G.I. Wanna Home is the 94th short subject starring the American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959. This is the fourth-to-last short in which Curly Howard was billed.
THE PLOT
At the end of World War II, the Stooges are discharged from the service and return home. They are prepared to marry their fiancées (Judy Malcolm, Ethelreda Leopold, and Doris Houck), but are dispossessed. The boys search around for a room to rent, and hit blind alley after blind alley until finally settling for an open-lot-turned living quarters. All goes well with the unusual setup until a farmer on a tractor plows down the boys' domicile.
Afterwards, the Stooges build a pathetically small apartment from "their own little hands", with the living room, dining room, and kitchen cramped into the space of a den.
TRIVIA
G.I. Wanna Home is often inadvertently referred to as 'G.I. Wanna Go Home.'
Curly's illness
G.I. Wanna Home was filmed on March 22–26, 1946, near the end of Curly Howard's career. The 42-year-old comedian had suffered a series of minor strokes several months prior to filming, and his performances had been unpredictable. By the time of G.I. Wanna Home, he had lost a considerable amount of weight, and lines had creased his baby face. While director Edward Bernds devised ways to cover his illness, Jules White simply shifted the action towards Larry. The scene where Larry climbs the tree to grab eggs from a bird's nest would normally have revolved around Curly climbing up the tree. In addition, Curly could no longer ad lib for the camera as in previous instances. His scene where he cleans potatoes is sluggish and lethargic. Films like Playing The Ponies , An Ache In Every Stake , Sock-A-Bye Baby , and "I Can Hardly Wait" are finer examples of Curly preparing food and creating comedy genius with little effort.
PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS
For you history buffs: at the beginning of this short, the Stooges are looking for a place to live and encounter all kinds of obstacles in their search. A quick Internet search of 1946 housing shortage produced:
An act of congress, May 22, 1946, declared a national housing emergency and clothed the Executive Branch of the government with special powers to deal with it. The special powers were to continue in existence until December 31, 1947, for it was believed that the acute shortage of housing could not be overcome before that date. Under the emergency program more housing was built during 1946 than in any peacetime year since 1928 but the new construction fell far short of meeting the accumulated demand. Veterans returning from the theatres of war were finding as much difficulty in obtaining suitable living quarters sixteen months after the close of the war as they had immediately after V-J Day.
The government's emergency program was sharply revised, and all but reversed, by President Truman, Dec. 14, 1946, although he said there would be “no major modification in the objective of rapidly and adequately housing our veterans.”
I am determined that a vigorous housing program will continue to be carried out in 1947 [the President said]. The techniques we will use are those that will work today. I am convinced that this 1947 program will produce results.… We, as a nation, owe the veterans an opportunity to have homes. We will see that they get them.
Another example of historical cinema reflecting the times we lived in then. The Stooges were well known for that.
Watch the following clip. In it, The Stooges go through a routine where they prepare for bed using triple bunk beds. This routine was previously done in 1941's In The Sweet Pie And Pie. Then watch the short bonus clip of that same routine. You can see for yourself the massive difference between the Curly of 1941 and the Curly of 1946.
(The first clip will also be useful in solving GC718FK Jerome Lester Horwitz: Death And Legacy)
Curly And The New House: Episode 94 G. I. Wanna Home Clip1
Bonus Clip: Episode 94 Bonus Clip
Have fun! Get the family involved.
Curly Code: 883-244