(Short # 5 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)
This is a short from 1935:
The Stooges as detectives in the Wild West: amusing. The first scene (set in an office) doesn’t reveal this right away, but it is apparent once you see them dressed preposterously as cowboys, entering a saloon.
Moe, Larry, & Curly work as emissaries by a detective named Hyden Zeke-nice pun. They are tasked w/ assisting a young, pretty blonde. The film’s villain stole her father’s IOU. They meet the villain in a saloon, then attempt to steal the wallet that IOU is in.
Fred Kohler portrayed the heel Double Deal Decker; Kohler played similar roles in serious Westerns, lending some authenticity. There are some laughs and amusing moments-including the usage of various genre tropes, including lynching-but it is silly that already they reused a gag from the second short; Curly snaps at an external stimulus. In this case it’s mice and in a bit of wacky psychology, eating cheese calms him. It could be the only short from them that mentions Roquefort cheese.
It is not my favorite from the Stooges; that said, there are enough laughs where I can proclaim this as “fine.” In addition, it was the first usage on film of several gags that I recall from later installments.
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