The Outlaws Is Coming (1965)

Just watched this again on YouTube, several years after originally seeing this late at night on TNT. This was the last theatrical movie for The Three Stooges and it's quite a good one to go out on even though they had one more film to go (that would be Kook's Tour which was another of their TV pilots and which I'll review next). Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe are photographers in Boston when the movie starts. Adam West runs their newspaper department and is passionate about the possible extinction of the buffalo. When their boss (regular Stooge supporting player Emil Sitka) tells of how low that speices seems to be in number, they go west to try to prevent it. I'll stop there and just say the Stooges are as funny as ever with their physical comedy and there are also some anachronistic gags about modern times that were nice surprises especially a couple of ones about The Beatles! The producer/director was Norman Maurer-Moe's son-in-law. Also Maurer's son Jeffrey Scott appears as the only underage kid here. And Don Lamond-who's the main villain here-is Larry's son-in-law. The famous gunslingers whose names get printed on screen as they are introed are all played by TV kids hosts who showed Stooges shorts on their stations. Among them was Joe Bolton who previously appeared in the Stooges-with-Curly compilation film Stop! Look! and Laugh! Interesting sidelight: After this movie, Adam West would become a big star in the "Batman" series and Henry Gibson-the college-educated young adult Indian who criticizes the Pidgin English Lamond communicates to his father-would be a regular on "Laugh-In". So on that note, I recommend The Outlaws Is Coming.

Perhaps the Stooges' finest work, this is a superb example of the trio at their very best. They outdo all bast efforts and enhance their legend with this, their last released film With a bit more sophistication and in many ways much more cerebral in its concept, this is comedy that will simply delight everyone. Obviously, this Stooges film had a particular influence upon Mel Brooks when he produced his own classic Western comedy, Blazing Saddles. However, no one has nor will succeeded in bringing a funnier and entertaining Western spoof to the screen than the Stooges did with their 1965 effort, The Outlaws is Coming.

Some grown-up dialog -- "Look at all those fighting Indians" (and if you don't get the joke, then you never heard the original story about the Custer memorial) -- far-above-average acting and just generally good production values elevate this Stooges movie.Of course there is the usual Stooges schtick, without which we would feel terribly bereft, and Joe DeRita shows he is a superb Stooge.Emil Sitka played three parts! As is mentioned elsewhere, he had been a "Fourth Stooge" for so many pictures, he was slated to become a Third Stooge, to replace the ill Larry Fine, but no movie ever got produced.That is a shame for him and for us, for us who loved the Stooges, and especially for us who loved him.Most of the cast members, except for Adam West, were not very well known, but they showed some understated acting ability that proved their talent and demonstrated how good a Stooges movie could be.The guys were lucky. So many other comics and comedy groups or teams declined, but their last picture might well be their best.I hope everyone will get a chance to see this, for the sheer fun of it, and for the chance to evaluate the Three Stooges and their work.

I am not disappointed by this film. For a Stooge movie, it seems very much a product of its time, very modern in its tone. For one, you have Sixties icons Adam West and Henry Gibson, the latter playing a Native American educated at the University of Alabama, complete with Southern drawl! And Mr. Gibson is smarter than the dumb outlaws he is dealing with, to boot! Oh, and Curly Joe is funny in this scene, too! Watch also for at least two Beatles references, as well as references to the environment. Maybe the Stooges were slowing down by 1965, but they are still a joy to watch. And there are certainly many funny sequences as well. Definitely fun to watch!