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.