DVD Review HTF Review: The Three Stooges Hapless Half-Wits (1 Viewer)

[Eric Peterson]

I can't wait to get my hands on complete sets. They can release them in as many sets as they want as long as they are chronological!!

No more themed sets!!!!

 

[Bob Furmanek]

I hope the good folks at Sony keep in mind the fact that, starting with PARDON MY BACKFIRE released August 1953, all Stooge shorts with newly filmed material were photographed for 1.85 presentation.

Of course with all of the remakes with stock footage after that period, most shorts would still need to be full frame, but there are quite a few complete widescreen titles. They are:

PARDON MY BACKIRE
GOOF ON THE ROOF
INCOME TAX SAPPY
SHOT IN THE FRONTIER
GYPPED IN THE PENTHOUSE
BLUNDER BOYS
HOOFS AND GOOFS
MUSCLE UP A LITTLE CLOSER
A MERRY MIX-UP
SPACE SHIP SAPPY
GUNS A-POPPIN'
HORSING AROUND
OUTER SPACE JITTERS
QUIZ WHIZ
SWEET AND HOT
FLYING SAUCER DAFFY
OIL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

 

[Joe Karlosi]

We'll be lucky if we just get these titles as we saw them on TV growing up, if at all!

 

[David Deeb]

Joe, I share your skepticism.

I still haven't seen an official statement from Sony announcing these so-called sets, but I'm extremely hopeful. Or am I just a hapless half-wit for thinking Sony will actually release these shorts properly?

I've seen lots of internet postings saying "the sets are coming" but nothing official. Am I missing something, and if so, can someone point me to it?

 

[Aaron Silverman]

All I can tell you is that Sony told me directly that they're working on complete sets. I recommend writing to them to let 'em know what you'd like to see. The more they hear, the better the chance they'll listen.

 

[Joe Lugoff]

I would just like to say, for the record, that I think "themed sets" are really stupid. Not just for the Stooges -- for anything.

The reason is, when cartoons or comedy shorts are grouped together by theme, they're very repetitious. In fact, with the Stooges, some of the same jokes might be re-used. This wouldn't be so noticeable originally, for several years might have gone by between shorts -- but watching, for instance, the two Nazi-themed shorts one right after the other certainly dilutes the impact of the second one when you see the same jokes and situations pop up again.

Of course, I don't expect the executives at Sony to realize this. I'm starting to think Sony is the Japanese word for "clueless."

I'm sure they think the "themed sets" concept is a wonderful idea. But I want to state officially it's a lousy idea. A very lousy idea. The only really good idea for anything that was produced in a series is to release ALL OF THEM, in the ORDER THEY WERE ORIGINALLY RELEASED. All other ideas are lousy ideas. Thank you.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

So OAR doesn't apply to the 3 Stooges shorts? You would rather get them on DVD as you saw them on TV?

 

[Steve...O]

I think he means unedited with all the supposedly "non PC" stuff left in. Apologies to Joe if I misinterpreted your comments.

Regarding OAR, absolutely. But I wouldn't count on it.

If Sony is releasing in two year increments, I wonder kind of release schedule they're looking at since it there would be well over 10 volumes to get all the shorts released. If there were 8 shorts per year, one year could fit on 1 double layer DVD assuming an average run time of 17 minutes or so. Why not put out waves of 6 DVD (3 slimcases) collections (or whatever makes sense)?

Steve

 

[HELLOLARRY]

What I think would be great to see is 'season' sets with wraparounds hosted by someone like Leonard Maltin, similar to what he did for the Our Gang videos put out by Cabin Fever in the 90s. It would be nice to have someone who actually KNOWS something about the Stooges, unlike the braintrust who used to list 'Curly-Joe Howard' on the back of the VHS boxes of the 60's features.

The first year, 1934 only saw 4 releases. They could start out by grouping 1934 and 1935 together and then take it from there since the production schedule was pretty full as some other poster mentioned.

The Joes could be in one collection and yes, I would buy them if only for the sheer clarity that these films must have. It surprises me that they didn't put at least one of the space themed Joes on the Stooges in Orbit DVD. For that matter its a shame that Have Rocket Will Travel isn't out yet.

Sony put far more love and care into a collection of low grade Buster Keaton comedies last year which is great 'cause Im a huge Keaton fan but it also irritates me 'cause Im a huge Stooge fan too.

The one thing I HOPE they do is clean up some of their *-ups! Three Little Beers on DVD (I think the DVD release is Three Smart Saps) is cut by 30 seconds whereas it was complete on the VHS release and on concurrent television showings. They also need to clean up some of the source material. One DVD has a short called "Higher Than a Kite" which is very dark and grainy and looks like it is from a 16mm print instead of the 35mm master. When you see this one on TV it is as clear and sharp as day. This stuff is really irritating and I hope whomever is compiling these for DVD is paying attention to what they're doing.

It would be nice too if they would release "Time Out For Rhythm" which was a B movie of 1941 that the Stooges had a pretty meaty guest shot in. They are at the height of their powers here and it shows a pre-stroke Curly doing the Maharaja bit. For as much as he's applauded for his performance in Three Little Pirates, this one really puts that one to bed!

I believe there is a story of how, here in Chicago where they are shown on Channel 26, they were originally given a 9/10 minute version of "We Want Our Mummy" for broadcast. Someone at Sony dubbed the HOME MOVIE version from the 1970s! When the station asked about this, Sony said that was all they had when the had a complete version already released on VHS!!

I don't know how this happens and Sony seems to be the one studio who is notorious for this stuff. Im sure there are others but in my collection alone there is a season of All in the Family with an edited episode, their first Season of Archie Bunkers Place has two episodes that originally aired in one hour timeslots during their network run and they are cut up into two parters on the DVD. To top that off, one of the parts has a bunch of scenes cut out of it. Finally on their first season box of the Partridge Family, one of the episodes is missing the tag which...you guessed it, is intact when the episode plays on tv.

Meantime like some of you, Sony will not get any of my hard earned money until I see more of a commitment to the series. I bought a few DVDs but bowed out when they expected me to shell out $25 for 5 shorts (early volumes had as many as 7). So I took the remaining shorts that I had from tv which were restored and uncut when I recorded them and burned them onto DVD in chronological order. That is how my collection will remain until Sony gets its act together.

 

[Jack Theakston]

The staff changes in the video department at Sony have been competant ones. My guess is that only good will be coming of it, and this will be the last of the colorized nonsense (this set was produced before Sony cleared house in the fall).

 

[David Deeb]

Maybe this deserves a separate thread, but in March 2007, Legend is releasing 4 DVDs of very rare "colorized" Stooge bonus material. These are not the shorts, but interviews with Larry Fine, Joe Besser, rare films, old commercials, live appearances, etc. They look very interesting.

"Three Stooges: Extreme Rarities"
"Three Stooges: Swing Parade"
"Three Stooges: Greatest Routines"
"Three Stooges: Triple Whammy" (contains Extreme Rarities, Greatest Routines & a bonus DVD only available in the box set called "Live & Hilarious")

While I could care less about colorization, it's amazing that Legend (once again, not Sony) has rounded up all these rare films, invested a great deal of time and money colorizing them, & releasing what is essentially "bonus material" for $9.99 each (single sets).

 

[Brent S]

The material on the "Extreme Rarities" DVD was orginally distributed several years ago on GoodTimes' volumes "Three Stooges: Lost Comedy Treasures" and "Three Stooges: Kings of Laughter."

When GoodTimes went bankrupt in 2005, exercise video producer Giaia Americas purchased GT's distribution and production contracts. GT's library of video masters were then sold off, and this is what Legend acquired and is working from.

These discs do have some differences to the older GoodTimes releases...

- Additional footage of the more rare items will be presented, e.g., SCREEN SNAPSHOTS Series 18 # 9 (1939) is supposed to be presented in its 10 minute entirety... GT only included about 1 minute of clips with the Stooges.

- Reportedly, visual quality has been upgraded.

- And of course, much of the content is now colorized (which I, also, do not particularly appreciate).

"Greatest Routines," "Swing Parade" and "Live and Hilarious" are the usual collections of pd programming, sourced & upgraded from GT video masters.

 

[David Deeb]

Thanks for this clarification and info Brent.

Having never been given the opportunity to see this by Sony, even though it is colorizied, I think I'll give my cash to these Legend discs

This sounds like the kind of bonus material which needs to be archived on proper DVD sets.

One can only hope that "when & if" Sony's much discussed 3 Stooges sets are released, that they include this & other rare material in the original black and white glory.