Muito Vivos para Serem Mortos

This is one of the Stooges better efforts and one of their best westerns (apparently Moe didn't like doing westerns, but since they turned out to be very popular with their fans, Columbia overrode Moe's misgivings). Curly is at his peak, and there are some very funny and very clever gags (the boys disguising themselves as bushes to spy on the rustlers' camp, a "rigged" card game they play with the head bad guy, the great Stanley Blystone) and even Larry has more to do than usual, and does it well. The Stooges look like they were actually having fun making this one--Moe's aversion to westerns not withstanding--and it shows. A very good short by the boys.

A large majority of The Three Stooges' films was set in contemporary times. But once in a while they traveled in the past to inject a bit of history into their short movies.

In July 1937 "Goofs and Saddles," only their second Western after 1935's "Horses' Collars," the Stooges find themselves as scouts for the United States Cavalry assigned by General Muster (Ted Lorch) to arrest a gang of cattle rustlers. Sporting long hair in the opening scenes, the kind Curly had before he was asked to shave it off for the screen, Moe as Wild Bill Hiccup (Hickok), Larry as Just Plain Bill (a popular radio show back in the 1930s), and Curly as Buffalo Billous (Buffalo Bill), use many disguises, including as movable bushes as they go undercover to get as close to the rustlers as they can in an open field. They also pose as gamblers to glean some information from the gang's leader, Longhorn Pete (Stanley Blystone).

"Goofs and Saddles" is known for having the least of amount of slapstick of all the Stooges' films. By one count, there's only eight face slaps and one eye poke. The unusual title is derived from General George Custer widow Elizabeth Custer's book about her husband, 'Boots and Saddles.' The film is famously known for Larry signaling to his two cohorts when they're playing a game of poker, exclaiming as he's overlooking Longhorn Pete's cards, "I've got four kinks in my back," referring to the rustler's four kings he's holding in his hand. This was also actor Joe Palma's film debut. Known as the "Fake Shemp" when he filled in for Shemp Howard when the regular Stooge suddenly died in 1955. Palma worked as a mortician at his parents' funeral home before journeying to Hollywood in 1937 to join Columbia Pictures as an extra and spot actor.

The boys are part of the cavalry and find themselves sent off to put down some rustlers. Of course, they are considered and elite fighting force. They bumble their way along until they are in danger. Of course they seem to come out on top not matter what happens. There is a great battle scene at the end. Much more creative and imaginative than most of these.

Yikes, that subject headline quote what Three Stooges are told in this old TTS short. Imagine, if that was real life; there would still be no life west of the Mississippi!

In this Old West short, the Stooges play "Buffalo Bilous" (Curly), "Wild Bill Hiccup" (Moe) and "Just Plain Bill" (that's Larry for you, always in the middle between the lovable Curly and mean Moe.) Their mission is to get every last cattle rustler and either kill him or bring him in. The rustling has to end! Giving them the orders is "General Muster." Yeah, the writers of the Stooges short films sure loved to be corny went it came to names of people, cities, businesses, you name it.

The main foes for the good-guy cowboys are a group led by "Longhorn Pete (Stanley Blystone) who is one, tough hombre and won't take any baloney from the Buffalo Bilous and his partners.

Some of the things in here classic Three Stooges and guaranteed to have you laughing out loud. A few of the gags I really liked were when the guys pretended to be big bushes, the p.s. on the note to Gen. Muster written by the guys,and about everything involving Curly, from a donkey chewing his butt, to his vest, to his reactions to people at the bar, on and on. He was a hoot, as usual.

In one of their funniest shorts Moe, Curly and Larry go west as three of the most intrepid scouts of the frontier respectively Wild Bill Hiccup, Buffalo Bilious, and Just Plain Bill. With the Indian Wars done, the cavalry under General Muster is turning its attention to cattle rustlers and the General sends the boys to deal with him.

With quite a few laughs they do get the job done. Some wonderful bits as a jackass exposes the camouflage cover of three other jackasses. There's an interesting poker game and finally the Three Stooges with their backs to the wall improvise a Gatling gun to some very funny effects.

Moe, Larry, and Curly are really at their top in Goofs And Saddles.