Restless Knights

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Restless Knights
Directed byCharles Lamont
Written byFelix Adler
Produced byJules White
StarringMoe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Geneva Mitchell
James Howard
Bud O'Neill
Walter Brennan
Stanley Blystone
CinematographyBenjamin H. Kline
Edited byWilliam Lyon
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • February 20, 1935 (1935-02-20) (U.S.)
Running time
16:11
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Restless Knights is a 1935 short subject directed by Charles Lamont starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the sixth entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

In the film, three related members of the British nobility (a Duke, a Count, and a Baron) are tasked with safeguarding Queen Anne. When she vanishes during a wrestling match, they are accused of regicide. Evading execution because the executioners are preoccupied by voyeurism, the trio searches for the missing queen.

Plot

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Set in the Middle Ages, the patriarch of the Stooges imparts to them, on his deathbed, their noble lineage. Ascending to titles of nobility — Duke of Durham (Larry), Count of Fife (Moe), and Baron of Gray Matter (Curly) — they pledge to safeguard Queen Anne of their ancestral realm, Anesthesia. Rumors circulate of an impending coup orchestrated by Prince Boris, the current prime minister, prompting the Stooges to fulfill their father's charge.

As royal guards under their misremembered pseudonyms — Duke of Mixture, Fife of Drum, and Baron of Brains — the Stooges find themselves embroiled in intrigue when Queen Anne vanishes during a wrestling match. Disheartened by the contest's outcome, Moe and Curly impulsively substitute for the combatants, with Larry officiating. Following a tumultuous bout, the queen's disappearance casts suspicion on the Stooges, leading to their arrest and sentencing to execution by crossbows.

Fortuitously, the executioners' distraction by a woman undressing affords the Stooges an opportunity to evade their fate. A chance encounter with a dropped jug reveals a crucial clue — the queen's whereabouts concealed in the wine cellar. Employing a plan to incapacitate their adversaries, the Stooges encounter setbacks and comedic mishaps, inadvertently incapacitating each other and, regrettably, the queen.

Despite their best intentions, their rescue efforts backfire, resulting in their mutual incapacitation. The queen's call for aid amidst the chaos further complicates matters, as additional guards converge on the scene. In a series of missteps, the Stooges unwittingly impede their own rescue mission, resulting in their collective incapacitation.

Production notes

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Restless Knights was filmed on December 19–22, 1934.[1] The film title Restless Knights is a pun on "restless nights," or chronic insomnia.[2] Opening theme music was titled "Entry of the Giants," composed by Louis Silvers.[3]

The title Duke of Durham references Duke University, which has been in Durham, North Carolina since 1892.

The title Baron of Gray Matter is a pun on "barren of gray matter.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Restless Knights at threestooges.net
  2. ^ a b Solomon, Jon. (2002) The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion, p. 59; Comedy III Productions, Inc., ISBN 0-9711868-0-4
  3. ^ Finegan, Richard (Fall 1998). "More Three Stooges Film Music Identified (1934-1935)". The Three Stooges Journal (87). Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania: The Three Stooges Fan Club, Inc.: 9. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
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