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."

There are two big surprises about "Hold That Lion!". First, it has an appearance of post-Stooges Curly Howard...making this the only Stooges short with all three Howard brothers (Moe, Shemp and Curly). Second, it's surprisingly funny and worth seeing.

When the short begins, you learn that the Stooges are expecting an inheritance and the executor, Mr. Slipp, has apparently run off with the money! When they try to find him at his office, he attacks them all...beating them up and running away from the boys. So, they head for the train, as Slipp is trying to use it to make his escape. Aboard the train, they spend their time avoiding the conductor since they don't have tickets as well as looking for Slipp. Ultimatley, they accidentally release a lion and hilarity ensues.

Curly Howard had a debilitating stroke the year before this short was made. As a result, his older brother Shemp joined the team (he'd been a Stooge back in the early stage days). Here, Curly remains seated on the train....because he was wheelchair bound at this point. He was offered the bit part to lift his spirits....sadly it was his last film appearance before his early death in 1952.

Overall, this is a pretty funny short. It is more original than many of the Stooge films (many of the Shemp shorts were actually remakes of earlier Stooge shorts) and made me laugh a few times. This, combined with Curly's appearance, make this a must-see for mans.

Larry, Moe, and Shemp are looking for their inheritance. The three nephews are sole heirs but the executor Mr. Icabob Slipp is nowhere to be found. They go to his office with subpoenas but they don't know what he looks like. They follow him to a train where they accidentally release a lion.

It's a fine Stooges short with Shemp. This one has a fourth Stooge. In a way, Dudley Dickerson plays a Stooge-like character in the black porter but I'm really talking about Curly who makes a cameo after his stroke. And he has hair! Although his distinctive snoring gives him away.

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!

Seeing a previous user comment about Curly's appearance:

There is a train passenger with a beard, but I didn't think HE was Curly. The passenger I recognize as Curly did indeed have a full head of hair, but NO BEARD.