{"id":36875,"date":"2022-03-11T18:27:41","date_gmt":"2022-03-11T23:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=36875"},"modified":"2022-03-11T18:27:41","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T23:27:41","slug":"the-bootleg-files-the-three-stooges-in-stupor-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2022\/03\/11\/the-bootleg-files-the-three-stooges-in-stupor-heroes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bootleg Files: The Three Stooges in Stupor Heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"

BOOTLEG FILES 796:<\/strong> \u201cThe Three Stooges in Stupor Heroes\u201d (2012 fan film). <\/p>\n

LAST SEEN:<\/strong> On YouTube.<\/p>\n

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO:<\/strong> None.<\/p>\n

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS:<\/strong> Unauthorized production that borrows copyright protected material from the Three Stooges and DC Comics.
\n
\nCHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: <\/strong>Nope.<\/p>\n

There seems to be a surplus number of fan films based on \u201cStar Wars,\u201d superhero flicks, James Bond adventures and popular horror franchises. But how come there is a deficit of Three Stooges-inspired fan films?
\n<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the lack of quantity is balanced by a work of quality \u2013 a 2012 short created by a group called The Chublin Brothers titled \u201cThe Three Stooges in Stupor Heroes.\u201d This work mashes up the Stooges with the Justice League into a cute and highly amusing romp.<\/p>\n

The film finds Moe, Larry and Curly (or three very unreasonable facsimiles) in Happy Harbor, where the trio are janitorial workers sent to clean a house. But Curly read the map upside down and they wind up on the other side of town \u2013 inside the cave that is the headquarters of the Justice League. They meet Martian Manhunter \u2013 who looks more like one of the aliens from \u201cSanta Claus Conquers the Martians\u201d than the DC character \u2013 who is seated at a desk with an old-fashioned radio and a microphone. Martian Manhunter is playing cat\u2019s cradle with string when the Stooges volunteer themselves to be sidekicks for the superheroes \u2013 but after Moe accidentally dumps the contents of a water bucket on Martian Manhunter, the Stooges are blacklisted from Justice League entry.<\/p>\n

Mercifully for the threesome, Martian Manhunter leaves before a radio transmission seeks help to rescue Wonder Woman, who has been kidnapped by Gorilla Grodd and his gang. The Stooges exit to a nearby costume shop to dress like superheroes \u2013 Moe becomes Superman, Larry is the Flash and Curly is initially Santa Claus before his comrades force him to take off the red-and-white suit and dress like Green Lantern.<\/p>\n

The Stooges burst into Gorilla Grodd\u2019s hideout in a warehouse \u2013 the place is full of boxes marked \u201cBananas\u201d and \u201cMore Bananas,\u201d which makes sense because Gorilla Grodd is a talking gorilla in a striped jacket; the big ape has human henchman who look like they\u2019re still in high school. The Stooges make a dismal attempt at pretending they\u2019re real superheroes, but after some knockabout (including the dropping of bowling balls on the henchmen\u2019s heads), the unlikely tri save the day \u2013 only to be triple-smacked by an angry Wonder Woman who is angry she was rescued by impostors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Three Stooges in Stupor Heroes\u201d is clearly a labor of love, complete with sound effects and Curly\u2019s vocal mannerism borrowed from the original two-reelers and expertly placed on this soundtrack. While the actors\u2019 resemblance to the legendary knuckleheads is iffy, George Doerr IV\u2019s Moe, Jeff Peeler\u2019s Larry and Kevin McCameron\u2019s Curly capture the spirit and style of the slapstick icons. Thomas Hayes\u2019 script and direction offer a worthy tribute to the peak work of Del Lord, Edward Bernds and Charley Chase when they were at the steering wheel of the two-reeler classics.<\/p>\n

Now, you may be wondering \u2013 who are the Chublin Brothers? From what I can gather, they appear to be a comedy squad who\u2019ve created comic videos intermittently over the past 11 years. Their Stooges film seems to be the most elaborate of the bunch \u2013 and if this is any indication of what they were capable of creating, it is a major shame they have not been more active.<\/p>\n

Of course, the film makes an unauthorized use of multiple trademark-protected characters, so any commercial home video release is out of the question. But the film can be seen on YouTube, and it is a delightful little gem that deserves to be seen. N\u2019yuk, n\u2019yuk, n\u2019yuk, indeed!<\/p>\n