''Goofs and Saddles'' is a 1937 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

short subject A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

film directed by

Del Lord Delmer "Del" Lord (October 7, 1894March 23, 1970) was a Canadians, Canadian film director and actor best known as a director of Three Stooges films. Career Delmer Lord was born in the small town of Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Interested in the the ...

and starring the

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

comedy team

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

(

Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), better known by his stage name Moe Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the leader and straight man of the Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion ...

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 4, 1902 – January 24, 1975), better known by his stage name Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges and was often called "The Middle St ...

and

Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of The Three Stooges comedy team, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and ...

). It is the 24th entry in the series released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

Set in the

American Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

, the Stooges are scouts tasked with apprehending a notorious gang of cattle rustlers under the command of the nefarious Longhorn Pete. Directed by General Muster, the trio embarks on their mission, employing stealth tactics by concealing themselves amidst the terrain, masquerading as bushes in a bid to surveil the rustlers' activities. However, their efforts are swiftly thwarted when the cunning rustlers discern their ruse and unleash a volley of gunfire, compelling the Stooges to hastily retreat. They ultimately find themselves seeking refuge within Longhorn Pete's bustling saloon, where they resort to adopting disguises as gamblers while awaiting the arrival of the cavalry. In a desperate bid to alert General Muster of their predicament, Moe endeavors to dispatch a message via carrier pigeon, only for their clandestine communication to be intercepted by Pete, thereby jeopardizing their cover. Forced to flee again, the Stooges seize upon a covered wagon as their means of escape, inadvertently embarking on a chaotic journey replete with household paraphernalia and an unexpected simian companion. As the pursuit intensifies, the Stooges ingeniously repurpose a meat grinder into an improvised weapon, transforming it into a makeshift Gatling gun by fortuitously incorporating ammunition and a gun belt. Their resourcefulness turns the tide of the confrontation, enabling them to overpower the bandits until the timely intervention of General Muster and his troops culminates in the apprehension of the outlaws. However, amidst the celebratory accolades, an unforeseen mishap ensues when the mischievous monkey inadvertently activates the grinder, triggering a flurry of shots that prompts the Stooges to hastily retreat from the scene.

Cast

Credited

as Wild Bill Hiccup *

as Just Plain Bill *

as Buffalo Billious''Goofs and Saddles'' at threestooges.net
/ref>

Uncredited

Stanley Blystone William Stanley Blystone (August 1, 1894 – July 16, 1956) was an American film actor who made more than 500 films appearances from 1924 to 1956. He was sometimes billed as William Blystone or William Stanley. Early years Blystone was born in ...

as Longhorn Pete * Ted Lorch as General Muster *

Ethan Laidlaw Ethan Allen Laidlaw (November 25, 1899 – May 25, 1963) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 350 films and made more than 500 appearances on television, mainly uncredited in Westerns, from 1923 to 1962. Laidlaw was born in Bu ...

as Tex *

Hank Mann Hank Mann (born David William Lieberman; May 28, 1887 – November 25, 1971) was a Russian-born, American comedian and silent screen star who was a member of the Keystone Cops, and appeared as a supporting player in many of Charlie Chaplin's ...

as Lem *

Sam Lufkin Samuel William Lufkin (May 8, 1891 – February 19, 1952) was an American actor. He was known for appearing in small or bit roles in short comedy films. Career Born in Utah, Lufkin spent most of his career at the Hal Roach Studios where he made ...

as Colonel *

Eddie Laughton Eddie Laughton (20 June 190321 March 1952) was a British-American film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1952, and is best known for his work with The Three Stooges. Career Laughton's family immigrated to the United Stat ...

as Bartender *

Lew Davis Louis Davis (July 16, 1884—January 13, 1948) was an American film actor. He appeared in over 75 films between 1916 and 1948. Career A New York native, Davis appeared in his first film in 1916. He began to achieve fame after arriving at Columb ...

, William Irving as Poker players *

Cy Schindell Seymour "Cy" Schindell (March 4, 1907August 24, 1948) was an American actor. He appeared in 37 Three Stooges short subjects, mostly as a heavy, though he was never credited in any Stooge shorts. Career Brooklyn-born Schindell was born Seymour ...

Hank Bell Hank Bell (January 21, 1892 – February 4, 1950) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 370 films between 1920 and 1950. He was born in Los Angeles, California, and died in Hollywood, California, from a heart attack A ...

Blackie Whiteford John Penman "Blackie" Whiteford (April 27, 1889 – March 21, 1962) was an American film actor. Biography In 1903, Whiteford was a seaman between jobs when he was offered a chance to work on '' The Great Train Robbery'' film. That opportuni ...

, Jerome "Blackjack" Ward as gang members * Ethelreda Leopold, Eve Reynolds, Elaine Waters as saloon girls

Production notes

The title ''Goofs and Saddles'' is a spoof of the term "hooves and saddles". Filming was completed on April 14–19, 1937. The Stooges' names in this short are Buffalo Billious (Curly), Wild Bill Hiccup (Moe), and Just Plain Bill (Larry). The cultural references are to, respectively,

figures

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age ...

and

Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, reconnaissance, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, s ...

, and ''

Just Plain Bill ''Just Plain Bill'' was a 1931-1955 15-minute American radio drama program heard on CBS Radio and NBC Radio. It was "a story of people just like people we all know." The program began on CBS on September 19, 1932. It was originally broadcast at ...

'', an iconic radio soap opera of the era. General Muster is a spoof on famous American Civil War and American Indian War General,

George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...

. The chase sequence on horseback would be recycled in 1954's '' Pals and Gals''. This short has the smallest slap count. Moe smacks Curly softly on his head and he slaps Larry when he thought Larry pulled them off the horses after hitting a tree branch.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1937 films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films Films directed by Del Lord Columbia Pictures short films American Western (genre) comedy short films 1930s Western (genre) comedy films American slapstick comedy films 1937 comedy films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films English-language Western (genre) comedy short films