Hold That Lion! is the one-hundredth Columbia Pictures short subject starring the Three Stooges. Former Stooge Curly Howard made a cameo appearance in this film.
Plot[]
Hold That Lion!
The Stooges are the sole heirs to a grandiose inheritance, but the money is in the hands of an underhanded broker named Icabod Slipp (Kenneth MacDonald). One by one the Stooges confront Slipp in his office. He in turn accuses first Larry, then Moe, then Shemp, of being that crook, and successfully flees his office with the money. The Stooges follow Slipp on board a train. They start searching for Slipp, but a conductor comes after them for tickets. After tricking the conductor, they escape and hide out in a large crate in the baggage car. A lion is also in the crate, and the Stooges flee, hiding in a sleeping berth. The Stooges decide to catch Slipp in the morning before going to sleep. The lion walks into a room, where a pullman porter is busy shining a pair of shoes, not noticing the animal until it growls when he picks up its tail. The frightened porter tries to escape, but gets stuck, as the lion leaves the room. As the Stooges sleep, Moe inadvertently sticks his foot out through the curtain and the lion licks it. Moe (believing Shemp was tickling his foot) tells Shemp to sleep on him and Larry's side of the bed, inadvertently allowing the lion to climb up into the berth. After bickering with each other the Stooges notice the lion and escape, pulling down all the curtains to the berths and waking everyone up. As they make their getaway among the chaos, the Stooges finally spot Slipp and take off after him. They chase him to the baggage car and manage to defeat him, claiming their inheritance.
Cast[]
- Moe Howard as Moe
- Larry Fine as Larry
- Shemp Howard as Shemp
- Curly Howard as Sleeping Train Passenger
- Kenneth MacDonald as Icabod Slipp
- Emil Sitka as Attorney
- Dudley Dickerson as Pullman Porter
- Heinie Conklin as Train Conductor
- Victor Travis as Bearded Man
- Blackie Whiteford as Train Passenger
- Sam Lufkin as Train Passenger
- Tanner as The Lion
Curly Howard Returns[]
Hold That Lion! is notable for a cameo appearance by Curly Howard. He appears as a snoring passenger who the Stooges think is Ichabod Slipp, the man for whom they are looking. This is the only time that all four of the orginal stooges (the three Howard brothers and Larry Fine) appear on-screen together. This also marks the first time Curly is shown on camera with a full head of hair, and his only surviving film appearance following the stroke that ended his career as a full-time Stooge. He was to return for a more significant role in the short Malice in the Palace (as a mustachioed chef), but his performance was deemed to be sub-par, so the scene was cut. Although the footage is lost, an image from the scene exists and was used in lobby cards for the short.
Trivia[]
- The short was the first time filming in new year (1947) and same released in year. It also was Jules White's first directed in Shemp era.
- It was the last Three Stooges film (excluding Booty and the Beast) to feature Tanner the Lion, possibly also his last recent on-screen footage. Tanner could only be filmed with the Stooges for tame shots. For shots requiring him to growl or act angry, he was filmed by himself.
- During to that fact Shemp is afraid of Lion (Tanner), as he don't want working with real lion in side and crew members putting the glass to protect them without getting attacked by Tanner.
- The incorrect of the newspaper scene is firmly that Icabod Slipp's first name is Elmer but the original screenplay stated that Slipp's name is still to be "Icabod" not "Elmer", as Shemp Howard reading the character's name correctly and Slipp's name sign is also present in his desk with the "I" stood for "Icabod" and also the poster of him. It was possible that writer Felix Adler later change the character's name.
Notes[]
Hold that Lion! was also recycled by films post-1953:
- Booty and the Beast: recycled the second half of Hold that Lion!
- Loose Loot: recycled the first half.
- Tricky Dicks: recycled a segment from Hold that Lion!