I Can Hardly Wait

This is without a doubt the funniest of the Curly shorts and probably my all-time favorite 3 Stooges short. The one liners that Moe throws off in this one are classic! The first time I saw this one it left me laughing my head off. Some of the abuse that Larry and Curly take in this one leaves the viewer wondering if they did not receive some real injuries. Stooge trivia books, though, said Moe perfected his hand slap on his fellow Stooges. There is one funny moment where you can tell a fall was taken by Curly Howard's stunt double (as was the case in many other features). If you have not seen this one look for it on cable or buy it on video. I guarantee you'll watch it time and time again as I have over the years.

The Three Stooges (Moe, Larry and Curly) are defense workers who have just come home after a long day at the plant. Oddly, the fact that they are working for the war effort is NOT explored in this film--it sure looked like it would be when the film started. I guess they just had this element in the story to make the film more patriotic and timely due to WWII. Soon, the real plot of the film is evident--Curly has a bad toothache and needs his tooth pulled. Considering that this is ALL the plot the film has and that about 80% of the film takes place in their house, the overall effect is amazingly claustrophobic and simple. Some on IMDb have said this is among their best. While I would agree that the gags work pretty well and it's enjoyable enough, the plot and locale prevent this from being a truly memorable film. Still, it does feature Curly, and this is always a big plus.

As a kid, in general, the Three Stooges (four if you count Shemp, who had his great moments in spurts) were like the wise-old sages of everything that went with good comedy. Sometimes they went for satire (like their anti-Nazi shorts 'You Nazty Spy' and 'I'll Never Heil Again'), but for the most part just went for the best, repetitive things about going after one another. But what's also forgotten though is that, when done on repeat viewings (and this short in particular has been seen by me over 20 times in my lifetime), the dialog also rings of a certain wit that seems to go at something even smarter to compliment the physical stuff. It's stupid, of course, but it isn't dumb-stupid; my parents would often crack up just as much if not more. The Stooges had good writers, and a short like 'I Can Hardly Wait' is a bit of proof of that.

Moe, Larry and Curly basically break into a kitchen to get a late night snack for themselves (just cooking is hilarious, like with the bit of business with a certain missing ham), and during an attempt to eat a ham-bone, Curly gets a collision with his tooth. It then leads to his fellow Stooges having to devise ways to get the tooth out, which leads to a climax the following day at the dentist's office. It's one of the funniest of any Three Stooges climax, as the slapstick is sort of saved for more of the inspired, even intricate lunacy parts leading up to it (like Curly's reaction to Moe in the dentist's chair). I don't know if it's really the 'best' Stooges short, as it would be difficult to classify one as such. But it is one of the funniest, if only from a point of view of a certain sentimental attachment. It's goofy, but it doesn't pander to either adults or kids. In a way a short like this, among others, can be even better family entertainment than the tripe animated or new-slapstick films released in theaters. On top of this, it isn't even much dated- the idea behind a toothache is omnipresent, even if technology may have by now crept up to the dentist's office.

My favorite part, by the way, is the little song Curly sings as he cuts the bread- priceless.

Another funny Stooges short where Curly suffers from a bad tooth and Moe and Larry do everything they can to extract it, to no avail. As a last resort, they drag a rattled Curly to the dentist, where he continues to resist pain. A lot of the tooth-pulling gags were redone in later Stooges shorts particularly Pardon My Clutch with Shemp. Curly's performance is spot on in this.

This Three Stooges short begins with Moe, Larry, and Curly eating rationed food in their house. Then Curly has a toothache from something he ate with Moe trying to get that painful tooth out. I'll stop there and just say there's quite some really funny business concerning all those attempts to get Curly's tooth out whether by Moe or some of the dentists they visit. So that's a high recommendation for I Can Hardly Wait.