''Bedlam in Paradise'' is a 1955

short subject A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

directed by

Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; 17 September 1900 – 30 April 1985) was an American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges. Early years White began working in motion pictures in the ...

starring American

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

comedy team

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

(

Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), better known by his stage name Moe Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the leader and straight man of the Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion ...

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 4, 1902 – January 24, 1975), better known by his stage name Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges and was often called "The Middle St ...

and

Shemp Howard Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz; March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955) was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the third Stooge in The Three Stooges, a role he played when the act began in the early 1920s (1923–1932), while i ...

). It is the 162nd entry in the series released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

Shemp grapples with the liminality between life and death while under the care of Moe and Larry in his final moments. Confronted with mortality, Shemp articulates a warning to his companions, hinting at the possibility of his posthumous presence as a harbinger of consequence should they deviate from moral rectitude. Upon Shemp's transition to the afterlife, his Uncle Mortimer deliberates over the disposition of his soul, pondering whether Shemp's deeds warrant celestial ascension or infernal descent. The arrival of the Devil, represented by the enigmatic figure of Mr. Helle, introduces a moral dilemma, as he seeks to entice Shemp with hedonistic temptations personified by the seductive allure of Helen Blazes. Amidst this existential quandary, Uncle Mortimer intervenes, offering Shemp a chance at redemption and eternal bliss in Heaven contingent upon his covert return to Earth to influence the moral rectitude of Moe and Larry. Meanwhile, Mr. Helle, in his diabolical guise, incites Moe and Larry towards acts of moral turpitude, suggesting fraudulent schemes such as soliciting financing from a wealthy couple for the production of novelty fountain pens. Shemp's intervention thwarts their machinations, albeit inadvertently instigating a calamitous fire. The narrative then transitions back to the setting of Shemp's bedroom, revealing the preceding events to be an allegorical dream sequence. However, the dream's symbolic implications manifest in reality as Shemp finds himself in imminent peril due to his negligent behavior of falling asleep while smoking. Following the extinguishment of the conflagration, Shemp recounts his dreamlike experience to Moe and Larry, prompting a comically anticlimactic response from his cousins in the form of a cream pie assault and a sardonic offering of writing implements.

Cast

Credited

as Moe, Uncle Mortimer and Heavenly Train announcer (voice) *

as Larry *

as Shemp *

Vernon Dent Vernon Bruce Dent (February 16, 1895 – November 5, 1963) was an American comic actor, who appeared in over 400 films. He co-starred in many short films for Columbia Pictures, frequently as the foil, main antagonist, and an ally to The Three ...

as I. Fleecem (stock footage) *

Philip Van Zandt Philip Van Zandt (October 4, 1904 – February 15, 1958), sometimes billed as Phil Van Zandt, was a Dutch-American actor of stage, film, and television. He made nearly 250 film and television appearances between 1939 and 1958. Life and career ...

as The Devil / Mr. Heller *

Sylvia Lewis Sylvia Lewis is an American actress, dancer and choreographer. Career Sylvia Lewis first performed as a young child in the last days of vaudeville in Baltimore, Maryland. She received her first classical training as a scholarship student at th ...

as Helen Blazes

Uncredited

* Marti Shelton as Miss Jones (stock footage) *

Judy Malcolm Judy Malcolm (Born Marguerite Westergren; December 1, 1910July 22, 1998) was an American film actress. Malcolm appeared in approximately 25 films between 1933 and 1951. Malcolm is familiar to modern viewers for her roles in several Three Stooge ...

as Heavenly switchboard operator (stock footage) *

Victor Travers Victor Travers (1884 – 26 May 1948) was an English character actor of theatre and film, known for his work in many of the Three Stooges films. During his career, which began in 1938 and ended with his death in 1948, he appeared in more than ...

as Mr. DePeyster (stock footage) *

Symona Boniface Symona Ferner Boniface (March 5, 1894 – September 2, 1950) was an American film actress, most frequently seen in bit parts in comedy shorts, mostly at Columbia Pictures, particularly those of ''The Three Stooges''. She appeared in 120 film ...

as Mrs. DePeyster (stock footage) * Brian O'Hara as Gunslinger (stock footage. was cameo)

Production notes

''Bedlam in Paradise'' is a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of ''

Heavenly Daze ''Heavenly Daze'' is a 1948 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges ( Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard). It is the 109th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring th ...

'', using ample

stock footage Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures, and file footage is film or video footage that can be used again in other films. Stock footage is beneficial to filmmakers as it saves shooting new material. A single piece of stock ...

. The new footage was filmed on July 9, 1954. Coincidentally, as the musical ''

Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (International English), or galloper (British English) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The seats are tradit ...

'' was a hit in Broadway at the time of the making of ''Heavenly Daze'', the film version of ''

'' was in production when ''Bedlam in Paradise'' was made. A sequence in the film's script required a fountain pen to be propelled into the center of Larry's forehead. This was to be achieved by affixing the pen to a wire and aiming it at a small aperture in a tin plate secured to Larry's head. However, an error by the special effects team resulted in the pen's sharp point penetrating Larry's skin, causing a significant laceration and substantial bleeding. Subsequently, Moe pursued director Jules White around the set, as White had assured that the gag would be without risk. While in the original short ''

'' Shemp ends the episode with the phrase (while writing the letter), "Dear Ma", in ''Bedlam in Paradise'' there was a re-dubbing of Shemp's voice and the line is changed to "Dear Uncle Mortimer"

References

External links

*
''Bedlam in Paradise''
a
threestooges.net
{{The Three Stooges 1955 films Columbia Pictures short films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films The Three Stooges film remakes Films about dreams Films directed by Jules White 1955 comedy films American slapstick comedy films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films American comedy short films