'' (1965) was the sixth feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of
Moe Howard ,
Larry Fine , and
Curly Joe DeRita . Directed by Howard's son-in-law
Norman Maurer , ''The Outlaws IS Coming!'' was the last theatrical feature made by the trio.
Rance Roden plans to kill off all the buffalo and thus cause the Indians to riot. After they destroy the US Cavalry (his real enemy), Rance and his gang will take over the West. Meanwhile, a Boston magazine gets wind of the buffalo slaughter and sends editor Kenneth Cabot (
Adam West ) and his associates (Moe, Larry and Curly-Joe) to
Casper, Wyoming to investigate. Once there, Ken's shooting skills (secretly aided by sharp shooter Annie Oakley) earns him the title of town sheriff. Rance has his band of bad guys called upon to have them all wiped out, but the Stooges sneak into the gang's hideout while asleep and glue their firearms to their holsters. When Ken confronts the bad guys, the bad guys (with Stooge-like prompting from the boys) decide that a life of justice is better than crime. Meanwhile, Rance and Trigger attempt to sell firearms to the Indians, but the Stooges foil this plan by snapping a picture of them selling in the process.
In a nod to television's key role in the resurgence of the Stooges' popularity, the outlaws were played by local TV hosts from across the U.S. whose shows featured the trio's old Columbia shorts.
- ''Moe Howard and the Three Stooges''; by Moe Howard {Link without Title} , (Citadel Press, 1977).
- ''The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion''; by Jon Solomon {Link without Title} , (Comedy III Productions, Inc., 2002).
- ''The Three Stooges Scrapbook''; by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer, Greg Lenburg {Link without Title} (Citadel Press, 1994).
- ''The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons''; by Michael Fleming {Link without Title} (Broadway Publishing, 2002).
- ''One Fine Stooge: A Frizzy Life in Pictures''; by Steve Cox and Jim Terry {Link without Title} , (Cumberland House Publishing, 2006).
