Restless Knights

1935 American short film by Charles Lamont

Restless Knights

Directed by| Charles Lamont
Written by| Felix Adler
Produced by| Jules White
Starring| Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Geneva Mitchell
James Howard
Bud O'Neill
Walter Brennan
Stanley Blystone
Cinematography| Benjamin H. Kline
Edited by| William Lyon
Distributed by| Columbia Pictures

Release date

* February 20, 1935 (1935-02-20) (U.S.)

Running time

| 16:11
Country| United States
Language| English

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

[edit]

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.

## External links

[edit]

* Restless Knights at IMDb
* Restless Knights at threestooges.net

* v
* t
* e

The Three Stooges filmography (1934–1946)

1934|

* Woman Haters
* Punch Drunks
* Men in Black
* Three Little Pigskins

1935|

* Horses' Collars
* Restless Knights
* Pop Goes the Easel
* Uncivil Warriors
* Pardon My Scotch
* Hoi Polloi
* Three Little Beers

1936|

* Ants in the Pantry
* Movie Maniacs
* Half Shot Shooters
* Disorder in the Court
* A Pain in the Pullman
* False Alarms
* Whoops, I'm an Indian!
* Slippery Silks

1937|

* Grips, Grunts and Groans
* Dizzy Doctors
* 3 Dumb Clucks
* Back to the Woods
* Goofs and Saddles
* Cash and Carry
* Playing the Ponies
* The Sitter Downers

1938|

* Termites of 1938
* Wee Wee Monsieur
* Tassels in the Air
* Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb
* Violent Is the Word for Curly
* Three Missing Links
* Mutts to You
* Flat Foot Stooges

1939|

* Three Little Sew and Sews
* We Want Our Mummy
* A Ducking They Did Go
* Yes, We Have No Bonanza
* Saved by the Belle
* Calling All Curs
* Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise
* Three Sappy People

1940|

* You Nazty Spy!
* Rockin' thru the Rockies
* A Plumbing We Will Go
* Nutty but Nice
* How High Is Up?
* From Nurse to Worse
* No Census, No Feeling
* Cookoo Cavaliers
* Boobs in Arms

1941|

* So Long, Mr. Chumps
* Dutiful But Dumb
* All the World's a Stooge
* I'll Never Heil Again
* An Ache in Every Stake
* In the Sweet Pie and Pie
* Some More of Samoa

1942|

* Loco Boy Makes Good
* Cactus Makes Perfect
* What's the Matador?
* Matri-Phony
* Three Smart Saps
* Even as IOU
* Sock-a-Bye Baby

1943|

* They Stooge to Conga
* Dizzy Detectives
* Spook Louder
* Back From the Front
* Three Little Twirps
* Higher Than a Kite
* I Can Hardly Wait
* Dizzy Pilots
* Phony Express
* A Gem of a Jam

1944|

* Crash Goes the Hash
* Busy Buddies
* The Yoke's on Me
* Idle Roomers
* Gents Without Cents
* No Dough Boys

1945|

* Three Pests in a Mess
* Booby Dupes
* Idiots Deluxe
* If a Body Meets a Body
* Micro-Phonies

1946|

* Beer Barrel Polecats
* A Bird in the Head
* Uncivil War Birds
* The Three Troubledoers
* Monkey Businessmen
* Three Loan Wolves
* G.I. Wanna Home
* Rhythm and Weep
* Three Little Pirates

1947|

* Half-Wits Holiday

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Films based on Arthurian legends

Medieval Arthur|

* Adventures of Sir Galahad (serial, 1949)
* Knights of the Round Table (1953)
* The Black Knight (1954)
* Lancelot and Guinevere (1963)
* Siege of the Saxons (1963)
* Camelot (1967)
* Excalibur (1981)
* First Knight (1995)
* Arthur and Merlin (2015)
* King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
by Gawain Poet|

* Gawain and the Green Knight (1973)
* Sword of the Valiant (1984)
* The Green Knight (2021)

Roman Arthur|

* King Arthur (2004)
* The Last Legion (2007)

Foreign adaptations|

* Lancelot du Lac (1974)
* Perceval le Gallois (1978)
* Kaamelott: The First Chapter (2021)

Films based on
Wagner's Parsifal|

* Parsifal (1904)
* The Evil Forest (1951)
* Parsifal (1982)

Films from Twain's
Connecticut Yankee|

* A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1921)
* A Connecticut Yankee (1931)
* A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949)
* Unidentified Flying Oddball (1979)
* New Adventures of a Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1988; Soviet Union)
* A Kid in King Arthur's Court (1995)

Based on the Tristan legend|

* The Eternal Return (1943)
* The Woman Next Door (1981)
* Lovespell (1981)
* Fire and Sword (1982)
* In the Shadow of the Raven (1988)
* Tristan & Isolde (English 2006)

Adaptations of Prince Valiant|

* Prince Valiant (1954)
* Prince Valiant (1997)

Parodies and
modern adaptations|

* Knights of the Square Table (1917)
* King Arthur Was a Gentleman (1942)
* Squareheads of the Round Table (1948)
* Knutzy Knights (1954)
* Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
* Knightriders (1981)
* The Fisher King (1991)
* Seaview Knights (1994)
* Kids of the Round Table (1995)
* Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (1996)
* The Mighty (1998)
* Merlin: The Return (2000)
* The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2002)
* Merlin and the War of the Dragons (2008)
* The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
* Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
* The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)

Animation|

* Knight-mare Hare (1955)
* Knighty Knight Bugs (1958)
* The Sword in the Stone (1963)
* Willy McBean and His Magic Machine (1965)
* Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw (1988)
* Merlin and the Dragons (1991)
* Quest for Camelot (1998)
* Shrek the Third (2007)
* Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob (2021)

TV films|

* Merlin and the Sword (1985)
* Guinevere (1994)
* The Four Diamonds (1995)
* Merlin: The Quest Begins (1998)
* A Knight in Camelot (1998)
* The Excalibur Kid (1999)
* Young Arthur (2002)
* Avalon High (2010)

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