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Have Rocket, Will Travel

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Have Rocket, Will Travel
Theatrical release banner
Directed byDavid Lowell Rich
Written byRaphael Hayes
Produced byHarry A. Romm
StarringMoe Howard
Larry Fine
Joe DeRita
Anna-Lisa
Narrated byDon Lamond
CinematographyRay Cory
Edited byDanny B. Landres
Music byMischa Bakaleinikoff
Distributed byColumbia Pictures Corporation
Release date
  • August 1, 1959 (1959-08-01) (U.S.)
Running time
76:14[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$380,000[2][3]
Box office$2.5 million[3][4]

Have Rocket, Will Travel is a 1959 American science fiction comedy film starring The Three Stooges. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and new "third Stooge" Joe DeRita (dubbed "Curly Joe"). Released by Columbia Pictures, the feature was produced to capitalize on the comedy trio's late 1950s resurgence in popularity.

Plot

The Stooges are janitors working at a space center who accidentally blast off to Venus. They encounter a talking unicorn, a giant fire breathing tarantula, and an alien computer who has destroyed all life on the planet and creates three evil duplicates of the Stooges. When the boys return home triumphant, they are given a hero's welcome.

Cast

Production notes

Have Rocket, Will Travel was Joe DeRita's inaugural screen appearance with the Stooges, having replaced Joe Besser after Columbia ceased production of the Stooges' shorts series. The title is a parody of the then-popular television show Have Gun, Will Travel, and its soundtrack featured songs such as "Swinging the Alphabet" and "Aba Daba Honeymoon".[3]

Although billed as such, it was not the first starring feature for The Three Stooges. That honor goes to Rockin' in the Rockies, the only starring feature made with the best known lineup of Moe, Larry and Curly.[5] The trio had also starred in a 1951 film called Gold Raiders during the Shemp Howard era, and had also had supporting roles in several 1930s films when the trio was still affiliated with Ted Healy, including Dancing Lady with Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Robert Benchley and Fred Astaire.

The space travel theme of Have Rocket, Will Travel was prevalent in the late 1950s. The Stooges had already filmed three shorts for Columbia revolving around this theme (Space Ship Sappy, Outer Space Jitters, Flying Saucer Daffy). They followed up with yet another space entry in 1962 for The Three Stooges in Orbit.

See also

References

  1. ^ Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. p. 524. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
  2. ^ "Have Rocket, Will Travel (1959)". Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Maurer, Joan Howard; Jeff Lenburg; Norman Maurer; Greg Lenburg (1985). The Three Stooges Scrapbook. Citadel Press. p. 187. ISBN 0-8065-0946-5.
  4. ^ "1959: Probable Domestic Take". Variety. Los Angeles, California. January 6, 1960. p. 34.
  5. ^ Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Comedy III Productions, Inc. ISBN 0-9711868-0-4.
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