Restless Knights

{{Infobox film

| name = Restless Knights

| image = RestlessKnightsTITLE.jpg

| starring = Moe Howard
Larry Fine
Curly Howard
Geneva Mitchell
James Howard
Bud O'Neill
Walter Brennan
Stanley Blystone

| cinematography = Benjamin H. Kline

| producer = Jules White

| editing = William Lyon

| distributor = Columbia Pictures

| released = {{Film date|1935|02|20|U.S.}}

| runtime = {{duration|m=16|s=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

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 Grey 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 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

Restless Knights was filmed on December 19–22, 1934.[http://www.threestooges.net/filmography/episode/6 Restless Knights at threestooges.net] The film title Restless Knights is a pun on "restless nights," or chronic insomnia.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}} Opening theme music was titled "Entry of the Giants," composed by Louis Silvers.{{cite journal | last = Finegan | first = Richard | title = More Three Stooges Film Music Identified (1934-1935) | journal = The Three Stooges Journal | issue = 87 | pages = 9 | publisher = The Three Stooges Fan Club, Inc. | location = Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania | date = Fall 1998 | url = http://threestooges.net/journal/view/87 | access-date =11 April 2016 }}

The title Duke of Durham references an old brand of Tobacco.

The title Baron of Grey Matter is a pun on "barren of grey matter.