The Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962) – Review

There’s slapstick, there’s sword-and-sandal, and then there’s whatever The Three Stooges Meet Hercules is, a delightfully goofy mashup of time travel, ancient Greece, and good ol’ Stooge mayhem that manages to make absolutely no sense and somehow still charm your socks off.

The movie opens in modern-day Ithica, New York (1962), where the Three Stooges, Moe (Moe Howard), Larry (Larry Fine) and Curly Joe (Joe DeRita), work at a local pharmacy for their smarmy boss George Dimsal (George N. Neise), but things get interesting when their friend and neighbour Schuyler Davis (Quinn Redeker), a shy, brainy but awkward scientist who has invented a time machine in his spare time (as one does). Schuyler is the sort of guy who probably shouldn’t be trusted with a toaster, let alone the fabric of space and time. He’s also trying to win the affections of Diane Quigley (Vicki Trickett), who seems more interested in bravery than brainpower. Unfortunately, Dismal also has the hots for Diane, and he sabotages the blueprints to Schuyler’s time machine.

“This will explain my entire evil plot to steal the heart of Diane.”

Dismal easily manipulates the Stooges into “fixing” the time machine, and, needless to say, this meddling causes Schuyler’s experiment to go awry, and the whole gang, Diane included, are transported back to ancient Greece, specifically the island of Ithaca, where their accidental grand entrance just happens to line up with a battle between King Odius (George N. Neise) and Ulysses (John Cliff), with the mighty Hercules (Samson Burke) fighting alongside Odius. At first, the Stooges are hailed as gods, because, of course they are, as their startling appearance causes the army of Ulysses to flee the field, granting Odius a victory.

Mythology Note: Hercules and Ulysses come from different generations of mythological heroes. Hercules lived a generation before the Trojan War, while Ulysses was a central figure during and after the Trojan War.

Naturally, this divine mix-up eventually lands the Stooges in hot togas. They immediately tell Odius that they are not gods but mere mortals – breaking the cardinal rule that if some asks you if you are a god, you say yes – and while the king cannot believe mortals could arrive in a flying chariot, as this is what he believes their time machine to be, when Ulysses is dragged in chains before the cruel king our heroes quickly realize that they’ve changed history. The Stooges free Ulysses from his cell, but are soon captured by Hercules and, along with Schuyler, they are sentenced to spend the rest of their short lives serving as rowers on a galley.

“Row well and laugh.”

With them out of the way, things become even more complicated with Odious making his lecherous intentions towards Diane clear, even drugging her to become his love slave. Now the Stooges and Schuyler have got to escape slavery – multiple times – save the girl, fix the timeline, and pretend like they know what they’re doing, which, historically speaking, they absolutely do not. This will involve shipwrecks, Schuyler becoming musclebound from rowing a slave galley, a slave market, back to more rowing, and then being offered their freedom if they rid the island of Rhodes of the terrifying Siamese Cyclops, because two heads are better than one. 

Yeah, this is a thing that happens.

Schuyler, now “mistaken” for Hercules, becomes famous for defeating and performing many of the demigod’s legendary tasks, such as defeating the Cretan bull and battling the nine-headed hydra. Of course, the real Hercules eventually gets wind of this imposter, and he’s not happy, but Schuyler defeats Hercules in the arena and convinces the legendary hero to team up with them in overthrowing Odious and rescuing Diane, who is not-so-secretly regretting every life choice that brought her here, especially the ones involving time travel and the Stooges.

Cue the chariot race.

Their time-travelling shenanigans reach a glorious climax with a chariot chase that would make Ben-Hur sweat, followed by the brilliant decision to dump King Odius into the Wild West, because nothing screams “historical correction” like dumping a toga-clad tyrant into cowboy country. When they finally stumble back to the present, Schuyler can now stand out to Dimsal, who then ends up stuck in a pillory due to a time-travelling jaunt of his own.

Things are a bit wacky in this one.

Stray Observations:

• Schuyler’s time machine looks like something cobbled together from a water heater, a dentist’s chair, and a spaghetti strainer. Somehow it works—but only when the Stooges are breaking it.
• The king’s guards look like they were recruited from a community theatre production of Ben-Hur, and they somehow manage to be even dumber than the Stooges—no small feat.
• The Stooges can’t read a road sign because it is written in ancient Greek, yet everyone in this movie speaks colloquial English.
• Ithaca looks suspiciously like Southern California with some Greek columns slapped in the background. Hollywood magic at its most… optimistic.
• There’s an absurd chariot chase sequence through ancient Greece that feels one horse short of a Looney Tunes cartoon, with stunt doubles looking nothing like our stars.

This has to be the only chariot race to include a pie fight.

Directed by Edward Bernds, The Three Stooges Meet Hercules is delightfully unbothered by historical or mythological accuracy. What of Hercules? He’s a snarling bodybuilder who looks like he’s wandered off the set of a peplum epic and into a Marx Brothers routine. Ancient Greece? It’s mostly papier-mâché sets and confused extras in tunics. Time travel? It’s just a box with buttons that work when the script needs them to. But let’s be honest: nobody comes to a Three Stooges movie for logic or world-building. You come for the gags, and Meet Hercules delivers in droves. Whether it’s Moe smacking Larry upside the head, Curly Joe botching a disguise, or the trio brawling their way through a slave auction, the slapstick is vintage Stooge — broad, loud, and unapologetically dumb. And that’s its charm, which allows us to forgive some of its silly science fiction trappings.

This film sports a less-than-impressive time-travelling conveyance.

By the early ’60s, the Stooges were in the twilight of their long, bruised careers, but their comic timing hadn’t gone entirely soft. This film, part of their resurgence due to television reruns, leans heavily on nostalgia, but there’s still a kind of madcap energy in the air. It may not be their best work, but it’s certainly not their worst. It should be noted that this iteration of the Stooges features Curly Joe instead of the original Curly Howard, and he does lack the manic energy found in the classic shorts. Curly Joe is gentler and less animated, which somewhat dilutes the trio’s trademark chaos. Yet, by 1962, the Stooges had adapted their act to a more family-friendly tone, aiming to appeal to children who were discovering their old Columbia shorts on television. In that context, the film’s broader and less violent comedy is understandable, if less electric.

“Could we time-travel to one of Caligula’s orgies next?”

The portrayal of Hercules, played by Canadian bodybuilder Samson Burke, leans into the “strong but dim” archetype, making him more of a muscle-bound obstacle than a true co-star. He’s used for contrast, his stoic heroism bumping awkwardly against the Stooges’ slapdash antics. While this doesn’t make for particularly complex storytelling, seeing “Brains vs Brawn” take an interesting detour in this outing was fun to see.

“I can lift boulders just as well as Reg Park can.”

The film’s greatest asset is its unapologetic silliness. There’s no pretense of historical accuracy or logical plot development—only an enthusiasm for physical humour, goofy anachronisms, and visual gags. The sets and costumes are modest, the effects primitive, and yet the whole thing has a handmade charm. Watching the Stooges being more terrified of giving a pretty woman a massage than of the swords of pursuing Greek soldiers. It is comedy that transcends eras, not because it’s sophisticated, but because it’s proudly not.

This is where mythology goes to laugh.

In conclusion, The Three Stooges Meet Hercules is not a film of great depth or innovation, as you’d expect, but it does deliver exactly what its title promises: a ridiculous, light-hearted collision between three stooges and one musclebound demigod. For fans of classic slapstick, it’s a pleasantly dopey time capsule. For everyone else, it’s a reminder that sometimes comedy doesn’t have to be smart—it just has to be fun. “Nyuk nyuk nyuk!”