SPHE Press Release: The Three Stooges Collection, Volume One: Years 1-2 (1 Viewer)

Larry, Moe and Curly Are “Yuk, Yuk, Yuk”-ing it Up
in a New, Definitive Volume of Classic Shorts

THE THREE STOOGES COLLECTION

VOLUME ONE: YEARS 1-2

All 19 Digitally-Restored Two-Reelers from 1934 through 1936
Packaged in a Two-Disc DVD

AVAILABLE ON OCTOBER 30

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (August 20, 2007) – Eye-gouging, nose-tweaking, stomach-poking, ear-pulling, head-slapping, pie-throwing, and seltzer-spraying can only mean one thing. The classic comedy trio of Larry, Moe, and Curly are back doing what they do best. On October 30, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will launch its definitive new series of Three Stooges DVDs with The Three Stooges Collection: Years 1-3. This first volume includes all 19 shorts from the boys’ first three years at Columbia. The two-reelers are chronologically organized by their original release date and painstakingly restored from the original negatives for the very best picture and audio quality. The DVD will be available in a two-disc package for the standard retail price of $24.96. The Three Stooges are one of the most significant screen comedy teams of the 20th century, on par with Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, and Martin and Lewis -- an inspiration to generations of comics that followed. The trio’s film career began in the early 1930s, reached its slapstick peak during their tenure at Columbia (1934-1957), and lasted well into the 1950s. After their initial retirement, they were rediscovered by an enthusiastic new generation through the medium of television and have outstripped all their contemporaries in terms of lasting popularity. The Three Stooges Collection: Years 1-3 finally pays the Stooges their due by tracing the evolution and development of their craft by presenting the films in progressive order.

The Three Stooges Collection: Years 1-3 includes the following titles:

1934 - Woman Haters, Punch Drunks (only short actually written by the Stooges), the Oscar® nominated Men in Black, and Three Little Pigskins (featuring a young Lucille Ball).

1935 - Horses' Collars (their first Western spoof), Restless Knights (first “triple-slap” in a Stooge short), Pop Goes the Easel (first film for frequent director Del Lord), Uncivil Warriors (set during the Civil War), Pardon My Scotch (first Stooge short to use “Listen to the Mockingbird” as its theme song), Hoi Polloi (remade as Half-Wits Holiday in 1947), and Three Little Beers.

1936 - Ants in the Pantry (features silent star Clara Kimball Young), Movie Maniacs (features Charlie Chaplin’s first wife Mildred Harris), Half-Shot Shooters (first short in which the Stooges get killed), Disorder in the Court (features the famous “swearing in” scene with Curly), A Pain in the Pullman (the longest short of the series), False Alarms, Whoops, I'm an Indian, and Slippery Silks (featuring the first Stooges cream dessert fight).

The Three Stooges Collection: Years 1-3 has a run time of approximately 345 minutes and is not rated. Artwork is available at www.SPHEPUBLICITY.COM. Visit Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on the Web at www.SonyPictures.com.

DVD Catalog # 21104
UPC Code: 043396211049
Order Date: 09/27/07
SLP: $24.96

Nice to see ANTS IN THE PANTRY and DISORDER IN THE COURT rescued from public domain hell.

WOW!

19 shorts for the same price that they used to charge for 4.

It's about time that these get released properly. Only, where are the extras? A release as major as this certainly could justify some extras. I recall somebody's post that surviving family & cast members had been involved in documentaries for the upcoming set(s). At the very least, some commentaries from some stooge-o-philes would be great!

That should be Years 1-3, shouldn't it? And would love to see that artwork!

It's about time Sony started to take notice of how well Warners and Fox have done with classic product! The last Sony disc I bought was "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" about 6 years ago, I would love to add their "Boston Blackie" and "Crime Doctor" films via dvd and also the long overdue "A Matter of Life and Death" which was canceled about 4 years ago just a month before it was scheduled to be released. I would support the dvd releases of the titles I mentioned in a heartbeat, I will wholeheartedly be supporting the Three Stooges and cannot wait to box up my old Columbia House tapes to make room for the dvd's those tapes served me well over the years! And kudos to Sony for recognizng the GREATNESS of Laurel and Hardy in their press release, mabye Lionsgate will get the idea to finally release the boys films in the way they deserve to be released!

Hooray! Now to decide whether to jump on this or wait for the eventual Blu-Ray Complete Boxed Set. . .

I just hope that Sony hasn't built up so much bad will over they years with Stooge fans that people will notice that they are finally offering a good deal. The old DVD releases were simply beyond belief.

Why not just skip both and wait for the ultimate Polka Dot-Ray version in 2019?

I'll let my son deal with that one.

No idea how legit this is, but it sounds about right. It's an Amazon review (or, rather, preview) of the set, posted July 12:

Im willing to believe that Paul,because already in that post, he was right about the date changing.So maybe, everything else he says in that post might come true.

That's great news Paul.

Is it just me, or does that seem like an awful lot of content for 2 discs? That's just under 3 hours of shorts per disc, plus alternate audio & docs.

If the first set comes without extras, its possible they could fit them on 2 single sided discs, or else its the super dreaded double sided discs, that I hate.Most of the time there problematic, when double sided.

Sony very rarely (if ever) does double-sided discs anymore.

Can someone post the cover art here? I can't find it.

I must admit I have never been a big STOOGES fan. Not that
I never liked them -- just never devoted my time to watching
enough of them.

But you know what? I am perfectly aware of the bad history
related to Sony doing any justice to THE THREE STOOGES films.
I know fans on this forum have been screaming about these DVD
releases for years.

Seeing that Sony is finally doing these releases correctly
has enticed even myself to start collecting these shorts.

Sounds great, Ron. I've been a fan since I was a little kid, but I must admit that these days I find that their comedy gets too repetitious for me to watch many shorts at one time. One or two before a feature is plenty.

I have to admit that just like Ron, im only a casual fan of the stooges. In fact , ive never had any of the best of random dvd that sony has released, just only 2 of their late theatrical movies with joe and 2 p.d dvd from region 4.But, at the price they are going to be charging for the sets , im getting all as they are released.Just imagine, for the price they use to charge for 4 shorts, we now get a huge 19 !!!!!!!! Even the most casual stooge fan has to get excited about this !

You'll have a ball. These are great films.

I've been one of those screaming the loudest. I kind of hope Sony pulls those atrocious releases from shelves so as to not alienate any other unsuspecting fans and hurt the sales of these good sets.

This is great news. I've been waiting for an official announcement since these rumors started months ago.

Hope they release more sets quickly & keep the momentum going.

You'll find the cover art at www.inthebalcony.com.