Hitchcock Directs Stooges
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"Moider!"

Yes, It's true. The maestro will direct the next feature length film by Moe, Larry, and Curly. It turns out that he is one of their biggest fans. He admits that he was inspired by Curly's antics to direct Cary Grant's nutty performance in "North by Northwest". The story this time is a familiar one to Hitchcock's fans. Of course, it is murder and the wrong man (Curly), is accused, leading to a roller coaster ride for fans of both the Stooges and the Master. The national park/tourist attraction this time around is Niagara Falls. This gives the trio the opportunity to do their classic "Slowly I turn" vaudeville routine. The photography by Lazlo Kovacs should merit an Oscar nomination for his work. The special effects crew also deserves a mention. Especially for the time-warp sequences involving the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

I was especially happy to see the perennial professor played by Emil Fuchs. I have never seen him in anything else, but he is always perfect for the parts in the Stooges movies. I should also mention here that Clyde Bruckman and Jules White collaborated on the screenplay with Stan Goldstein ("Vertigo").

One of the scenes which will remain in memory is the ending when Hitch makes his obligatory cameo. The resemblance between him and Curly was just too much to be ignored.

From time to time there are great pairing is the cinema, John Ford and John Wayne, John Huston and Humphrey Bogart, and Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart, this is one of those films. Whenever two class acts like these get together you can expect them to have more than the one project on the table. Well, you would be right because they are now collaborating on a musical featuring Lucille Ball, Irene Ryan, and Judy Garland. The music will be by Harold Arlen of "Wizard of Oz" fame, and lyrics by Oscar Wilde. Edith Head will be doing the costumes for the medieval fantasy. The art direction will be by Salvador Dali, if the mood suits him. Keep your eyes on this column for all the inside stories on upcoming movies.