke, and the Stooges board the car, and it takes them to a laboratory. Once in the laboratory, the Stooges encounter a talking robot with four arms (people inside the cubical robot, with their arms inserted into the robot's arms). And so on, and so on.

At the start of the picture we are introduced to a female Ph.D.-level rocket scientist. The director and screenwriter are to be commended for putting a female in this prominent role in a movie made way back when (1959). Another scientist, a young Robert Colbert, is shown wooing the female. The appearance of Robert Colbert was quite startling to me. Many Americans know him as a co-star, with James Darrin, in the TIME TUNNEL television series from the 1960s. TIME TUNNEL was an excellent science fiction series (I recommend the episode showing the Trojan Horse, the episode in occupied France during World War II, and the French Revolution episode).

HAVE ROCKET, WILL TRAVEL also includes a lengthy plumbing episode, taken from one of the Stooges earlier short features about plumbers. The plumbing episode, which includes floods and a multitude of strangely arranged pipes and joints, does not really fit into the story. One gets the overall impression that the Stooges were running short on comedic ideas. HAVE ROCKET, WILL TRAVEL lacks the zaniness of some of the Stooges' earlier efforts, or the later film, THREE STOOGES IN ORBIT. TWO STARS.

"Have Rocket Will Travel" kicked off the first in the series of feature films with Larry,Moe and Curly Joe. You know something, this was a funny film to kick off this series! Typical Stooge humor throughout with lots of eye poking, head banging numskull fun. They also sing quite well with the opening theme! I am hoping Columbia Tristar will release this on DVD since I have the other Three Stooges DVD movies from the early to mid 1960s. Enjoy!!

The Three Stooges had resurgence in popularity when television discovered them. Television led to movies, and "Have Rocket, Will Travel" attempted to capitalize in their new-found fame. Unfortunately, much of the plot is rehash, and the science fiction parts are sadly dated. Strangely, I still like this movie and have watched it a couple of times. I think I just liked the Three Stooges.

This incarnation of the Stooges starred original Stooges Moe Howard and Larry Fine and new Stooge Joe DeRita as Curly-Joe. The Stooges are working as janitors for the National Space Foundation. Mr. Morse (Jerome Cowan) and Dr. Ingrid Naarveg (Anna-Lisa) are faced with the failure of their rockets because of inefficient fuel. The boys are enamored of Dr. Naarveg and sneak into the lab at night to make a fuel consisting of a combination of unlikely ingredients. Mr. Morse catches the Stooges in the lab and chases them into the rocket, which they had just fueled with their new mixture. Mr. Morse ignites the rocket, which then propels the Stooges to Venus.

Venus looks suspiciously like Earth, including breathable air. The Stooges encounter a giant spider, a talking unicorn (voiced by veteran actor Dal McKennon), and a super robot. The super robot had been created by Venusians, which promptly turned all the Venusians into electrical energy (there's gratitude for you). Unfortunately, the robot then got lonely. The super robot creates three robots based on the Stooges to keep itself company. Of course, the three robots behave exactly like the original Stooges.

After some rehashed zaniness the Stooges are able to escape from the robot. They meet the talking unicorn and the four of them return to Earth, where they are celebrated as heroes. After a ticker tape parade the Stooges attend a party where mayhem ensues. The mayhem is a rehash of some of the mayhem of the golden years as Stooges, but there are some funny moments.

One other person of interest in this movie is Robert Colbert as Dr. Naarvig's love interest Dr. Ted Benson. Colbert is a veteran actor with dozens of television credits into the 1990s. A couple of interest roles were as Dr. Douglas Phillips in the 1960s series "The Time Tunnel" and as Stuart Brooks in the daytime soap "The Young and the Restless."

As a comedy I am unable to recommend this movie. If you are a Stooges fan, as I am, you will probably want this film, even though it is a weak entry in the Stooges portfolio. I suspect that children might like this movie, but be advised that children often enjoy imitating the physical stunts that the Stooges perform in this movie, stunts that require significant control to ensure no one gets hurt.

It is unfortunate that a comedy trio that created dozens of classic film shorts were recycled into this film. However, sometimes weak Stooges are better than no Stooges at all.

The Stooges first of many movies from 1959-1965 is one of my favorites, with great gags and supporting performances, especially by Jerome Cowan. I remeber the giant tarantula scene from my childhood 30 years ago!

I really liked this video. It was the best movie The Three Stooges made. I really liked the part when they landed on Venus and saw a talking Unicorn. The best part I saw in this movie was when they met an electronic car. I also liked the part when The Three Stooges were shrunked and went inside this bird cage.

Thank you so much for reading my review. Have a Pleasent Day!

P.S.- I'd like to order a Three Stooges Video called "The Outlaws Is Coming", but you don't have it available. So if you would kindly try to get this video availible as soon as possible because I'm just dying to have this movie. And as soon as you have it available and I order it and I recieve it, I'd be welcome to come back and review it.

Thanks!

As huge of a Three Stooges fan I've been since about the age of ten, here recently was my first time I sat through this 1959 waste-of-time film. Moe, Larry and Curly-Joe do manage to scrap together a few (and, I'm talking very few) laughable scenes. But for the most part, Curly-Joe (Joe De Rita) is a total dork. At least Joe Besser had his moments - sort of wish he'd filled the role of Curly-Joe in the six Stooges feature films.

"Have Rocket" (1959) was the closest the Stooges' feature-length film with DeRita came to the speed and intensity of their late 30s/early 40s shorts. Yet, while all their other "Curly Joe"-era features are on DVD this remains absent. There a reason for this? It can't be "lack of interest"- especially since lesser known films ("Gold Raiders", "Meet the Baron", "Soup To Nuts") and lesser accepted films (fake Shemp and Joe Besser are) are now immortalized on DVD. Is it a legal reason? Litagation between Jean DeRita and the Howard family, perhaps?
I may be wrong. For all I know there are plans for a DVD. If anyone knows yes-or-no, and any reasons why, please post in the coments section. Thanx...

I do not own this movie, But i have seen it a thousand times. It's my favorite out of their features besides Snow White and the 3 Stooges. I would love to see it be brought out on DVD like all of the other great three stooges classics.I think that it's fantastic that they sing in the film that's a classic. Although i would have loved to have seen Curly Howard in the film. Don't get me wrong, i liked Curly-Joe DeRita, but he wasn't at all funny as Curly Howard. I would recommend this movie to any three stooges fan. Especially if you're just now being introduced to them this would be a great film to get you started!