This is a humourous Three Stooges short. Do not take lessons in making beer from the Three Stooges. The short drags in parts and is not funny in parts. Watch it if you haven't anything better to do. The Stooges were starting to show their age in the 1940's, and this is one of the better one's from that time.
9 Reviews
too young and too handsome
SnoopyStyle5 February 2020
Larry, Curly, and Moe can't find any beer in town. They decide to make their own. Curly sells one beer but the buyer turns out to be a cop and the boys get arrested. I like the progression of the story. Pomeroy does need a bit of explaining which was probably cut out to save time. I always love the boys especially with Curly. There is plenty of hilarity. They should do more old Stooges. This one has one of the better Stooges ending.
Weak short.
stooge6054016 July 2001
This is around the time after Curly got ill. To make things easier for him in this short, they decided to reuse excessive amounts of footage from earlier shorts just as SO LONG. MR. CHUMPS and IN THE SWEET PIE AND PIE, and build somewhat of a plot around it (they would end up doing this a lot in the later in the mid-50's). A lame and poor idea, especially since you can notice a huge difference in Curly's performance from the new footage compared to the reused. Also, the footage from SO LONG adds nothing because in it, the Stooges are looking for Convict 41144, yet there's never an explanation of why. That was very lazy and confusing.
The weakest of the Curly shorts.
The weakest of the Curly shorts.
Good Three Stooges short!
Movie Nuttball22 March 2005
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!
One of the most hilarious Three Stooges shorts is Beer Barrel Polecats. In this short are Vernon Dent, Robert Williams, Lynton Brent, Eddie Laughton, Joe Palma, Al Thompson, and Blackie Whiteford. The acting by these actors are good especially by Dent and Brent. There are many funny scenes here that I think most Three Stooges fans will love! In My opinion this one of the most different Three Stooges shorts. I recommend this one to all!
One of the most hilarious Three Stooges shorts is Beer Barrel Polecats. In this short are Vernon Dent, Robert Williams, Lynton Brent, Eddie Laughton, Joe Palma, Al Thompson, and Blackie Whiteford. The acting by these actors are good especially by Dent and Brent. There are many funny scenes here that I think most Three Stooges fans will love! In My opinion this one of the most different Three Stooges shorts. I recommend this one to all!
We all put the yeast in...
simeon_flake27 December 2005
As other reviewers have already pointed out, the insertion of archival footage from previous mid-40s Curly shorts is what proves to be the downfall of this particular episode--which is something of a shame, since I found a lot of the new scenes to be quite hilarious; particularly the opening scenes with the stooges making their homemade brew (I'm sorry Moe, the crock skidded).
Of course, the stock footage was probably a combination of events, stemming from Curly's obviously declining health & the old thrift master Jules White showing an early affinity for saving a few dollars (something that came into greater prominence in the '50s).
Of course, the stock footage was probably a combination of events, stemming from Curly's obviously declining health & the old thrift master Jules White showing an early affinity for saving a few dollars (something that came into greater prominence in the '50s).
Rather Weak Film for the Boys
Michael_Elliott17 May 2017
Beer Barrel Polecats (1946)
** (out of 4)
Curly, Moe and Larry buy a book on how to make beer so the three put their brains together and brew a batch. Things don't go as planned and soon the three are in jail after Curly tries to sell to an undercover cop.
BEER BARREL POLECATS is perhaps the weakest Stooges short up to this point in their careers. This was filmed after Curly had suffered a number of strokes so I'm going to guess that this played a part in the final product. There just isn't too much going on in this film and there certainly aren't enough laughs to make it worth sitting through a second time. The first portion of the film contains a few minor laughs as the beer making process is a disaster but the scenes in jail are all rather weak and they don't contain a single laugh.
** (out of 4)
Curly, Moe and Larry buy a book on how to make beer so the three put their brains together and brew a batch. Things don't go as planned and soon the three are in jail after Curly tries to sell to an undercover cop.
BEER BARREL POLECATS is perhaps the weakest Stooges short up to this point in their careers. This was filmed after Curly had suffered a number of strokes so I'm going to guess that this played a part in the final product. There just isn't too much going on in this film and there certainly aren't enough laughs to make it worth sitting through a second time. The first portion of the film contains a few minor laughs as the beer making process is a disaster but the scenes in jail are all rather weak and they don't contain a single laugh.
Perhaps the weakest short of the late Curly era
csweetleaf22 June 2003
When I first watched this short, I actually was enjoying the new footage and when I saw the reused footage, I was quite dissapointed and when I saw reused footage from another episode, I was even more dissapointed and I think this short is only worth for the first 5-6 minutes and I understand that Curly was ill during this time and I think that Curly was more sick than usual in this short although Curly seemed more healthier in the next two shorts 'Uncivil Warbirds' and 'Three TroubleDoers' although his condition went even more downhill in the two shorts after that.
Mostly Unfunny Short from the Late Curly Period
mrb198028 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Curly Howard's health was going downhill by the time this short was made, and it really shows. What's even worse is that footage from the classic 1941 film "In the Sweet Pie and Pie" was recycled for this short, and a comparison of old and new footage really brings out Curly's decline.
The Stooges have looked all over town and can't find a bottle of beer anywhere, so they decide to brew their own, with predictably disastrous results. They are eventually thrown in prison where they end up breaking rocks. They are eventually released as old men, and the first thing Curly wants is a bottle of beer.
Columbia's production values for the Stooges shorts was getting more stingy with each film from this period. That, along with an ill, slow-moving Curly, resulted in a sad series of shorts in 1945 and 1946. The scripts just weren't very funny, and all previously outdoor filming had been moved to the studio. There just aren't many laughs here, and most of them come from the old 1941 footage.
I really wanted to like this film, but I just can't. Instead of resting, Curly was forced to act during this period, and the results are just sad.
The Stooges have looked all over town and can't find a bottle of beer anywhere, so they decide to brew their own, with predictably disastrous results. They are eventually thrown in prison where they end up breaking rocks. They are eventually released as old men, and the first thing Curly wants is a bottle of beer.
Columbia's production values for the Stooges shorts was getting more stingy with each film from this period. That, along with an ill, slow-moving Curly, resulted in a sad series of shorts in 1945 and 1946. The scripts just weren't very funny, and all previously outdoor filming had been moved to the studio. There just aren't many laughs here, and most of them come from the old 1941 footage.
I really wanted to like this film, but I just can't. Instead of resting, Curly was forced to act during this period, and the results are just sad.
Somewhat depressing
slymusic5 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
"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.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
