Cuckoo on a Choo Choo is the one-hundred-forty-third Columbia Pictures short subject starring the Three Stooges.
Plot[]
Larry and Shemp are hiding out in a stolen railroad car called "Schmow." Larry wants to marry his girlfriend Lenore (Patricia Wright), but she refuses to consent until Shemp marries her sister Roberta (Victoria Horne). Lenore wants to honor her family's tradition of the oldest daughter marrying first, and Shemp is very wealthy. The problem is that Shemp is rarely sober, drinking alcohol, and madly in love with an imaginary giant canary named Carrie. Moe, a private investigator from the railroad, finds the missing car and is trying to get a sense of how it was stolen from a moving train. As fate would have it, Moe had a previous relationship with Roberta, and has not seen her for years. He is ecstatic to find her after many years of disconnect, and tries his best to rekindle the long dormant love affair. Larry tries to pit Moe and Shemp against each other over Roberta, but Shemp still prefers Carrie. Moe then decides to abandon his responsibilities and stay with the group, trying to marry Roberta. The film finishes with Shemp trying to follow Carrie, but he bumps into the closed door and knocks himself out.
Cast[]
- Moe Howard, as the Private Investigator
- Larry Fine
- Shemp Howard
- Patricia Wright, as Lenore
- Victoria Horne, as Roberta
Notes[]
- Over the past 50+ years since its release, Cuckoo on a Choo Choo has been dubbed one of the most original and unique shorts in the Stooge canon. However, the overwhelming majority of fans and critics have deemed the film the worst Stooge comedy made.
- Cuckoo on a Choo Choo featured the longest slapfest between Moe and Shemp.