''Stoogemania'' is a 1986 comedy film, directed by

Chuck Workman Chuck Workman is a documentary filmmaker from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. His 1986 film ''Precious Images'' won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film; his work has also been nominated for Emmy Awards, Sundance Film Festival awards, ...

and starring

Josh Mostel Joshua Mostel (born December 21, 1946) is an American actor with numerous film and Broadway credits. The son of Zero Mostel, he is best known for his supporting roles in films such as ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (1973), ''Harry and Tonto'' (1974) ...

as a huge fan of

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 ...

for whom the line between reality and fiction begins to blur. ''Stoogemania'' was made in an attempt to cash in on the Three Stooges' resurgence in popularity during the 1980s, thanks to syndication and the hit novelty song "

The Curly Shuffle "The Curly Shuffle" is a novelty song written by Chicago based singer and musician Peter Quinn as an homage to The Three Stooges film comedy team. It was initially recorded by Quinn's group Jump 'n the Saddle Band, and first released in late 198 ...

" by Jump 'n the Saddle Band. The film experienced a brief theatrical release and was poorly received by critics. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the film was released under the title ''Party Stooge''.

Plot

The film centers on Howard F. Howard (

), a huge fan of the Three Stooges. He is engaged to the woman he loves (

Melanie Chartoff Melanie Barbara Chartoff (born December 15, 1948) is an American actress and comedian. She first became famous for her comedy work on the ABC series '' Fridays'' (1980–82), and in the 1990s Fox sitcom ''Parker Lewis Can't Lose''. She voiced bot ...

), and life seems to be going well. More recently, however, he has been starting to see the Stooges wherever he goes. To save his life and his relationship, he seeks the help of a renowned Stooge

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

(

Sid Caesar Isaac Sidney Caesar (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2014) was an American comic actor, comedian and writer. With a career spanning 60 years, he was best known for two pioneering 1950s live television series: ''Your Show of Shows'' (1950� ...

). However, his illness is part of a very serious epidemic which has apparently swept the nation. The doctor gives him the wrong medicine: a sleeping pill. To his dismay, Howard continues to see the Stooges everywhere. He ends up going to "Stooge Row", a seedy part of Los Angeles located between the fictional "Shet Up Street" and "Nyuk Nyuk Boulevard". To combat this, a sanitarium known as Stooge Hills is created. While in an all-Stooge burlesque house, members of Stooge Hills (including

James Avery James La Rue Avery (November 27, 1945 – December 31, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Philip Banks in ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', Shredder in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', Judge Michael Conover on ''L. ...

) commit everyone in there to the sanitarium. Over a rigorous program, everyone is deemed cured. During the graduation ceremony, to prove that the Three Stooges are no longer funny, they play a few shorts. However, everyone comes to terms and realize "we love these guys". Howard marries his sweetheart, and the film ends on a happy note.

Production

The film was not endorsed 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 ...

or the Three Stooges trademark holders. Only four shorts are shown through the film, all of which are in the public domain: ''

Sing a Song of Six Pants ''Sing a Song of Six Pants'' is a 1947 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges ( Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 102nd entry in the series released by Columbia Picture ...

'' (1947), ''

Malice in the Palace ''Malice in the Palace'' is a 1949 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 117th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starri ...

'' (1949), ''

Brideless Groom ''Brideless Groom'' is a 1947 short film, short subject directed by Edward Bernds starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 101st entry in the series released by Columbia Picture ...

'' (1947) and ''

Disorder in the Court ''Disorder in the Court'' is a 1936 short subject directed by Preston Black starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 15th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures sta ...

'' (1936).

Victoria Jackson Victoria Jackson (born August 2, 1959) is an American actress, comedian, and singer who was a cast member of the NBC television sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) from 1986 to 1992. Early life Jackson was born in Miami, Florida ...

played a nurse at the fictional Stooge Hills. Additionally, the local arcade owner is played by Paul "Mousie" Garner, who was one of

Ted Healy Ted Healy (born Charles Ernest Lee Nash; October 1, 1896 – December 21, 1937) was an American vaudeville performer, comedian, and actor. Though he is chiefly remembered as the creator of The Three Stooges and the style of slapstick comedy th ...

's stooges and a member of the "New Three Stooges" in the 1970s.

Home media

The film was released on VHS and

Beta Beta (, ; uppercase , lowercase , or cursive ; grc, βῆτα, bē̂ta or ell, βήτα, víta) is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 2. In Modern Greek, it represents the voiced labiod ...

in 1986.

External links

* * *
Stoogemania movie review on Yahoo! Movies
* {{The Three Stooges filmography The Three Stooges films 1986 films American screwball comedy films American slapstick comedy films Atlantic Entertainment Group films Films directed by Chuck Workman Films scored by Hummie Mann Cultural depictions of The Three Stooges 1980s English-language films 1980s American films

Plot

Production

Home media

Further reading

External links