johnstonjames i love this movie. true it is more of a Snow White flick more than a Stoogefest, but i like Snow White and fairy tales and i thought the Stoogies were really cute if not at their comic best. i'm not into the whole 'Sonja Henie' ice skating movie genre, but i thought Olympic skater Carol Heiss was graceful and a real treat to watch.i'm not sure this movie deserved the 1961 WGA award for best musical, but it is a lot better than most of it's scornful critics would have you believe.it also helps to like the Stoogies. as a little kid i was always sort of put off by the Stooges and kind of afraid of them. they always seemed so manic and sort of violent and dangerous. most of their antics, like eye poking and scalding their hands and so forth, left me more than a little disturbed. i even had a dream as a kid, i remember, where The Three Stooges were coming to get me. scary. as i matured (matter of opinion), i found their form of comedy low level and aimed at the lowest common denominator. i preferred the more eloquent and sophisticated humor of Chaplin or the Marx brothers. finally my brother, who always thought the Stooges were a riot, won out. i was watching the Stooges with him on DVD and i had to admit i thought they were pretty darn funny. i especially like the 'Orbit' one where they fly in a rocket over Disneyland in Anaheim.i'm not going to pretend that this movie requires brain work to watch it. but there is enough quality and wholesome charm in it that it won't kill any nerve tissue and leave you brain dead. this film was directed by the gentle and delicate director of 'The Bluebird', Water Lang. cinematically it's very sweet and softly colored.this is also a great film for kids and the whole family. there is no swearing or suggestive material, and, unfortunately, none of the Stooges trademark, scary violence. this is one of those wholesome delights that present clean living families with an alternative to all the jaded and suggestive material that plagues so many films in our culture today.also, if you are into that whole 'Skating with The Hasbeen Stars' thing, this was one of the first and best.

Junkie Gal I thought this was a highly entertaining, sweet, and though somewhat of a departure for the stooges, fresh picture. I thought they played their parts well, adding the correct emotional drama, which was really amazing to see from slapstick comedians. I completely enjoy this film, and have watched it over and over again. A die-hard fan of the Three Stooges, I was not at all upset, but rather pleased with their attempt to reach out and try something more. There are plenty of laughs hidden in the film, just pay attention to the dialog rather than wait for Moe to reach out and slap someone. If you're looking for a film that will please the entire family, not just the adults, this is also a great choice. It's funny, clean and elating to watch, as all the Three Stooges pictures are. All in all, this is an excellent film in every way, and, if you're not looking for traditional Stooge laughs, you will be quite pleased!

Neil Doyle I suppose The Three Stooges were getting a little fatigued by the time they did their work in SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES because they're less exuberant than usual, in fact you might even say their slapstick is much more restrained. But this is good because Fox never intended this to be a showcase for them--rather, it introduces Olympic Skating Champion Carol Heiss and features Edson Stroll doing a nice job as Prince Charming.Walter Lang did the directing and he's given an A budget on which a lot was obviously spent on costumes and settings, so from a strictly pictorial viewpoint the film is pleasant to look at in stunning technicolor. Gorgeous PATRICIA MEDINA has fun with her role as the wicked Queen who disguises herself as an old hag.Just to make sure Miss Heiss' ice-skating is not totally ignored, they've given her two big production numbers and both of them are skillfully filmed and performed in winter wonderland type of settings.Fans of The Stooges may be disappointed, but actually this is not a bad re-telling of the fantasy using a totally different approach. The four songs are rather unmemorable but this is merely a pleasant enough diversion for young folks.

phillindholm ''Snow White And The Three Stooges'' was the most lavish film the famous comedy team was ever associated with. (not counting their brief cameo appearance in ''It's A Mad,Mad Mad Mad World''). Released in 1961, ''Snow White'' had a budget of 3.5 million dollars. Originally, director Frank Tashlin, who had directed Jerry Lewis in the fairy tale farce ''Cinderfella'' was set to helm the film. However, when production got underway in late 1960, he had been replaced by famed director Walter Lang, known for the many musicals he made during ''Hollywood's ''Golden Age''.In fact, ''Snow White'' was his last film. Somehow, 20th Century-Fox, who were then in serious trouble after a series of expensive duds (and pouring tons of money into the fiasco ''Cleopatra'') gave the OK for the 3-plus million dollar budget, which was originally set at a mere $750,000. The star of the film was Olympic skating champion Carol Heiss. She was 20 years old at the time and had won her Gold Medal the year before. In fact, ''Snow White'' was always intended as a vehicle for her skating talents, with the Stooges aboard merely as support. Cast in the dual role of the Wicked Queen and the Witch she turned into was veteran leading lady Patricia Medina, who had recently married the actor Joseph Cotten. Edson Stroll, a virtual unknown, played Prince Charming, while British character player Guy Rolfe (beating out Martin Landau) was the evil Count Oga, henchman to the Queen.Also present were Blossom Rock, sister of Jeanette MacDonald, who would gain fame later as ''Grandmama'' on the ''Addams Family'' TV series, as the Prince's onetime Nurse, and Herbie Faye as the Head Cook.And look for veteran ''codger'' Burt Mustin (''Detective Story'') cast as a disgruntled spectator in the ''Medicine Show'' sequence. The plot is basically the same as the Grimm fairy tale, with the skating sequences added to showcase Carol Heiss' talents on ice. The Stooges are substitutes for the vacationing Seven Dwarfs, and are ultimately responsible for uniting Snow White with her Prince. He has grown up with the Stooges, who have a traveling medicine show, and he becomes part of the act after they rescue him from an assassination attempt engineered by the Queen. ''Snow White And The Three Stooges'' has long been reviled by critics, fans of the Stooges and even the Stooges themselves, who felt cheated by the rather subordinate roles they play. When it was released in the summer of 1961, it proved yet another flop for the beleaguered studio. It is, however, a wonderful fantasy with fine performances by Carol Heiss, who made a lovely Snow White in what was both her film debut and her swan song, the beautiful Patricia Medina (as the Wicked Queen) who conveyed the evil in her character without overdoing it, Guy Rolfe, as sinister a villain as one could wish for, and Edson Stroll, a ''charming'' Prince of whom little was heard from since, outside of a part in the ''Mchale's Navy'' TV series. He and Ms. Heiss have a few songs together (though both are dubbed) and have good chemistry in their romantic scenes. Ms. Heiss sings courtesy of Lawrence Welk's ''Champagne Lady'' Norma Zimmer. Stroll's ''ghost voice'' was none other than Bill Lee, who dubbed for, among others, Christopher Plummer, in ''The Sound Of Music. The voice he uses in his ventriloquist act is that of Mel Blanc (''Bugs Bunny''). As for the Stooges, they are fine in their parts, and prove they can be touching as well. The CinemaScope production is truly beautiful. with sets and costumes in gorgeous color, which convey the perfect fairy tale mood, as well as establishing where a good deal of the budget went. The music score by Lyn Murray, and the songs by Harry Harris and Earl Brent are delightful as well. Two of them, (''Snow White And The Three Stooges'' and a number by the Stooges themselves ''Looking For People Looking For Fun'') were sadly deleted from the final cut, though the latter tune can be heard on the Columbia soundtrack album, and the former on a 45 backed with the title tune, ''A Place Called Happiness''. Although the film was also criticized for toning down the Stooges antics, there is, after all, little room for all-out slapstick in a fantasy of this kind without destroying the mood. There is a brief pie-throwing scene, of course. But though it's better appreciated by fans of fantasy than Stoogephiles, the film is successful as a lavish and satisfying adaptation of a classic fairy tale, and no apologies need be made for it.