If I'm not mistaken, "Flying Saucer Daffy" was the final Three Stooges short that was filmed before Columbia Pictures shut down its two-reeler department. The Stooges must have known they did a darn good job after all those years, but this particular short, while at least entertaining, is quite lacking in providing us with laughs. This is a Cinderella-type story, with Moe, Larry, and Joe essentially playing separate characters, and all of our sympathy extends toward the often-abused Joe. Joe's cousins Larry & Moe, and even Joe's aunt (Gail Bonney), treat him like manure. (By the way, it is interesting to watch how stiff Bonney is in administering the slapstick onto Joe; no one was better at this task than Moe.) Fortunately, justice prevails for Joe at the very end. The only moments in the film I find amusing are during the Stooges' camping trip: Larry accidentally topples a crate full of tin cans onto himself and Moe; Moe lights his nose instead of his cigar; and Larry remarks that Joe couldn't win ten thousand jelly beans, much less dollars.
I don't know if Joe Besser ever revealed why "Flying Saucer Daffy" was his favorite Three Stooges film, but I have an idea. As much as he loved working with Larry Fine and Moe Howard, slapstick was not his forte. Stooge fans grumble that Joe did not fit into the act, and as much as I really like Joe and appreciate his comedic talents, I tend to feel that he is funnier as a soloist. "Flying Saucer Daffy" simply gave him a chance to shine as he goes it alone for a good portion of the film, but unfortunately he doesn't have much to work with.
I don't know if Joe Besser ever revealed why "Flying Saucer Daffy" was his favorite Three Stooges film, but I have an idea. As much as he loved working with Larry Fine and Moe Howard, slapstick was not his forte. Stooge fans grumble that Joe did not fit into the act, and as much as I really like Joe and appreciate his comedic talents, I tend to feel that he is funnier as a soloist. "Flying Saucer Daffy" simply gave him a chance to shine as he goes it alone for a good portion of the film, but unfortunately he doesn't have much to work with.