I’m a Monkey’s Uncle (1948) starring the Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, Shemp)
In I’m a Monkey’s Uncle, Cavemen Larry, Moe and Shemp find themselves in trouble when they steal the girlfriends of nearby cavemen, who declare war in retaliation. The Stooges fight back with an arsenal of inventive weapons, proving the animals aren’t the only things that are wild around there.
I’m a Monkey’s Uncle begins with the Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, Shemp) asleep in their cave, snoring mightily. Moe’s dreaming of his girlfriend Aggie, and thinking he’s pulling petals from a flower, starts pulling out Larry’s hair! “Wake up and go to sleep!” Morning comes, and Moe’s awakened by a fishing line tied to his toe. Fish for breakfast! The fish barks at them – dogfish! So Shemp prepares breakfast, while Moe & Larry clean up.
Shemp making breakfast is a slapstick affair, from splitting the wood with his head to starting the fire with a lighter he must have borrowed from Fred Flintstone. Then the milkman arrives!
Of course, there’s a lot of slapstick with Moe and Larry as well.
While Moe and Larry churn butter, Moe matches with with a duck. And loses — badly.
After lunch, Moe decides to “doll up” for his date with Aggie. And she’s bringing her two sisters over as well. Soon, Moe, Larry, and Shemp meet with Aggie, Maggie, and Baggie. Of course, the homely Baggie sets her eyes on Shemp. And after a brief courtship – with clubs – they’re in trouble, as the girls’ former boyfriends show up, to fight for “their” women!
So the Stooges improvise a catapult with a tree branch, and fire at their rivals:
- Rocks
- Mud
- Eggs
- And finally, a skunk!
In the end, the Stooges stand triumphant with their girls, ending the short film.
Funny movie quotes from I’m a Monkey’s Uncle
Title Card: Any similarity between the characters in this picture and real monkeys is definitely unfair to the monkeys.
Moe: [pulling Larry’s hair out in his sleep] She loves me. She loves me not. She loves me….
Larry: Wake up and go to sleep!
Moe: Why you pussy-willow brain, you ruined a beautiful romance for me!
Moe: Did you take a bath?
Shemp: Why, is one missing?
Baggie: I’m Baggie!
Shemp: [reacting to the homely Baggie] You’re tellin’ me! Did you come from behind that rock, or from under it?
Shemp: What would you charge to haunt a cave?
Baggie: You say the cutest things.
Baggie: Do you believe in love at first sight?
Shemp: After seeing you, I believe in love at first fright.
Moe: I’ll protect those girls to the last drop of … your blood!
Trivia for I’m a Monkey’s Uncle
- This is one of the few films in which Moe imitates brother Curly Howard’s barking routine. This was done in other films like Who Done It?, due to certain scripts being written for Curly before his illness forced his retirement.
- Later remade as Stone Age Romeos
- After Larry and Moe “bathe” by the waterhole, Moe slaps Larry hard in the face with a bundle of large ferns. That causes Larry to drop the turtle they were planning on eating. As Larry leaves the shot, Moe ad-libs “Don’t forget the turtle” and throws it to him.
Cast of characters in I’m a Monkey’s Uncle
- Shemp Howard (Soup to Nuts) … Shemp
- Larry Fine … Larry
- Moe Howard … Moe
- Dee Green (Brideless Groom) … Baggie
- Virginia Hunter (Sing a Song of Six Pants) … Aggie
- Nancy Saunders (The Ghost Talks) … Maggie
Additional Cast
- Heinie Conklin (Back from the Front) … Milkman (uncredited)
- Joe Palma (Punchy Cowpunchers) … Caveman Rival (uncredited)
- Cy Schindell (Three Little Sew and Sews) … Caveman Rival (uncredited)
- Bill Wallace (Courage of Lassie) … Caveman Rival (uncredited)
Songs
- She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain When She Comes
- Sung by Moe, Larry, Shemp as they’re getting ready for their dates