''"I Can Hardly Wait"'' is a 1943

short subject A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

directed by

Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; 17 September 1900 – 30 April 1985) was an American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges. Early years White began working in motion pictures in the ...

starring American

slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...

comedy team

The Three Stooges 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 ...

(

Moe Howard Moses Harry Horwitz (June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975), 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 ...

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 4, 1902 – January 24, 1975), better known by his stage name Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges and was often called "The Middle St ...

and

Curly Howard Jerome Lester Horwitz (October 22, 1903 – January 18, 1952), better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of The Three Stooges comedy team, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and ...

). It is the 73rd entry in the series released by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

starring the comedians, who released 190 shorts for the studio between 1934 and 1959.

Plot

The Stooges are defense workers at the Heedlock Airplane Corp. (a pun on the

Lockheed Aircraft Corporation The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and merged in 1995 with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but otherwise-u ...

). Their late night feast begins with a mistaken attempt to crack open a refrigerator, believing it to be a safe, leading to a humble late-night meal of ham, egg, bread, and coffee. Curly's misfortune strikes when he breaks a tooth on the ham bone, resulting in a severe toothache. After dinner, the Stooges settle into a bunk bed arrangement, with Curly occupying the top tier. Amidst mishaps and failed attempts to alleviate Curly's pain, the scene transitions into his dream, where his incessant complaints about his toothache prompt his comrades to resort to unconventional home dentistry methods. These include using a fishing pole, tying the tooth to a doorknob, suspending it from a ceiling light, and even resorting to a firecracker. The dream culminates in a visit to the dentist, Dr. Tug, where Curly's fear and resistance complicate the examination. Exhausted, Dr. Tug delegates the task to his partner, Dr. Yank, who mistakenly administers anesthesia to Moe instead of Curly. This leads to a mix-up where Moe undergoes the tooth extraction instead. Upon realizing the error, Moe awakens to find Curly holding the extracted tooth, sparking his ire and resulting in a chaotic scuffle. Curly begins flailing in his sleep causing the bunk bed to collapse, sending the Stooges tumbling amidst the wreckage. Moe's frustration culminates in a punch to Curly's jaw, inadvertently dislodging the troublesome tooth. With the ordeal concluded, the trio settles back to sleep amidst the chaos of their collapsed bunk bed.

Production notes

''"I Can Hardly Wait"'' was filmed on March 15–18, 1943.''"I Can Hardly Wait"'' at threestooges.net
/ref> It is a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of the 1928

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...

silent short film '' Leave 'Em Laughing''. The film title is officially listed with quotation marks (as ''"I Can Hardly Wait"''), as it represents a phrase Curly repeats throughout the film.Solomon, Jon. (2002) ''The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion'', p. 233; Comedy III Productions, Inc., The first two malapropistic lines of Curly’s song ("She was ''bred'' (

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

) in Old Kentucky/But She's only a ''crumb'' up here") is also the name of the song the Stooges performed as “Nill, Null, and Void” in the film '' Loco Boy Makes Good''. As ''"I Can Hardly Wait"'' was filmed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it contains references to wartime activities and propaganda, such as the Stooges working on fighter planes as defense workers and Moe’s reasoning for the dentist to have Curly’s broken tooth removed: “Listen, doc, we're defense workers. If you wanna cut down on absenteeism, yank this guy’s tooth! He won’t let us sleep, he’s sabotaging the war effort!”

References

External links

*
''"I Can Hardly Wait"'' at threestooges.net
{{Authority control 1943 films The Three Stooges films American black-and-white films Films directed by Jules White Films about dreams 1943 comedy films Columbia Pictures short films American comedy short films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films