Fright Night (1947) User Reviews (10)

Solid debut for Shemp Howard as one of the Three Stooges

[RJV · 8/10 · 21 August 2000]

When Clyde Bruckman devised the scenario for FRIGHT NIGHT, it featured Curly Howard's character since he was still one of the Three Stooges. By the time filming began, he had left the team due to illness and Shemp Howard replaced him. There's no indication in the resulting film, however, that Shemp was shoehorned in at the last minute. Without trying to imitate his brother Curly, he asserts himself as a Stooge, his buffoonery smoothly meshing with Moe Howard's browbeating and Larry Fine's flakiness. It's no surprise that Shemp effortlessly interacts with his partners as if he's been with them for years. After all, he had been with the team before Curly stepped in.

In FRIGHT NIGHT, the Stooges are fight managers who try to elude gangsters. Director Edward Bernds deftly executes the slapstick without resorting to tasteless violence. The short is peppered with funny gags, particularly a sequence where Moe manipulates an unconscious thug like a puppet to distract a pursuing thug. FRIGHT NIGHT also benefits from a well constructed and evenly paced storyline that generates suspense as well as humor.

All the Stooges perform admirably, but Shemp dominates the film. He is a comedic dynamo, conveying a delirious energy that belies his middle age. His broad mugging may not appeal to everyone, but those who enjoy this kind of comedy (like me) will find Shemp's performance highly adroit and diverting.

Overall, FRIGHT NIGHT is an enjoyable short that showcases the Three Stooges's comedy to good advantage and provides an impressive debut for Shemp Howard as a member of the team.

Shemp, Chopper, Big Mike, Gorilla Watson, Kitty, etc.

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 24 February 2007]

The boys are fight managers and their lone boxer is "Chopper" (who looks about 40, and as much a boxer as I am). After some early shenanigans they have Chopper do some sparring with Shemp (who isn't thrilled about doing this). To make matters worse, the pretty "Kitty" comes into the gym, Chopper is smitten and really wants to impress her...and Moe and Larry accidentally tie Shemp's right glove to the ropes.

What comes next is a massacre, but it's pretty funny. Afterward The Chopper leaves with the bimbo dame and hoods come into the gym. They represent "Big Mike" and tell the guys that their man is not going to win the upcoming fight against Gorilla Watson. "Why," they ask. "Because Big Mike said so." Then they leave and the boys don't know what to do. "We have every last cent we own bet on the Chopper," says Larry.

They decide to literally sweeten up their fighter, feeding him pies and cream puffs all day and letting him hang out with Kitty.

A few crazy things happen, the fight is called off and Big Mike and his hoods wind up chasing the Stooges all around a warehouse. In all, a decent episode.....entertaining but no big laughs. Maybe because I've seen these episodes many times for 50 years.

Shemp's appearance was his first in a long time, taking Curly's spot after the latter suffered a stroke, ending his career. I always liked Shemp, but Curly's shoes were impossible to fill.

The stooges don't miss a beat...

[simeon_flake · 8/10 · 30 August 2015]

Well, there's no doubt that Shemp Howard had some large shoes to fill in the wake of Curly, but "Fright Night" in my eyes shows that Shemp was definitely the right man for the job in being the new "3rd stooge."

In fact, Shemp was so good, that it makes me wonder what the rest of the stooges career would have been like had they sought out comedians like Shemp, who had their own style instead of replacing him with guys who fit the Curly mold--short, fat and bald.

Getting back to this short, Shemp must have had a great time filming this one, seeing as how it revolved around his favorite sport of boxing. In fact, I believe Shemp himself said that this was his favorite of all his stooge films.

While "Fright Night" is not exactly perfect, I would say that the Shemp-era stooges got off to a great start and the roll would continue for several shorts after this one, and a few that were all- time classics.

8 stars

Shemp is back!!!

[yarborough · 11 October 2001]

Shemp makes a welcomed return to The Three Stooges, though Curly's stroke was a terribly unfortunate incident. Shemp (with Moe) was one of the original 1922 Stooges (Shemp left in 1932) and here, in 1947, he shows that he still had it. "Fright Night" starts off somewhat slow but, from the night of the fight (just under halfway through the short) till the end, the short is a lot of fun, and Shemp's performance is hilarious. With his return, Shemp brought the Stooges to a more out-of-place human level, whereas Curly was pure animal. Shemp's gruff old uncle-like attitude made him much more accessible than Curly, and Shemp was also a much better actor (Curly always sounded like he was reading his lines). This short catches The Three Stooges returning to their original lineup, and the shorts were much better for it.

Great Three Stooges short!

[Movie Nuttball · 10/10 · 29 September 2004]

The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team!

This is one of My favorite Three Stooges shorts! This one is with Shemp! Dick Wessel performs good here as a gentleman and as rugged boxer. Tiny Brauer was great as the villain. Cy Schindell also was good. Also in this short is Claire Carleton, Stanley Blystone, Heinie Conklin, Dave Harper, Sammy Stein, and Tom Kingston. There is another Three Stooges short with Shemp very similar like this one called Fling in the Ring. I strongly recommend both!

Shemp's fine but the plot's not

[Jim-500 · 6/10 · 13 November 2009]

As good as Shemp is in his short-subject debut with the stooges, it seems to me that the writers and director were going easy on him in that he isn't given much to do. In fact, Moe and Larry don't have much to do, either.

Sure, Shemp has plenty of ring time in the beginning of the flick when he's sparring with Chopper. And he does his hilarious "I've got a little brother this big" bit. But throughout the movie, the action has the stooges merely reacting to what the other characters--Chopper, his girlfriend, and the thugs--are doing, rather than interacting with themselves. For me, it makes for an uninteresting show.

One exception is when Larry unknowingly bangs Moe on the head with a large piece, and then brags about it to him before Moe gets his revenge. This sort of slapstick is woefully missing from Fright Night.

And I always wondered why they named it Fright Night. No ghosts, no goblins, no mysterious houses--just a boxing match!

Shemp gets pummeled

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 4 November 2020]

Larry, Shemp, and Moe are training boxer Chopper Kane for his big upcoming match. He is sparring against Shemp when Kitty Davis walks into the gym. Chopper decides to show off by beating up on Shemp. Later, gangsters demand that the guys get their fighter to throw the match. It's fun to have Shemp getting pummeled. That's all I need from this Three Stooges short. Everything else is gravy.

More than a bankroll

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 14 June 2020]

This short subject has our three goofballs as fight manager to Dick Wessell known in the ring as Chopper. After a sampling of their training methods which include an unwilling Shemp sparing with Wessell the guys put their hard earned dough om their guy.

Imagine their chagrin when the gamblers tell them tat they have to tell their guy the smart money is on his opponent and people don't live long crossing up smart money. he guys couild lose more than a bankroll.

After trying to reverse their training t all does work out rather nicely in the end. In filmland there is a special province for the 3 Stooges.

At east most of the timer.

Poor Shemp

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 2 December 2017]

"Fright Night" is an American black-and-white short film from 1947, so this one has its 70th anniversary this year. It was directed by Edward Bernds a little while before he became an Oscar nominee and the script is by Clyde Bruckman, who is mostly known for his works with Buster Keaton today. Both weren't really too prolific with the Stooges and I am not surprised how forgettable this one turned out. It is the Stooges take on boxing, organized crime and gambling you could say in these 17.5 minutes. Shemp had already taken over from Curly due to the latter's health issues at that point and boy does Shemp get humiliated and beaten up in here. From the other two, from the boxer in the center of the story, from the mobsters/gangsters etc. I really felt sorry for him. As if it wasn't enough already how people are disrespectful towards him because he is (allegedly) so much worse than Curly. Anyway, if you like boxing, then maybe watch this one if you like the Stooges too. I am not much of a fan of either, so I personally wasn't impressed by the comedy or plot in here. It's another thumbs-down. Not recommended.

Shemp's first!

[slymusic · 11 January 2008]

"There goes Shemp with a left jab. There goes Shemp with a right uppercut. There goes Shemp with a haymaker! There goes Shemp." That's right, Three Stooges fans, Shemp Howard is back with the famous slapstick trio following a solo career that lasted more than a decade. "Fright Night," directed by the incomparable Edward Bernds, marks Shemp's first Three Stooges short at Columbia Pictures, and it happened to be his personal favorite. After all, this short deals with one of Shemp's favorite pastimes: prizefights! In "Fright Night," the Stooges are the proprietors of Muscle Manor, where they train the heavyweight boxer Chopper Kane (Dick Wessel).

Here are my favorite highlights from this outstanding short. The overhead shots of the lengthy chase sequence between the Stooges and a gang of mobsters inside a warehouse is some of the most exciting chase footage ever seen in a Three Stooges film; during all the commotion, one of the gangsters named Moose (Cy Schindell) gets knocked out cold with a couple of bricks, after which Moe hides behind a curtain and uses Moose as a puppet in order to have him "converse" with mob leader Big Mike (Harold Brauer). After Larry hilariously demonstrates some "love taps," Shemp unwillingly tries to spar with Chopper while one of his gloves is accidentally tied to the ropes.

I cannot emphasize enough what a wonderful Three Stooges short "Fright Night" is. Shemp Howard proved he could hold his own, both as a solo comic and as a Stooge. It is my sincere hope that Shemp is receiving the credit and recognition he rightly deserves for his contribution to film comedy.