Merry Mavericks

Merry Mavericks

Year: 1951

Runtime: 16 mins

Language: English

Director: Edward Bernds

ComedyWestern

Wanted for vagrancy, the Stooges ride westward, joining cowboys in a gun‑filled town. Mistaken for lawmen, they capture a gang of crooks. Later they guard cash in a supposedly haunted house, said to be haunted by an Indian chief's ghost. The thieves return, masquerading as specters to seize the money, but Shemp, dressed as the chief, subdues them.

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Merry Mavericks (1951) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of Merry Mavericks (1951), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Set in the Old West, the trio—Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard—find themselves wanted for vagrancy and on the run to escape custody. Moe suggests they head for a town called Peaceful Gulch to lay low and start fresh.

In the beleaguered town of Peaceful Gulch, the locals suffer under the pressure of Red Morgan and his gang, who intimidate the residents and drive out the sheriff. To restore order, the sheriff’s posse devises a plan to fool Morgan by pretending that three famed marshals have arrived. The Stooges become entangled in this scheme when they are mistaken for these legendary lawmen.

Now tasked with stopping Morgan’s plunder, the trio learns that the cash Morgan aims to steal is hidden with them in an old house believed to be haunted. An old story explains the haunting: a murdered Indian chief, decapitated by a man named Jeff Horton, is said to roam the residence in search of his missing head.

Larry and Shemp are initially scared by the ghost stories, but Moe convinces them that ghosts and specters aren’t real. The Stooges press on, while the truth behind the hauntings gradually surfaces: the apparitions are disguises worn by one of Morgan’s associates.

Seizing the moment, Shemp subdues the impostor and dons the disguise himself. Reuniting with Moe and Larry, who have fallen into Morgan’s clutches, Shemp uses his ruse to outsmart the gang and rescue his partners. With swift action and comic timing, Shemp incapacitates Morgan’s gang with a hatchet, emerging as the unlikely hero of Peaceful Gulch and restoring order to the town.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:08

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