Directed by Del Lord, "Termites of 1938" is a wonderful Three Stooges short that casts the boys as exterminators, but that's not what they are actually hired to do in this film. They are mistaken for escorts when a woman's husband goes on a fishing trip, leaving her without anybody to accompany her to a swank gathering.
Highlights: Moe's miniature cannon invention backfires when it goes off at the wrong time, sending Moe's head through a wall. The Stooges' silly musical interlude, with the aid of a skipping record, is finally interrupted by mice emerging from inside the double bass. The Stooges demonstrate some of the crudest table manners, soon to be imitated by the other party guests (the only problem with this sequence is that Larry is not featured). And finally, probably the funniest gag in the whole short: "Clayhammer!!" (Whack!) "OW!!!" "Clayhammer!!" (Smack!) "OW!!!"
"Termites of 1938" boasts an excellent supporting cast featuring Bess Flowers, Bud Jamison, and Dorothy Granger. The only scene of questionable taste in this film is that of an illiterate African-American maid who becomes the cause of the Stooges accidentally being hired as escorts; in fact, certain network television stations have scissored this politically incorrect scene out of their prints of this film.
Highlights: Moe's miniature cannon invention backfires when it goes off at the wrong time, sending Moe's head through a wall. The Stooges' silly musical interlude, with the aid of a skipping record, is finally interrupted by mice emerging from inside the double bass. The Stooges demonstrate some of the crudest table manners, soon to be imitated by the other party guests (the only problem with this sequence is that Larry is not featured). And finally, probably the funniest gag in the whole short: "Clayhammer!!" (Whack!) "OW!!!" "Clayhammer!!" (Smack!) "OW!!!"
"Termites of 1938" boasts an excellent supporting cast featuring Bess Flowers, Bud Jamison, and Dorothy Granger. The only scene of questionable taste in this film is that of an illiterate African-American maid who becomes the cause of the Stooges accidentally being hired as escorts; in fact, certain network television stations have scissored this politically incorrect scene out of their prints of this film.