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."

Watch this film very carefully for a piece of show biz history. The one and only time on film we see the three brothers Howard (Moe, Shemp and Curly)together. Curly has a full head of hair, a bushy beard and no dialog, but the snoring he makes as a sleeping train passenger are vintage Curly all the way.

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.

Ailing Curly Howard was in no position to return full time to The Three Stooges anytime soon when he paid a visit to Columbia Pictures studios to observe his replacement-and older brother-Shemp filming July 1947 "Hold That Lion." His visit in January 1947 when filming took place came almost nine months after he suffered a major stroke in May 1946. Curly had let his hair grow in the interim when director Jules White noticed the comedian was in the wings of the studio sound stage. White recalled the day Curly returned to his old digs. "It was a spur-of-the-moment idea," recalled White. "Apparently he came in on his own, since I didn't see a nurse with him. He was sitting around, reading a newspaper. As I walked in, the newspaper he had in front of his face came down and he waved hello to me. I thought it would be funny to have him do a bit in the picture and he was happy to do it." In "Hold That Lion" the Stooges find themselves inheriting a large sum of money, only to find the estate's executor, Icabod Slipp (Kenneth MacDonald), abscond with their inheritance. The three follow him on to a train where they come across a trainload of passengers. One man has his hat over his head sleeping. Larry takes his hat off and unclasps the clothes pin clamped over his nose. It turns out to be Curly, who gives his trademark "Woowoo-woo" and "Rruff! Rruff!" until Larry places back the pin and places back the hat. The scene is the only one where all three Howard brothers appear together.

"Hold That Lion" was Shemp's third Three Stooges short film, filling in for Curly. The three dodge a persistent conductor on the train by hiding inside a large crate in the luggage car. Unbeknownst to them, the container contains a lion, scaring the bejesus out of the Stooges. Character actor Emil Sitka remembered Shemp was totally freaked out by having a lion on the set. According to Sitka, Tanner the Lion had his teeth removed, "and it was old and sickly-looking, with flies buzzing around its head. Sometimes it fell asleep in the middle of a take." In the crate scene a glass panel was placed between the Stooges and the lion. "Even then, Shemp was almost mesmerized with fear, and when filming ended he was first to rush off," added Sitka. For the sleeping berth scene where the lion climbs in, a realistic FAO Schwartz fake stuffed lion stood in for Tanner at the foot of the bed.

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.