''Musty Musketeers'' is a 1954

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 154th 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. The film depicts a trio of

fiddlers A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synon ...

as court musicians in the court of the

Old King Cole "Old King Cole" is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1709. Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. It has a Roud Folk Song Index numbe ...

, traditionally identified with the 4th-century

Romano-British The Romano-British culture arose in Britain under the Roman Empire following the Roman conquest in AD 43 and the creation of the province of Britannia. It arose as a fusion of the imported Roman culture with that of the indigenous Britons, ...

leader

Coel Hen Coel (Old Welsh: ''Coil''), also called ''Coel Hen'' (Coel the Old) and King Cole, is a figure prominent in Welsh literature and legend since the Middle Ages. Early Welsh tradition knew of a Coel Hen, a 4th-century leader in Roman Britain, Ro ...

. They are asked to perform in the springtime

nuptials A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, denominations, countries, social classes, and sexual orientations. Most wedding ...

of Princess Alicia, but Alicia is kidnapped by an evil magician. The musicians confront the kidnapper in a

swordfight Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

, partially to ensure their own freedom.

Plot

The Stooges serve as fiddlers at the court of the

who are subject to a decree from the monarch that prohibits their marital unions until the forthcoming nuptials between Princess Alicia and Prince Gallant III of

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; : ''rhododendra'') is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the Ericaceae, heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan ...

, scheduled to coincide with the springtime bloom of flowers. The malicious designs of the malevolent magician Murgatroyd disrupt this arrangement as he orchestrates the abduction of Princess Alicia for his own matrimonial aspirations. Amidst their endeavors to attend to their equine companions by fitting them with new horseshoes, the Stooges inadvertently stumble upon the captive Princess Alicia, ensnared and silenced within the confines of the castle floor. In a parallel stratagem, Murgatroyd secures the consent of King Cole to his matrimonial intentions under the condition that he successfully retrieves the abducted princess. Employing subterfuge, Moe and Larry manipulate the castle guards, causing a diversion that facilitates Shemp's liberation of the princess. Their triumph is ephemeral, however, as the Stooges, along with Princess Alicia, are soon ensnared by the machinations of Murgatroyd and his accomplices. In a bid for freedom, the Stooges ascend a rope ladder concealed within a magic box, inadvertently enduring the maleficent implements wielded by Murgatroyd in his attempt to thwart their escape. The box ultimately succumbs to the strain, precipitating the Stooges' descent just as Princess Alicia arrives to reveal her abductor's identity. A conflict ensues, marked by a display of swordsmanship, as the Stooges confront Murgatroyd. Ultimately, the Stooges prevail, securing victory and clearing the path for their marriages to their respective sweethearts.

Cast

Credited

as Moe *

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 King Cole *

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 Mergatroyd the Magician

Uncredited

Virginia Hunter Virginia Hunter (née Reed; February 17, 1920 – March 23, 2012) was an American model and actress. She appeared in over 20 films during the 1940s. Early years Hunter was the daughter of Freeman A. Reed. Hunter grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, bef ...

as Princess Alicia (stock footage) *

Wanda Perry Wanda Perry (born Helen Marie Beuscher; July 23, 1917 – February 17, 1985) was an American actress. Biography Wanda Perry was born on July 23, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York City. She attended Manual Training High School in Brooklyn. She made ...

as Princess Alicia *

Heinie Conklin Heinie Conklin (born Charles John Conklin; July 16, 1880July 30, 1959) was an American actor and comedian whose career began in the silent film era. Early years Conklin was born Charles John Conklin on July 16, 1880, in San Francisco, Califor ...

as Guard *

Johnny Kascier Johnny Kascier (born John Kacerosky; July 1, 1889May 10, 1974) was an American actor who appeared in over 90 films between 1932 and 1957. Modern viewers will recognize Kascier as the Emir of Schmow in the Three Stooges film ''Malice in the Palac ...

as Guard *

Joe Palma Joe Palma (born Joseph Provenzano; March 17, 1905 – August 14, 1994) was an American film actor. Palma appeared in over 120 films between 1937 and 1968. He was well known as a supporting player for The Three Stooges and his brief tenure a ...

as Lancier the Captain of the Guard *

Frank Sully Francis Thomas Sullivan (June 17, 1908 – December 17, 1975), known professionally as Frank Sully, was an American film actor. He appeared in over 240 films between 1934 and 1968. Today's audiences know him best as the dumb detective in the '' ...

as King's aide **

Al Thompson Al Thompson (September 21, 1884 – March 1, 1960) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 170 films between 1916 and 1958. Well known in the industry for performing the more difficult stunts, he kept busy as a stunt doubl ...

as King's aide (stock footage) * Norma Randall as Millieth * Ruth White as Lillieth *

Diana Darrin Diana Darrin (born Harriet Bernice Tenen; ) is an American actress and singer. She has made over 35 film and television appearances in her career. Early years Darrin is the daughter of Edward and Lillian ( Hymowitz) Tenin (who later divorced); ...

as Tillieth * Sherry O'Neil as Showgirl *

Cy Schindell Seymour "Cy" Schindell (March 4, 1907August 24, 1948) was an American actor. He appeared in 37 Three Stooges short subjects, mostly as a heavy, though he was never credited in any Stooge shorts. Career Brooklyn-born Schindell was born Seymour ...

as Fat Guard (stock footage)

Production notes

''Musty Musketeers'' 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 1948's '' Fiddlers Three'', using ample recycled footage.Solomon, Jon. (2002) ''The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion'', p. 437; Comedy III Productions, Inc., The short's new scenes include a marriage proposal at the beginning with their sweethearts, as well as those at the end with a comic sword fight with actor Philip Van Zandt. Hunter was unavailable for the new footage, so she was replaced by

, who holds a fan over her face. New footage was shot on April 27, 1953.

Quote

*Moe ''(to Shemp)'': "Thou art the

matzo Matzo is a spelling variant for matzah Matzah, matzo, or maẓẓah ('','' : matzot or Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashk. matzos) is an Unleavened bread, unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover ...

head!"

References

External links

*
''Musty Musketeers'' at threestooges.net
{{The Three Stooges 1954 films 1954 comedy films 1954 short films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films Films set in Roman Britain Arthurian films The Three Stooges film remakes Films directed by Jules White Columbia Pictures short films 1950s English-language films American comedy short films 1950s American films Films set in 4th-century Roman Empire Films about princesses Films about violins and violinists Films about kidnapping in the United Kingdom