The Noose Hangs High

The Noose Hangs High is a 1948 American comedy film starring The Three Stooges, Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard. The movie follows the story of two window washers, Moe and Larry, who are mistaken for the messengers sent by a bookie named Nick Craig to collect $50,000. Craig, desperate to get his hands on the money, needs it to pay off one of his clients, who is threatening to expose him if he doesn't pay up. The mix-up begins when Craig sends Moe and Larry to pick up the money, which is stored in a package being carried by a postal worker. However, instead of giving them the money, the postal worker mistakenly gives them a package containing a bundle of useless junk. Unbeknownst to Moe and Larry, this mistake sets off a chain reaction that ultimately leads to chaos and hilarity. Meanwhile, the two heavies sent by Nick to retrieve the money, Vinnie and Joey, get wind of the mix-up and begin to search for the missing cash. However, they too are mistaken for a pair of messengers sent to retrieve a valuable package from the same postal worker, which is why Moe, Larry and these two get into a lot of trouble. As Vinnie and Joey try to get to the bottom of the missing money, they keep getting in the way of Moe and Larry, who are themselves trying to figure out what happened to the cash. In the process, the two pairs of characters engage in a series of misadventures, from accidentally setting off car alarms to foiling a bank heist. The woman who ultimately gets the mistaken cash, Mary, is a sweet, innocent girl who has no idea what she's gotten herself into. After she spends the bundle, she starts to notice that she is not alone in her pursuit of the money. She eventually figures out that her money was not just any normal money but Craig's. This sets up the final act of the film, where all the characters converge on Mary's apartment, leading to a wild and hilarious sequence of events. In the climax of the film, Moe and Larry use their unique brand of Stooging - a combination of slapping, poking, and getting hit upside the head. Meanwhile, Vinnie and Joey are trying to get the money back. The scene builds up to a chaotic standoff between the three pairs of characters. In the end, Mary, now desperate for a solution to the money, comes up with a plan to steal from Craig, who has by now figured out that the Stooges have the money. However, this backfires and everyone gets caught. As in any typical Stooges comedy the film ends with a series of slap-happy gags and a final comedic flourish.