"Malice in the Palace" is a black-and-white short film from the Stooges and the year is 1949. Days of World War II are over, Stooges are unpolitical again and Shemp has replaced Curly. Director is Jules White and writer is Felix Adler as usual. This one here only runs a couple seconds longer than 16 minutes and thus it is among the shortest films. There are more differences to their usual routine. There is no major female character in here this time and there is a lot of dressing-up in here, which is not too common for the trio. Sure it was fun to see the Moe and the gang in Santa outfits, but somehow it wasn't enough to carry the film. The comedy and story seemed a touch too absurd for me in this one here. I guess this may be the reason why many like it and why it is among the most known works from the Stooges, but I am not convinced. my dislike has nothing to do with Shemp, however, he is always a nice addition and a worthy replacement for Curly. Nonetheless, overall I do not recommend this one here. Thumbs down.
Review of Malice in the Palace
