Phony Express

(Short # 75 in Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk: The Columbia Shorts of The Three Stooges)

Given the reference to the Pony Express, I knew that the Wild West would be the setting; there’s my knowledge of 19th century American history. However, the brief phenomenon of delivering mail in the West via couriers on horses traveling as fast as possible has no impact on the plot. Instead, a pair of bankers living in a bandit-infested town ironically named Peaceful Gulch take a wanted poster (for vagrancy) of the Stooges to fool Red Morgan and his gang.

They interact w/ a snake-oil salesman (where a random concoction is mixed in his wagon) and Morgan/his hoodlums in a saloon before they are forced to search for the heels after they robbed the bank. Curly literally acts like a bloodhound-for about 2 minutes and interacts w/ a skunk-before finding Morgan’s cabin.

While not top-tier by any means, laughs are still present throughout via various routines plus the standard slapstick, whether old or new. Chuckles are to be had via such devices as beer mugs, stoves and Snub Pollard; yes, the Australian-born vaudeville comedian turned silent star appeared in several different Stooge shorts. He later had bit parts in everything from Singing in the Rain to Inherit the Wind. He’s the town sheriff who has lumbago; that’s a funny word for “lower back pain,” something that many suffer from… present company included.