Hokus Pokus (1949) starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Mary Ainslee, Vernon Dent
In Hokus Pokus, the Three Stooges are taking care of their friend Mary, an invalid confined to wheelchair. What they don’t know is that Mary is only faking her disability to swindle her insurance company. When the boys witness a hypnotist, “The Great Svengarlic”, doing his act, they think he might be able to hypnotize Mary into walking.
Instead, they become subjects for his show and are hypnotized into walking out on a flagpole high above the ground. When they come out of their trance and realize their predicament, they fall into a window. This startles Mary, who jumps out of her wheelchair just as the insurance adjuster (played by Stooge regular Vernon Dent) is about to hand her a check.
A very good short, later remade as “Flagpole Jitters.”
Cast of characters
- Shemp Howard … Shemp
- Larry Fine … Larry
- Moe Howard Moe Howard … Moe (as Moe)
- Mary Ainslee (Some More of Samoa) … Mary
- Vernon Dent (Malice in the Palace) … Insurance Adjustor
- Jimmie Lloyd … Cliff
Additional cast
- David Bond (The Return of the Living Dead) … Svengarlic (uncredited)
- Ned Glass (Three Little Sew and Sews) … Svengarlic’s Manager (uncredited)
- Johnny Kascier (Higher Than a Kite) … Man on Bike (uncredited)