Summary

• The Three Stooges produced 190 short comedy films over five decades, with Moe Howard and Larry Fine remaining consistent for nearly 50 years.
• Some of the Stooges' sketches, like "You Nazty Spy!" and "They Stooge to Conga," used humor to highlight political and social issues of the time.
• The Stooges' physical comedy shines in sketches like "Punch Drunks" and "A Plumbing We Will Go," where their absurd plotlines lead to hilarious destruction.

The Three Stooges were active in Hollywood for five decades, producing 190 short comedy films that vary in quality. Over time, the Stooges' lineup changed on multiple occasions, though Moe Howard and Larry Fine remained consistent for nearly 50 years. In 1934, the trio of Moe Howard, Curly Howard, and Larry Fine signed a deal with Columbia Pictures, which would become their home to produce both short films and feature movies throughout their careers, reaching popularity in the era that few comedy groups have ever achieved.

With 190 short films, it's challenging to narrow down so few. Comedy is highly subjective, but some shorts distinguished themselves, earning exceptional praise and becoming massively influential comedic works. The Stooges were prominent entertainers of their era, from vaudeville stage performances to their many short films, with some sketches standing out as the best of the best.

15 A Pain In The Pullman (1936)

In A Pain in the Pullman, the Stooges are out-of-work actors with a pet monkey act who get a chance for a show. On the train ride to their engagement, the monkey is accidentally set loose and begins to cause havoc on the train. One of the best bits in the sketch is the Stooges not knowing what crab is, determining that the food they're eating is actually turtle, and deciding to eat the shell instead of the meat because they don't like the taste.

14 You Nazty Spy! (1940)

World War II satire was an important source of comedy in 1940, which was also the year of Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator. That year, the Stooges released You Nazty Spy!, offering their take on the matter. The skit sees the Stooges come to power in a fictional country called Moronica, where Moe is made dictator because the evil cabinet ministers think he'll be daft enough to be their puppet. The skit helped publicize the evils of the Third Reich at a time when the US still hadn't entered the war. There are plenty of underrated war satire films, and You Nazty Spy! deserves to be mentioned among them.

13 Punch Drunks (1934)

Boxing was another source of comedy in the era, with popular films like City Lights. In the Punch Drunks sketch, Curly is discovered to have great boxing talent when listening to Larry play the violin. With Moe as the manager and Larry as the sideline violin hype-man, the three set out for glory in the boxing world. Punch Drunks is one of the best examples of the Stooges' physical comedy in an absurd plot.

12 Ants In The Pantry (1936)

Ants in the Pantry has Moe, Larry, and Curly as pest exterminators who plant vermin in a fancy mansion to get themselves business. To make matters more funny, the household is hosting a party and the Stooges have to operate while meandering between wealthy socialites. In one of the many sketches that has the Stooges working "common man" jobs and mes the life of the wealthy, the trio bring about hilarious destruction.

11 Dizzy Detectives (1943)

In an era known for great noir detective films like The Maltese Falcon, the Three Stooges gave their take on the genre in Dizzy Detectives. The sketch shows the Stooges as carpenters turned policemen looking to catch a burglar disguised as a gorilla. It's an almost Scooby-Doo-like plot, except rather than the burglar being a previous character in a gorilla mask, it's a real gorilla set loose by a previous character.

10 They Stooge To Conga (1943)

They Stooge to Conga sees the Stooges carrying on their anti-Nazi humor in 1943. In this sketch, Curly, Larry, and Moe are repairmen tasked with fixing a doorbell for a secret Nazi lair. Luckily, justice is served as the Stooges are so bad at their jobs that they manage to destroy the whole house, defeat the spies, and even sink an enemy submarine.

9 Dizzy Doctors (1937)

Dizzy Doctors has one of the more absurd plots of the shorts, as the Three Stooges are tasked with selling a medicine called "Brighto," only they don't realize that it's medicine. As they attempt to sell it as a cleaning product, they hilariously ruin various objects, including a cop's uniform and a car. They eventually attempt to sell Brighto to a hospital, where they are also unsuccessful.

8 Hoi Polloi (1935)

The 1935 sketch, Hoi Polloi, sees the Stooges clashing with fancy high society, which is always a hilarious mix. The sketch begins with two snobs having dinner while discussing the topic of nature vs nurture. One of the men bets that he can transform the Stooges into gentlemen. Not only does he fail to do so, but the Stooges end up degenerating an entire party of upstanding socialites into behavior similar to their own.

7 We Want Our Mummy (1939)

With the popularity of monster films in the 1930s, it's no surprise the Three Stooges took advantage of the trend. We Want Our Mummy sees the trio of Curly, Larry, and Moe take a trip to Egypt in search of a lost artifact. Already in a ridiculous situation, the Stooges are meant to be world-famous detectives, and the spoof on horror tropes adds to their usual slapstick gags.

6 Three Little Beers (1935)

Three Little Beers sees the Stooges as incompetent brewery delivery men who learn of their company's golf tournament. They sneak onto the golf course and begin to cause trouble. The sketch hilariously uses golf for its physical comedy, as they clearly have no idea how to play, resulting in increasingly bad swings. There are some great sports comedy movies, and Three Little Beers is a hilarious entry from the Three Stooges.