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Men in Black More at IMDbPro »
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| Index | 24 reviews in total |
11 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
"For duty and humanity!", 4 December 2006
Author:
ccthemovieman-1 from United States
The summary above is the battle cry that starts and ends this episode
as the boys graduate from medical school are given diplomas only
because they had been in school too long! (huh??)
They begin their internship at Los Arms Hospital. At various times in
this ultra- silly short we see the three "doctors" going down the
hospital hallway in a bicycle, a horse and in Soap Box Derby-type cars.
They meet a goofy nurse and several goofy patients and perform a
memorable operation of the hospital boss. In all, it's good, but not
great. However, it might be one of the most famous Stooges shorts ever,
and one of the looniest. Who can forget the switchboard cry: "Dr.
Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard!"?
6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Clark Gable film becomes inspiration for a Three Stooges short, 22 March 2005
Author:
lhat from United States
As mentioned in Moe Howard's book MOE HOWARD & THE 3 STOOGES (Citadel Press, 1977), MEN IN BLACK (1934) an early Three Stooges short made at Columbia Pictures was a take off on MEN IN WHITE. "For duty and humanity" is a phrase used numerous times throughout this twenty minute comedy and is a central theme in the Clark Gable/Myrna Loy film which was released earlier that same year. MEN IN BLACK, which contains another reoccurring phrase (which many Three Stooges fans will remember immediately) "Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard", was nominated for the Academy Award in 1934 for best short. An abbreviated version of this short was reenactment in the ABC-TV movie THE THREE STOOGES (1999) which was produced by Mel Gibson, a well known Stooges enthusiast.
6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard!, 17 January 2005
Author:
Mark from United States
This belongs in their top tier, although there were others, such as Micro-Phonies and Punch Drunks, that were more deserving of Oscar nominations than this one. But if nothing else, the recurring loudspeaker announcement, "Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard," followed by Curly's "Woo woo woo woo," makes this a classic on two levels. First, it symbolizes all that the Stooges represent; my daughter loves to repeat the announcement when she is in the middle of doing something silly. Second, the absurdity of these three as physicians in a hospital; I imagine the terror I would feel if I were a real patient in a real hospital and heard this announcement over the loudspeaker. Throughout this short, you hear that announcement and you know that something horrible is about to happen, and the loudspeaker voice stays with you for months afterward.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
MEN IN BLACK (Raymond McCarey, 1934) **1/2, 13 January 2008
Author:
MARIO GAUCI (marrod@melita.com) from Naxxar, Malta
This Oscar-nominated Three Stooges short was possibly a spoof on the Clark Gable hospital drama MEN IN WHITE (1934). The insane comedy style of the film is pretty much influenced by The Marx Bros. – but actually anticipates their own assault on the medical profession in A DAY AT THE RACES (1937)! The Stooges go to their designated operating rooms via horses, racing-cars and the like; the operation on their own boss sees them using an electric drill and then stitching him up with all the various instruments of the profession still inside! As ever, the comic trio fall back too often on slapping each other around (not to mention fooling around with some girl, in this case a dumb nurse); actually, the best gag revolves around the glass on the boss’ office door (which is smashed every time our heroes leave his company, since they’re constantly being called to explain their unethical behavior – seeing them coming one more time, the janitor who’s forever replacing the glass anticipates them by breaking it himself!). Incidentally, both director McCarey and screenwriter Felix Adler worked contemporaneously on the (more sympathetic but no less havoc-ridden) films of Laurel & Hardy.
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
"Pardon me if I laugh. Nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk!", 21 October 2007
Author:
slymusic from Tucson, AZ
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Directed by Raymond McCarey, "Men in Black" is a Three Stooges comedy
that is absolutely silly & nonsensical, and I'm not kidding! At the Los
Arms Hospital, Drs. Howard, Fine, and Howard (Moe, Larry, and Curly)
cause nothing but hijinks as they run around the hospital corridors and
confuse the staff & patients with their screwball antics! But not to
worry; it's all for the glorious cause of "duty and humanity."
Highlights: The Stooges adopt wacky names for their various surgical
instruments; especially funny is when they ask for cotton. The boys
repeatedly smash the glass door when they slam it upon running out of
the office of superintendent Dr. Graves (Del Henderson). Three times
the Stooges rush into a storage room and exit back out 1.) on a bicycle
built for three, 2.) on a large horse, and 3.) inside three miniature
race cars. Larry sings in Moe's stethoscope, and the boys sing "O Lee O
Lay" with a hiccupping nurse (Jeannie Roberts) providing the beat. And
finally, how could anyone forget the comically monotonous call on the
loudspeaker? ("Calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard!").
"Men in Black" is the only Stooge short nominated for an Academy Award;
it didn't win, but it was still quite prestigious considering that it
was only the third Stooge short in a series of 190 for Columbia
Pictures. Watch for familiar Stooge supporting players Bud Jamison as a
doctor, Little Billy (in drag) as a patient, and especially Billy
Gilbert as an insane patient.
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Mostly Routine, With Some Good Moments, 19 June 2001
Author:
Snow Leopard from Ohio
While mostly routine for the Stooges, "Men in Black" still has some good moments. This time, the boys have somehow managed to graduate from medical school, and they are working in a hospital, where their performances as doctors are about what you would expect them to be. The humor in this one mostly mostly relies on a set of recurring gags, with the best one being the Stooges' frantic entrances and exits to and from the office of the hospital's superintendent. It doesn't have the sustained laughs of their better comedies, but there are some funny parts that make it worth a look.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
It is totally a crime that this short did not win the academy award for best short film!, 30 January 2010
Author:
Humphrey Fish from United States
This is the third Three Stooges short that the team ever made, and like
a lot of their early ones, this is absolutely and totally hysterical!
Now owning it on DVD as part of the Three Stooges Collection Vol. 1,
whenever I feel like it, I watch this!
In this short film, Moe, Larry, and Curly play these three doctors in a
hospital who are trying to help out everyone, but boy, they end up
making a mess out of everything!
This short is another one of my all time favorite Three Stooges shorts,
I also am a very huge fan of slapstick comedy, and the Three Stooges
are the kings of slapstick!
When I heard that it got nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short
Film, I really became curious about this, when I heard that it had
lost, I was very disappointed about it!
This short is one of the Three Stooges funniest by far, I extremely
recommend that you see this hysterical riot!
10/10
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
"For Duty and Humanity!" "Anna Conda!" "The Tools?" "Annacannapannistan! Eenotts!" Giant, Green Canaries!" ".....ah, ya got me!", 10 July 2007
Author:
John T. Ryan (redryan64@hotmail.com) from Chicago, Illinois, United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
The Columbia Pictures Short Subject unit never had any delusions about
producing any 'Art' Films. They wanted to give the film exhibitors just
a little more for their money, when booking a Columbia Picture into
their theatres. This would go double for The 3 Stooges films.
MEN IN BLACK (1934) came about as close as any of their Comedy Shorts
in that it received an Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject, Comedy.
Though it did not win, it well could have. It was good enough and even
those who do not number themselves among Stooge-files, still seem to be
won over by the clarion cry of ".......calling Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine,
Dr. Howard!" This was the second entry in the long series of Comedy
Shorts made by the Stooges for Producer Jules White, head of Columbia's
Short Subjects Department. Only WOMAN HATERS, described in its credits
as a 'Musical Novelty' preceded it at Harry Cohen's Poverty Row
sweatshop.
The film starts off in the office of Dr. Graves, the Head of the
Hospital. He is receiving new interns and in addressing the group, he
relates that three of them are passed along from Medical Conditionally
as they had remained there so long. But, the good Doctor states that he
will not reveal their identities as long as they pledge their all
"......for Duty and Humanity!" The Stooges run up front pledging
"...for Duty and Humanity!", and run out of office, breaking window
glass in door. The game was on.
The Stooges took off and did not stop for the remainder of the 2 Reels.
Every type of gag was in evidence. From broad Sennett-like sight gags,
to puns, to dialect humor, to 'theatre of the absurd' and a
surrealistic running gag involving a Public Address System, which
seemingly takes on a life of its own and having the true culprit, a
radio tube get shot to a "........he got me!" (It all plays out quite
well, honest!) The sets used were very authentic looking and were no
doubt borrowed from Columbia features being made around the same time.
There are plenty of Wheel Chairs, Surgical Cotts, Stethascopes,
Surcical Scalpels, etc., in evidence to maintain the illusion of a
Hospital.
A true strength of MEN IN BLACK is the high number of usually nameless
players, whom we all recognize by face. Along with them, the film
boasts of a great number of veteran comedy actors, who always turn in
fine performances, often stealing the scene. The people with names like
Billy Gilbert, Hank Mann and Bud Jamison shine in even small parts.
And lastly we have the Maestro, the Conductor-Director Raymond McCarey,
kid brother to Leo McCarey who showed off his abilities in getting this
little film 'in the can'. He skillfully kept it all moving, acting as a
Traffic Cop at times, what with all the actors, extras and behind the
scenes crew moving and outside of each other's way. And that doesn't
count the Giant 3 Man Tandem Bicycle, The Sway Backed Horse and
Miniature Race Cars, not to mention the 'Giant, Green Canaries!'
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
In the top three!, 9 December 2005
Author:
maxcellus46 from United States
This is one particular Stooge short that actually uses satire in conjunction with slapstick, a rarity. As mentioned, the title and concept for this short was "borrowed" from a feature film from the same year with Clark Gable called "Men In White". It's basically about the trials and tribulations of interns and their sacred cause for "duty and humanity". I saw this recently and almost treated it like the Stooge version because it does take itself a little too seriously. In any case, "Men In Black" is so well written, directed and not to mention original, it didn't borrow a thing from Chaplin or any of the others, that the Motion Picture Academy nominated it for an award as the best short comedy of 1934. Some stinky short called "La Cucaracha" outdid it though and stole the award. Some producer's brother in law must have been on the Academy's voting board. "Men In Black" pokes fun at the whole concept of the medical profession much in the same way that the Marx Bros. always did at this time. May not be a fair comparison but I can see the Marx Bros. in this short. In fact in their feature "A Day At The Races", there is a scene where there's "medical things" going on and they cause anarchy as usual. My guess that this particular short was judged along those lines and hence why it was nominated in the first place. Try this in fact: watch this short first and then watch "Duck Soup" or "Day at the Races" with the Marxes and then see if there isn't the same great quality of comedy.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Nice Three Stooges short, 13 March 2004
Author:
rbverhoef (rbverhoef@hotmail.com) from The Hague, Netherlands
Directed by the younger brother of great director Leo McCarey this is a
pretty good short from the Three Stooges, nominated for an Academy Award.
Here the stooges are doctors named doctor Howard, doctor Fine and doctor
Howard. They are not the brightest doctors but they get the benefit of the
doubt as long as they handle for duty and humanity.
I liked this short. It is not one of their best but some moments are
hilarious though. One joke that is repeated more than once works every time.
The part where they must operate the hospital's boss is terrific. To say
more would spoil some of the jokes, so you must see it for yourself. Just
another fine short from the Three Stooges.
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