Horses' Collars

Larry, Curley, and Moe are bumbling private detectives hired by another P.I. to help his client Nell Higginbottom in danger of losing her ranch. Her father had signed a $10k IOU to Double Deal Decker who set him up and killed. The boys need the steal back the IOU which is supposedly kept on Decker at all times. Due to previous incident, Curley starts swinging when he sees a mice and only stops when he eats some cheese. I don't know if the mouse-cheese thing gets done in other Three Stooges flicks. I can see this as a great way to give Curley his own spinach. It's a fun bit.

Film historians note the Golden Age of The Three Stooges began in 1935 and lasted through 1941. It was during this time the comedy team released what has been regarded as a series of short films that have all been deemed as classics. This period began in January 1935's "Horses' Collars." The tale involves the three as detectives who are sent out west to rectify a matter of injustice for their agency's client who sees her ranch being taken away by a murderous thief. The 18-minute short was the first of 17 movies the Stooges play in a Western, a genre Moe always hated since he dreaded wearing cowboy outfits.

"Horses' Collars," originally titled 'Horse's Asses,' marked the only movie Clyde Bruckman directed The Three Stooges. Bruckman, who co-wrote some of Buster Keaton's most brilliant silent movies as well as serving as a gag writer complimenting Laurel and Hardy and Harold Lloyd classics, saw his promising career hampered by his excessive drinking. His comic imprint is noticeable in the never-ending hilarious scenes showing the Stooges' attempts in recovering the IOU their client needs to protect her ranch. The dance hall sequence especially stands out where the three are constantly picking the rear pockets of those they bump into as they try to get that IOU. As in 1934's "Punch Drunk," Curly gets excited by an external force that saves the day for the Stooges. This time it's the sight of mice that sparks his fits of craziness, where only a certain brand of cheese will calm him down. Moe claims Curly gets this way because his father was a rat. Trouble is, the three cheeses he demands, roquefort, camembert and limburger, all have a strong odor that can knock a cow over.

What I'm reviewing here is the fifth in The Three Stooges' short film series they made for Columbia Pictures. In this one, they are detectives sent to retrieve an I.O.U. from a bad guy so pretty woman Nell won't lose her ranch. While that's basically it for the plot, there are also many classic scenes of Curley (as his name was spelled at the time) going berserk whenever a mouse appears and Moe and Larry have to provide him with certain kinds of cheese in order to calm him down. It's a good thing whenever that happens though because plenty of deserving punches happen to the bad guys that provides many of the genuine laughs here. I also loved the scene involving shooting coins down not to mention the comic dancing in between. Not a great short but Horses' Collars should provide plenty of fun for die-hard Stooges fans.

HORSES' COLLARS is a good early Three Stooges comedy farce. They play detectives masquerading as cowboys out West, in order to steal back an IOU from a rough character, and win back their client's property. Much fun ensues, especially bits like Curley going into uncontrollable bouts of mania whenever he sees a mouse, requiring his companions to subdue his spasms ("Moe... Larry... THE CHEESE...!!"), and the boys engaging in some pretty humorous dance routines on a saloon floor. Why does Curley go crazy whenever he spots a mouse? "Because his father was a Rat"...!

*** out of ****

Just like Punch Drunks (1934), the second Stooge short, this time, in Horses' Collars (1935), their fifth short, Curly goes into a frenzy, when he sees mice. He can only be calmed down by a piece of cheese shoved in his face, by Moe or Larry. This manages to get the boys out of a lot of trouble in this film. This one has a wild west feel to it, with a surprisingly, violent sheriff. It is another indication, that these shorts, in the 1930s, were originally intended, to be geared towards adults. Moe, Larry and Curly are sent to an old west town to collect an IOU. Horses' Collars (1935), is one of the more odd Stooge films, from the early days of the theatrical act.

6.9 (C MyGrade) = 7 IMDB.