SPOILERS+++++++ I purchased this film on DVD because I have never seen it played on Turner Classic Movies and because I found it very cheap on a Warner Brothers "Classic Comedy Teams" "box set". It contains 3 single sided DVD's one with the 3 Stooges in Meet The Baron and Gold Raiders (I have not watched that yet), 2 Abbott and Costello films (Lost In A Harem and A&C in Hollywood) and 2 Laurel and Hardy films (Air Raid Wardens and Nothing But Trouble). I have not watched the other 5 movies yet, I mainly purchased it for the Stooges and wanted to watch Meet The Baron first because it has the Stooges in their very early film days and I also saw Jimmy Durante and Zasu Pitts in it and I'm a fan of theirs also. Warner's probably released the DVD's as singles at first in 2006 and by the time I was looking for it 6 years later it was part of a box set for less then the price of the single DVD's still being sold online ($9 vs $15). I believe all 6 films were MGM releases so they are somewhat of a rarity since most A&C films are Universal and such, and 3 Stooges are known for their shorts from Paramount and their later feature films for the kiddies. I just wanted to pass that info along if you are in search like I was of early Stooges material, you are better off buying it with Abbott and Costello and Laurel and Hardy in this case. And if you are a Stooges fan you won't mind the other teams coming along for the ride.
So on to the movie, I was really surprised at how elaborate the title credits were and of the early scenes, like the musical parade homecoming, this looks like a decent budget film, BTW the parade was the first scene that made me laugh out loud alone in my place when Durante is looking at the fat maids butt and then looks at the Baron's butt and remarks about a family resemblance. There were three scenes that made me laugh out loud and so I have given this a decent score although I do understand why others give it less, I enjoyed it. I'm surprised it is only 68 minutes long and that it has not been on TV at all as far as I am concerned. You would think with the Stooge's fan base this would get a lot of airplay on at least TCM but no such luck. Go figure. I started writing this review after watching the first 2/3 which were decent and fast paced but the last 1/3 slows down and it has no Stooges in it and really takes the film down a lot.
The downside to the film is that it's a vehicle for Jack Pearl and not so much Jimmy Durante and that Zasu Pitts' part is totally straight not funny at all. It was worth watching though to see the Stooges and Jimmy Durante and to see Edna May Oliver in a non dramatic part (I mostly remember her from her caricature in the Warner cartoons). They could have left Zasu out entirely and had Jack Pearl go after Edna which would have been a lot like Groucho and Lilian Roth but I guess since this movie is in essence a cheap imitation of Animal Crackers itself they didn't want to go there. I give the film 7 of 10 for the shower musical scene, the parade musical number, and the early 3 Stooges parts. A high score based mainly on being a Stooges fan.
So on to the movie, I was really surprised at how elaborate the title credits were and of the early scenes, like the musical parade homecoming, this looks like a decent budget film, BTW the parade was the first scene that made me laugh out loud alone in my place when Durante is looking at the fat maids butt and then looks at the Baron's butt and remarks about a family resemblance. There were three scenes that made me laugh out loud and so I have given this a decent score although I do understand why others give it less, I enjoyed it. I'm surprised it is only 68 minutes long and that it has not been on TV at all as far as I am concerned. You would think with the Stooge's fan base this would get a lot of airplay on at least TCM but no such luck. Go figure. I started writing this review after watching the first 2/3 which were decent and fast paced but the last 1/3 slows down and it has no Stooges in it and really takes the film down a lot.
The downside to the film is that it's a vehicle for Jack Pearl and not so much Jimmy Durante and that Zasu Pitts' part is totally straight not funny at all. It was worth watching though to see the Stooges and Jimmy Durante and to see Edna May Oliver in a non dramatic part (I mostly remember her from her caricature in the Warner cartoons). They could have left Zasu out entirely and had Jack Pearl go after Edna which would have been a lot like Groucho and Lilian Roth but I guess since this movie is in essence a cheap imitation of Animal Crackers itself they didn't want to go there. I give the film 7 of 10 for the shower musical scene, the parade musical number, and the early 3 Stooges parts. A high score based mainly on being a Stooges fan.