Another Stooge comedy set in the Old West, "Shot in the Frontier" shows the Stooges defending their town and their new wives from mean gunslingers. This film is a carbon copy of basic western plots the Stooges examined in many previous films. However, the film contains a couple of rarities that makes the film worth seeing at least once.
First, the film contains many scenes set outdoors. By the early fifties, most of the Stooges films contained scenes shot entirely inside Columbia sound stages, to save money previously spent on outside location shots. The film is aided by the natural outdoor locales (even if it is on a Columbia back lot!) Second, there is some incidental music in the background of "Shot in the Frontier," a rarity not only for the Stooges but for most Columbia comedy series.
Third, "Shot in the Frontier" contains all-new footage. By the early fifties, to save costs, Columbia and producer Jules White reused extensive footage from earlier Stooge films, shot a few new scenes, and theatrically released the "new" films. "Shot in the Frontier" is all-new and the film is a welcome change from other 1954 Stooge films that reuse old footage.
Unfortunately, the plot is nothing new, and the film gets a little tiresome. Some gags work well (like Larry shooting gum out of a shotgun) but there is the underlying feeling that we've seen it all before. Columbia has never released this film on VHS or DVD. It is worth seeing, if only that it was entirely new footage coupled with outdoor locales. 6 out of 10.
First, the film contains many scenes set outdoors. By the early fifties, most of the Stooges films contained scenes shot entirely inside Columbia sound stages, to save money previously spent on outside location shots. The film is aided by the natural outdoor locales (even if it is on a Columbia back lot!) Second, there is some incidental music in the background of "Shot in the Frontier," a rarity not only for the Stooges but for most Columbia comedy series.
Third, "Shot in the Frontier" contains all-new footage. By the early fifties, to save costs, Columbia and producer Jules White reused extensive footage from earlier Stooge films, shot a few new scenes, and theatrically released the "new" films. "Shot in the Frontier" is all-new and the film is a welcome change from other 1954 Stooge films that reuse old footage.
Unfortunately, the plot is nothing new, and the film gets a little tiresome. Some gags work well (like Larry shooting gum out of a shotgun) but there is the underlying feeling that we've seen it all before. Columbia has never released this film on VHS or DVD. It is worth seeing, if only that it was entirely new footage coupled with outdoor locales. 6 out of 10.
