Punchy Cowpunchers

This 3 Stooges short subject has Moe, Larry, and Shemp joining the cavalry and when men are needed to be spared for a dangerous mission that they might not come back from then the sergeant knows exactly where to look.

The mission is to help track down the notorious Dillon gang which is headed by veteran character actor Kenneth MacDonald. In typical stooge manner they kinda sorta capture him.

This short also has Jock Mahoney just as he was getting out of being a stuntman and doing parts. He was never this funny in his later films. Here he burlesks his own image as a cowboy hero who just can't quite get it together.

One of their best from the Shemp years.

This is Christine McIntyre's best stooges appearance. "I'm just a poor helpless woman!" POW! And knocks her attacker out the window. This short is also good because the bad guys are real badguys. They have brains unlike some of the other bad guys that the boys went up against in the past. You actually start worrying about the stooges and wondering if they'll get out of this one alive.

Elmer's pratfalls and his "Forgot my geetar." and "I fell off my horse" lines are priceless. Oh yeah and the stooges are good too. Especially Shemp's "Your gun is empty." SMASH This one never fails to make me laugh. Definitely my favorite short.

Christine McIntyre and Jock Mahoney almost steal the show from The Three Stooges in this funny short. The two reprise their roles from an earlier Stooges film called "Out West." She is "Nell" and he is "Elmer." However, this big difference in this one is that they both play comedic roles. Nell is funny as the one-punch knockout gals who delivers a mean right cross. Elmer is a guitar- toting Lone Ranger-wannabe who can't get out of his own way and is a total loser, but a lovable guy and the object of Nell's affection.

The main story concerns the Stooges and an outlaw gang, who want to blow up a safe and steal gold. The Stooges are sent by the U.S. Calvary to be spies and grab the gang. Their ineptness leads to a lot of sight gags, including some familiar ones like tossing back-and-forth a stick of dynamite or having a shooting or drinking contest at the bar.

Overall, a fun adventure filled with familiar Three Stooges actors and a good mix of humor and action.

It's 1868 Fort Scott, Kansas. Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard are bumbling US cavalry men. Sgt. Mullins gets the short end of the stick with those guys. He gets to send three men on a suicide mission to take down the Dillon gang and he knows exactly who to pick. The boys find help from singing cowboy Elmer and barmaid Nell.

There is an actual story in this Three Stooges short. The boys are doing plenty of physical comedy, but few of them are all that funny. Elmer is trying so hard sometimes. He's trying to match the Stooges and comes off looking silly. The safe is stupid, but at least, it's fun.

The stooges dealing with bad guys was the greatest theme in the Shemp era and it almost always worked out successfully. This is no exception. The stooges trying to act tough in front of three of the killer Dillons was hilarious!

Grade: A