Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "If a Body Meets a Body" is an American black-and-white short film from 1945, the year WWII ended over 70 years ago. It runs for a bit over 18 minutes and that makes it one of the longer Three Stooges short films. It is a bit of a family affair not just for the cast, but also for the crew as here we got 4-time Oscar nominee Jules White, who worked on so many Stooges films, collaborate with his brother James, who was in charge of the screenplay here. Apparently this one is based on a Laurel&Hardy work from a few years earlier, so it is not the most original work to be honest. But it has a few fine moments here and there, most of all the vanishing skull that manages to disappear every time Moe is looking, which makes it even scarier for poor Curly, who really sadly does not look too healthy in here. And how did Larry manage to keep sleeping during all the talk. Pretty unreal, but it also shows sadly that as almost always he is the one with the weakest material as he is literally sleeping over some of the best moments and action here. All in all, I was not too impressed by this one though and I'd only recommend it to the biggest Stooges fans as for me personally comedy, story-telling, horror and suspense weren't on a level that impressed me whatsoever. It's rare though you have people/characters actually dying in Stooges (short) films. Nonetheless, the main focus is on the comedy as always. I give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.

Michael_Elliott If a Body Meets a Body (1945) *** (out of 4) Moe and Larry are about to kick Curly out of their home when they read a newspaper headline stating that a rich relative of his has died. The three make up and head off to Curly's relative's house only to soon run into various ghoulish things.IF A BODY MEETS A BODY is a pretty good short for The Three Stooges but as many reviewers have pointed out, it was clearly beginning to show that Curly had suffered his stroke. His speech is a bit slurred here and he's just not nearly as quick with his physical and verbal deliveries here as in previous years. With that said, this is still a very funny short as once again the boys find themselves in an "old dark house" setting with the creepy house and a flying skull. There are plenty of nice laughs here but I've always thought the boys were terrific at showing fear. The jokes around the skull walking and then floating around all hit the right spot.

simeon_flake Well, I'm sure very ardent stooge fan knows the story behind this particular short. The first one where it's painfully obvious Curly was not his old self--given that he suffered a stroke or possibly multiple strokes when this 2-reeler was filmed. Whatever the case may be, anyone with eyes can see that Curly is definitely "off." And yet--in spite of that--I still like this one. One plus to the "Sick Curly" era is that this is when Larry's character started getting more development for the first time in years, and old "porcupine" really steps up his game during this time period.Plus, even Curly at half-strength still beats most comedians in their prime & old Jerry was still capable of getting laughs--i.e. that hilarious backwards jump he does in reaction to poor Mr. Link being murdered on the very spot he was standing.8 stars

alvin81 Any Three Stooges fan will tell you that watching Curly Howard's last ten shorts is as painful as root canal. By 1945, Curly was in trouble. He was just getting involved with a young lady named Marion Buchsbaum, whom he married on October 17, 1945, after knowing her for only two weeks. This was Curly's third and most disastrous marriage. He was way overweight, and his blood pressure was too high. When Curly suffered a minor stroke in 1945, it knocked the energy out of him. He would never be the same after this stroke. His actions are rehearsed and nothing came natural to him anymore. IF A BODY MEETS A BODY was a `transitional' short. Curly had been slipping and sliding for a while, but IF A BODY MEETS A BODY is the first time that Curly truly could not hide his condition. The plot revolves around Curly, whose rich Uncle Bob O. Link has died and left Curly an inheritance. The Stooges must then go to the uncle's home to hear the reading of the will. Unfortunately, the will is stolen, and the boys must stay in the home until it is found. The short has some truly funny moments, but it does not take a rocket scientist to realize that Curly is not himself. His condition had crept to the surface occasionally during the previous two Stooge films, IDIOTS DELUXE and BOOBY DUPES. If you watch IDIOTS DELUXE and IF A BODY MEETS A BODY back to back, Curly's change is not as noticeable. Curly's voice is the first sure sign that he had had his stroke. Right from his first line, `the morbid, the merrier,' his accompanying `n'yuks' are strained, and we know there is something wrong. His actions were a little more sluggish, and it marks the start of his gradual downward spiral. What makes this short harder to watch is that much of the action is focused on Curly, except he could not carry the film. Just watch him in 1943's SPOOK LOUDER two years earlier, and the change stands out. Curly tries a few `woos woos' and `nyahs,' as if nothing was wrong. However, he had only begun to lose his grip in this short; here is still some of the old Curly left, but in spurts. For instance, when Ted Lorch says, `Poor Mr. Link, he was murdered in this room, on the very spot on which you're standing,' Curly is strung high over the set to perform a high jump. It is one of the few hysterical moments in the short. It is also the only post-stroke short where it is a true mix of up and down Curly. It looks as if certain scenes were shot during the same period as IDIOTS DELUXE, as Curly still sounds like his old self in certain scenes. However, every short after this would feature a down Curly: it was just a matter of how down he was.