Malice in the Palace (1949)

Director:

Jules White

Writers:

Felix Adler (story)
Felix Adler (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 September 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Short

Plot:

Set in a desert land where the stooges run a restaurant, the boys set out to recover the stolen Rootin...

Plot Keywords:

Diamond | Restaurant | Cat | Waiter | Santa Claus Suit

Cast

Shemp Howard	...	Shemp (as Shemp)
Larry Fine	...	Larry (as Larry)
Moe Howard	...	Moe (as Moe)
Vernon Dent	...	Hassan Ben Sober
George J. Lewis	...	Ginna Rumma (as George Lewis)
Frank Lackteen	...	Affa Dolla
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Everett Brown	...	Nubian Guard (uncredited)
Curly Howard	...	Chef (scenes deleted) (uncredited)
Johnny Kascier	...	Emir of Schmow (uncredited)
Joe Palma	...	Guard Outside Palace (uncredited)

Directed by
Jules White

Writing credits
Felix Adler		(story)
Felix Adler		(screenplay)

Produced by
Jules White	....	producer

Cinematography by
Vincent J. Farrar		(as Vincent Farrar)

Film Editing by
Edwin H. Bryant		(as Edwin Bryant)

Art Direction by
Charles Clague

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical)
• Hollywood Home Theatre (1980) (USA) (VHS) (on "Stooges Festival")
• Digital Disc Entertainment (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• BFS Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Starcuts (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Starcuts (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Echo Bridge Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Passport Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• A-1 Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• DTP Entertainment (2012) (Germany) (DVD)
• GoodTimes Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Platinum Disc (????) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Screen Time Images  audio restoration
• Screen Time Images  film restoration

Also Known As:

Runtime:

16 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Larry Fine's autobiography contains a photograph of Curly Howard as a chef in a deleted scene from this film. Curly had suffered a stroke a few years earlier and had left the act. He had clearly lost weight, and his face was disguised with a huge handlebar mustache.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After the table gets knocked over, a finger can briefly be seen under the leg of the table, poking at the cat to get it to leave the shot.

Quotes:

Moe:[giving turban to guard who has just been hit with fruit] Your hat.
Palace Guard (inside):Thank you.
Moe:You're welcome.
Palace Guard (inside):[realizes what just happened] Why you-!
[is cut off as Moe gets scared before dropping a vase on his his head]

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Hollywood Christmas (1996) (V)

Malice In THe Palace

One of the better written and directed shorts with Shemp. Actually, the Shemp shorts up to about 1952 are pretty consistent as to quality. It's been written that a version with Curly was filmed, or planned. This makes sense, as it would free up Moe, Larry, and Shemp to react as a trio to Curly, who plays the A-type personality in charge of fixin's. It seems that all that remains is a single lobby card photo with a mustached Curly in a chef's costume. One source says that a complete Curly version exists alongside the Shemp version, but has never been shown. I am mystified that there isn't more interest in the alternate version. I hope to contact Columbia pictures and request it, as it appears that the original shorts will finally be released on DVD. Thanks!