Hold That Lion!

ONE OF THE better 3 Stooges shorts of its period, HOLD THAT LION scores high marks with us on many fronts. It accomplishes the difficult task of bridging the War years-type shorts with the Post War. It displays Shemp in the best light that we know; giving him a chance to shine.*

JUST COINCIDENTALLY THE short features an un-billed cameo by the now physically ailing Curly. His bit as a slumbering train passenger was meant to be the kick-off for some regular guest shots with Larry Fine and his brothers, Shemp and Moe Howard.

THIS ONGOING LIMITED partnership never materialized, leaving this as a unique solo example of what could have been.

AS FOR THE story itself, it is a sort of Detective Story spoof; featuring stolen money, a crooked shyster lawyer and our heroes in hot pursuit. The chase even extends to a railroad trip and a confrontation with a real caged Lion in the baggage car. That would seem to be the origin of the title (Duh!); but it is also a play on the then popular song, "The Tiger Rag" ( you know, "Hold That Tiger").

WE HAVE ALWAYS felt that perhaps the greatest asset this movie has is the character of crooked lawyer, Ichabod Slip. With a characterization that revealed an unexpected talent for farce, actor Kenneth MacDonald managed to steal much of the short's best gags and scenes; in spite of the presence of our Stooges.

THIS IS THE same guy who made so many appearances on the PERRY MASON TV Series as the Judge. To quote him, "Your witness, Mr. Mason."

Just watched this unique Three Stooges short on YouTube. What's so unique about this one, you say? Well, if you've read the comments here or are familiar with Stooges history, this is the only time all three Howard brothers-Moe, Shemp, and Curly-appeared in the same scene together. I also believe the same film together. Anyway, Curly has a funny cameo as a passenger in a train with a derby on his head and a clothespin on his nose. When the boys lift the pin, Curly goes into his patented snore and "woo woos"! The rest was hilarious as well especially with the title animal causing havoc with the boys and scaring an African-American porter played by Dudley Dickerson though one may pause a little bit before laughing since that was a stereotype of that race at the time. Throw in Emil Sitka as the Stooges attorney and Kenneth MacDonald as the one who attempts to steal their inheritance and you've got one classic Stooge short! So yes, I highly recommend Hold That Lion!

Actually Curly did not pass away until January 18,1952. And he made another cameo as an Angry Chef in the 1949 Malice In The Palace,and after he married for the 4th time,and had his second daughter. He is funny in this Comedy,and its nice to see the Howards all together. Its a shame that he didn't take better care of himself. Shemp is excellent here,and is under rated. And Kenneth McDonald is so good here,as he was as the Judge on the Perry Mason shows. His granddaughter Andrea Server is a fine Singer. RIP Curly,you were Funny! And its nice to see Curly as he is quite good in what was clearly an improvised,off the cuff appearance. And Dudley Dickerson was a scream as always.

Thanks for AMC and their NYUK Three Stooges show on the weekends starring Leslie Neilson. While the introductions to the shorts are 'hokey', good factual historical information regarding the Stooges is often given.

This is the case with 'Hold That Lion.' I found this short to be 'average,' but knowing that Curly makes a cameo, I watch it every time I know it will be shown.

About 1/2 way through the short, Moe, Larry, and Shemp are walking down the center isle of a moving train searching for a man in disguise. They happen on a sleeping man with his Derby over his face. To check to see if he is the villain, the boys stop, lift the hat and we find Curly, thin faced, full head of hair, NO BEARD, and a clothes pin on his nose! One of the boys remove the clothes pin only to cause Curly to begin snoring loudly. In classic Curly fashion - He does the typical loud, deep 'SNOGGGGGG' on the inhale, but on the exhale he lets out a 'W00 WOO WOO R'ARF R'ARF R'ARF' and takes another deep breath with a 'SNOGGGGGGGG'

After two or three cycles, Moe says 'This guy must be some kind of Spaniel,' and Shemp says 'More like a Cocker Spaniel!' They replace the clothes pin, Curly's Derby and continue down the isle....

I watch this short EVERY TIME I see it now, and I find it somber. Curly has just suffered a massive stroke. He can barely walk, thus the appearance sitting and sleeping, and his snoring as described above is only with 1/2 the energy. Curly looks human.....and his two brothers (Moe and Shemp) are on screen with him to make light of the situation. This is classic Stooges. Curly would die one short year later...

As I said: A piece of history...

All Stooge elements come together to form a cohesive whole in this early Shemp effort. The Stooges are sole heirs of their Uncle Ambrose Rose's estate. The boys track "Honest" Icabod Slipp (Kenneth MacDonald) who has made off with their inheritance. Will they find him and recover their inheritance?

With this film, Shemp Howard demonstrates no rustiness after being absent from the Stooges for 14 years. He fits comfortably into the third Stooge role; his fight with MacDonald is hilarious, and his natural comedic gifts are fully on display. The short features a classic exchange between Larry and Shemp: "The moola! The geetis! No slippery guy like Slipp is ever gonna cheat us! Zoot Zoot! Zoot!" If this sounds silly in words, watch the short and try not to crack up when Larry and Shemp say it!

As mentioned by others, "Hold That Lion" features a cameo by Curly Howard as a sleeping passenger. He demonstrates verbal signs of the old Curly, but he is obviously sitting down due to his stroke. He's funny in this brief scene, but it is also sad to watch.

The film was remade with a combination of stock footage and new scenes as "Loose Loot" in 1953. The remake is actually better, offering a tighter storyline and better laughs. "Hold That Lion" is still a gem, though. 7 out of 10.