Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Rockin' in the Rockies Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 29, 2015

Note: 'Rockin' in the Rockies' is currently only available as part of volume one of Mill Creek's Three Stooges Collection.

Larry (Larry Fine) and Curly (Curly Howard) stroll into a gambling establishment in Reno, Nevada. An effort to steal a few poker chips leads them to win big at the roulette table, and no sooner do they have chips in hand they're approached by Shorty Williams (Moe Howard), a prospector in need of investors. With the law hot on their trail and seeing the investment as a way to get out of the heat, they agree to travel to his ranch and see what's what. Also tagging along are a pair of New York-based entertainers (Mary Beth Hughes and Gladys Blake) and a band called The Hoosier Hotshots (Ken Trietsch, Paul Trietsch, Charles Ward, and Gil Taylor). It turns out that its actually Shorty's cousin Rusty (Jay Kirby) who makes the decisions, and when he returns home, he finds things upside-down and in need of getting right-side up again with the help of the motley crew that's suddenly in his hair and eager to make it big in music.

Surprise!

Rockin' in the Rockies is another simple Stooges affair, the trio here playing larger roles than their support bits in Time Out for Rhythm. As they are apt to do, they get a lot of comedic mileage out of simple little routines, such as when Larry and Curly fall over in tandem after downing a stiff drink or as they sit back-to-back on a horse. The film finds the pleasure in the little things -- witty dialogue, whacky shenanigans -- and stretches out its paper-thin story with no shortage of musical numbers scattered throughout.

Rockin' in the Rockies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Rockin' in the Rockies enjoys a good, well defined black-and-white image. A light, consistent grain structure accentuates a sharp, handsome, nicely detailed image. A few speckles interfere but never to any disturbing extent. The grayscale is attractive and blacks are satisfactory. The image is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, placing "black bars" on either side of the 1.78:1 HD display.

Rockin' in the Rockies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Rockin' in the Rockies' Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is minimal but effective. It yields little in terms of raw clarity and nothing in terms of healthy spacing. It's all cramped up the middle but basic clarity satisfies, with the listener able to identify general instrument and lyric details. Basic sound effects enjoy satisfying baseline clarity and dialogue is well defined.

Rockin' in the Rockies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray ray release of Rockin' in the Rockies contains no supplemental content.

Rockin' in the Rockies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rockin' in the Rockies is a simple movie and a breezy one at that, clocking in at just over an hour but getting a lot of laughs and a fair bit of musical entertainment out of what it has on tap. The Stooges are excellent and the movie isn't bad, either, at least as a simple escapist pleasure. Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of Rockin' in the Rockies features solid video, passable audio, and no supplements. Recommended.