Moe Howard & The 3 Stooges (The Pictorial Biography of the Wildest Trio in the History of American Entertainment)
THE THREE STOOGES IN ORBIT (1962)
Film Pick of the Day
Monday, October 5, 2026
While rehearsing a new opening bit for their children's television program THE THREE STOOGES SCRAPBOOK, Moe, Larry and Curly Joe are evicted by their landlady for cooking in the rooming house. Searching for a new apartment, the Stooges travel to Professor Danforth's (Emil Sitka) house in Lompoc. Professor Danforth is convinced that Martians will soon invade Earth, and persuades the boys to help him guard his new invention... a military craft with the ability to move on the ground like a tank, in the air like a helicopter, in the water like a submarine, and even orbit like a spacecraft. Danforth's butler is a Martian spy in human disguise, and he attempts, successfully, to frighten the Stooges away. Fleeing to their television studio, the Stooges learn that their ratings are falling, and the producer doesn't care for any of their new animation ideas. He gives them 10 days to come up with a ratings gimmick, or he'll cancel the show. Danforth arrives on the scene with a deal: he'll create a new "electronic animation" machine for them to use in their TV show, if they return to his house and help with the helio-tank invention. Meanwhile, the Martians have sent two more spies, Ogg and Zogg, to prepare for the invasion. After Danforth's vehicle is finished and given a test run by the Stooges, the Martians steal it and mount their own "ray gun,", to destroy selected Earth targets. The Stooges sneak onto the craft and attempt to stop the Martians!
Most of the first two reels of the film is stock footage, taken from THE THREE STOOGES SCRAPBOOK (1960) television pilot. Filmed in color, footage was printed in black & white and reused for ORBIT. However, due to plot, character and casting revisions, virtually every scene with Emil Sitka (Prof. Danforth) is new, not stock footage.
Among the silent film footage shown in a scene with the martians is a clip from the Billy Bevan comedy BE REASONABLE (1921). Portions of the martian attack on Los Angeles is stock footage from EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956 Columbia).
Costars Edson Stroll (McHALE'S NAVY) and Carol Christensen were interviewed in 2003, appearing in The Three Stooges Journal # 108 (Winter 2003).
Details
Average Rating:   [ 6.83/10 ] 18 votes |
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| Featuring | Moe, Larry and Curly Joe |
|---|---|
| Release Date | Wednesday, July 4, 1962 |
| Studio | Columbia |
| Production Type | Feature Film |
| Duration | 87 min. |
