In what essentially seems to be an extended version of a Three Stooges short, the three nuts work at Moe's cousin Jay Kirby's ranch. Actually, they disturb the peace more than they work, and when word gets out that a Broadway producer (Tim Ryan) is in the area on vacation, practically everybody who lives in the area is on his trail, determined to get an audition. Among them are singers Mary Beth Hughes (the pretty one) and Gladys Blake (the funny one) who end up in Kirby's ranch thanks to the machinations of the Stooges (tossing out his stuff which they consider junk!), creating even more chaos. Then, there's a visiting miner who is accused of being a rustler, as well as an instrumental group (The Hoosier Hotshots) who are just as wacky as the stooges.Innocuous fun, this has moments of comedy that totally land, and then others that totally thud. The Three Stooges were much funnier when they were zanies on their own rather than involved in the romantic issues of others forced to deal with them. The songs are standard, and thus not memorable, and the specialties are all pretty silly. Veteran silent comic Snub Pollard has an amusing cameo as a barroom drunk.

Moe Howard actually plays a non-stooge: "Shorty" Williams, a ranch foreman, but one who really wants to be a prospector.He does a good job, too.This movie is a must for Stooges fans, if only because it is not typical, but it is so unusual it's a must for any movie fan.Besides, Mary Beth Hughes is in it. Someone with whom I was not familiar, Gladys Blake, but whose lovely legs make her very watchable, played her performing partner, Betty. She didn't act long, but had many gigs.Most of the plot is to give excuses for musical numbers, and some of the numbers are pretty good, especially "Wahoo." Though Ken Trietsch was a guest on a TV show I directed, I hadn't realized the Hoosier Hotshots had been so active in movies. They actually had a lot of talent, as both musicians and actors. This film was a revelation.Some of the alleged comedy was done poorly, and can't be called good slapstick. Probably the director should be blamed.Still, this is a lot of fun, is a must for Stooges fans, a must for movie historians, a must for fans of Western Swing and for -- a term I think I coined -- Midwestern Swing, and a good time for anyone just looking for pleasant fun.

I gave this a four purely out of its historical context. It was considered lost for many years until it popped up out of the blue on Showtime in the early nineties.Moe is the straight man and Larry and Curly act as a duo. Spade Cooley has a couple of numbers. I guess it had something to do with working on a ranch. I'm not quite sure because the plot was so minimal nothing really sticks in my memory. I vaguely remember it being a western musical comedy. Even the Stooge's seem to be going through the motions. Overall there's nothing much really to recommend here.If you're not a Stooge fan then don't bother. If you are a Stooge fan, then stick with the shorts.

Not even the most ardent stooge fan could possibly like the movie, (I one of them) the stooges just aren't given any material to work with. It is really a shame too because this is the only feature length movie the stooges did with Curly, and this one effort by them is painfully unfunny, when it could have had great potential. Awful musical numbers don't help any either. The short they did with the same title has more laughs.