Jail Birds of Paradise
Jail Birds of Paradise is a 1934 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film starring The Three Stooges.
Written and directed by Al Boasberg,[1] Jail Birds of Paradise was the ninth film of 'Ted Healy and His Stooges' during their time at MGM. This Three Stooges' short doesn't feature Ted Healy or Larry Fine, but is a platform for the Howard Brothers, Moe Howard and Curly Howard, who were in the team at the time. Filmed in Technicolor, the film was released on March 10, 1934, and ran at 18 minutes.
Synopsis
When the Warden of Paradise Prison is absent for three months, his daughter Miss Deering (Dorothy Appleby) decides to turn the prison into the 'Paradise', a luxurious hotel complete with all the amenities, and she sets the prison guards to run the 'hotel' for her. As Miss Deering and her secretary tour the prison there are a series of sight gags that involve various prisoners; among them, registering at Paradise's front desk, are Joe Pantz (Moe Howard), an axe murderer who has transferred from Leavenworth.[2]
During a show held in the Prison Auditorium that evening with dinner and music, Moe enters with Curly Howard, who is wearing a toupée, and the two work a hair tonic scheme among the other prisoners; this scene was later reworked for Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Joe DeRita in their 1961 feature, Snow White and the Three Stooges. The evening ends with gunshots and a vase-throwing melee among the prisoners.[2]
The Dodge Twins appear in a number called "The Lock Step", which had been shot in color early in 1930 at the then brand new MGM extra high sound Stage Six for The March of Time, an MGM musical which was never finished or released. This sequence was recycled in Jail Birds of Paradise.
Cast
- Dorothy Appleby ... Miss Deering, Prison Warder
- Heinie Conklin ... Prisoner
- Beth Dodge ... Bell Hop (as Dodge Twins)
- Betty Dodge ... Bell Hop (as Dodge Twins)
- Harrison Greene ... Prisoner
- Curly Howard ... Prisoner (as Jerry Howard)
- Moe Howard ... Joe Pantz
- M-G-M Dancing Girls ... Themselves
- Frank Moran ... Convict
- Jack Pennick ... Redface (convict)
- Shirley Ross ... Herself
- Leo White ... Tailor
- Austin J. Young ... Dancer
Preservation status
This film is now considered a lost film with no studio or collector prints, or negatives, known to exist.
