"Beer Barrel Polecats" is a somewhat unusual Three Stooges short directed by Jules White and starring Larry, Moe, and Curly. As victims of Prohibition, the boys decide to concoct their own brew and become bootleggers, resulting in their ending up in prison. Around the time this short was made, Curly's health was noticeably deteriorating. To offer him a respite, it was decided to utilize stock footage of the Stooges from two different prison episodes from 1941: "So Long Mr. Chumps" and "In the Sweet Pie and Pie". But the use of this stock footage poses two problems: 1.) The difference between the older, tired Curly and the younger, more energetic Curly is all too apparent, and 2.) the old footage from "Chumps" doesn't quite fit comfortably into the story.
Nope, it's not one of the better Three Stooges comedies, but "Beer Barrel Polecats" still has some good moments. When the boys pose for a prison photo, the beer barrel that Curly hides underneath his overcoat explodes from the hot lights. Curly makes himself useful with a paintbrush; he paints a guard's sandwich, another guard's face, and a fire extinguisher. While working on the rock pile, Curly's sledgehammer whacks Moe on the head, and so does the steel ball attached to Curly's ankle.
Despite Curly's failing physical health, one other good point to consider in "Beer Barrel Polecats" is the cast: Vernon Dent as the warden, Robert Williams as a guard, Al Thompson as the prison photographer, and Joe Palma & Eddie Laughton as prisoners.
Nope, it's not one of the better Three Stooges comedies, but "Beer Barrel Polecats" still has some good moments. When the boys pose for a prison photo, the beer barrel that Curly hides underneath his overcoat explodes from the hot lights. Curly makes himself useful with a paintbrush; he paints a guard's sandwich, another guard's face, and a fire extinguisher. While working on the rock pile, Curly's sledgehammer whacks Moe on the head, and so does the steel ball attached to Curly's ankle.
Despite Curly's failing physical health, one other good point to consider in "Beer Barrel Polecats" is the cast: Vernon Dent as the warden, Robert Williams as a guard, Al Thompson as the prison photographer, and Joe Palma & Eddie Laughton as prisoners.