In the late 50's, the Three Stooges were enjoying a resurgence in popularity, thanks to their classic shorts having found their way to television. Since science fiction was all the rage in Hollywood at the time, and the Stooges had already made some sci-fi-themed shorts, they were sent back into space for a brief time in "Have Rocket, Will Travel".
This was the first film to feature Joe DeRita as the 3rd Stooge, replacing Joe Besser (ex-The Abbott & Costello Show), and the film was written clearly to use him as a sub for the late Curly Howard, hence DeRita being billed as Curly Joe. A couple of classic gags were recycled in the course of the movie---any Stooge fan worth his salt will know what I mean, but otherwise the film falls flat.
The boys are working in the maintenance department for a NASA-type agency which is trying to send a rocket into space. One rocket lands not far from their quarters, and through some trial & effort, they retrieve a monkey who was sent as part of an experiment. A pretty scientist (Ana-Lisa) briefs the guys on the project, while at the same time trying to rebuff her psychologist boyfriend (Robert Colbert, later of The Time Tunnel), who is proposing marriage. Predictably, the Stooges try to help, and develop a formula for rocket fuel by throwing in almost everything they can think of, short of the kitchen sink. They end up in the rocket, and head for Venus, or so it would appear. The "Venusian" terrain looks too suspiciously like Earth to actually be alien turf. There, they encounter a talking unicorn (an uncredited Dallas McKennon) and a malevolent robot (Don Lamond, who also narrated), who creates evil doubles of the boys. However, the Stooges escape and make it back to Earth, where they are given a hero's welcome.
We soon find that the shrink and the scientist got married off-camera, but that plot point was ignored most of the way.
Following is the opening credits to the movie, with the theme song sung by the Stooges themselves:
There would be a few more features in the next few years, culminating with "The Outlaws Is Coming", which featured a pre-Batman Adam West.
Rating: C.
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