Rockin' thru the Rockies

Rockin' thru the Rockies
Directed by Jules White
Produced by Jules White
Written by Clyde Bruckman
Starring Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Lorna Gray
Kathryn Sheldon
Bud Jamison
Dick Curtis
Dorothy Appleby
Linda Winters
Cinematography Henry Freulich
Edited by Art Seid
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • March 8, 1940 (1940-03-08) (U.S.)
Running time
 17:24[1]
Country United States
Language English

Rockin' thru the Rockies is the 45th short film released by Columbia Pictures in 1940 starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). The comedians released 190 short films for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

The Stooges are guides (circa late 1800s), who are helping a trio christened "Nell's Belles" travel across the Rocky Mountains to San Francisco, the location of their next performance. While preparing some corned beef, a group of Indians urges them to get off their land as soon as possible. Since Curly scared off the horses earlier, the group is stuck there for the night.

During the night, Moe and Larry angrily tell Curly to sleep by himself because he is barking like a dog in his sleep, as Curly dislikes. Unfortunately, snow falls while they sleep. They awake to discover a bear has devoured their food supply, so the three hapless guides try unsuccessfully to catch some fish in a nearby frozen lake. The fishing expedition is interrupted by Nell (Kathryn Sheldon), who discovers the Belles — Lorna Gray, Dorothy Appleby and Linda Winters — have been kidnapped by the Indians. The Belles manage to escape, and the troupe leaves the Indians' land quickly.

Production notes

Rockin' Thru the Rockies was filmed on November 7-11, 1939.[2] The film title is often mistaken for the 1945 feature film Rockin' in the Rockies starring the Stooges.

After the snow collapses the tent-like structure from the set of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (in which the troupe performs in a traveling show), Curly falls through a curtain, lands on the girls in bed, and says, "The walls of Jericho collapsed." This is a reference to a scene in Columbia's It Happened One Night, where the flimsy barricade set up between Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable in a motor lodge was called the "walls of Jericho."[1]

In this short Curly also briefly chants, "Give 'em the axe, give 'em the axe; right in the neck, right in the neck" which is a reference both to the Stanford Axe as well as the chant traditionally shouted by Stanford during the Big Game, which was popular in southern California during the early part of the 20th century.[1]

The conclusion of this film is reminiscent of Early American folklore as the Stooges leave Indian territory a la Windwagon Smith.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 317. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
  2. ↑ Rockin' Thru the Rockies at threestooges.net
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