They say "third time's the charm," which was certainly the case with The Three Stooges' "Men in Black," their third short released by Columbia Pictures. A spoof of Clark Gable's 1934 flick "Men in White," the short depicts Moe, Larry, and Curly as moronic medical students who pledge "for duty and humanity" after being hired at a hospital. The Stooges run amok around the medical facility, leaving it in chaos — and the audience in stitches.
"Men in Black" is considered one of the best Three Stooges shorts for several reasons. According to threestooges.com, it was the debut short for several beloved Stooges gags and routines. One of those routines — appropriately called "I'll do it when I'm ready!" — features Moe telling one of the other Stooges to do something, to which they respond, "I'll do it when I'm ready!"
"Men in Black" was also the Three Stooges' first (and only) short to be nominated for an Oscar. It was nominated for the Best Short Subject (Comedy) honor at the seventh Academy Awards in 1935, but according to oscars.org, it lost out to "La Cucaracha."
In addition to being a critical success and an influential stepping stone for the Stooges, the short is also a Stooge fan favorite. According to IMDb, the short scores a weighted average of 7.7/10 stars and has been rated by more than 1,300 people. Not bad for an early Stooge piece about the hilarity of medical mayhem.
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