SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

classicsoncall I caught my fair share of Three Stooges shorts as a kid but never a full length film. Curiously, the trio doesn't really operate as a trio here, as Moe Howard goes by the name of Shorty Williams, and lures Curly and Larry into his prospecting scheme as a way for them to escape the law. The backdrop of a Western film was probably a way of getting the boys into cowboy outfits and astride some horses but the story could have left that element out and still arrive at the same conclusion, which was to get their various supporting players hired by a Broadway producer just trying to get some rest and relaxation while on vacation. With a host of musical numbers, the picture gets some mileage out of a handful of performers like the Hoosier Hotshots and the Cappy Barra Boys. They didn't sound particularly talented to me, but the number that won over producer Trove (Tim Ryan) featured one of the members on a makeshift instrument that brought to mind Smiley Burnette in one of the Durango Kid flicks. A couple of pretty young ladies were also on hand, but the idea that singer June McGuire (Mary Beth Hughes) would fall for an older homely guy like Moe, er Shorty, was beyond my ability to comprehend.

Michael Morrison Moe Howard actually plays a non-stooge: "Shorty" Williams, a ranch foreman, but one who really wants to be a prospector.He does a good job, too.This movie is a must for Stooges fans, if only because it is not typical, but it is so unusual it's a must for any movie fan.Besides, Mary Beth Hughes is in it. Someone with whom I was not familiar, Gladys Blake, but whose lovely legs make her very watchable, played her performing partner, Betty. She didn't act long, but had many gigs.Most of the plot is to give excuses for musical numbers, and some of the numbers are pretty good, especially "Wahoo." Though Ken Trietsch was a guest on a TV show I directed, I hadn't realized the Hoosier Hotshots had been so active in movies. They actually had a lot of talent, as both musicians and actors. This film was a revelation.Some of the alleged comedy was done poorly, and can't be called good slapstick. Probably the director should be blamed.Still, this is a lot of fun, is a must for Stooges fans, a must for movie historians, a must for fans of Western Swing and for -- a term I think I coined -- Midwestern Swing, and a good time for anyone just looking for pleasant fun.

westegg I saw this film on TCM with a slightly different attitude. I recently viewed a DVD set called "SHOWTIME USA;" this was a compendium of circa 1950 low budget musicals from Lippert Productions. ROCKIES, though a Columbia film, share some of the same musical cast seen in the later Lippert movies (including a subliminal Snub Pollard appearance) and it's the musical element, so snidely dismissed here, that I find the most worthwhile! My God, you have Spade Cooley, the Hoosier Hotshots, the charming Mary Beth Hughes, etc. So even if it's musically not to your taste, it's still a valuable thing to have on film. For Stooge-centrics there's obviously way better Stooge stuff elsewhere, but this film definitely has its own merits.

wes-connors The Three Stooges in a feature length western comedy-musical? Perhaps "Rockin' in the Rockies" was meant to combine the Stooges comedy short with the western musical, in a matinée; if so, this was a pleasant way to break up a Saturday afternoon. Jay Kirby (as Rusty) is a handsome young hero; and, Mary Beth Hughes (as the blonde June) and Gladys Blake (as the brunette Betty) are pretty women. The Hoosier Hotshots are a harmonious group; their songs are quite tuneful; however, this is the 1940s, not the 1950s, so the film doesn't exactly "rock". There are a few laughs; but the Stooges' brand of humor is more subdued than usual. The talking horse is also underutilized. **** Rockin' in the Rockies (4/17/45) Vernon Keays ~ Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Mary Beth Hughes