Jail Birds of Paradise

1934 American film

March 10, 1934 (1934-03-10)

Running time

18 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Jail Birds of Paradise is a 1934 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer short starring Dorothy Appleby plus brothers Moe and Curly Howard (of Three Stooges fame).

The film was written and directed by Al Boasberg, and filmed in Technicolor. The film was released on March 10, 1934.^[1]

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 as Miss Deering, Prison Warder
Heinie Conklin as Prisoner
Beth Dodge as Bell Hop (as Dodge Twins)
Betty Dodge as Bell Hop (as Dodge Twins)
Harrison Greene as Prisoner
Curly Howard as Prisoner (as Jerry Howard)
Moe Howard as Joe Pantz
M-G-M Dancing Girls as Themselves
Frank Moran as Convict
Jack Pennick as Redface (convict)
Shirley Ross as herself
Leo White as Tailor
Austin J. Young as Dancer

Preservation status

This film is now considered a lost film, with no studio, collector prints or negatives known to exist.^[2] According to some sources the only known copy was destroyed in the 1965 MGM vault fire.