The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze (1963) User Reviews

Well its still better than the book

[dsewizzrd-1 · 6/10 · 3 September 2012]

Phileas Fogg the Third, great-great-grandson (?) of the original Phileas Phogg, is convinced by a criminal confederate to go around the world in 80 days without spending any money in this Anglo-American production.

The Three Stooges are the servants of Fogg in this series of vignettes often filmed on location. Along the way they pick up a white American woman abducted by slave traders in India and deface a picture of Mao Zedong in China when captured by "technicians" of the Red Army (possibly a reference to contemporary events leading up the 1964 Sino-Indian War).

They get lost in the East China sea, but luckily avoid reaching Singapore where Lee Kuan Yew would have made them into Soylent Green. Then before the melodramatic end, it all hanged in the balance with a flight from Canada in a De Havilland Comet.

The best of the Joe Derita features...

[simeon_flake · 7/10 · 26 April 2015]

While I'm not wildly enthusiastic about the Moe, Larry and Curly-Joe trio of the late 50s and 1960s--not to mention the softer approach the boys were taking during this time period--every now and then I find myself in the mood to watch a full-length Three Stooges feature, and this is the one I generally view the most.

This film spends a lot of time at the beginning setting up the plot and introducing us to all the main players of this story--in what I can assume is an effort on Norman Maurer's part to get us to care about these characters.

Of course--with seemingly any stooge feature of this period--a love story seemed to be requisite to help pad out the running time. As far as love interests go, Jay Sheffield is competent I would say. Not quite as cardboard or unlikable as some romantic leads I've seen in other movies and Joan Freeman is quite the looker.

But, the reason I think any of us are paying attention to this particular film is the stooges themselves and I would say they bring considerable "funny" to this feature. Most of it seems to occur during the second half of the film--although there is the good scene in the opening minutes where the "boys" are introduced and they have quite a time preparing Mr. Fogg's breakfast.

Stooge fans all over the world have no doubt been debating for years Joe Derita's "skills" in handling old Curly Howard material--most notably in this film, "Pop Goes the Weasel" and the "Maharajah" routine. I would say I think Derita did well in his handling of said material. While I'm not exactly crazy about "Curly-Joe", he could on occasion deliver a good one-liner or display some skill at slapstick--and let's be honest, anyone would have been a step up from Joe Besser.

Funniest moment in the movie has to be Curly-Joe's sumo wrestling rematch with Itchy-Kitchy.

7 stars

Around the world with 3 chiselers

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 12 April 2019]

It's now the 60s and Phileas Fogg III great grandson of the original Fogg of Jules Verne's famous story makes a similar bet with a couple of crooks who have just robbed the Bank of England and thrown suspicion on him. But instead of a Cantinflas like man Friday he has three house servants who accompany him. Guess who those servants are?

There's a twist to this bet. Jay Sheffield has to do it all without spending a dime or working for passage. No credit cards allowed. But as Moe says he's fortunate to be employing three of the biggest chiselers around. The Stooges are ingenious at finding ways to travel on the arm.

Like in the book and the Mike Todd extravaganza the super punctual Phileas Fogg finds some romance in India and in this case it's stranded Joan Freeman from Council Bluffs, Iowa.

My favorite bit is how the guys drive the Chinese Communists crazy by resisting brainwashing techniques. Quite simple, they're too stupid for them to have any effect. Shades of The Manchurian Candidate.

Another good piece is Curly Joe's attempts at Sumo wrestling. You have to see this one.

Stooge fans should approve.

A Reasonable Sequel to its Academy Award winning predecessor

[x-ramubay · 30 July 2011]

Other reviewers compare this to the other Stooge films and that's okay, but this is also a sequel to Jules Verne's AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS and more specifically the 1956 film starring David Niven as Phileas Fogg and Cantinflas as his servant Passepartout. Now a few generations later, the great grandson of Phileas Fogg, Phileas Fogg III (Jay Sheffield) is tricked into re-staging the bet that made his great grandfather famous. While scheming, two bank robbers recap the original story for the viewers benefit: The original Phileas Fogg makes a bet he can travel around the world in 80 days and at the same time is accused of stealing money from the Bank of England only for the real bank robber to be caught in the end. The scheming bank robbers decide if they rob a bank, set up Fogg III as the accused, and bump him off before he completes his journey, then they will get off scot-free. And so we have a second journey around the world this time with the added handicap of not being allowed to spend any money while doing it. In steps the stooges as Fogg III's man servants who assure Fogg "we're born chiselers" and will have no problem escorting Fogg around the world without spending a dime. Whereas the original group rescues attractive Indian Princess Aouda (Shirley MacLaine), the new group rescues attractive American tourist Amelia Carter (Joan Freeman). The stooges comedy is much broader than Cantinflas and though both get top billing in their respective films, this was a Three Stooges vehicle. Similar to their other film efforts their co-stars play it mostly straight. In black-and-white and obvious back-lot locations, this is on the opposite side of the production scale of its Academy Award winning predecessor, however, it does a good job in creating a reasonable sequel.

Their Next to Last Starring Film

[donofthedial · 6/10 · 5 August 2007]

The Three Stooges Go Around the World In a Daze 1963.

This was the penultimate starring feature for the stooges and it is not very good.

I have avoided watching these late Stooges features b/c I figured they would not be very good. The Three Stooges Go Around the World In a Daze is regarded by some as their best late feature. Pity.

It's a 1963 release from Columbia and as such, it has a 'modern' look to it as compared to their 30s and 40s features that most of us now.

Moe and Larry are on hand looking fairly hale and hearty. I never noticed before how short Moe is. The valiant Joe DeRita is in here for Curly as Curly Joe. He tries, but he is rarely funny.

When you can isolate the funny moments in a film and have it come down to half a dozen, you know you don't have much of a comedy before you.

The film is a telling of the famous Jules Verne story - Around the World In Eighty Days. In this one, the grandson of the first intrepid traveler attempts, on a bet, to duplicate his grandfather's feat. The Stooges are in his employ as butlers. The other plot intricacies are not worth going into.

There are a few startling topical references in there with Larry, IIRC, making a reference to JFK's fitness program as they hike across country.

They have their exploits in various lands, but they are really filling time until the film says "The End" after about 80 minutes.

One laugh out loud sight gag - Curly Joe is in the ring with a sumo wrestler in Japan. As the big man staggers (or CJ goes to pin him - whatever), they hit the middle of the ring and it collapses inward in a concave manner. Funny! The other sight gag has the Stooges involved in a fight in a darkened warehouse. As the light repeatedly comes on and goes off, we see different moments in the fracas....in in that one funny moment, an arm comes out from the side of the screen and hits Moe in the face with it's fist. Well timed.

And those are the highlights of the film.

It's a good natured feature, harmless and benign.

Recognizable character actors - Murray Alper turns up as an Allied Van Lines truck driver.

There's not too much more to add. Nice effort by the Stooges and far from inept.

Quite sure the best Stooges full length feature fooling around the world !!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 1 July 2023]

A little intro if the readers may allow me, the Stooges were in my infancy my first heroes ever, in those shorts at noon as schedule at TV with my fellows mates, henceforth I used to watch all them full length feature like this whereof the best from my beloved troublemakers.

Quite sure The Three Stooges go Around the World in a Daze was the best production at its time at least for me for the writers had allowed an average screenplay, instead in the others that were lame and fuzzy, this turn a presentable classic story of which in advance the producers put their apologizes to make a joke with so prized novel, ours friends work at England as loyal servants of so upstanding member of British aristocracy Phileas Fogg III (Jay Sheffield) that is challenge for a journey around the world in 80 days without spending a penny as his ancestor did, it actually is the defiant set up to Phileas leaving the bank with a previous stolen money without noticed.

They start the long journey hidden in a Cargo vessel toward Istambul, at this time the Scotland Yard is aware of the robbery and is there to arrest Phileas along with the crooks that intent to kill him aiming for erase any hint that leads them to, thus enters the wiseacres Stooges with more lucky than sense, the next stop at India where as stowaways on train stumble with an American tourist girl Amelia Carter (Joan Freeman) reaching in a palace of a scoundrel Maharajah that wills for take the gorgeous girl to add his vast harem, once more the Stooges save the day on a show of flying knifes among singing clarinet that Curly Joe becomes furious to listen certain tune, they headed to China imprisoned previously in the border.

Arriving there the Stooges undergo a brainwashed by Chinese, pure nonsense instead the Chinese are brainwashed becomes in a instant Stooges themselves, they are spelled from there in a little boat that adrift for a while, they reach at Japan so awaited arrival at Tokyo, there a fight with a strong Japanese is settle to in San Francisco a final match will be on those gimmick singing clarinet, after that they planned go straight to New York and at last crossing the sea to reaching in time in London, right? Absolutely not they wrongly headed to Canada spending a precious time and the high stakes, well not so fast, the destiny will be seal their luck until there, at last something palatable to Stooges exposes their standard physical comedy!!

Thanks for reading.

Resume:

First Watch: 1977 /How many: 5 /Source: TV-Youtube /Rating: 7.

Enjoyable, but hardly a must-see

[I_Ailurophile · 6/10 · 16 January 2024]

The fame of the Three Stooges is such that one is nominally aware of them long before watching anything they made. To sit and watch their works, whether shorts or full-length features, that renown is less sure-footed. In one measure or another the troupe's films are entertaining, yes, but the quality ranges from wonderfully funny to only passively amusing, and depends a lot on how much one appreciates their particular brand of slapstick. I mean no disrespect to anyone involved when I say that this 1963 picture falls more into the latter category: enjoyable, but not making a significant lasting impression. If you're looking for something extra light on a lazy day 'The Three Stooges go around the world in a daze' may well fit the bill; beyond that, don't spend too much time thinking about it.

As with their contemporaries and forebears we're treated to a retinue of gags, situational humor, witty dialogue, and abject silliness on top of the expected slapstick. Some of these bits really are a blast, and are very clever; others are more blithely droll, or in the case of the Stooges' perpetual knocking of each others' heads, just grow tiresome quickly. I'm given to understand that a couple routines are recycled from past movies, which is no worse than what other comedians have done, and these help this to earn a laugh or two; then again, one loses its charm as it's repeated several times. Then there are the more plainly questionable odds and ends: as our characters travel around the globe, filmmaker Norman Maurer and screenwriter Elwood Ullman demonstrate that they know no more than maybe five things about any other culture, and sometimes no more than one; the only stand-out quality of Turkey, for example, is the apparent bad reputation of its prisons. At the same time, there are little details all throughout - signs seen in the background, scene writing, the performances into which the supporting cast is guided, and so on - that just come off as... well, they haven't aged well. And on top of all this, the writing is just all-around thin, very much trying one's suspension of disbelief if not also one's patience; some moments are worse than others, reducing the intended high energy of some instances to empty bluster.

From lacking vitality and hollow zest to sometimes flimsy storytelling and more outwardly dubious facets, there is sadly a fair amount of the feature that just doesn't really pass muster sixty years on. All this is unfortunate, because despite its troubles I do like 'Around the world in a daze' more than not, and it's well made. Even if participants' contributions were guided to ends that raise a skeptical eyebrow, everyone did a fine job in general: stunts, effects, costume design, hair, makeup, sets, cinematography, editing, and so on. The cast is swell. It's just that I think I specifically laughed only twice the whole time, and the film is of the sort that will provide a reasonably good diversion for ninety minutes before being rather forgotten. And hey, there's nothing inherently wrong with that; sometimes that's all a flick needs to be. Given the Stooges' status as icons, however, one expects more of them, and I don't think they don't fully deliver in this case. I'm glad for those who get more out of this than I do, and who altogether admire the group and love all they do; as far as I'm concerned, though, while 'The Three Stooges go around the world in a daze' might earn a recommendation, it's only a soft one.

Where are the laughs??

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 22 June 2018]

I have never been a huge fan of The Three Stooges....and you might want to keep this in mind as you read this review. I am not a die-hard fan but I have enjoyed some of their earlier films. But their latter pictures have never interested me--mostly because the replacements for Curly and Shemp were just not nearly as entertaining. In their last films, Curly Joe DeRita played this third Stooge and the films, in general, are very tame compared to the earlier films. Sure, there's some slapping and bonking...but less than normal. And, the comedy bits in these full-length pictures are a bit tired....just like you'll find in "The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze".

Like their latter films, it's full-length and features the Stooges in secondary roles. I am not sure why the studios did this, as they were very popular...and the other characters in the films were pretty limp. In many ways, it was as if the Stooges were guest stars who appeared here and there in other folks' movies.

The story involves some crooks that come up with a terribly convoluted and difficult plan. They'll rob a bank and place the blame on Phileas Fogg III--a relative of the famous guy from "Around the World in 80 Days". And, while Fogg is traipsing about the world trying to win a new bet (traveling around the globe without spending any money), he won't realize that the police will be chasing him. As for the Stooges, they play Fogg's three servants who accompany him.

Let's cut to the chase. Although this is supposed to be a comedy, it's really NOT funny. Part of it is because they recycle some overly familiar old material (such as having Curly Joe go mad and start beating up people when he hears the tune "Pop Goes the Weasel"....exactly what Curly did in the 1930s "Punchdrunk" and Shemp did in the 1940s "A Hit With a Miss". They also used the Maharajah gag.....which wasn't funny the first times the trio did them. Overall, a film which wastes the Stooges' talents and which, inexplicably, made money.

full of pure Stoogey goodness, nyuck, nyuck, nyuck

[greg-glen · 8/10 · 28 October 2008]

Many hardcore Stooges fans look down on the latter-day Three Stooges, but "the Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze" is a fine film and a worthy addition to the Three Stooges canon. Shemp and the original Curly Joe aren't here, but this is Joe Derita's finest moment as a Stooge. The Stooges are in fine form, slapping and clobbering each other and falling into various misadventures(based loosely on the classic Jules Verne novel). You needn't worry about the romantic subplot drawing too much attention away from the boys - this film's sense of proportion is admirable. The Stooges resurrect a few of their old routines and throw in some new ones. The gentlemen playing the heels also turn in admirable comic performances. For my money, my favourite part of the movie is when the Three Stooges go to Red China. This part alone is worth the price of the movie. See for yourself. People who hate the Stooges won't be converted here, but the faithful will find much to rejoice in. Even in their latter days, they could still mug and thwock. Onesies or twosies? Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck. Greg Cameron, Surrey, B.C., Canada

Past Their Prime

[Calaboss · 4/10 · 24 March 2012]

I've never been a big fan of the later Stooges. I think their best on-screen efforts were in the 1930's and 40's. Curly and Shemp had died in 1952 and 1955, long before this movie came out.The last time we saw Curly on film was 1947, and trying to replace him with pale imitations just didn't do it for me (at least Shemp was his own Stooge). Joe DeRita tries his luck at filling Curly's shoes in this one, but it just makes you miss the real Curly all the more.

All adults are familiar with this Jules Verne tale, and this movie just adds two Stooges and Curly-Joe. Old Stooges routines are best seen in the original shorts, not rehashed with a fake Curly that lacks charisma.

With a cast of Americans putting on bad foreign accents, the boys attempt to make the trip around the world. A few chuckles follow, but it's hardly worth the 94 minutes it takes to get this over with. If there is nothing else on, this might be worth a watch, but with over 100 channels available......

"Remember, you're dealing with born chiselers."

[slymusic · 7 February 2007]

From Normandy Productions comes a very good Three Stooges feature film: "The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze." Moe, Larry, and Curly-Joe are devoted servants (major-domo, chauffeur, and cook, respectively) to the handsome young Phileas Fogg III (Jay Sheffield) of England. A brilliant confidence man named Vickers Cavendish (Peter Forster) arrogantly suckers Fogg into wagering twenty thousand pounds that he can go around the world in eighty days, just like his great-great grandfather did, under the stipulation that he shall neither spend one single farthing nor do any kind of work to pay for his transportation. Needless to say, the Stooges decide they must help him along on this exciting journey. Even better yet, Fogg meets the beautiful Amelia Carter (Joan Freeman) in his travels.

My favorite highlights from "Around the World in a Daze" include the following (don't read any further until after you have seen this film). The Stooges encounter three Chinese "psychiatrists" who behave just like the Stooges (this scene features a clever inside joke about the Stooges' elimination of the poke-in-the-eyes from their repertoire). The four large trunks that Fogg & the Stooges use for their luggage cause some mild amusement, as when Larry drops them down a staircase, when Curly-Joe drops them on Moe's head, and when Fogg & the boys hide inside them and move around; Moe even utilizes a periscope! The "Maha-Aha" routine, brilliantly executed by the Stooges in disguise, is an old gag the boys originally did with Curly (in the Columbia feature "Time Out for Rhythm" [1941] and the Columbia short "Three Little Pirates" [1946]). Curly-Joe goes fighting mad whenever Larry plays "Pop Goes the Weasel" on a snake charmer's wind instrument (also reminiscent of Curly from the Columbia Stooge short "Punch Drunks" [1934]); the best examples of this are when Joe literally breaks through the jail cell and when he fights the Japanese sumo wrestler Itchy Kitchy (Iau Kea). There is a bit of suspense mixed with hilarity during the climactic fight in the dark, which the Stooges had also done in some of their earlier shorts. And finally, while travelling by train, Fogg claims that there might be trouble crossing a certain bridge, but Curly-Joe feels there's nothing to worry about: "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze" may not have been the most successful feature film for the boys, but it is still a winner. Moe's son-in-law Norman Maurer produced and directed it, and Elwood Ullman, who wrote some of the Stooges' best shorts, contributed the screenplay for this feature film. In addition, watch for Moe's grandson Jeffrey Maurer as the boy who steals Larry's wind instrument at the wrestling match. To top it off, "Around the World in a Daze" was Curly-Joe's favorite Stooge film.

This is a GREAT 60's stooge movie.

[biglamalam · 18 July 2000]

I have seen alottttt of stooge movies in my day and this has to be one of the greatest FULL stooges movie there ever was. If you want Larry, Moe, and Curly-Joe? Watch this, this has to be the funniest one yet made by the stooges faction!

MY rating out of 10 = 10.

It's Good And Funny!!

[jeremy-44 · 20 June 1999]

Hi I'm 13 years old. I'm a big fan of the Stooges! and the Three Stooges Go Around The World In A Daze is good and funny! Moe, Larry, Curly Joe, Are Going Around The World In Eighty Days It Is A good movie But I Like The Other 2 movies better! Of Them!! But It Is Still Good Though!!

Around the World With a Few Laughs

[Michael_Elliott · 27 June 2011]

Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze, The (1963)

** (out of 4)

The Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, Joe DeRita) play servants to the great-grandson of Phileas Fogg. Fogg the third (Jay Sheffield) is taken by a con man who says he won't be able to make it around the world in eighty days so Fogg takes the bet with the Stooges going along for the ride. This was the fifth feature film for the Stooges after regaining their popularity and sadly it's really not a very memorable one. It goes without saying but the film is spoofing the Jules Verne classic but it seems like the writers just thought that the Stooges spoofing it would be funny enough and it's not. The film contains a few nice laughs but the thing falls well short when it comes to big laughs. One of the running gags has Curly Joe going crazy when he hears "Pop Goes the Weasel" and fans of the group will remember this is something the original Curly did to perfection in some of their earliest Columbia shorts. The comic bit is decent here but it never gets a major laugh and when you see it you can't help but think back to when Curly was doing it and doing it much better. Another gag early on has the boys inside some large trunks, which of course get bumped and tossed around. The joke here doesn't work because it's obvious the Stooges aren't in any trunks and its even more obvious that the camera is doing the "twirls" that we're seeing. One funny gag that does work has the boys in China when three psychiatrists are trying to "work them over" but instead they come out acting as dumb as crazy as the Stooges in their original shorts. This bit actually has some good laughs in it and there's even a nice joke about the eye poking that this group of Stooges wouldn't do any more. Moe, Larry and DeRita are all in fine form but it's clear that age slowed the boys down. I know many fans can love all stages of the Stooges but I'm still in belief that their greatest days were their earlier ones and these here just don't have that same power. This film here will probably appeal to younger viewers because it is very child-like but I think most adults will still prefer the earlier shorts where the Stooges were at their prime.