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Cactus Makes Perfect

  • 1942
  • 17m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
527
YOUR RATING
Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard in Cactus Makes Perfect (1942)
SlapstickComedyShortWestern

The stooges are living with their mother who persuades them its time to leave home and seek their fortune. After a con man sells them a phony deed to a lost gold mine, the boys head west to ... Read allThe stooges are living with their mother who persuades them its time to leave home and seek their fortune. After a con man sells them a phony deed to a lost gold mine, the boys head west to find the treasure. After some mishaps with Curly's gold finding invention, they locate the... Read allThe stooges are living with their mother who persuades them its time to leave home and seek their fortune. After a con man sells them a phony deed to a lost gold mine, the boys head west to find the treasure. After some mishaps with Curly's gold finding invention, they locate the mine and strike it rich. When two crooked miners try to take their gold they hole up in a... Read all

  • Director
    • Del Lord
  • Writers
    • Elwood Ullman
    • Monte Collins
  • Stars
    • Moe Howard
    • Larry Fine
    • Curly Howard
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    527
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Del Lord
    • Writers
      • Elwood Ullman
      • Monte Collins
    • Stars
      • Moe Howard
      • Larry Fine
      • Curly Howard
    • 12User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro

    • Photos1

    View Poster

    Top cast7

    Edit
    Moe Howard
    Moe Howard
    • Moe
    • (as Moe)
    Larry Fine
    Larry Fine
    • Larry
    • (as Larry)
    Curly Howard
    Curly Howard
    • Curly
    • (as Curly)
    Ernie Adams
    Ernie Adams
    • Stumpy - Smaller Prospector
    • (uncredited)
    Monte Collins
    • Ma Stooge
    • (uncredited)
    Vernon Dent
    Vernon Dent
    • Heavyset Prospector
    • (uncredited)
    Eddie Laughton
    • Gold Mine 'Salesman'
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Del Lord
    • Writers
      • Elwood Ullman
      • Monte Collins
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews12

    7.3527
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    Featured reviews

    ccthemovieman-1

    Not Memorable, Except For 'Ma Stooge'

    This Three Stooges short isn't one of the more memorable ones, except it has the boys' mom in it. Who remembers what Curly, Larry and Moe's mom looked like? Not me, and I've seen this a few times over a 50-year period.

    Actually, the answer is Monty Collins, an ugly guy in drag who plays "Ma Stooge." She/he looks more like "Ma Barker!" Outside of her-him, it's a lot of standard Stooge slapstick with the boys hitting each other and a ton of sound effects. Early on the trio squeezes into a tiny bathroom and Moe shaves Curly with a straight razor, which will make you wince a few times!

    Vernon Dent, a regular in the series, plays a prospector with a beard. You may not recognize him, but his voice told me who it was.
    10wbhickok

    Incomprehensible and utterly impractical.

    Although to pick an absolute favorite Stooge short would be near impossible, this one ranks near the top. As the trio are gold prospectors this time around who stumble upon a lost mine. Monty Collins (who co-wrote the screenplay) is hilarious as 'Ma' Stooge. Fans of the group will not be dissapointed.

    Ma Stooge: (sobbing) "Goodbye boys, here's five dollars.

    Curly: Thanks!

    Ma Stooge: (angrily) You would take it! (SMACK!!)
    8Jim-500

    One of the best

    This is an extremely entertaining short from the start... almost to the finish. The pace is brisk and the jokes and typical stooge mayhem abundant.

    The only thing rotten about it is the ending. A stick of dynamite explodes and knocks the guys on their backs. Cue music and fade.

    C'mon, guys--couldn't you come up with a better ending than that? Especially for such an otherwise great flick? It's one beef I have with so many of the stooge shows--for some reason the writers often could not come up with a satisfying ending. The boys get blown up. Or they get shot at. Or they simply run away. Take your pick--but they always leave the story behind.
    7bkoganbing

    It's A Wise Child That Knows Its Mother

    The only problem I have with Cactus Makes Perfect is that Monte Collins leaves it too soon. Collins an actor in drag does the best Curly imitation around as he plays Ma Stooge sending her boys off into the big city to seek fame and fortune with Curly's gold finder invention.

    This gold finder is some weird contraption that Curly swears will find gold in any direction it is shot in. Armed with this device that Rube Goldberg would have rejected, Moe, Larry, and Curly set off to prospect in the desert.

    Naturally some equally dumb people think this thing has possibilities and in truth Curly does find some gold, nice and already minted. And like Bette Davis in The Bride Came COD, the Stooges do get involved with some cactus, hence the title.

    Very nice short subject, but I do so wish Ma Stooge came back before it was over.
    Snow Leopard

    Good Laughs From Standard Stooges Material

    "Cactus Makes Perfect" gets some good laughs from some of the Stooges' standard material. When Curly comes up with a crackpot invention that is supposed to find gold, the trio heads out west to find a mine. It starts off a little slowly, except for some good moments with 'Ma Stooge' (played by Monte Collins) as she tries to motivate her boys, but then gets quite funny. Most of the laughs come from standard Stooges material, but their timing here is very good. Stooges fans won't be disappointed by this one.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the shot with Curly Howard literally flying along with the gold finding arrow, if you look closely, you can see that he's not just yelling, but that his lips are moving saying "HEYYYYYYY MOE!!!"
    • Goofs
      Moe ended up breaking the ladder when he fell down into the mine shaft, but there is no explanation as to how they got out after they obtain the gold.
    • Quotes

      Curly: [the prospectors slip a stick of dynamite with the fuse lit through the iron door where Moe, Larry and Curly are behind, Curly picks it up] Oh, a roman candle... zhhhhhhhhh... boom! Cuckoo! 4th of July! Ha ha ha!

      Moe: Hey, marblehead, you know what that thing is you're holding there? That's dynamite!

      Curly: You mean the things with the... nyaaaaaaa!

      [quickly slips it back through the hole in the door]

    • Connections
      Referenced in Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets (2020)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 26, 1942 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • YouTube - Video
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • La Practica Hace al Maestro
    • Production company
      • Columbia Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      17 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard in Cactus Makes Perfect (1942)
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    By what name was Cactus Makes Perfect (1942) officially released in Canada in English?
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