Horses' Collars (1935) User Reviews

Horses' Collars (1935) ***

[JoeKarlosi · 7/10 · 26 January 2013]

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 ****

Cheessse

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 20 November 2019]

Larry, Curley, and Moe are bumbling private detectives hired by another P.I. to help his client Nell Higginbottom in danger of losing her ranch. Her father had signed a $10k IOU to Double Deal Decker who set him up and killed. The boys need the steal back the IOU which is supposedly kept on Decker at all times. Due to previous incident, Curley starts swinging when he sees a mice and only stops when he eats some cheese. I don't know if the mouse-cheese thing gets done in other Three Stooges flicks. I can see this as a great way to give Curley his own spinach. It's a fun bit.

HORSES' COLLARS (Clyde Bruckman, 1935) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 13 January 2008]

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!”).

Moe, Larry the cheese Moe, Larry the cheese!

[movifan1785 · 5 August 2002]

This is a great short by the stooges the help a woman named Nell by getting an IOU from a shooter named Double Decker. Its a funny short because everytime Curly sees a mouse he beats people up and the only way to calm him down is to feed him cheese, also the part where there dancing is funny. Moe:"you know your not a bad dancer" Curly:"aw I bet you say that to all the boys"

Horses' Collars is another funny Three Stooges short from their early years

[tavm · 7/10 · 3 January 2011]

What I'm reviewing here is the fifth in The Three Stooges' short film series they made for Columbia Pictures. In this one, they are detectives sent to retrieve an I.O.U. from a bad guy so pretty woman Nell won't lose her ranch. While that's basically it for the plot, there are also many classic scenes of Curley (as his name was spelled at the time) going berserk whenever a mouse appears and Moe and Larry have to provide him with certain kinds of cheese in order to calm him down. It's a good thing whenever that happens though because plenty of deserving punches happen to the bad guys that provides many of the genuine laughs here. I also loved the scene involving shooting coins down not to mention the comic dancing in between. Not a great short but Horses' Collars should provide plenty of fun for die-hard Stooges fans.

A 'Cheesy' Three Stooges Old West Slugfest

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 9 December 2009]

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.

Collect That IOU!

[PCC0921 · 7/10 · 23 August 2023]

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.

Short Film Begins the "Golden Age of The Three Stooges"

[springfieldrental · 8/10 · 29 April 2023]

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.

You know you're in trouble when cheese ends up being the biggest laugh-getter!

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 16 January 2015]

While I am not a huge fan of the Three Stooges, I do appreciate their early films with Columbia. They tended to be funnier and far fresher than their films they made starting in the late 40s--when remaking and even remaking their remakes became the norm. Additionally, while his humor sure ain't sophisticated, the early films feature Curly--who was a heck of a lot funnier than his later replacements.

"Horses' Collars" is their fifth film for Columbia. It begins with the trio begin hired as detectives and they are sent out west on a case. There they meet a nice young lady who is about to lose her ranch unless the boys can help her. Naturally, they agree to help her and hilarity follows.

Unfortunately, this short has a lot of energy and nice settings but very, very few laughs. Considering it's big laugh-getter is Curly's reaction when he smells cheese, you know it's not a funny film. Worth seeing if you are a big fan and the worst of their earlier efforts for Columbia.

Moe, Larry, Cheese!

[obe-one · 20 December 2000]

One of my all-time favorite Stooge comedies. The boys are private eyes trying to help their client, Nell, retrieve her "i.o.u." from Double Deal Decker. Whenever Curly sees a mouse he goes crazy, and the only way to calm him is to feed him cheese. This situation happens several times in this short, usually when the boys find themselves in a tense situation with Double Deal Decker.

Good short

[Michael_Elliott · 25 February 2008]

Horses' Collars (1935)

*** (out of 4)

The Three Stooges are hired as detectives to go out West and get back on IOU, which could cause a girl to lose her ranch. Here's another hilarious entry in the series that manages to be very funny even if the best joke of Curley turning mad fighter is borrowed from Punch Drunks. There's plenty of nice action including a great sequence where Curley fights two men and another sequence on the dance floor where the boys try to pick pockets.

Now available on Columbia's 2-disc collection, which features over 20 shorts.

Roquefort, Camembert, and Limburger

[slymusic · 21 October 2007]

"Horses' Collars" is unfortunately not one of the better Three Stooges shorts with Curly as the third Stooge. That's surprising, considering that this film is a Western and that Curly is the most beloved of all six Stooges. But despite the fact that this short has its moments, "Horses' Collars" is a fairly slow-paced comedy directed by Clyde Bruckman, who was much better known to the Stooge films as a writer. In this film, the boys are detectives who are assigned to retrieve an IOU from the crooked gunslinger Double Deal Decker (Fred Kohler), lest the pretty Nell (Dorothy Kent) will lose her ranch to Decker.

Highlights: Curly goes crazy whenever he sees a mouse, and the only way Moe and Larry can calm him down is to stuff his face with cheese, hence "Moe, Larry, the cheese!" is a memorable recurring line. When the Stooges' boss Hyden Zeke (Fred Kelsey) tells them that a photograph of his attractive client Nell is on his desk, the boys pick up a picture of an older, rather unattractive woman and ask which side of the frame her face is on; Zeke then grabs the picture and says, "My wife!" The Stooges steal Decker's accordion-shaped wallet, where he supposedly keeps the IOU; when Lobo, Decker's henchman, walks over to the Stooges sitting at a table, they sing a nicely harmonized version of "You'll Never Know Just What Tears Are" while Moe "plays" Decker's wallet like an accordion.

"Horses' Collars" is not a great Stooge comedy, but not to worry. It wouldn't be too long before director Del Lord would step in and help to refine the screen characters of Moe, Larry, and Curly, thus creating one great Stooge comedy after another.