Three Stooges (1 Viewer)

[Rob W]

Sorry Mark , but you're misinformed about the 1960's Sony features being "phony widescreen". It's true, the top and bottom of the frame has been matted off to create the 1:85 aspect ratio but that's exactly how the films were projected in the cinemas. It's called 'open matte' and this process has been used on thousands of films since the 1:85 aspect ratio was introduced in the 1950's. The extra material at the top and bottom means the films don't have to be panned and scanned for tv, but it's not the preferred compositions
they were shot at. You'll notice all of the titles fall well within the 1:85-safe area ; this would not be the case if they were composed for full-frame.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

Also, although it's quite trivial, I'd like to point out that "Four for Texas" wasn't in CinemaScope, but just standard 1.85:1 "widescreen."

 

[Mark Y]

Are you saying that, for instance, a theatre film print of "Attack Of The Clones" would have full-frame information that we don't see on the screen? If that's the case...then what is the point of "pan and scan?"

Fair enough if the intent is to recreate the look of how it was projected in a theatre...but I still prefer to see the whole frame.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Same here, but I've figured a marketing strategy that might solve the problem:

The Thirties Collection
This would probably sell best, because it would feature all the prime Curly shorts, no problem.

The Forties Collection
The strategy here could be that anyone who is only interested in Curly (I personally want ALL of the 190 shorts, but rest assured there are probably some "Curly Only" fans out there) would HAVE to buy this set as well if they wish to complete all of the Curly shorts, yet in 1947 the Shemp films will also be included for that decade. So they'd be also acquiring some Shemp movies too, to get all the Curlys.

The Fifties Collection
While this would likely be the lowest selling of the group (not for me; it's actually the 50s shorts I'm most interested in at this point!) it would help that the 16 oft-maligned Joe Besser shorts would be helped along by this set, as the bulk of it will contain also contain the remainder of the Shemp films from the 50s (and we do have Shemp fans out there). To get all the Shemps, you need to buy this set which also includes Joe Besser.

Hey, business is business!

 

[Corey3rd]

there is a difference between a 2:35.1 anamorphic (Cinemascope) shot film - that needs to be pan and scanned to fit the standard TV. A film that was shot in Super-35 (like Ronin or Fifth Element) is given the aspect ratio by cropping the negative. When you see that movie on TV, they have merely uncropped the original image so you are seeing more (mostly from the bottom of the screen).

 

[David Deeb]

This is an excellent idea. But don't forget:

The Sixties Collection
This would contain the 6 feature films with Curly-Joe. Probably won't sell as much as the first three, but will do OK. There are a ton of us Stooge fans & we'll buy it all if we get proper boxed sets.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

I'm afraid they'll have to put the 16 Bessers as "bonus features" on 16 box sets of Curly and Shemp. I like the Bessers, and a lot of Stooge fans like them, but your average Joe, no pun intended, doesn't.

 

[David Deeb]

Average Joes don't even know who Joe Besser is.

Unfortunately, Sony hasn't even bothered to do anything w/ the Joe Besser films in about 25 years (except annoy Three Stooges fans).

What is Sony's logic?

A 16-episode bare-bones Joe Besser compliation sold online to Three Stooges fans would do great. Or they can just wait until absolutely every single remaing Three Stooges fan dies off and they get nothing. What is their idiotic logic?

 

[Rob W]

Mark, go up to the 'links' bar near the top of this page and click on the 'Widescreen FAQ' for some basic information on the various aspect ratios used over the years and how they are achieved , since the how and why's are different for almost every format.

 

[Sky King]

I have NEVER been a fan of colorization, but I must say that I was impressed with the color I saw on the Three Stooges DVD, Stooged & Confoosed.
It was the most realistic colorization I've seen to date and it actually seems to add more depth to the picture. I do however, like the option Sony gave the viewer to watch either in color or B/W...the colorization wasn't crammed down our throats.

 

[WadeM]

Yes, I want ALL of the 3 Stooges shorts/movies on DVD restored. Preferably chronological sets like 30s, 40s, 50s and a movies set.

 

[Robert13]

I would love a complete set. Moreso, I would love to see the Besser shorts released. "A Merry Mix-Up" is one of my all-time faves. I also love "Flying Saucer Daffy" (I think that's what it's called) when Joe wins a photography contest for taking a picture of what everyone thinks is a flying saucer. I would be in store on the day of release to buy this if they ever released it.

 

[Mark Y]

I'd definitely be interested.

More stuff may eventually come out...Sony already has released all their Buster Keaton shorts, and both Batman serials, while WB has released the Superman serials (not comedy shorts, but Columbia shorts nonetheless). "Phoney Cronies" (with Dudley Dickerson, El Brendel and Monte Collins) is on the new Legend Films "Swing Parade" DVD. I'd love to see more. I would think at some point, we'd at least see the Charley Chase and Harry Langdon shorts...if not the Shemp Howard, Joe Besser and Joe De Rita shorts.

It's weird seeing Buster Keaton in some bizarro-world "Three Stooges universe."

 

[Mike Tripicco]

Another rabid Stooges fan here who would immediately scoop up a complete box set of the two-reelers. I have all of the Curly-era ones on VHS (transferred from Beta, where I originally recorded them from TV more than 20 years ago!) and most of the Shemps as well. At this point acquiring these has become my DVD holy grail.

 

[CaseyL]

I'd totally pick it up. Got most of the shorts on VHS. The tapes are starting to go, since I've been watching them for a solid 20 years at this point.

 

[Duane Alford]

I'd love to have ALL of the Stooges shorts on DVD, if they're ever released (as long as they're in the original b&w and in order).

Likewise, I hope some day for something similar for The Little Rascals/Our Gang shorts.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

I wouldn't hold my breath, though, for complete and chronological LR/OG stuff, as I'm sure the PC Brigade would want to leave out anything that has stereotypical content (isn't there one where Buckwheat or Stymie is dreaming of watermelons?).

 

[Mark Y]

The Little Rascals would have happened if Hallmark hadn't bought out RHI. If you'll recall, back in the mid-1990s, Cabin Fever released a complete set of all 80 Hal Roach-era talkies on 21 VHS tapes (plus four silent shorts as a bonus). (Unfortunately, only one of the four silents was one of the ten which had been part of the 1950s TV package all those years ago...the other three were public domain Pathe silents. But anyway...) All 80 shorts were uncensored, and all had the original theatrical titles, or very close to it (a few had the M-G-M lion missing, and/or the M-G-M logo airbrushed out of the title cards). Cabin Fever started releasing them on DVD, and released the first series of 12 volumes on DVD. Then they got bought out. Hallmark reissued the first DVD volume (which collected the first two VHS volumes) and then tossed off two more compilations of various shorts (one of which includes another silent, "Dog Heaven," which was not part of the original 21-volume series, but did come out on a Pete the Pup-themed tape).

I'm not clear if Vol. 13-21 ever came out on DVD in Canada or something...I'm pretty sure those volumes never made it to DVD in the US. I think all 21 volumes did come out on laserdisc, but I never had a LD player, so I never really kept up on that.

The really major "politically incorrect" shorts were grouped together on one tape, as I recall. All the tapes had intros by Leonard Maltin, and they are kind of like his disclaimers on some of the Disney Treasures DVDs.

Now that Tommy "Butch" Bond has died, I wonder if WB will at some point release a set of their 52 M-G-M Our Gang shorts...

 

[Jeff Willis]

For anyone interested, Amazon's Deal of the Day (their "Gold Box" deal) has volumn's 1 thru 8 listed for $83.99 for all 8 volumns. Link is here