Booty and the Beast

1953 film by Jules White

March 5, 1953 (1953-03-05) (U.S.)

Running time

15:55CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Booty and the Beast is a 1953 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 145th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

Inadvertently entangled in aiding a safe-cracker, the Stooges find themselves inadvertently implicated in a criminal endeavor, prompting their subsequent pursuit of the perpetrator to Las Vegas.

Embarking on a journey fraught with mishaps, the trio's endeavor is further complicated by the accidental release of a lion from the train's baggage car. Despite these challenges, the Stooges persist in their pursuit, ultimately apprehending the unnamed culprit and recovering the ill-gotten gains.

Cast

Credited

Moe Howard as Moe
Larry Fine as Larry
Shemp Howard as Shemp
Kenneth McDonald as Crook
Vernon Dent as Night Watchman

Uncredited

Dudley Dickerson as Pullman Porter
Heinie Conklin as Conducter
Curly Howard as Sleeping Passenger
Victor Travers as Passenger with Beard
Blackie Whiteford as Passenger
Sam Lufkin as Passenger
Tanner the Lion as Lion

Production notes

Booty and the Beast was filmed in May 1952. The second half of the film consists of footage recycled from Hold That Lion!, which includes the cameo appearance by former Stooge Curly Howard, who died on January 18, 1952. The title of the film is a parody of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast.^[1]

MacDonald's character in Hold That Lion was originally named Icabod Slipp: in Booty and the Beast, he is a nameless thug. Any references to Slipp are replaced with "He", "Him" or "that crook."^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Solomon, Jon. (2002) The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion; Comedy III Productions, Inc., pp. 416-417; ISBN 0-9711868-0-4