Horses' Collars

This is another wonderful Three Stooges short, despite the meaningless title. Here, the boys are Pinkerton detectives sent out West to help an innocent girl being bullied by a ruffian – a premise which actually anticipates Laurel & Hardy’s classic WAY OUT WEST (1937), and even includes a similar scene in which The Stooges attempt to retrieve an important document from the villain’s safe! Gags include the boys playing tough guys at the saloon – where they inadvertently set the sheepskin trousers of the baddie’s henchman on fire – and taking to the dance-floor in a ruse to get at the piece of paper jealously guarded by the heavy inside his wallet. Still, the best moments of the film involve Curley going into a raging fit – a similar affliction to the one he had in PUNCH DRUNKS (1934) – at the sight of a mouse (asked why, Moe replies “That’s because his father was a rat!”) which he’s only able to get out of by being force fed a piece of cheese (“Moe, Larry…cheese!”).

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.

Horses' Collars (1935)

*** (out of 4)

The Three Stooges are hired as detectives to go out West and get back on IOU, which could cause a girl to lose her ranch. Here's another hilarious entry in the series that manages to be very funny even if the best joke of Curley turning mad fighter is borrowed from Punch Drunks. There's plenty of nice action including a great sequence where Curley fights two men and another sequence on the dance floor where the boys try to pick pockets.

Now available on Columbia's 2-disc collection, which features over 20 shorts.

This is a great short by the stooges the help a woman named Nell by getting an IOU from a shooter named Double Decker. Its a funny short because everytime Curly sees a mouse he beats people up and the only way to calm him down is to feed him cheese, also the part where there dancing is funny. Moe:"you know your not a bad dancer" Curly:"aw I bet you say that to all the boys"

One of my all-time favorite Stooge comedies. The boys are private eyes trying to help their client, Nell, retrieve her "i.o.u." from Double Deal Decker. Whenever Curly sees a mouse he goes crazy, and the only way to calm him is to feed him cheese. This situation happens several times in this short, usually when the boys find themselves in a tense situation with Double Deal Decker.