Tricky Dicks (1953) Online

From the start, this looks like something that was maybe intended for a guest shot on the Frank Sinatra Show or something else of the time. Why? The whole short has only one scene, the police station. The gags are all there but disjointed because of a lack of any story or plot. Granted, the Stooges didn't use much plot or story to begin with but when it gets this "thin", it's very noticeable. This looks like one that was just "rushed through" in order to meet contractual obligations. This is nothing new for the boys at Columbia during the 1950's. Skimpy script, poor sets, poor direction and writing. In other words, little or no budget. It's OK but certainly far from being one of their better shorts.

"Tricky Dicks" is a Three Stooges film from 1953, so it is way past World War II and the Stooges weren't political at this point anymore. Also Curly had already died and Shemp had taken over from him. Other than that, it is the usual. It is black-and-white and in sound and features the famous trio in the main roles with some femmes fatales and some thugs in the supporting roles, like it was done many other times in Stooges films. This one here will have its 65th anniversary soon and I guess it is nowhere near their most famous or least famous works. And I am not surprised, it is frequently not considered among their finest, even if the title probably helps with the popularity. So yeah, White and Adler who made this, they made so many other of these films. If you like the Stooges, then you will like this one, but I am not a great fan and that's why I give it a thumbs down. Not recommended.

Perhaps if Columbia and Jules White had used this form of cost-cutting instead of using old footage all the time (though this short does have a small amount of reused footage) the Stooges might have aged gracefully instead of doing embarrassing remakes of previous shorts.

The whole short takes place on one set, a police station. While the slapping and physical gags remain, there's a new emphasis on verbal humor that makes it funnier. Moe's conversation with the mayor, Larry's complaint that a female co-worker "forgot something," and the questioning of Phil Arnold add to a steady stream of gags. On top of it is a running gag about the phone sounding inexplicably like a fire alarm and driving Moe into further stages of madness. It's never remarked upon but it escalates the humor value of the short.

There are some slow spots. Shemp's battle with a monkey is sluggish and adds nothing. And the short ends in a ridiculous shootout with Murray Alper shooting a gun with approximately 90 rounds, making the finale rote and repetitive. But the rest of the short is a clever way to exploit Columbia's shrinking budgets. When you can't get production values, up the writing game.

The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team!

This is one of My favorite Three Stooges shorts and its with Shemp! The beautiful Connie Cezan appears in this and she is great in this short! Also appearing is good performances are Benny Rubin, Ferris Taylor, Phil Arnold, Murray Alper, and Suzanne Ridgeway. The story is very good and The Stooges are very funny. I recommend this short!