- "Everything happens to me!"—Sgt. Dare
"Boobs in Arms" is the 52nd short film in the Three Stooges filmography, released on December 27th, 1940. In this short, Moe, Larry and Curly are greeting card salesmen trying to get costumers. Naturally, they fail. Even worse, they get into an altercation with an angry Jerkass (Richard Fiske) and, eventually, manages to evade him. The Stooges eventually crosses paths with a woman (Evelyn Young), who requests that they make her husband jealous. When it's revealed that her husband is the same man they met earlier, the boys flee and gets in line to an army recruitment office.
After the Stooges enlist and begin training, they meet their drill instructor, Sgt. Hugh Dare....who also happens to be the same angry husband they encountered before. And he's all too glad to give the boys hell during their training....
Tropes
- Armed Farces: Something you'd expect from the Stooges.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Moe, Larry and Curly, despite constantly screwing up during standard training and prone to sleeping on the front lines, manage to not only rescue their sergeant (though they eventually knock him out), but also fight back against many enemy soldiers....and win. All while under the influence of laughing gas, mind you.
- Curse Cut Short: After joining the army, Curly recites the lyrics of "You're in the Army Now". note Curly: Boy, this reminds me of card #24."You're in the army now
You'll always have your chow
You'll never get rich..."Moe: I know, I know, but we don't need any money in the army. - Drill Sergeant Nasty: Sgt. Dare, and he's especially nasty toward the Stooges, since they've been the cause of his misfortune throughout the short. He even openly and willingly takes the opportunity to kill them when they hide in sacks during bayonet practice.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Hugh Dare, toward his wife. In fact, his wife tries to make him jealous by using the Stooges. Knowing Dare though, it works too well.
- In One Ear, Out The Other: When Mrs Dare faints after kissing Curly the Stooges try to revive her by giving her water in the form of a seltzer bottle. The seltzer immediately sprays out of both of her ears and into Curly and Moe's faces, who are sitting on opposite sides of her... and it still doesn't wake her up.
- Karmic Butt-Monkey: If Hugh Dare wasn't such a Jerkass, it would be easy (well, easier) to feel sorry for the guy since he's got pretty terrible luck (he gets his shirt caught on a car door at one point), and it certainly isn't helped by the three morons he keeps running into.
- Laughing Mad: After accidentally firing a laughing gas bomb on themselves, the Stooges spend the rest of the short laughing like hyenas. Even when fighting against the enemy forces and getting shot at by their own men!Moe (laughing hysterically): Our own Army's bombarding us!Larry (also laughing hysterically): We'll get killed!
- Literal-Minded: Sgt. Dare's wife faints in Curly's arms. Moe goes to shake her awake, and asks Larry to get a drink. Larry pours himself the last of the normal water and drinks all of it. Moe clarifies he meant to get her a drink.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Dare is utterly nonplussed when the Stooges are dragged in to their captor's office, laughing hysterically. He's not aware it was a botched rescue mission for him, and it's unclear if he knew about the laughing gas either. As Moe, Larry, and Curly all fight back against the enemy despite their mania, Dare is just too confused to do anything on his own.
- Riding the Bomb: The short ends with the boys flying into the sunset on a shell that scooped them up.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: A sub-plot that ultimately goes nowhere involves Hugh Dare's wife. She is saddened that their marriage might be in jeopardy because of how much time he spends away from her. When the Stooges suggest that they pretend to have an affair with her so that he'll get jealous and try to win her back, she immediately faints during the facade, forcing the Stooges to flee the scene. She and this detail are never brought up again, and at most, all it does is add more fuel to Hugh Dare's hatred for the Stooges.
