RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Soitenly. Nyuk nyuk, nyuk. Why I oughta.....

Brilliant. Utterly stupid, but brilliant.

Over the last few years, watching the Stooges has been a Sunday morning ritual for my family. When I was younger I kind of took them for granted and thought it was nothing but gratuitous violence, but upon rewatching them as a teenager I learned the difference between "violence" and slapstick. Really, when you think about it, the Stooge violence isn't supposed to be funny- after all, what exactly is funny about someone being poked in the eye, a possible cause of blindness?- but somehow the Stooges make it funny. They were masters at the art of slapstick clowning- few have matched their timing and skill when it comes to physical comedy. Their films may seem simple and base, and to be sure they are pretty lowbrow- but the Stooges were truly skilled comics- like many comedians of the time they had a vaudeville background, and so they knew how to make an audience laugh.
Of course, sometimes their stuff gets a little repetitive- the slapping and eye-pokes lose their shock value and become predictable- but when all is said and done, they were the absolute best at what they did.
A couple of points I'd like to close with:
1. To those of you who don't like Shemp- give him a chance! Sure, he's not quite as good as Curly, but who could be? After all, Shemp was one of the Howard brothers, and if you watch his films with an open mind you'll see that he was a terrific and genuinely talented comedian.
2. To those of you who think women hate the Stooges- my mother loves them, and they are often capable of sending my aunt Mary into hysterics.
3. To those of you who just don't think they're funny- lighten up! If they're too lowbrow for you and you like more sophisticated humor, that's understandable, but don't try to deny their comic talent.

They're a little stupid at times but nevertheless they can make me bowl over with laughter...and probably spill the contents of the bowl. There's always 3 Stooges and 3 Girls for them. We all know it's really 3 guys fighting for one girl.

I can't believe people really found them funny. And I'm a guy!

I have been a Stooge fan for years and I'm only 24. I think I should make a Stooge "death tape" for myself (thanks Ridgewalker for the suggestion). This has got to be one of the best comedy teams in the history of entertainment, along with Laurel and Hardy, and the Marx Bros. The crap on Comedy Central today doesn't hold a candle to these guys.

Harmlessly enjoyable and, surprisingly, not too derivative.

These guys with either Shemp or Curly are the best. Simple stuff over and over yet it never gets old. I am amazed at how they can make it look so real. What I look for is face expressions. They are experts at that.

OK if you like slapstick but there are better comedy teams for that.There's not much else going on here-smacks on the head and funny noises only go so far before getting stale...

How can you not rank the Stooges high? Sure, some of their bits might run a little long for todays tastes, but you could argue that some of today's tastes aren't very damn funny. When Curly left the group, there was no way he could be replaced. This is why I didn't mind Shemp so much, because it's like they weren't really trying to replace him. But Curly Joe? A big bald guy with almost the same name? No, didn't care for that much. Still, all in all, it goes back to a time before people were over sensitive and cartoonish violence was nothing but cartoonish.

Duck!! . . Dodge!! . . Hyde!! . . Get in here!

Anybody who gives them less than a 5 should be shot...Calling Dr. Howard..Dr. Fine..Dr. Howard...

The Three Stooges are a pretty fun group of guys. A little to stupid for me at times but still fun.

Slob humor, but they did succeed at being very funny within the prosaic boundaries they set for themselves. I think Curly was the only one of their number that may have had genuine comedic talent, even genius, but my personal favorite was actually Shemp, who was very funny in a dry, understated sort of way.

These guys are timless but declined a little after Curly had his stroke and left the group.

stupid, yes, silley, yes, funny, yes. These three brought slapstick, physical and verbal comedy to the for front of popularity. If you don't like to think and like to laugh, catch these three for good fun.

I have loved them since I was a kid.

Still the best comic trio of all time. Their antics were always over the top hilarious. The best of this great trio were Moe, Larry and Curly, followed by Shemp. Still funny and still relavent, after all these years!