Playing the Ponies Review: Curly, Hot Peppers, and a Very Tired Horse

If you have eighteen minutes to spare and still find grown men hitting each other funny, Playing the Ponies is absolutely worth your time. Kids and vintage comedy nerds will love it, but anyone who hates loud noises or predictable gags will probably turn it off. 🐴

Honestly, it is one of those shorts that just makes you feel warm inside. It doesn't try to be smart, and that is why it works.

The Stooges start out running a really greasy-looking diner. Moe is wiping a counter with a rag that looks like it has never seen soap, which is a great little detail.

They get tricked into trading this restaurant for a racehorse named Thunderbolt. The horse looks incredibly tired, like he just wants to lie down and sleep for a week in the middle of the street.

Then comes the weird part. The horse only runs fast when he eats these spicy "chili pepperinos."

I love how Curly says "pepperinos." He says it with so much joy, like it's the best word ever invented in the English language.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic animal energy in A Barnyard Cavalier, though this one is way noisier. The pacing is just relentless once they get to the racetrack.

Larry ends up as the jockey, which is hilarious because his pants are way too big. He looks like a little kid wearing his dad's clothes while trying to steer a giant beast.

The climax has Moe and Curly on a motorcycle holding a bucket of water to lure the horse. It is so incredibly dumb, but you can't help but laugh at how desperate they look.

Their is this one shot where the motorcycle wobbles and you can totally tell it is a stunt double. The stunt guy has totally different hair than Moe, which always cracks me up when I notice it. 😂

I also noticed how clean the racetrack looks. It feels like they just snuck onto a real track during the off-season to film this on the cheap.

The ending is pure comfort food. They are all sitting around eating whole turkeys, and even the horse is eating peanuts from a bowl.

Its definitely not their absolute best short, but it has that cozy, rainy-Saturday-afternoon energy. If you need a quick laugh, just put it on.