The Three Stooges Collection Volume Four: 1943-1945
Studio: Sony/Columbia
Years: 1943-1945
Rated: Not Rated
Length: 360 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Languages: English
Subtitles: None
The Program
Sony continues to delight fans of the Three Stooges with this fourth volume of two-reelers, presented in chronological order. In spite of what you may have heard elsewhere, the shorts in this set look and sound just about as good as what we saw and heard in the previous three volumes (see below for the particulars). The new collection includes the following shorts:
Disc One:
THEY STOOGE TO CONGA
DIZZY DETECTIVES
SPOOK LOUDER
BACK FROM THE FRONT
THREE LITTLE TWIRPS
HIGHER THAN A KITE
I CAN HARDLY WAIT
DIZZY PILOTS
PHONY EXPRESS
A GEM OF A JAM
Disc Two:
CRASH GOES THE HASH
BUSY BUDDIES
THE YOKE’S ON ME
IDLE ROOMERS
GENTS WITHOUT CENTS
NO DOUGH BOYS
THREE PESTS IN A MESS
BOOBY DUPES
IDIOTS DELUXE
IF A BODY MEETS A BODY
MICRO-PHONIES
As far as I can determine, eight of these shorts had never been released previously on DVD by Sony/Columbia:
THEY STOOGE TO CONGA
THREE LITTLE TWIRPS
I CAN HARDLY WAIT
A GEM OF A JAM
BUSY BUDDIES
THE YOKE’S ON ME
IDLE ROOMERS
THREE PESTS IN A MESS
Stooges aficionados are painfully aware of the fact that previous incarnations of “Micro-Phonies” were plagued by a damaged soundtrack. In the scene where Christine McIntyre explains why she has taken an assumed name while trying to establish a singing career, there had been a jump in her dialogue. Happily, the soundtrack has now been completely restored.
The shorts in this set were made during World War II, and several of them feature the Stooges battling Nazi spies and "Japs" who escaped from an internment camp. In one short, “No Dough Boys,” the Stooges dress up as Japanese soldiers for an advertising shoot and then stumble into a Nazi den!
The shorts from this era also are notable because they represent the beginning of the end of Curly’s involvement with the Stooges. Following the shooting of “Idiots Deluxe,” Curly was admitted to a hospital and was diagnosed with severe hypertension. Although he continued to work, the frenetic physical comedy which exemplified his earlier work is absent from later shorts such as “Micro-Phonies.” Curly was still funny, but he was never again the same.
The Stooges sets continue to sell extremely well; this volume is already #76 at Amazon. Volume Five, which has not yet been announced, will include the last of the Curly shorts
The Video
There has been some discussion about a review posted on another site which claims that “Idiots Deluxe” is “riddled with spots, debris, lines, scratches…”
However, I would be interested to know that reviewer’s definition of “riddled.” While it is true that the transfer of “Idiots Deluxe” is not pristine, it still looks pretty good. In fact, I did an A-B comparison, and this transfer appears to be identical to that which was used for Stooges and the Law. Check out the scene where Larry and Curly pour pills down Moe’s throat. Reel scratches which briefly appear on the left side of the screen can be seen on both discs. The original “Idiots Deluxe” transfer was one of the better ones when Stooges shorts were being released four or five per DVD, so I assume that Sony decided that this one did not need additional restoration. Not everyone may agree with that decision, but “Idiots Deluxe” is very watchable.
Otherwise, as was the case with the first three volumes in this series, these shorts have been superbly restored and remastered. The images are generally sharp, which excellent contrast and fine shadow detail. There are moments when the image is a bit soft – this occasional softness is most noticeable in close-ups, and presumably is how the original elements look. Sony has wisely resisted the temptation to apply excessive DNR, retaining an appropriate amount of film grain to give these shorts a satisfying, film-like appearance.
There is every reason to believe that Sony will continue to release the Stooges shorts in a manner which will allow fans to see them as they first appeared in theaters more than a half-century ago.
The Audio
Again, there has been some discussion about claims that the audio for “Crash Goes the Hash” is sub-par. I have no idea what that reviewer is talking about. I listened to the audio for that short twice, and it sounds fine to me. I also compared it to the audio on the DVD Stooges at Work, and I could not discern any significant difference. Perhaps the reviewer had a defective disc? I invite readers to do your own comparisons and let me know if you hear problems which I am unable to detect.
Overall, the mono soundtracks are of course limited in dynamic range, but they are in fine shape. The dialogue is always intelligible and the sound is for the most part free of distortion.
The Supplements
As with the previous three volumes, there are no supplements on this DVD set.
Other Features
Each of the two discs offers the option of playing all shorts or selecting individual shorts.
The Packaging
The 21 shorts in this collection are spread over two discs. Each disc comes in a slimcase and both discs are encased in a slipcase. The artwork on the covers of the slimcases is similar to the artwork on the slipcase, except that the slimcases has different thumbnail photographs.
The Final Analysis
I know that I am repeating myself, but I cannot recommend this set more highly. Stooges fans obviously are snapping up these sets as fast as Sony can produce them, and with good reason. If fans continue to support these sets, we have every reason to believe that Sony will continue to give the same care to the shorts from the Shemp era and the Joe Besser era. Therefore, once more I repeat my earlier plea: Buy one for yourself and another for a friend -- For Duty and Humanity!
Equipment used for this review:
Toshiba HD-XA2 DVD player
Sharp LC-42D62U LCD display
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: October 7, 2008