Men in Black (1934 film)

Last updated
Men in Black
Meninblack34.jpg
The Stooges were not professionally known as "The Three Stooges" when the film was released as they were billed by their individual names
Directed by Raymond McCarey
Written by Felix Adler
Produced by Jules White
Starring
Cinematography Benjamin Kline
Edited by James Sweeney
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • September 28, 1934 (1934-09-28)(U.S.)
Running time
18:02 [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Men in Black is a 1934 short subject directed by Raymond McCarey starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Jerry Howard). It is the third entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 short subjects for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Contents

Men in Black is the only Stooge film ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject - Comedy. [1]

Plot

The Stooges portray medical school graduates with minimal qualifications, hired as doctors at Los Arms Hospital due to their prolonged tenure as senior students. Despite their superintendent's acknowledgment of their limited intellect, they are tasked with upholding the principles of "duty and humanity." The film follows a series of interactions as the Stooges attend to patients, each scenario highlighting their ineptitude and penchant for mishaps.

Accompanying their duties are recurring incidents, including Curly inadvertently breaking the superintendent's glass door. When responding to the loudspeaker, the Stooges encounter various predicaments:

  1. They rush on a three-person bike and create chaos upon arrival.
  2. They attend to patients in different rooms as per the loudspeaker's orders.
  3. They report back to the superintendent with their outcomes.
  4. They greet a telegram delivery man with news of a romantic proposition.
  5. They confront a mentally unstable patient and mistakenly consume his medication.
  6. They operate on the superintendent to retrieve a vital combination.
  7. They ultimately dismantle the malfunctioning loudspeaker.

The film concludes with the Stooges triumphantly asserting their commitment to "duty and humanity,"

Cast

Credited

Uncredited

Production and significance

Filming for Men in Black took place from August 28 to September 1, 1934. It holds the distinction of being the Stooge short released the fastest after its filming concluded in just 27 days. [2] The opening title music, "I Thought I Wanted You," composed by Archie Gottler and Edward Eliscu, is unique to this and previous film, Punch Drunks . [3]

Men in Black contains the first appearance of many gags used in later shorts. For instance, this is the first of several Stooge shorts in which one of the three Stooges charges into or out of an office with a door that has a large plate-glass window, slamming the door behind them and causing the plate glass in the door to shatter. It is also the first of many shorts where the Stooges make a liquid concoction of something (in this case, medicine) by randomly pouring together various liquids with gibberish names (a similar gag is sometimes used where the Stooges pass each other various tools with nonsensical names while operating). The Stooges have several off-the-wall dialogues with nurses, particularly the "hiccuping nurse" played by Jeanie Roberts, who affects a girlish Betty Boop-like voice. As well, this is the first short which shows the Stooges repeatedly engage in a huddle while planning something out.

This film also contains the famous recurring dispatcher line "Calling Doctor Howard, Doctor Fine, Doctor Howard." In this short, the three doctors get so sick and tired of the repeated calls that they decided to tear down the dispatcher's call board and, when a small transmitter appears on the floor, quivering and still repeating "Doctor Howard! Doctor Fine! Doctor Howard!", they all take out handguns and shoot it, causing the dispatcher to say "Oh! They got me!". The Stooges then lift a toast and repeat the film's catch-phrase: "For duty and humanity!" Part of the dispatcher's call board was also used in the background of the dogwashing facility in the Stooges' 1938 short, Mutts to You .

The film title Men in Black is a spoof of the Clark Gable and Myrna Loy 1934 movie Men in White , released earlier that year. The Stooges, in fact, wear mostly white outfits for this film. The short is also significant in that it was the only time that the trio would be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject - Comedy. [1]

Men in Black also represents an early use of what has come to be described as hammerspace. The Stooges go to the storage closet to acquire modes of transportation to get them to their patients. They are seen riding a three-man bicycle, a horse, and then individual go-carts out of the closet.[ citation needed ] A colorized version of this film was released in 2004. It was part of the DVD collection, Goofs on the Loose. [4]

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Three Stooges</span> American slapstick comedy trio

The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total Stooges appeared over the act's run ; Moe Howard and Larry Fine were mainstays throughout the ensemble's nearly 50-year run, while the "third stooge" was played in turn by Shemp Howard, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard again, Joe Besser, and "Curly Joe" DeRita.

<i>Punch Drunks</i> 1934 film by Lou Breslow

Punch Drunks is a 1934 short subject directed by Lou Breslow starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the second entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 short subjects for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moe Howard</span> American comedian and actor (1897–1975)

Moses Harry Horwitz, better known by his stage name Moe Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the leader and straight man of the Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades. That group initially started out as Ted Healy and His Stooges, an act that toured the vaudeville circuit. Moe's distinctive hairstyle came about when he was a boy and cut off his curls with a pair of scissors, producing an irregular shape approximating a bowl cut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shemp Howard</span> American comedian and actor (1895–1955)

Shemp Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Litvak accent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curly Howard</span> American comedian and actor (1903–1952)

Jerome Lester Horwitz, better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of the comedy team The Three Stooges, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and Shemp Howard, as well as actor Larry Fine. In early shorts, he was billed as Curley. Curly Howard was generally considered the most popular and recognizable of the Stooges.

<i>Hold That Lion!</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Jules White

Hold That Lion! is a 1947 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 100th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Three Stooges filmography</span> The Three Stooges starred in over 200 pictures during their decades-long run.

This is a complete list of short subjects and feature films that featured The Three Stooges released between 1930 and 1970.

<i>Hoofs and Goofs</i> 1957 film by Jules White

Hoofs and Goofs is a 1957 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 175th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Sing a Song of Six Pants</i> 1947 film by Jules White

Sing a Song of Six Pants is a 1947 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 102nd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Dizzy Doctors</i> 1937 American short film by Del Lord

Dizzy Doctors is a 1937 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 21st entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Goofs and Saddles</i> 1937 American short film by Del Lord

Goofs and Saddles is a 1937 American Western short subject film directed by Del Lord and starring the slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 24th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Playing the Ponies</i> 1937 American short film by Charles Lamont

Playing the Ponies is a 1937 short subject directed by Charles Lamont starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 26th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>The Sitter Downers</i> 1937 American short film by Del Lord

The Sitter Downers is a 1937 short subject directed by Del Lord starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 27th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>From Nurse to Worse</i> 1940 American short film by Jules White

From Nurse to Worse is a 1940 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 49th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Horsing Around</i> 1957 film by Jules White

Horsing Around is a 1957 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 180th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Monkey Businessmen</i> 1946 film by Edward Bernds

Monkey Businessmen is a 1946 short subject directed by Edward Bernds starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 92nd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Scrambled Brains</i> 1951 film by Jules White

Scrambled Brains is a 1951 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 132nd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Goof on the Roof</i> 1953 American short film by Jules White

Goof on the Roof is a 1953 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 152nd entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>Pals and Gals</i> 1954 film by Jules White

Pals and Gals is a 1954 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. It is the 155th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

<i>The Three Stooges</i> (2000 film) 2000 biopic about the Three Stooges

The Three Stooges is an American biographical comedy television film about the slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges directed by James Frawley. The film was entirely shot in Sydney, Australia. It was broadcast on ABC on April 24, 2000.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Solomon, Jon (2002). The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion. Glendale, California: Comedy III Productions, Inc. pp. 45–47. ISBN   0-9711868-0-4.
  2. ↑ Pauley, Jim (2012). The Three Stooges Hollywood Filming Locations. Solana Beach, California: Santa Monica Press, LLC. p. 157. ISBN   9781595800701.
  3. ↑ Finegan, Richard (Fall 1998). "More Three Stooges Film Music Identified". The Three Stooges Journal (87). Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania: The Three Stooges Fan Club, Inc.: 9.
  4. ↑ "Goofs on the Loose at amazon.com
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.