In Booty and the Beast, the Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, Shemp) unknowingly help a burglar break into a house. When the boys realize their mistake, they pursue the thief as he makes his escape on a train.
Booty and the Beast (1953) starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Kenneth MacDonald, Vernon Dent
Booty and the Beast is an odd combination – half very funny original Three Stooges short film, and half reused footage.
The first half of Booty and the Beast deals with the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard) running out of gas in front of a house, where recurring Stooge villain Kenneth MacDonald is trying to break into a house. The Three Stooges are too dense to realize this and ask the man if they can use his phone. Of course, the crook replies, if only they can help him gain entrance to “his” house, as he’s supposedly forgotten his keys.
After some short slapstick, including Larry landing face-first in the mud, they manage to do so. Once inside, the “home owner” has forgotten his combination to “his” wall safe — can the Stooges help? With the aid of the dynamite, nitroglycerin, and other burglar tools that the “homeowner” has picked up by mistake, of course, they can!
And this is the best part of the short film, with plenty of slapstick comedy. Eventually, they actually manage to blow open the safe, knocking themselves out in the process. The crook takes advantage of the situation to steal the money from the safe, and escape town on a train. The Stooges recover, and after a short and funny bit where Shemp mistakenly thinks that he’s blown his leg off, they’re confronted by Three Stooges regular Vernon Dent, as a watchman who’s been alerted to the chaos. After a slapstick confrontation, the Stooges are on the trail of the escaping criminal.
Second half
The second half of Booty and the Beast is the train scene from Hold That Lion!, complete with the cameo appearance of Curly Howard as the snoring train passenger. Even so, the first half of the short film is funny enough to carry the film and make it worth watching.
Booty and the Beast is available on DVD as part of Three Stooges Collection Volume 7.
Funny movie quotes from Booty and the Beast
Shemp Howard: [their car has run out of gas] Why don’t you try the choke?
Moe Howard: Thanks, I will! [starts choking Shemp]
Moe Howard: G-A-R-A-J … some speller you turned out to be. Don’t you know there’s an E on the end of it?!
Shemp Howard: You just made that up!
Larry Fine: Say! If I didn’t know you was a gentleman, I’d swear you was a safe cracker.
Shemp Howard: Why don’t you drill where you’re looking?
Larry Fine: Why don’t you look where I’m drilling?
Larry Fine: We’ll get you a new leg.
Moe Howard: You’ll be dancing in 6 months.
Shemp Howard: That’s good … I never could dance before.
Moe Howard: we’ll give everybody a close … a close … what’s a good word for “scrutiny”?
Shemp Howard: Scrutiny.
Larry Fine: [in a crate with a lion] I smell something awful.
Moe Howard: You’re telling me. Why don’t you use deodorant?
Dudley: [as lion is scratching at the seat of his pants] Help! Help! I’m losing my mind!
Shemp Howard: [having fallen into a crate full of eggs] How do you like that? I feel like a piece of French Toast.