Three Little Pirates - 1946

Director: Edward Bernds

Cast:
Curly Howard ... Curly
Larry Fine ... Larry
Moe Howard ... Moe
Christine McIntyre ... Rita
Robert Kellard ... Guard (as Robert Stevens)
Vernon Dent ... Governor
Dorothy DeHaven ... The Governor's secretary
Ethan Laidlaw ... Pirate (uncredited)
Larry McGrath ... Soldier (uncredited)
Joe Palma ... Pirate (uncredited)
Jack Parker ... Soldier (uncredited)
Cy Schindell ... Pirate (uncredited)
Al Thompson ... Pirate (uncredited)

In 1946, Curly wasn't the same Curly he was a few years earlier. He had had a few strokes, his speech and movements are slow, and he is so skinny here. However, with the help of Moe and Larry, he manages to pull off his last great comic performance, Three Little Pirates was Curly's second to last film. In this entry, the Boys are escapees chased after by A Governor and Pirates. While this short is not the best, it's close. It's hilarious and will have you watching it repeatedly. It's got all the ingredients of a great Stooge short, plus the series' best fight scene, where a crazed hammering pinball machine takes out the pirates. A hilarious series entry for the boys, but they were never again as good as they were here. Shemp was funny and had some hilarious shorts (i.e. Goof on a Roof, Mummy's Dummies, Hot Scots, and a few others), but all in all, they could never fully capture it again.