Loose Loot

This is the best of the remakes, a classic. Only the first five minutes are new footage and the next 10 minutes is stooge heaven! The new footage is hilarious and mayhem-filled. This is as good as the classic original "Hold That Lion!"(1947). From 1953-1956 many of the Shemp shorts were quite weak with some exceptions. This is one of the exceptions. I also find this to be the best of the remakes because in most of the remakes, only a 1/3 of the short was new footage.

Grade: A

LOOSE LOOT is a latter day Three Stooges short, and it's recommended as a satisfying never-ending assault of physical slapstick and insanity for all fans of the comedy trio! The first half begins with Moe, Larry and Shemp (in re-used older footage from 1947's HOLD THAT LION!) being conned out of their inheritance money by the shifty Ichabod Slip (Kenneth MacDonald), so the Stooges plot to confront the crook at a dance theater to get back their cash in the second half (which is all new 1950's footage matched to flow with the old). This is just nonstop and cartoonish madness from start to finish, as the Stooges mercilessly beat the tar out of MacDonald, who must have been paid well enough to endure such rough but comical abuse! I have always been impressed at the way Columbia managed to synchronize older and newer footage together, and in this case you could never tell unless you had already seen HOLD THAT LION!. *** out of ****

When you get a law firm like that on your case, the Three Stooges have nothing to worry about in collecting their inheritance. But there's a scheme afoot to deprive them of an inheritance.

Their uncle has left them a tidy sum of money, but will executor, one Ichabod Slipp has flown the coop with their inheritance. But with Moe, Larry and Shemp on the case right will prevail, after a fashion. The culprit is played by character actor Kenneth MacDonald.

It's a chase on a train to get MacDonald and the boys get themselves tangled up with a zoo lion being shipped God knows where. And their final showdown with MacDonald is classic, all three of them eventually bring him down.

Love the Stooges, but I certainly do love the Dickensian names they give some the supporting characters in their shorts. Ichabad Slipp, indeed.

"Loose Loot" is one of the first Stooges remakes of an earlier short. In this case, it is a remake of their 1947 effort "Hold That Lion." Beginning in 1952, producer Jules White began to remake earlier Stooge shorts and include existing footage in the remakes to save money and production time. In addition, motion picture houses were becoming increasingly reluctant to show short subjects; there was also the competition from television.

Some of the remakes lifted much footage from earlier shorts; more than 3/4 of each release after 1952 included footage from the earlier shorts.

"Loose Loot" includes footage from "Hold That Lion," most notably in the first five minutes. However, most of the remaining footage was shot in 1952. Happily, "Loose Loot" succeeds because of the new footage. This part of the plot takes place at a theatre where the Stooges are tracing the executor of their late uncle's will. Many funny slapstick moments occur in the new footage, which includes veteran actors Kenneth MacDonald and Tom Kennedy (Edgar Kennedy's brother.) Among the funnier moments are the Stooges throwing fruit at MacDonald and the surreal moment when the stooges enter a picture frame.

"Loose Loot" is not to be missed by Shemp fans and Stooges fans in general. Although based on a earlier short and including old footage, "Loose Loot" is funny and interesting in its own way. Stooge fans who tend to stay away from their 1950s remakes should catch this one.

Columbia was determined to get as much milk out of HOLD THAT LION! As they possibly could,adding new footage to BOTH halves of the film to make new shorts. LOOSE LOOT is by far superior to BOOTY AND THE BEAST.

Helped by hulking Tom Kennedy as a new footage bad guy---a Walter Long-type.he also appeared in SPOOKS! That same year.

Knock the apple off the gentleman's head and win a free ride on the Merry Go Round.

The head trapped in the door bit is a Felix Adler specialty--check out Abbott&Costello's THE NAUGHTY NINETIES.