Bedlam in Paradise

Infobox Film
name = Bedlam In Paradise


director = Jules White
writer = Zion Myers
Felix Adler
starring = Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Shemp Howard
Philip Van Zandt
Sylvia Lewis
Vernon Dent
Victor Travers
Symona Boniface
producer = Jules White
distributor = Columbia Pictures
cinematography = Ray Cory
Allen Siegler
editing =
released = April 14, 1955
runtime = 15' 51"
language = English
preceded_by = "Gypped in the Penthouse"
followed_by = "Stone Age Romeos"
amg_id = 1:148385
imdb_id = 0028267

"Bedlam in Paradise" is the 162nd short subject starring the American slapstick comedy team Three Stooges who made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

Shemp is dying in bed, with Moe and Larry standing by his bedside. Just as Shemp announces he is going to "kick the bucket," he warns his buddies to behave themselves or he will come back and haunt them. A few moments later, Shemp has arrived in heaven, talking with his Uncle Mortimer (Moe, dressed to resemble Moses). Mortimer is on the phone checking to see if Shemp will remain in Heaven or Hell, and it does not look good. Furthermore, it comes to light that cousins Moe and Larry have also not been on their best behavior. A few moments later, the Devil (Philip Van Zandt) appears in a burst of flame announcing to Shemp that he will provide everything he needs. Uncle Mortimer stops the Devil saying he will give Shemp one more chance; reform Moe and Larry and we will enter Heaven for good. The catch is that Shemp cannot be seen nor heard by anyone on Earth, much to his delight.

Back on Earth, Moe and Larry are crying their eyes out while attending thr reading of Shemp's will with their attorney, I. Fleecem (Vernon Dent). Seems that Shemp has left behind a grand total of $140, which is $10 more than Fleecem's fee. The boys grumble about not having much dough, but invisible Shemp swipes the money back from Fleecem, putting it in Moe and Larry's pockets. When they realize money has magically reappeared, they get spooked, and then remember Shemp saying he would come back to haunt them. They brush this off, but do not completely clear their heads of Shemp's ghostly presence.

Afterwards, Moe and Larry rent a luxury apartment, thanking a man who calls himself "Mr. Heller" (the Devil). Heller has been aiding Moe and Larry with some "devillishy good ideas," such as conning wealthy couple the DePuysters (Victor Travers and Symona Boniface) into buying a fountain pen that will write under whipped cream.

Shemp enters the luxurious apartment, and quickly smacks Moe and Larry to let them know he is there. The DePuysters show up, and promptly receive dollops of cream in their face when Shemp turns the mixer to "high." After the mixer catches fire, Shemp begins yelling, thinking he has gone to hell. A few moments later, he awakes, realizing this was all a dream.

Notes

*"Bedlam in Paradise" is a remake of "Heavenly Daze", using ample stock footage. The new footage was filmed on July 9, 1954.cite book
last = Solomon
first = Jon
authorlink = Jon Solomon
coauthors =
title = "The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion"
publisher = Comedy III Productions, Inc
date = 2002
location =
pages = 454
url = http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Three-Stooges-Filmography-Companion/dp/0971186804/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201570359&sr=1-1
doi =
id =
isbn = 0971186804] Coincidentally, as the musical "Carousel" was a hit in Broadway at the time of the making of "Heavenly Daze", the film version of "Carousel" was in production when "Bedlam in Paradise" was made.
*A gag in the film's script called for a fountain pen to be thrown into the middle of Larry's forehead. The pen was to be thrown on a wire and into a small hole in a tin plate fastened to Larry's head. But because of a miscalculation on the part of the special effects department, the point of the pen punctured Larry's skin, leaving a gash in his forehead. After the cameras stopped filming that scene, Moe chased director Jules White around the set because Jules White had promised that the way the effect was set up, Larry would not get hurt while filming the scene.cite book
last = Maurer
first = Joan Howard
authorlink = Joan Howard Maurer
coauthors = Jeff Lenburg, Greg Lenburg
title = "The Three Stooges Scrapbook"
publisher = Citadel Press
date = 1982
location =
pages = 253
url = http://www.amazon.com/Three-Stooges-Scrapbook-Joan-Howard-Maurer/dp/0806509465/ref=pd_sim_b_title_1
doi =
id =
isbn = 0806509465]

References

Further reading

*"Moe Howard and the Three Stooges"; by Moe Howard [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0806507233] , (Citadel Press, 1977).
*"The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons"; by Michael Fleming [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767905563] (Broadway Publishing, 2002).
*"One Fine Stooge: A Frizzy Life in Pictures"; by Steve Cox and Jim Terry [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581823630] , (Cumberland House Publishing, 2006).