Robbie^Blackmon
Second Unit
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2003
- Messages
- 299
WARNING! This post falls under the category of "Lengthy Rant". If you don't like those, skip it!
You know, something I'd like to see, or even to have a copy of, is the original contract that the boys signed with Columbia Pictures all those years ago. Think about what we've heard about the cost of broadcast rights for the Stooges' films. columbia Pictures, now Sony, kept such a stranglehold (or Death Grip, depending upon how you look at it) on the boys that none of the Stooges could make any further money off of their work once the films were developed. The boys were disallowed to appear as The Three Stooges in any production that would compete with their short films which meant no television series (Jerks of All Trades), feature films and so on. Residuals for television broadcasts of their films was non-negotiable, meaning that any dough from broadcast rights went entirely to Columbia Pictures.
In a radio interview (available on "The Men Behind the Mayhem" documentary DVD) Moe Howard explained just how far Columbia Pictures went to protect their "property":
"There was a very mean clause in the contract, which I learned and never have forgotten. It was worded like this: Columbia Pictures Corporation has the perpetual rights to your likenesses, your voices, in mediums now known or to be invented."
Somewhere, still, within the depths of Sony Pictures' vast archives, there must be a copy of that original contract; Possibly nestled in a folder that also contains specific instructions for all future releases of Stooges material. I imagine a memo stapled to the front, on which is scrawled a simple statement... something like:
Let it be known that any release or distribution of said material that is covered or implied by this legal document
shall be made at the least possible expense to this studio, and at the greatest possible expense to
the lessee. In short, SCREW 'EM!
What I really hate about Sony dragging its heels in regards to releasing these films properly is that one simply cannot argue that the resulting DVD's would not sell. If the Stooges weren't marketable, why is there sooo much merchandise to be found? If the Stooges won't sell, why were all those VHS tapes released throughout the 80's and 90's?
And let's not even begin to consider why in the world Comedy-3 or Sony Pictures would grant a license to use the Stooges' names, etc. in a new, alleged, film by the Cohen Brothers! I guess I deserve a double-slap and a poke in the eyes for not knowing all the details of that cock-eyed idea but I'll suggest this: If that film is made, why not release a new print of a different Stooges short for each city of release, to play before the feature starts. I guarantee you the general reaction to the new film would not be a positive one!
(rant, rant, rant)
How about a challenge, then, directed towards Sony Pictures? Why couldn't we at least be told why these films can't be released in a complete series format? Frankly I'm sick of the damn short-sighted (nay, invisible) politics used to govern this particular set of films. The Three Stooges video releases have presumably been put on hold indefinitely because the colorized discs didn't sell well? Is that true? Colorization? Who are you fooling? It is a novelty and it is wrong; wrong to change someone else's work of art and wrong simply because the process is all guess work! Does anyone really believe that the process is, effectively, updating the film?! Hell, I could update the engine in my car by guessing what all the parts should be... doesn't mean it'll run when I'm finished!
Mods, readers... My apologies, now, for going on about this. I've covered topics covered before but one needs an outlet to vent, I guess! The sad part is that no amount of complaining, begging, asking, cajoling, crying or holding-one's-breath-till-one's-face-turns-blue will help get these films out on store shelves. Just nothing anyone can do!
Thanks for reading, politely skipping or (Mods!) not censoring too harshly!
-Robbie
You know, something I'd like to see, or even to have a copy of, is the original contract that the boys signed with Columbia Pictures all those years ago. Think about what we've heard about the cost of broadcast rights for the Stooges' films. columbia Pictures, now Sony, kept such a stranglehold (or Death Grip, depending upon how you look at it) on the boys that none of the Stooges could make any further money off of their work once the films were developed. The boys were disallowed to appear as The Three Stooges in any production that would compete with their short films which meant no television series (Jerks of All Trades), feature films and so on. Residuals for television broadcasts of their films was non-negotiable, meaning that any dough from broadcast rights went entirely to Columbia Pictures.
In a radio interview (available on "The Men Behind the Mayhem" documentary DVD) Moe Howard explained just how far Columbia Pictures went to protect their "property":
"There was a very mean clause in the contract, which I learned and never have forgotten. It was worded like this: Columbia Pictures Corporation has the perpetual rights to your likenesses, your voices, in mediums now known or to be invented."
Somewhere, still, within the depths of Sony Pictures' vast archives, there must be a copy of that original contract; Possibly nestled in a folder that also contains specific instructions for all future releases of Stooges material. I imagine a memo stapled to the front, on which is scrawled a simple statement... something like:
Let it be known that any release or distribution of said material that is covered or implied by this legal document
shall be made at the least possible expense to this studio, and at the greatest possible expense to
the lessee. In short, SCREW 'EM!
What I really hate about Sony dragging its heels in regards to releasing these films properly is that one simply cannot argue that the resulting DVD's would not sell. If the Stooges weren't marketable, why is there sooo much merchandise to be found? If the Stooges won't sell, why were all those VHS tapes released throughout the 80's and 90's?
And let's not even begin to consider why in the world Comedy-3 or Sony Pictures would grant a license to use the Stooges' names, etc. in a new, alleged, film by the Cohen Brothers! I guess I deserve a double-slap and a poke in the eyes for not knowing all the details of that cock-eyed idea but I'll suggest this: If that film is made, why not release a new print of a different Stooges short for each city of release, to play before the feature starts. I guarantee you the general reaction to the new film would not be a positive one!
(rant, rant, rant)
How about a challenge, then, directed towards Sony Pictures? Why couldn't we at least be told why these films can't be released in a complete series format? Frankly I'm sick of the damn short-sighted (nay, invisible) politics used to govern this particular set of films. The Three Stooges video releases have presumably been put on hold indefinitely because the colorized discs didn't sell well? Is that true? Colorization? Who are you fooling? It is a novelty and it is wrong; wrong to change someone else's work of art and wrong simply because the process is all guess work! Does anyone really believe that the process is, effectively, updating the film?! Hell, I could update the engine in my car by guessing what all the parts should be... doesn't mean it'll run when I'm finished!
Mods, readers... My apologies, now, for going on about this. I've covered topics covered before but one needs an outlet to vent, I guess! The sad part is that no amount of complaining, begging, asking, cajoling, crying or holding-one's-breath-till-one's-face-turns-blue will help get these films out on store shelves. Just nothing anyone can do!
Thanks for reading, politely skipping or (Mods!) not censoring too harshly!
-Robbie
