In Three Arabian Nuts, the Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, Shemp) are incompetent warehouse workers, hired by poor Vernon Dent. But among the priceless artifacts that they’re destroying is a “worthless” old lamp, that he gives to Shemp. Unaware that there’s a genie in it! But some bad guys have followed it around the world, to steal the lamp!
Three Arabian Nuts (1951) starring the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard), Vernon Dent, Philip van Zandt
Three Arabian Nights is a very funny Shemp-era Three Stooges comedy short. The basic setup is that Mr. Bradley (Stooges veteran Vernon Dent) is receiving a shipment of exotic goods from the East. Unfortunately for him, the warehouse that receives his priceless artifacts is where the Three Stooges work. Shemp makes a comment about the “pretty little syrup pitcher” in one of the boxes, and Bradley simply gives it to him. He bought it at a bazaar for next to nothing, and considers it junk.
However, it’s actually the lamp of a Genii. Or, as Shemp calls him, the Genius of the lamp. And he begins granting Shemp wishes. When Larry comes by and picks up the lamp, he unwishes them away, just as Shemp goes to show his new clothes to Moe! I call it a Snuffleupagus moment. But, some villains are in pursuit of the lamp as well …
Curly for President T-shirt
Editorial review of Three Arabian Nuts courtesy of Amazon.com
“Three Arabian Nuts” (1951, short number 129 in the Columbia series) offers a fairly rare element of the supernatural. While the boys are working on a shipment of mostly breakable (and therefore broken) goods from the East for a client (Vernon Dent), Shemp runs across a magic lamp with a real “genius” that grants him his wish of flashy clothing, a gift immediately unwished by a jealous Larry. A good deal of the footage is concerned with two angry Arabs trying to decapitate the infidels. For once, all ends well with the boys getting their wishes fulfilled and Dent (who had given away the lamp) being given a rare chance to stooge an ending all by himself.
Funny movie quotes from Three Arabian Nuts
Mr. Bradley (Vernon Dent): Be careful how you handle this stuff.
Moe: Don’t you worry — we’ll be as gentle as a flock of kittens. [crashing sound]
Moe: Sit down and relax. [guiding Vernon Dent to sit down on a hot plate]
Shemp: [finding the genii’s lamp] What a pretty little syrup pitcher.
Cast of characters
- Shemp Howard (Dopey Dicks) … Shemp
- Larry Fine (Three Stooges Meet Hercules) … Larry
- Moe Howard (No Dough Boys) … Moe (as Moe)
- Philip Van Zandt (Citizen Kane) … Ahmed
- Vernon Dent (Fiddlers Three) … Mr. Bradley
- Dick Curtis (The Tooth Will Out) … Hassan
- Wesley Bly … The Genii
- Lillian Molieri as harem girl