Have Rocket Will Travel is a movie I have had a fondness for since I first saw it as a teenager. Unlike with Laurel and Hardy (who I was introduced to through their Fox films), I was introduced to The Three Stooge through what is considered to be their best work and that is the Curly and Shemp short films. I had read some books on the Stooges before seeing the later Curly Joe features, so I knew they were not held in the best regard among Three Stooges fans. Yet when I saw Have Rocket Will Travel I was amazed at how completely delightful it was. Maybe this isn't up there with their best shorts but there is a lot to enjoy about this movie.
Even with being so late in their careers this movie represents a turning point in stooge history. In 1957 their long running series of comedy shorts came to an end. At this point it looked like their movie career had come to an end. But then something unexcepted happened. Just as many classic cartoon shorts had found a new life thanks to children's shows on TV, the same thing was happening with The Three Stooges shorts. Soon this exposure to many kids through TV made the Stooges major TV stars and their films would make for some of the highest rated programs on TV. Naturally Columbia Pictures, who made their shorts wanted the Stooges back so they could make more films with them. This time instead of making short films, the studio would make a series of feature length movies. Have Rocket Will Travel was the first of these movies.
This movie also marked the first Stooges film with Joe DeRita (or Curly Joe) in the role of the third stooge. When their career as short subject stars ended, Joe Besser was the third stooge. However, after the shorts had ended the boys decided to make some personal appearances throughout the country. Joe Besser's wife had suffered a heart attack and he did not want to leave her side. They departed on great terms, but the group still needed three members to be The Three Stooges. For a while the group had contemplated retiring. Larry said about this, "Moe and I thought of retiring after Columbia let us go. Moe was thinking of quitting show business altogether since he was pretty well off. I was thinking of managing apartments." However this idea was abandoned when the shorts reached a new popularity on TV. The search for a new stooge was on. Larry found the answer when he saw a show in Las Vegas called Minskey's Follies of 1958. Joe DeRita was in that show and after seeing him, Larry felt he would be a great choice. Many stories have surfaced over the years of Joe DeRita having been considered for this role as far back as when Curly suffered a stroke in 1946. Joe denied these stories stating, "It sounds good. It adds a lot of romance to the story. Around 1958, Moe and Larry wanted to do some personal appearances and they contacted me for the very first time about working with them. We meet at an agent's office and I agreed to work with them."
This film features our heroes as janitors at a space center. When a scientist friend of theirs (Anna-Lisa) finds her job in trouble, the boys do everything they can to help. Moe being a bit of an amateur scientist devices a plan. Unfortunately, this doesn't turn out too well and the boys find themselves on Venus. Here they befriend a talking unicorn and try to save the planet from an evil alien computer.
This movie features plenty of the classic Stooge comedy we have all grown to love. Many of the slapstick bits here are truly funny and remind Stooge fans of why they fell in love with the boys' comedy in the first place. Like many of the best Stooges films the storyline simply exists to give us an excuse for various comic set pieces. There is the boy's digging and exploring the rocket, the boys trying to make rocket fuel, the boys losing and trying to find some keys (reminiscent of a skit the boys did as supporting characters in the musical feature, Swing Parade of 1946 (1946)), the robot chase and the big party at the finish (similar to the one in the Stooges short, Hoi Polloi (1935)). Each of these set pieces is perfectly set up for gag possibilities and each takes full advantage of these possibilities. While not always as laugh out loud funny as the short films with Curly and Shemp, each of these set pieces kept a smile on my face all the way through. None of the jokes miss and most of them are quite delightful. There are even a few laugh out loud moments in this picture. The slapstick energy keeps the movie moving at a fast pace and even though this is a feature film, it doesn't feel any longer than one of the boys' shorts.
The sci-fi elements are as corny as possible but there is something quite charming about this corniness. The movie never takes itself seriously and never demands that we take it seriously either. Because of this we enjoy these sci-fi elements in the same way we enjoy say the 1966 Batman show and movie or the Superfriends cartoon and that is that there is something simply charming about unabashed corniness that can't really be explained.
The title song (written by veteran film composer and former member of Kay Kyser's band, George Duning along with Stanley Styne) is also ridiculously catchy and I can never count the number of times this song has been stuck in my head. Not surprisingly because of this sing the soundtrack was a surprise hit. This would be the first of many record releases by the boys, who would not only make soundtrack albums, but also novelty and children's records.
Like many of the feature films starring classic comedy teams, there was felt the need to be a romantic subplot. Unfortunately, the one here is very weak. Both of the characters are very bland and there is little chemistry between them. Most of the dialogue in these scenes feels too mushy and forced. It is hard to imagine anyone actually caring about these two getting together. When it comes to romantic subplots this certainly is no A Night at the Opera (1935). Luckily this does not take up too much screen time and never feels too intrusive.
This movie marked the feature film debut for Anna-Lisa. Still most of her career would be spent playing supporting roles in various TV show episodes. She appeared on such shows as Maverick, Gunsmoke, Perry Mason, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Death Valley Days. Her romantic interest is played by Robert Colbert, whose film career was just beginning at this time. Like Anna-Lisa, the majority of his career was spent on TV. One of his most interesting TV roles was as the forgotten Maverick brother Brent Maverick. After James Garner left the show, Brent Maverick was created as a replacement for Garner's character Bret Maverick. Not only was the name of the character only different by one letter but this new character had the same personality and dressed the same. Colbert understandably not wanting to be compared with Garner was unhappy with this role and the character only appeared in two episodes. Colbert worked with another Maverick brother in the feature film A Fever in the Blood (1961) which also featured Jack Kelly (Bart Maverick).
This movie's director was David Lowell Rich and this marked the only time he directed the boys. He too would spend much of his career working on TV shows. These once again included an episode of Maverick. Other shows he worked on included, The Barbera Stanwyck Show, Wagon Train, Route 66 and The Twilight Zone. He ended his career with a long strecth of made for TV movies in the 1970's and 80's.
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