Have Rocket, Will Travel

It's always been a love-hate relationship with the Three Stooges, and this film is no exception. Moe, Larry, and new Stooge De Rita hop in a rocket and are launched into orbit. They end up on Venus where they discover a talking unicorn and are hailed as heroes. This was De Rita's first appearance as a Stooge, replacing Joe Besser, who replaced Shemp Howard on his death in 1955. Made on a shoestring, this pic became phenomenally successful, meaning that it did exactly what it was supposed to do--five more Stooge films were to follow, which saved the break-up of this comedy team at a time when Columbia had decided not to renew their contract.