Summer 2003 -- Issue #106 of The Three Stooges Journal arrives and contains Brent Seguine's article providing additional clues. Most importantly, the article highlights two lines of dialogue written for a chef character in the original script. These include "Fix it yourself...I'm going to lunch" and "Certainly...you don't think I'd eat in this dump." Based on this, it is pretty clear that a small chef role was part of the original plan, and based on the publicity still, that role was intended for Curly.
Back in 1989 there was an article in The Three Stooges Journal called "Notes from a meeting with Moe Howard"
http://threestooges.net/journal/view/50I don't have it in front of me, but from memory the author took several notes during one of Moe's lectures in the early 1970s. The author mentioned this was before any books had been written on the Stooges (aside from a chapter in one or two Leonard Maltin books) and Moe spoke of Curly's illness and retirement. From memory -- Moe had said after Curly's retirement, he "appeared twice later -- on a train, and as a chef who left to go somewhere else to eat." This absolutely corroborates the above. Now, whether it was actually filmed or not, who knows -- and since the footage went unused and was presumably junked, I guess it doesn't matter.
Last couple of years -- Various issues of Three Stooges Journal have included candid photos of Curly in the post-stroke era. Most show him seated, with a cane. Seeing these photos is wonderful. But they do make clear that Curly’s glory days were behind him by this point in his life. Also fueling the Malice debate has been a series of photo comparisons, showing the facial features of the chef in the publicity still versus the facial characteristics of Curly taken from other sources. In my opinion, these comparisons make clear that the chef in the publicity still is indeed Curly.
2015 – When I look at the Malice publicity still now, I see it in a very different light. I look at the piece of furniture directly behind Curly (to me, it appears to be flush against him) and see it as a support system providing stability so Curly doesn’t fall backwards. Similarly, I see Curly’s left hand on Larry’s head as being a means of maintaining Curly’s balance, with Larry serving as the anchor. Lastly, I wonder if the apron around Curly’s lower body conceals something providing additional support to him, like a brace.
The things that come with the passage of time!
The above makes a lot of sense. I'll have to go back and watch the relevant parts again, but there are a lot of clips from Howard family home movies in the recent
Hey Moe! Hey Dad! documentary miniseries, and I recall at least one that appeared to be "post-retirement" Curly (maybe Joan's wedding, or his own wedding?) where he appeared to be in better shape than is generally described. But then, (1) whether it's from 1947 or 1949 probably makes a big difference in his health, and (2) whatever I saw had to have been only a seconds-long clip. I think the brothers are standing together and Shemp walks over to Curly and kisses him. One would "like to think" that Curly would have been up to saying two lines, but the scene in question wouldn't have been scrapped for no reason...
One other thing...I wonder health-wise, if by the time of filming
Hold That Lion! Curly was in better or worse shape than he'd been when filming his last shorts. Again, it probably doesn't matter...
