Camera tricks and quick edits are today's substitute for the great physical comedians of the past to whom you could just say, roll camera and they would do the rest. The pacing alone of this gem is aided by our knowledge of who these characters are and have been since the early thirties. When Shemp takes over the job, the loss of Curley as the third wheel doesn't feel so bad. All that bravado, mugging and dancing he does through this is priceless and original, only a Howard would know how to fit in. The sometimes hidden Larry shows off on piano and even without Moe, Shemp and Larry in a room are funny. Moe is always the funniest to me, getting tortured for his own hubris.

Shemp's uncle dies leaving him a large amount of money...if he gets married in 48 hours. He tries to get married with predictable and unfunny results.I'm not a big fan of the Stooges. I don't find violent slapstick all that funny and this one is VERY violent. It's amusing at first and there is a fun bit with Christine McIntyre but at the end it turns really violent and the fun stops. Larry and Shemp both have pieces of hair torn out, Moe sits down on a bear trap and (worst of all) Shemp has a woman get his head in a press which she continuously turns with graphic crunching sounds. That's not funny at all...it's sick! Also the portrayal of women as doing anything for money is troubling. I originally saw this as a little kid on TV and had nightmares all night about it! Sick and unfunny.

Almost certainly the best Three Stooges short with Shemp, 'Brideless Groom' is as good as any of the trio's best shorts featuring Curly. Memorable Stooge moments abound. The opening with 'Professor' Shemp giving voice lessons to homely, untalented and lascivious Miss Dinkelmeyer (Dee Green), wincing at her horrendous singing notes and fighting off her advances, is an excellent example of Shemp Howard at his best. Many considered him the most naturally funny of the Stooges.Later, when Moe and Larry try to help him get spiffed up to find a wife (and claim $500,000), Shemp thinks he has cut off his head when his mirror gets flipped backward. Fixing the mirror, he cries with relief, "THERE I am…and pretty as a picture!" "Yea," Moe quickly replies, trying to hem his slacks, "of an APE!"The best scene (and maybe Shemp's best with the trio) comes when he pays a call on attractive young Miss Hopkins (Christine McIntyre). Mistaking him for long-lost "Cousin Basil," she smothers him with hugs and kisses (also leading to a hilarious bit between Moe and Larry in the hall), not giving him a chance to explain his true identity. Suddenly the REAL Cousin Basil calls and she goes berserk, slapping him repeatedly and accusing him of taking advantage of "a poor …. helpless…defenseless … woman!" That final line is delivered as she socks him in the jaw (with a real punch, according to Shemp and crew members), knocking him through the door and into the hall in a perfectly executed gag. "What happened, kid?" Moe asks. "Can I help it if I ain't Cousin Basil?" Shemp asks before passing out.Other classic bits include Moe and Shemp getting tangled in a phone booth, trying to find a lost coin, Larry getting slapped because of Shemp's bad looks (his face pressed against the phone booth glass), and the great girl fight in the Justice of the Peace's apartment. The great Emil Sitka delivers his classic line (inscribed on his tombstone), "Hold hands, you love birds" over and over as his apartment is trashed.I prescribe 'Brideless Groom' as medicine for anyone who thinks the Stooges' glory years ended when Curly left. True, Shemp didn't have as MANY great shorts with the group as Curly, but that was due to an increasing lack of support from Columbia and his (and the others') advancing ages. When Shemp was healthy and the trio was given decent material to work with, they were still on the top of their game.

I've been a fan of the Three Stooges shorts since I was a kid and I've seen them all. The ones with Curly are usually the best but there are some with Shemp that are equally as good. Brideless Groom is a Stooge short with Shemp, not Curly, but it is every bit as good as anything with Curly; and I love Curly, don't get me wrong. The funniest scene has Shemp as a vocal teacher with a female student who is not only funny looking but has a terrible voice. Larry is a riot as the piano accompanist. I taped this segment and gave it to my singing teacher years ago and she was on the floor in hysterics. There is also a great scene in a phone booth with Shemp and Moe.Five nyuks for this one.