THE THREE STOOGES GO AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAZE (1963, U.S.)

The Three Stooges
Go Around the World
In a Daze

(aka AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAZE)
(1963, U.S.) 90? minutes
Normandy Productions / Columbia Pictures
Screenplay: Elwood Ullman
Cinematography: Irving Lippman
Music: Paul Dunlap
Produced by Norman Maurer
Directed by Norman Maurer

With: Moe Howard (Moe), Larry Fine (Larry), Joe DeRita (Curly-Joe), Joan Freeman (Amelia), Jay Sheffield (Phileas Fogg III), Emil Sitka (Butler), Murray Alper (Gus), Pat Cooper (Mr. Mikhail), Richard Devon (Maharajah)

***

In 1963, the Three Stooges appeared in their next-to-last film. Based upon "Around The World In 80 Days" by Jules Verne, the film opens in the seedy Limehouse section of 1960's London. Fleeing con-men Vickers Cavendish (Peter Forester) and his henchman, "Flitch" (Walter Burke), conceive a plot to rob the Regency Street Bank of a fortune.

Cavendish reads of Phineas Fogg's bet that he can travel around the world in 80 days. Not realizing that he is accused of robbing the Bank Of England of it's recent currency shipment, and being tailed by diligent police detective Fix. Eventually, Fogg is cleared of the crime, and successfully completes his trip and wins his bet.

Cavendish sees that if his crime is to succeed, he would have to get rid of the man that he is going to frame for the crime, so that he could never prove his innocence. "Flitch" is skeptical of his boss' idea, but he warms up to the plot, and he is astounded to learn that Cavendish's victim is another Phineas Fogg.

Phineas Fogg The III (Jay Sheffield) is the great grandson of the first wealthy world traveler, who is a well-to-do real estate owner and, like his famous relative, also a member of "The Reformer's Club". As it happens, the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine And Joe DeRita) are Fogg's butler, chauffeur and cook.

Heading for the Reformer's Club that morning, Fogg is introduced to an obnoxious intruder named Randolph Stewart III (Cavendish in disguise), who accuses the young investor's great-grandfather of winning his bet by unfair means. Fogg is insulted and demands an apology, which "Stewart" has no intention of giving. He does, however, challenge Fogg to re-create his great Grandfather's trek around the world in record time. There is only one catch... Fogg would have to make the trip without the use of his wealth.

The young Fogg agrees to the challenge, unaware that he is being set up for trouble. While Fogg makes side bets with his fellow club members, Cavendish meets up with his henchman, where he obtains the time of the delivery of the Regency Street Bank's weekly currency shipment.

Next morning at 10 am, Fogg signs the villain's bogus agreement, and leaves his monies with bank executive Willoughby, just as guard brings in the Bank's recent delivery of 55,000 pound notes. While Willoughby is turning the agreement over to his clerk, Cavendish grabs the bag with the currency shipment and places a yacht club sticker on the satchel. He leaves a similar bag filled with stale shredded wheat in it's place.

Walking to the teller's cage on pretense of asking for directions to Piccadilly Circus, Cavendish gives Fogg the bag of stolen monies, then takes his ill-gotten booty back as he heads to a back alley and drives away. Fogg asks Larry to drive him "as fast as you can make it!", so that he can prepare for his trip. Just as our hero heads for his estate, a shocked Willoughby finds the satchel filled with the stale cereal, and faints as the burglar alarm is tripped.

As Fogg makes final preparations for his trip, he the Stooges bringing out four trunks instead of just one. Moe explains that the Stooges have to go along with their employer, because he doesn't know how to travel without using his wealth. Convinced of their abilities as born chiselers, Fogg agrees to take along the trio. The boys and Fogg are going to get on The SS Star Of Turkey hiding in their trunks.

Moe has Curly Joe place all four trunks on his back, and Larry leads him to the front door of the manor house by his striped necktie. As usual, the efforts turn into a typically hilarious Stooge disaster, as the trunks fall off Curley Joe's back, and land on poor Moe's skull. Moe responds by braining his two partners with his umbrella.

While our heroes head for London's docks, Willoughby meets with Scotland Yard's top police official, Inspector Crochet (Maurice Dallimore), who believes that Fogg's trip is simply a ploy to steal the bank's funds and get out of the country.

The angry police detective calls for a complete dragnet that covers all of London's means of transportation. Nevertheless, the Stooges and their employer manage to get out of London aboard Captain J.P. Simpleton's ship. Unfortunately, their troubles begin when they're caught by the ship's gruff galley cook, as the Stooges try to steal a ham, a pot of hot coffee and a chocolate cream pie.

Our travelers end up in the brig, but they manage to route their captors and head back to the hold. They get shipped to the Maharajah Of Korango. Fogg's escape from justice doesn't go unnoticed by The BBC Radio News and the villains, who fear that their pawn may tell of the man who encouraged Fogg to take his trek.

Seeing that Fogg has outlived his usefulness, Cavendish and Flitch head for Istanbul, and later, India, to kill him off before he can talk to the cops. During their trip on a freight train to India, the boys and Fogg save a beautiful girl, Amelia Carter (Joan Freeman) from thugs, who mistake her for an American Heiress, and plot to hold her hostage.

Our group is soon in the palace of the Maharajah of Korango, but the monarch (a faithful listener to the BBC) believes that the young intruder is a thief. He has him and his servants placed in the dungeon, while Ms. Carter is made a slave to the perverse Maha.

Unaware of the false crime that he is being accused of, and fearful for their safety, the Stooges Fogg are placed in a cell with a live snake, still in it's basket.

Larry plays several tunes on a flute that was left by the cell's previous occupant, a snake charmer. Moe wants Larry to play the flute, in order to encourage the reptile to come out, see Larry's frizzy top and go nuts, so that Moe can crown the snake with a club.

Unable to find the right tune to bring out the snake, Larry plays the one song that Curly Joe can't stand: "Pop Goes The Weasel!". Curly Joe obtains super-human strength when he hears the song, breaks loose from his chains and breaks down the cell. Quickly heading for the Maha's private chambers upstairs, our heroes find Amelia and try to escape during the festivities. They are stopped by Kandu, the Maha's Prime Minister.

Creating a diversion, the trio introduce themselves as a sharpshooter act, and try to fool their captors by having the Maharajah of Salaben try to shoot a raisin, and throwing knives at Larry's head. Larry barely misses getting stabbed by the long swords. Their ploy is discovered, and our heroes barely manage to escape, via Larry's flute playing and Curley Joe's uncontrolled anger.

Our group continues their trek through Communist China, where they are captured by the Army, and create havoc at Army Headquarters. Curly Joe battles a sumo wrestler, "The Mighty Itchey Kitchy", for the purpose of winning 20,000 yen to help buy our hungry travelers a square meal.

Curley Joe's efforts as sumo wrestler are put to the test at a wrestling match in San Francisco, Ca. But the match is ruined when a bratty little boy (Jeff Maurer, son of producer/director/screenwriter Norman Maurer) steals Larry's flute; poor Curly Joe ends up at the mercy Itchey Kitchy.

Once again our group is on the run. The trip comes to a halt when they try to head to New York City on a moving van that is heading in that direction. But the truck and it's driver (Murray Alper) are slated to deliver goods to Canada.

Arrested by The Canadian authorities, poor Fogg is turned over to Inspector Crochet, who also takes in the Stooges and Amelia. Returning to London by plane, Fogg, Amelia and the Inspector are captured by Cavendish and Flitch, who are disguised as two "Bobbies" using a stolen paddy wagon.

The villains knock out the boys. Recovering from the blow. Moe suspects a rat and follows the bogus paddy wagon in a Land Rover. Finding the villains' hideout, our trio prevents the fiends from killing Fogg, Carter and the inspector in a deadly shootout by having the lights turned out and preventing a fire from burning the evidence.

Using the paddy wagon to take the villains back to Scotland Yard for booking, Curly Joe turns on the Police wagon's two-way radio and learns that Fogg has returned just in time to head to the Reformer's Club to win his wager. With the Inspector's permission, Curly Joe gives "Gives It The Gun" and runs the paddy wagon crazily through the streets of London, until the wagon and it's passengers crashes through the walls of the Reformer's Club. This sends the club's valet (Emil Sitka) flying through the air and into a celebration cake. With only moments to spare, the Stooges help their boss win his bet, capture the real bank robbers, clear Fogg's good name, and marry Amelia.

- Kevin S. Butler

Video/DVD availability: VHS, DVD (Columbia Home Video)

Hilarious half-sheet poster for THE THREE STOOGES GO AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAZE.