THE TOOTH WILL OUT

Production Information
Title: The Tooth Will Out
Studio: Columbia
Short Number: 134
Release Date: October 4, 1951
Running Time: 15:59

“The tuition is $5 apiece, or 3 for $25.” “A rare bargain… we’ll take the 3.”

Short Take

After they are fired from two jobs for breaking dishes, The Stooges end up being chased into a dental office. Eventually, The Boys study, and graduate from dental school. The dean of the school (Vernon Dent) gives them their first recommendation to go out west (read: far away), and open a practice.

The Boys open up shop in a quiet western town, when their first customer (Slim Gaut) comes in with a mild toothache. Wearing glasses with lenses as thick as soda bottles, Dr. Shemp proceeds to drill the patient’s teeth until smoke rises from his mouth.

The appointment is abruptly cut short when an irate customer who claims to be the Sheriff (Dick Curtis) enters the office with a serious toothache. Feeling nervous, Shemp accidentally picks up the wrong book, entitled The Amateur Carpenter. They first rub sandpaper to his chest, and paste the inside of his hat to “varnish the lid”. After discovering it is the wrong book, The Boys go back to business seriously. They take the painful tooth, and yank it out as the patient wakes up. Unfortunately, Shemp extracted the wrong tooth and the angry Sheriff chases after the frantic Stooges.

The Tooth Will Out Cast & Crew

Directed byEdward Bernds
Produced byHugh McCollum
Written byEdward Bernds
StarringMoe Howard
Larry Fine
Shemp Howard
Vernon Dent
Margie Liszt
Dick Curtis
Slim Gaut
Emil Sitka

The Tooth Will Out Trivia

  • This was the last Stooge short to feature Dick Curtis, who passed away in January 1952 from lung cancer
  • The second half of this film, consisting of the dentist office scene, was originally filmed seven months earlier in June 1950 for Merry Mavericks
  • The Stooges’ tune “My Lucky Strike” is an original song, written by Moe, Larry & Shemp

Production Notes

  • Filming of new footage occurred between February 19-20, 1951
  • The film’s title parodies the proverbial expression “The truth will out”