''Flying Saucer Daffy'' is a 1958

short subject A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

directed by

Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; hu, Weisz Gyula; 17 September 190030 April 1985) was a Hungarian-American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges Early years White began working in mo ...

starring American

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such a ...

comedy team

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeared ...

(

Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He is best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television ...

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 5, 1902 – January 24, 1975), known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges. Early life Fine was born to a Russian Je ...

and

Joe Besser Joe Besser (August 12, 1907 – March 1, 1988) was an American actor, comedian and musician, known for his impish humor and wimpy characters. He is best known for his brief stint as a member of The Three Stooges in movie short subjects of 1957� ...

). It is the 187th entry in the series released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

Similar to Cinderella, Joe Stooge is forced to work for his Aunt and two bum cousins (Moe and Larry). On a camping trip, Joe's accidental snapshot of a paper plate blown by a breeze, is mistaken for a picture of a

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

. However, Moe and Larry take the credit for the photo, and are paid a huge sum while Joe is reduced to the status of their servant. Moe and Larry are arrested when their UFO picture is revealed to be a fraud by the government. Angered, the Aunt banishes Joe for causing the arrests of both Moe and Larry. Joe isolates himself with a camping trip, only to meet two genuine and beautiful aliens from Planet Zircon who allow him to photograph them. Moe and Larry are released from jail briefly on probation to allow them to pay back the government for the fraudulent photo, when Joe arrived with the great news, in which the other stooges don't believe, and repeatedly strike Joe, until Joe manages to strike both stooges and the older woman unconsciously. Joe becomes a national hero, celebrating his photo achievement while riding with his new beautiful aliens in a ticker-tape parade; Moe and Larry are put in straitjackets and incarcerated in a

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

Production notes

''Flying Saucer Daffy '' features Moe and Larry's more "gentlemanly" haircuts, first suggested by

. However, these had to be used sparingly, as most of the shorts with Besser were remakes of earlier films, and new footage had to be matched with old. Besser later reported that ''Flying Saucer Daffy'' was his favorite Stooge comedy. The short features stock footage from '' Earth vs the Flying Saucers''. Over the course of their careers at Columbia Pictures, the Stooges would very occasionally be cast as separate characters. This course of action always worked against the team, as author Jon Solomon contends: "When the writing divides them, they lose their comic dynamic." In addition to this split occurring in ''Flying Saucer Daffy'', the trio also played separate characters in ''

Woman Haters ''Woman Haters'' is a 1934 musical short subject directed by Archie Gottler starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Jerry Howard). It is the inaugural entry in the series released by Columbia ...

'', ''

He Cooked His Goose ''He Cooked His Goose'' is a 1952 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 140th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starr ...

'' (and its

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

Triple Crossed ''Triple Crossed'' is a 1959 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Joe Besser). It is the 189th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the ...

''), ''

Gypped in the Penthouse ''Gypped in the Penthouse'' is a 1955 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 161st entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures star ...

'', ''

Cuckoo on a Choo Choo ''Cuckoo on a Choo Choo'' is a 1952 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 143rd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starri ...

'' and ''

Sweet and Hot ''Sweet and Hot'' is a 1958 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Joe Besser). It is the 186th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the co ...

'', as well as the feature film ''

Rockin' in the Rockies ''Rockin' in the Rockies'' is a 1945 American musical western feature film starring the Three Stooges (not to be confused with their 1940 short subject '' Rockin' thru the Rockies''). The picture was one of the Stooges' few feature-length film ...

''.

End of an era

Though ''Flying Saucer Daffy'' was not the last short subject released by the Stooges (that honor goes to ''

Sappy Bull Fighters ''Sappy Bull Fighters'' is a 1959 short film, short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe Besser in his final starring role). It is the 190th and final entry in t ...

''), it was the last one produced. Filming took place on December 19–20, 1957. Several hours after filming wrapped, the two-reel-comedy unit shut down and the Stooges were unceremoniously fired from Columbia Pictures after 24 years.

Joan Howard Maurer Joan Howard Maurer (April 2, 1927 – September 21, 2021) was an American writer and actress, and the daughter of Moe Howard of The Three Stooges. She wrote several books on the Three Stooges and had several roles as a supporting actress during ...

, daughter of

, wrote the following in 1982:

References

External links

* *
''Flying Saucer Daffy'' at threestooges.net
{{The Three Stooges 1958 films 1950s science fiction comedy films American black-and-white films American science fiction comedy films American space adventure films Films directed by Jules White Columbia Pictures short films The Three Stooges films 1958 comedy films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Plot

Production notes

End of an era

See also

References

External links