Horses' Collars

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 ****

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.

I wanted to put "Moe, Larry.... Cheese!" on the headline but I see everyone else did already. Can't them blame; that's the appropriate title to this very funny Three Stooges film.

Curly has some great lines in here and is almost the entire show. Whenever he sees a mouse, he goes berserk and punches out everyone in sight. He only stops when the boys stuff a certain kind of cheese down his mouth. As funny as those scenes are, it's his comments that really made me laugh in here. He has some great put-downs here, but gets away with them.

The story is a typical Stooges one in which they go out west and save a woman named "Nell." The writers must have thought that was only name ladies had back in the Old West. Anyway, Curly and the boys defeat "Double Deal Decker" and the rest of the baddies in typical fashion, which means in a goofy-but-funny manner.

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.

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!”).