Punchy Cowpunchers

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Punchy Cowpunchers

Directed by	Edward Bernds
Produced by	Hugh McCollum
Written by	Edward Bernds
Starring	Moe Howard Larry Fine Shemp Howard Christine McIntyre Jock Mahoney Kenneth MacDonald Vernon Dent Emil Sitka Dick Wessel John Cason Heinie Conklin George Chesebro Ted Mapes Stanley Price
Cinematography	Vincent J. Farrar
Editing by	Henry DeMond
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	January 5, 1950
Running time	17' 15"
Country	United States
Language	English
Preceded by	Dunked in the Deep
Followed by	Hugs and Mugs
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Punchy Cowpunchers is the 120th short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.

[edit] Plot

It is the old west and the killer Dillon clan are making life miserable for a small Western town. Sweetheart Nell (Christine McIntyre) and her dashing but dimwitted boyfriend Elmer (Jock Mahoney) rushes off to find help. Meanwhile, cavalrymen the Stooges are making life miserable for superior, Sergeant Mullins (Dick Wessel). Mullins tries to whip the boys into shape, but his plan backfire and has a run-in with his superior, Captain Daley (Emil Sitka). Daley informs Mullins about the Dillion clan's evildoings, and needs some men to run them out of town. Mullins does not miss a beat, and volunteers the unsuspecting Stooges.

The trio are made up to look like tough desperadoes, and happen upon the town saloon. They take jobs as waiters and do their best to spy on Dillion (Kenneth MacDonald) and his hombres without being discovered (complete with fake mustaches) However, Moe's mustache flies off his face, right onto Dillion's nose. The gang tie up Moe and Larry, and manage to corner Shemp into a safe.

As this is going on, Elmer is stumbling his way to the door of United States Calvary, who are temporarily unavailable, it being pay day and all ("Boys will be boys," shrugs Cavalry colonel Vernon Dent). Disillusioned, Elmer returns to rescue his Nell, who is busy knocking every cowboy who enters her room out cold. Eventually, the Stooges emerge victorious, and Nell and Elmer settle down.

[edit] Further reading

Moe Howard and the Three Stooges; by Moe Howard [1], (Citadel Press, 1977).
The Three Stooges Scrapbook; by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer, Greg Lenburg [2] (Citadel Press, 1994).
The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons; by Michael Fleming [3](Broadway Publishing, 2002).
One Fine Stooge: A Frizzy Life in Pictures; by Steve Cox and Jim Terry [4], (Cumberland House Publishing, 2006).