Hold That Lion!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.