Busy Buddies (1944) User Reviews

some stupid fun

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 17 January 2020]

Larry, Curly, and Moe run the failing Jive Cafe. They owe $97 for pastry and are threaten with the lost of the diner. They try to earn money by hanging posters. The posters advertise a county fair with a $100 milking contest and the boys get an idea.

I like the diner. I like its random stupidity and then it gets stupider. The cow milking is stupid but fun. That's all that one really wants from the Stooges, some stupid fun. It doesn't get much stupider than this.

And, Curly Becomes "K.O. Bossy" (Nyuk-Nyuk-Nyuk!)

[StrictlyConfidential · 7/10 · 9 September 2020]

(*Curly quote*) - "Hey! You can't do that to my cow!!"

"Busy Buddies" (from 1944) is definitely one of my very favorite Three Stooges' shorts of all. Yeah. I think that this episode's antics all come together very nicely in perfect comic timing.

Anyway - As "Busy Buddies'" story goes - Through some really hilarious circumstances at the Jive Cafe, the Three Stooges end up at the Carrot County Fair where (that's right) Curly becomes "K.O. Bossy" and he's now all set to start milking a cow (for the $100 prize money).

All-in-all - I think that any viewer who likes the Three Stooges is bound to enjoy "Busy Buddies" in a big-big way.

Some Big Laughs But Uneven

[Michael_Elliott · 29 August 2016]

Busy Buddies (1944)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Decent but uneven short has The Three Stooges working in a cafe where all heck breaks loose. After destroying some pies they're given the weekend to come up with the money, which leads them to a cow milking contest.

There are several big laughs scattered throughout BUSY BUDDIES but there's no question that the short is rather uneven the say the least. There are basically three different story lines here and I would argue that they don't mix too well together. Each of them contains some big laughs but one wishes there was a better flow to it. One of the highlights deals with a fake cow but I won't ruin what happens to it. If you're a fan of the Stooges then you'll get a few laughs but this certainly isn't their best movie.

One of the best stooge comedies ever!

[Michael1958 · 10/10 · 3 October 2002]

A lot of the Three Stooges comedies are very basic-however, as in the case of Busy Buddies-they completely off-the-wall. I will not tell all, but the pacing of this short from start to finish is wonderfully done by Del Lord's direction. Please check it out-if you ever want to see the 3 wacky guys at their best check this one out or the even better Ache in Every Stake.

Michael

Great Three Stooges short!

[Movie Nuttball · 10/10 · 5 October 2004]

The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team!

This in My opinion is a good Three Stooges short. Vernon Dent, Fred Kelsey, Eddie Laughton, and John Tyrrell make appearances in this one. Laughton's character is similar like his other one in Cactus Makes Perfect in My opinion. This is a hilarious must see Three Stooges short and I recommend it!

One of their worst

[Jim-500 · 4/10 · 15 September 2009]

I love the 3 Stooges, but in their long career they inevitably would make a few clunkers, and this is one of them. The direction and editing are really awful. The story seems grafted together aimlessly: the boys go from restaurant owners to poster hangers to contestants in a cow-milking contest without any real rhyme or reason. Curly seems tired in this short; Moe doesn't really seem to have his heart in the role; and Larry's participation is almost non existent. He doesn't say more than a few words at most.

We don't have many gags, and they tend to fall flat due to faulty timing, which I think can be attributed to the poor editing.

While watching this short recently, I just kept thinking, what's going on here? Watching this short is almost surreal--it's like you're seeing somebody imitating the 3 Stooges--and not doing a very good job.

"Foul! Foul!"

[slymusic · 6 May 2010]

Directed by Del Lord, "Busy Buddies" is not a bad Three Stooges short. Larry, Moe, and Curly operate a café, although how they could have done so for a lengthy amount of time is hard to fathom, since they are so inept. With a $97 pastry bill staring them in the face, the boys scheme to enter Curly in a cow milking contest and give him the sobriquet "K.O. Bossy".

Probably the funniest scene in "Busy Buddies" is that of chef Curly accidentally tying his apron to the pastry counter; when he leans forward, the pastry flies! Other highlights: Using a spring gadget, Curly escapes from Moe's meat cleaver and collides with the cash register. A bull gores Curly, who winds up hanging by his suspenders on a telephone pole. The cow milking champion grabs the Stooges' phony cow and swings it around and around.

I suppose my one major criticism of "Busy Buddies" is Larry's lack of participation, because Larry Fine was a comedic genius when he was given the chance. On the other hand, this short boasts a very good supporting cast including Vernon Dent, Victor Travers (both as customers), John Tyrrell (as the referee), and Fred Kelsey (as the pastry man).