Phony Express

The Red Morgan gang terrorizes the badly named old west town of Peaceful Gulch. Larry, Curly, and Moe are wanted for vagrancy. They get involved with quack medicine. Upon arriving in town, they are unaware that the locals had falsely promoted them as lawmen coming to take on the gang.

It's not always their best material. Curly being a dog is a funny concept but they need to shorten the bit. I don't like that they get the best of the gang by expertly laying out traps. They should get the best of them by incompetence like Curly getting stuck in the drum. Overall, this has some fine moments but this is not their best.

Phony Express (1943)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The setting is the Old West where a small town is being run dry by a group of bandits. Moe, Larry and Curly are wanted for vagrancy but the locals decide to print a story claiming that they're actually great gunfighters so that when they come to town the bad guys might just give up and leave.

There are a few laughs scattered throughout this short but it's certainly not one of the Stooges best films. The entire short appears to have a bunch of small gags but no real big jokes. The film really does seem like a bunch of throwaway gags from other films that were just mixed together here so that a film could be released. The stuff at the start with the Stooges selling the medicine has been done in other shorts but here there's no real pay off. The same is true for the stuff dealing with the gunfighters.

The Three Stooges released its November 1943 "The Phony Express," where the three are in the wild Old West, this time they're mistaken as tough lawmen. This was the last in a long line of Stooges movies actor/writer Monte Collins was involved. His years of associated with the comics date back to the Stooges' first film without their long-time manager and acting partner Ted Healy in 1934's "Women Haters." The silent movie actor Collins survived the transition to sound, and appeared and wrote gags for a number of comedies apart from the Stooges until 1948. His more noteworthy Stooges' role was playing their mother in 1942's "Cactus Makes Perfect," as well as participating in their 1940 classic "A Plumbing We Will Go." He co-wrote the script for "Phony Express," which has Stooges' regular Bud Jamison as the bad guy whose gang terrorizes the town, including robbing its banks.

After one robbery, the Stooges are hot on the trail of the gang and its leader Red (Jamison). The Stooges employ Curly as their bloodhound who's on all fours sniffing the ground. Moe nicknames Curly "Strongheart," referring to one of silent movie's first dog stars, predating Rin-Tin-Tin. The German Shepherd, raised in Germany as a police dog, performed outstanding service with the country's Red Cross during World War One. He was shipped to New York City by his impoverished owner to a friend. A film director discovered the dog's immense talents, and had him star in several silents, most lost. The shepherd was given the name 'Strongheart,' and became an instant celebrity, paving the way for future canine movie actors.

The title of "Phony Express" takes its name from the short-lived speedy Transcontinental mail service, the Pony Express, which captured the imagination of the population in those days.

This Curly short features a case of mistaken identity, with the boys mistaken for famous lawmen ..... with the resulting chaos leading to a hilarious conclusion.

Moe ,Larry & Curly take on the bad guys with the inept hilarity that made them a laugh riot on screen. While Curly was not at his best in this one, his genius still shines through. Like other great comedians, he can crack you up with a simple, silent mannerism ( as he does here)

Knuckleheads of all ages will enjoy this western farce.Some of the Stooges later shorts were of varying quality ..... this is one worth watching. Cowboy hi-jinks run amuck !!!

In the Frank Sinatra film Dirty Dingus Magee, Sinatra played a $10.00 reward outlaw. Something similar happens with the 3 Stooges in Phony Express where they've got wanted posters on them, for vagrancy.

But the dopey looking mugs of Moe, Larry, and Curly come in handy as a harried express company agent retouches their wanted poster to say that these three marshals are coming to town to clean things up.

So when the boys arrive in town for real certain things are expected of them. And they deliver them in good Stooge style.

A really good short subject for the firm of Howard, Fine and Howard who have some really good gags in this one. Best is Curly in the stove at the conclusion.