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!
12 Reviews
"No slippery guy like Slipp is ever gonna cheat us!"
jimtinder17 June 2003
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.
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.
The fourth Stooge
SnoopyStyle1 July 2020
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.
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.
Curly ,my Favorite Stooge
lostcatshotel12 December 2005
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.
Excellent Three Stooges short with Shemp! Curly's appearance is classic!
Movie Nuttball15 August 2005
The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team!
This is one of My favorite Three Stooges shorts with Shemp! All Appearing in this short are Vernon Dent, Kenneth MacDonald, Emil Sitka, Heinie Conklin, Dudley Dickerson, Blackie Whiteford, and Curly Howard! This one is so hilarious! Shemp has a great performance here and in My opinion its one of his best. Culry has a great cameo! There is a similar one like this called Booty and the Beast and I strongly recommend both of these Three Stooges shorts!
This is one of My favorite Three Stooges shorts with Shemp! All Appearing in this short are Vernon Dent, Kenneth MacDonald, Emil Sitka, Heinie Conklin, Dudley Dickerson, Blackie Whiteford, and Curly Howard! This one is so hilarious! Shemp has a great performance here and in My opinion its one of his best. Culry has a great cameo! There is a similar one like this called Booty and the Beast and I strongly recommend both of these Three Stooges shorts!
Mr. Slipp trying to give the boys the slip!
planktonrules16 November 2020
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.
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.
Holding the Line by Holding the Lion.
redryan6413 August 2014
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 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."
Subjectively not among my favorites (despite an interesting cameo)
Horst_In_Translation11 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Hold That Lion!" is another 17-minute short film by the Three Stooges. Like most of their work, it is a black-and-white sound film and this one is from 1947, so it has its 70th anniversary this year. It was made by White and Adler again and features the trio including Shemp which shows you that it is not from the early days of the Stooges anymore. World War II was over already and the Stooges were again completely unpolitical at this point. This is one of the trio's more (but not most) known works, probably because it features a lion (therefore the pretty bad play on words in the title) and also it is the last on-screen appearance by Curly, even if he was not part of the Stooges anymore at that point already. The gang gets tricked by a lawyer and they lose a lot of money to him, but they keep following him on a train in their attempts to get it back. This one had a lot of "funny violence" (lets call it like that) and these films with a lot of this are usually not my favorites from the gigantic Stooges body of work. That's why I give it a thumbs-down and don't recommend the watch.
Just a comment about Curly's appearance.
cmoore-630 November 2000
A Piece of history...
macsroyal15 May 2001
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...
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...
"Say, what's a good word for 'scrutiny'?"
slymusic3 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Directed by Jules White, "Hold That Lion!" is a fine Three Stooges short starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard. This film also marks the second appearance of the sinisterly handsome Kenneth MacDonald in a supporting role with the Stooges. MacDonald plays Icabod Slipp, a crooked investment broker who has stolen the boys' inheritance from their deceased uncle. Never being gentlemen that easily throw in the towel, Moe, Larry, and Shemp trail Slipp onto a moving train, where they risk their lives in encountering a lion on the loose! The boys eventually overcome Slipp and recover the satchel of money. (This Three Stooges short actually features FOUR Stooges; Curly Howard, who was too ill to continue working as a Stooge, makes a cameo appearance as a snoring, barking passenger on the train.)
My favorite highlights from "Hold That Lion!" include the following. While in Slipp's office, Shemp does his very famous "fighter's dance," only to receive the first punch from Slipp and get knocked out cold! While in their attorney's office, the Stooges have trouble closing some simple filing cabinet drawers. The African-American train porter (Dudley Dickerson) is hilarious as he sticks his head out the window upon encountering the lion ("Help! Help! I'm losin' my mind!"). When the Stooges realize that they are not alone in hiding from the big-eyed train conductor (Heinie Conklin), they scream as they run away from the lion. Later, while the boys are trying to sleep in their berth, Moe sticks his bare foot out the curtain, and the lion comes along and licks his foot.
"Hold That Lion!" is simply a great Three Stooges short. Footage from this film was later used in three consecutive Stooge shorts from 1953: "Booty and the Beast," "Loose Loot," and "Tricky Dicks." Director Jules White, who was known for forcing too much slapstick in his later Stooge films from the 1950s, thankfully does not go over the edge in this film, although he did come extremely close in the scene at the attorney's office in which Larry asks Moe about his itching palm. Aside from being the second Stooge film to feature Kenneth MacDonald, "Hold That Lion!" is also the second Stooge film to feature one of the most beloved character actors ever to work with the boys: Emil Sitka. Playing the Stooges' attorney Mr. Poole, Sitka recalled that Shemp was so afraid of the lion on the set that he refused to share a scene with the animal; the crew ended up having to place a giant glass plate between the lion and the Stooges.
My favorite highlights from "Hold That Lion!" include the following. While in Slipp's office, Shemp does his very famous "fighter's dance," only to receive the first punch from Slipp and get knocked out cold! While in their attorney's office, the Stooges have trouble closing some simple filing cabinet drawers. The African-American train porter (Dudley Dickerson) is hilarious as he sticks his head out the window upon encountering the lion ("Help! Help! I'm losin' my mind!"). When the Stooges realize that they are not alone in hiding from the big-eyed train conductor (Heinie Conklin), they scream as they run away from the lion. Later, while the boys are trying to sleep in their berth, Moe sticks his bare foot out the curtain, and the lion comes along and licks his foot.
"Hold That Lion!" is simply a great Three Stooges short. Footage from this film was later used in three consecutive Stooge shorts from 1953: "Booty and the Beast," "Loose Loot," and "Tricky Dicks." Director Jules White, who was known for forcing too much slapstick in his later Stooge films from the 1950s, thankfully does not go over the edge in this film, although he did come extremely close in the scene at the attorney's office in which Larry asks Moe about his itching palm. Aside from being the second Stooge film to feature Kenneth MacDonald, "Hold That Lion!" is also the second Stooge film to feature one of the most beloved character actors ever to work with the boys: Emil Sitka. Playing the Stooges' attorney Mr. Poole, Sitka recalled that Shemp was so afraid of the lion on the set that he refused to share a scene with the animal; the crew ended up having to place a giant glass plate between the lion and the Stooges.
A piece of stooge history
Paladin-4010 August 2000
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.
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