Musty Musketeers 1954

The trio of comedians Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Shemp Howard serve as fiddlers at the court of the Old King Cole Vernon Dent. A royal decree forbids their marriages until Princess Alisha Wanda Perry weds Prince Gallant III of Rhododendron, a ceremony planned to coincide with the spring bloom. But the malevolent magician Mergatroid Philip Van Zandt schemes to upset this arrangement by abducting the princess for his own matrimonial ambitions.

While tending to their horses by fitting new horseshoes, the Stooges stumble upon the captive princess, trapped and silenced within the castle floor. At the same time, Mergatroid secures the king’s consent to his nuptial plans on the condition that he retrieves the abducted princess. Through a bit of misdirection, Moe and Larry manipulate the castle guards, creating a distraction that allows Shemp to free the princess.

Their victory proves short-lived, as the Stooges—with Princess Alisha in tow—fall once again into Mergatroid’s clutches. In a bid for freedom, the trio ascends a rope ladder hidden inside a magic box, only to endure the sinister devices wielded by Mergatroid as he tries to thwart their escape. The box finally gives way, sending them spiraling downward just as Princess Alisha arrives to reveal the abductor’s true identity.

A clash of swords erupts, and the Stooges confront Mergatroid with resolve. In the end, they prevail, breaking the villain’s schemes and clearing the path for their marriages to their sweethearts.