The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 5: 1946-1948 Review

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(More customer reviews)There was only one Curly, of course - but the vastly underrated Shemp Howard was surely the next best thing, and a class act all the way. Not many fans know that Shemp took a 50% salary cut from his successful solo career to help out his kid brother, Moe. He'd been earning twice as much for years as a busy freelance character actor, in memorable cameo bits supporting W.C. Fields, Abbott & Costello, Olsen & Johnson - and just about everyone else in Hollywood. (And, frankly, having a much easier go of it. Unfortunately for posterity, the 52 year-old Shemp was already past his prime as a knockabout comic by the time he gamely returned to the team in 1947.)
But game he was, luckily for us. Shemp was blessed with an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime face that was a gift from the comedy gods. Displaying the seasoned comic instincts of a veteran clown, Shemp came equipped with a wonderful natural delivery, perfect ensemble timing, and a hilarious arsenal of quirky sounds, twitches and classic pratfalls. Out of altruism and family loyalty, he made the devil's choice - and three generations of comedy fans can be grateful for a noble and selfless gesture.

More Shemp facts: Shemp had virtually created the Stooges' trademark style of comedy with Ted Healy in vaudeville, before Moe, Larry Fine or Curly ever even joined the act. Simply put (for the benefit of some uninformed reviewers), without the vitally important Shemp there never would have been any Three Stooges in the first place - which makes undermining his legacy all the more pointless and absurd. He was also an uncredited gag writer on some early Curly shorts, such as "Pardon My Scotch," and in 1944 he took over for an ailing Curly during the Stooges' many live performance appearances.
Ah, but was he FUNNY? Well, the proof is in the pudding, (or custard pie, as the case may be.) Even his HAIR was funny - and who else could get his head "ironed" in an industrial pants press in quite the same way? Sixty years later, and the world is still laughing.
"Heeb-eep-eep-eep-eep!" Shemp fever....CATCH IT!

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This fifth collection of The Three Stooges, which features 25 digitally remastered shorts from 1946-1948, marks the end of Curly's career with the Stooges and the return of original Stooge Shemp. Curly suffered a stroke on the final day of filming Half-Wits Holiday and retired at age 43. Moe realized there was only one person who could fill baby brother Curly's shoes: his older brother Shemp (who, ironically, Curly had replaced in 1932). The Three Stooges were born in 1925 when Moe and Shemp met Larry Fine. But the 1930's Shemp left to pursue a film career in Hollywood. By the time Moe called in 1946, he was starring in films with the likes of W.C. Fields, John Wayne, and Abbott and Costello. But he accepted Moe's offer, and the original Three Stooges reunited. Shemp's first short upon his return was Fright Night . And Curly did recover enough to make an appearance in Hold That Lion, but his health continued to deteriorate and he unfortunately passed away in 1952 at age 48. The Three Stooges Collection Volume 5 is bittersweet for the change but filled with more fun than ever and the added bonus of not only Larry, Moe, and Curly, but Shemp too!

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The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Season 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)After the enormous success of the 1st season of Haruhi Suzumiya many including myself couldn't wait for the second season. But unfortunately fans would be waiting for 3 years for the second season. Was it worth the wait? That's up to you to decide.
If you are not familiar with the series or read the novels you must keep in mind that the 2nd season is intertwined with the 1st season. So some of the story lines in the 2nd season will shed light on a few things that happened in the 1st season.
By now many have heard about the infamous Endless Eight arc in the second season but let's put that aside for now. The season starts off with Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody, which is a very important episode and storyline in the Haruhi Saga. It's the first time we get to see Mikuru use her time traveling powers as she and Kyon must travel back in time 3 years. After they accomplish their mission the duo find that they are stranded and must find a way back home, which they do in a very interesting way.
Next is the Endless Eight storyline. Love it or hate it, E8 is a very important arc in the series. The SoS Brigade get stuck in a timeloop during their summer vacation and Kyon must figure out why Haruhi doesn't want their summer vacation to end.
The E8 arc is told in 8 episodes that are essentially the same but slightly different in tone, acting & mood. E8 also sees the growth of two characters, Nagato seems to be developing emotions & Kyon takes a step forward to being an active member of the SoS Brigade instead of a bystander.
The remaining episodes are dedicated to the Sigh arc, which is the making of the movie from the 1st season. You will find out why Nagato tackled Mikuru, why the cat started talking, what's the deal with Mikuru's different colored eyes & ultimately who put it all together!!
It is during these last few episodes that provide the darkest moments in the series to date. Kyon & Haruhi have a epic confrontation over, "creative differences" that threatens the world. Of course it is up to Kyon once again to find a way to tame Haruhi and put things back in order.
The animation is top notch once again, especially during the darker moments of the series. There is great dramatic lighting during the Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody, the night scenes of E8 and during the confrontation in Sigh.
The music is not as memorable as 1st season but Superdriver (the opening song) and Tomare (the ending song which means Stop) are energetic & catchy enough to be heard & watched over and over. I found the best score part to be at the resolution of the E8 arc.
I look forward to the English dub of the 2nd season. I am very curious as to how Wendee Lee, Crispin Freeman & Michelle Ruff will handle the E8 arc and the confrontation. Of course the Japanese va's are excellent as well.
In the end I wanted to really love the 2nd season of Haruhi, but I was found wanting a better effort from the stories. Personally, I felt the E8 arc should've been two episodes. I would've like to have seen a more fleshed out Sigh arc because it felt rushed. Then I really would've liked to have seen a set up of the Disappearance storyline.

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Haruhi continues her search for exciting ways to keep her world from being boring. Unfortunately, for Kyon and the rest of the SOS Brigade, they are forced to go along for the ride. On the night of the Tanabata Star Festival, Kyon is transported back in time by Mikuru Asahina to what may be the source of what led Haruhi to search for aliens, time travelers and espers.In the last two weeks of summer vacation, Haruhi leads the brigade on a dizzying list of summer time activities that leads the brigade into experiencing what they think is dejavu but they're actually re-living the same two weeks of summer over and over again. It's up to Kyon to figure out what's missing to get them out of this endless loop.As fall rolls around, everyone prepares for the school arts festival, but Haruhi isn't content with their class's survey project. She, instead, hatches her own plan for the SOS Brigade to film and screen their own. Step behind the camera to see what went on to create the cinematic 'masterpiece' that is The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00.

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The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 2: 1937-1939 Review

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(More customer reviews)THIS DVD HAS BEEN VIEWED IN FULL FROM AN ADVANCED COPY I RECEIVED FROM SONY PICTURES ON 5/16/08:Either you get the Three Stooges or you don't. There is no middle ground.
It seems that everyone from Jay Leno to University of Arizona Professor Jon Solomon have chimed in on the subject. Essays, numerous books and college lectures have addressed the topic. There are two distinct classes of people. Those that love the classic comedy team and others who scratch their head and wonder why.
During their impressive career, The Three Stooges made 190 short subjects for Columbia Pictures. Add to that their 6 full length features; film cameos; television appearances and 156 cartoons with live wraparounds and their output is staggering.
With last year's Three Stooges Collection Volume One 1934-1936, Sony/Columbia Pictures finally began releasing the Stooges' crown jeweled two-reelers fully restored and in chronological order.
Fans rejoiced! Naysayers found something else to get excited about.
There is good news in Stoogeville as Sony's second volume of restored shorts hits the street on May 27. The Three Stooges Collection Volume Two: 1937-1939 contains 24 titles presented in their original release order.
Each short in this compilation has been digitally remastered and the soundtrack has been fully restored. Never before have these 70+ year old films looked or sounded so good. Gone is each pop, scratch, hiss, splice and wobbly frame. The contrast has been lovingly corrected. Granted, there are times when the picture fluctuates in contrast (when the camera is sped up to make images move faster), but that was limited to the technology for the time.
Most importantly, it shows the team at their peak. Moe, Larry and Curly were never more vigorous than during this period. While there are a few shorts that miss their mark here, many are high energy romps. The fact that numerous directors were in and out of the mix during this era didn't hurt the series.
Here's a blow by blow (no pun intended) analysis for the shorts included on Volume 2:
"Grips, Grunts and Groans" (****) opens the set and previous VHS and DVD releases were grainy and terribly dark in contrast. The soundtrack
was flat and there was no bass on it, giving it the sound of an AM
transistor radio. It's one of the best shorts on the set and shows
just how far the pacing had come along since many of the shorts
that it preceded. If you ever wondered where they got the idea for the
world of WWF wrestling, look no further. After Larry and Curly brain
prize fighter Ivan Bustoff (played to perfection by Harrison Greene), with a set of dumbells and a falling locker, the boys substitute Curly to wrestle in his place. With the aid of Wild Hyacinth perfume, Curly becomes a force to be reckoned with. CLASSIC LINE: "Wait a minute. If I'm
gonna get beat up, I want to get paid for it."
"Dizzy Doctors" (***) This fan favorite has the Boys selling Brighto.
Naturally, they don't know it's medicine and peddle the stuff from
car polish to spot remover. When they discover Brighto's proper
use, they invade Los Arms Hospital and run amuck trying to cure
assorted patients. CLASSIC LINE: "You boys really want to know
what it's for? It's for sale, now get busy selling it."
"Three Dumb Clucks" (***) is a great idea that could have been executed
better. The premise is promising: the Boys have to break out of jail to
stop their father (played by Curly in a dual role) from marrying some
golddigger and return him to 'Ma'. The short suffers from pacing problems
that keep it from becoming a true classic. CLASSIC SCENES: The
hat fitting and elevator/hallway chase.
"Back To The Woods" (**1/2) suffers from slow pacing and too many
scenes that weigh it down. It does have it's highlights, but they are too
few and thus is one of the weaker titles in the cannon. The Stooges are
sent to help the colonies against Indian attacks. CLASSIC LINE:
"All my life I've been looking for a maid like thee, toots!"
"Goofs and Saddles" (***1/2) The Stooges are Wild Bill Hiccup, Buffalo Billious and Just Plain Bill in hot pusuit of Longhorn Pete in this western parody. The Boys made several western themed shorts, with this entry being one of the standouts. CLASSIC LINES: "You got your special deck of cards?""Soitinly". "We won't need 'em." CLASSIC SCENE: Passing cards under the table with their feet.
"Cash and Carry" (***) While pathos worked better for Chaplin, there's plenty of gags and snappy dialog to make up for the corny Jimmy and his illness subplot. The Stooges invest Jimmy's leg operation money in a map that leads to finding "buried teasure" in a house (conveniently located next to the US Treasury Building). CLASSIC LINE: "$500, hmm, that's almost a million."
"Playing the Ponies" (***1/2) Down and out restauranteurs Moe, Larry and Curly trade their business for Thunderbolt and enter him in a race. Curly discovers that the nag runs fast after eating the hot peppers he swiped from the eatery. CLASSIC LINE: "Adam and Eve on a raft." "Hey, scramble those eggs." "Wreck 'em."
"The Sitter Downers" (****) This classic has it all. Great gags, fine pacing and a solid storyline. The Stooges go on strike and camp out in their fiancees' home, much to the dismay of their father. The nation sympathizes and gifts come pouring in. When their ready made house has to be assembled, the wives lay down the law: no honeymoon until the house is built. CLASSIC SCENE: Moe and Larry's chase sequence.
"Termites Of 1938" (****) In a mix up, Mrs. Vantwitchet hires the ACME Exterminators instead of ACME Escorts. Thinking they are hired to rid pests at an upscale party, the Stooges wreak havoc on the guests and the posh home. CLASSIC LINE: "I wish to hire your best men." "We're all pest men."
'Wee Wee Monsieur" (***1/2) Behind on their rent, Curly hopes to sell his painting, but when he clobbers the landlord over the head with it during an argument, the Boys are on the run and sign up for the Foreign Legion (thinking it's the American version). Recruited to guard General Gorganzola, he is kidnapped under their watch. They need to bring him back alive or it's cutains for the Stooges. CLASSIC SCENE: The Stooges
dressed as dancing harum girls.
"Tassels In The Air" (****) One of my favorites! Hired as janitors, the Stooges get in a jam by stenciling the wrong office door titles. Moe is mistaken for Omay, a famous interior decorator. The Curly goes bananas theme (pop goes the weasel; seeing mice; Wild Hyacinth perfume) is reworked when he sees tassels (he was tickled with a pussy willow as a child). The pig Latin bit is priceless! CLASSIC LINE: "You mean I'm umday in pig language?" "You're umday in any language."
"Flat Foot Stooges" (**) One of the flatter (no pun intended) shorts. The Stooges are inept firemen.This short misses its mark with a silly story line that involves a gun powder eating duck (silly, even by Stooge standards), who lays an exploding egg and a weak ending that had no effort put into it. Significant for the first use of 'Three Blind Mice' as the opening theme music.
"Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb" (****) A great Three Stooges vehicle. After winning the Coffin Nail Cigarette radio contest, the Stooges check into the snazzy Hotel Costa Plenty, get plastered; ruin the suite; get terrorized by a monkey; duck the hotel manager, and get railroaded by three comely female golddiggers. All this in 17 minutes! CLASSIC LINE: "Gentlemen, this bed goes back to Henry The Eighth." "That's nothing. We had a bed that went back to Sears Roebuck The Third."
"Violent Is The Word For Curly" (***1/2) This fan favorite is best known for the 'Alphabet Song'. The Boys are gas station attendants mistaken for three college professors. They wind up at Mildew College to teach the all girls school a thing or three. CLASSIC LINE: "You'll just love our student body." "Your's wouldn't be so bad either if you took off 20 pounds."
"Three Missing Links" (**) One of the weaker films in this set (not to mention the Curly era). After being fired as studio janitors, the Stooges are hired as actors and are shipped to the jungle for the shoot. Uninspired gags, weak pacing and a silly sub plot involving 'love candy' drag this one down. CLASSIC LINE: "There's great grammer for ya. I'm not me."
"Mutts To You" (***1/2) Moe, Larry and Curly run the K9 Dog Laundry Service, a great place with Rube Goldberg type contraptions. When the Stooges find a baby on a doorstep, they take the tyke home fearing he's been abandoned. Lots of great gags, one liners and wild pacing allow the Boys to shine while relying less on their signature slaps and pokes with winning results. CLASSIC LINE: "Is he on the bottle yet?" "I should say not. He don't smoke, drink nor chew."
"Three Little Sew and Sews" (*1/2) A disappointing and uneven short that even a manic Curly can't save. The Stooges pass themselves off as Admiral Tailor and his two assistants in hopes to catch a German spy. There is one good gag that rehashes the spring in the butt and one CLASSIC LINE: "I'm gonna change my socks--what an experience."
"We Want Our Mummy" (****) Everything that makes a great Three Stooges short is packed in this classic. Hired by a museum to find the remains of King Rootentooten, the Stooges hire a taxi to Cairo and hook up with crooks who are trying to beat them to the punch. Lots of great gags (Curly's mirage sequence is a standout) and CLASSIC LINES: "And if the curse does strike them, it will be a blessing to humanity." "I can't be...Read more›

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Get ready for more outrageous antics as The Three Stooges return in this second collection of chronological masterpieces. These 24 shorts, filmed from 1937-1939, are digitally remastered for the highest quality - every sight, gag and knuckle-cracking sound can be seen and heard with the utmost clarity for maximum effect. This period is considered to be when Larry, Moe, and Curly hit their stride and perfected their craft, when all the elements came together perfectly: the writing, directing, pacing, and performances. It's no wonder The Stooges made some of their best films during this period, proving laughter really is the best medicine in such classics as Dizzy Doctors, Saved By The Belle, and Calling All Curs. And audiences agreed - at least most of them did. By now The Stooges were wildly popular and their personal appearances were mobbed, but there were some who thought they were too violent and who over analyzed their eye-poking, pie-throwing behavior.

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The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 6: 1949-1951 Review

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(More customer reviews)This set contains:
1949
The Ghost Talks
Who Done It?
Hokus Pokus
Fuelin' Around
Malice in the Palace
Vagabond Loafers
Dunked in the Deep
1950
Punchy Cowpunchers
Hugs and Mugs
Do pey Ducks
Love at First Bite
Self-Made Maids
Three Hams on Rye
Studio Stoops
Slaphappy Sleuths
A Snitch in Time
1951
Three Arabian Nuts
Baby Sitters Jitters
Don't Throw That Knife
Scrambled Brains
Merry Mavericks
The Tooth Will Out
Hula La La
Pest Man Wins
These shorts are from the era when the Stooges were comprised of Larry, Moe, and Shemp. These are the probably the last of the great Stooges shorts. With television encroaching upon the motion picture industry, cost cutting measures were soon underway. One such measure taken at Columbia that had already impacted MGM and other studios was the decrease in scope of the short-subject department in 1952. Stooge short veterans producer Hugh McCollum and director Edward Bernds were casualties of this action, and this left only Jules White behind as a person in the short subject department with a feel for what made the Stooges special. Shooting schedules were shortened, old Stooge shorts were cut up and recycled into sparse new material, and fans were not fooled by all of this.
Do be aware that the first six volumes of the Three Stooges will be available in June on The Three Stooges Collection, Volumes 1-6 Bundle. This really is not a great buy, but is pretty much on par with what you pay for all six volumes when they are on sale. This might be the way to go if you don't have any of the volumes yet.

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The Three Stooges return with the next 24 digitally remastered shorts covering the years 1949-1951 in this sixth collection, which continues with Shemp as the third Stooge, who had stepped in two years earlier to fill the shoes left empty when Curly became ill and retired. This collection contains such classics as "Merry Mavericks" (1951), a reworking of "Phony Express" (1943) featuring Red Morgan and his gang of bandits; "Self Made Maids" (1950), in which the Stooges not only play themselves but assume the roles of their fiancées, their fiancées' father (played by Moe) and their three babies; and "Don't Throw that Knife" (1951), which features Larry, Moe and Shemp in brilliant improvisation with nothing but household items while confined to a single room.The Three Stooges Collection Volume 6 showcases Larry, Moe and Shemp at their best -- and things just keep getting better!

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The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 1: 1934-1936 Review

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(More customer reviews)THIS IS AN ACTUAL VIEWED, IN FULL, REVIEW FROM AN ADVANCED COPY OF THE NEW DVD SET I RECEIVED FROM SONY PICTURES ON 10/18/07: To Stooge or not to Stooge, that is the question. For almost a decade since Sony began issuing The Three Stooges shorts on DVD, fans have been asking when chronological ordered sets would be released. During the last nine years, previous compilations have been a mixed bag of quality prints; odd pairings of titles; ill fated "themed" discs, and a color/B&W series. Some shorts were duplicated several times, while other films never saw the light of day. The number of shorts appearing on each disc steadily decreased. If you've felt burned by previous DVD releases that had splices, missing dialogue or deleted scenes, worry not.
Sony got the message. The Three Stooges Collection 1934-1936 is the first in a series of DVD's that presents the shorts in their original release order. For ardent fans, it's a knucklehead's dream. For the beginner, it is the proper way to be introduced to the legendary trio. Each short has been restored to its original running time. For those of you not familiar with the history of the Three Stooges, they made more films than any comedy team. A total of 190 shorts (or two reelers) and five starring feature films were produced from 1934 through 1965 at Columbia Pictures. They hold the record for the longest running studio association in Hollywood history. This was no accident. Simply put, The Three Stooges are funny. They produced a bunch of classic episodes. Of course, with 190 titles, there are some lemons in the barrel. However, with the first set of chronological shorts, each one has plenty of Stooge brilliance. Even their first short, "Woman Haters", an oddity done in rhythm, has enough mayhem to rise it above the "musical novelty" that it was originally billed.
The Stooges' career was drenched in irony. During their heyday of appearing in the classic short films, the Stooges longed to make feature length movies, fearing that the shorts were holding them back. But it was the Columbia shorts that kept them alive. Because of their running time (between 16-18 minutes), The Three Stooges shorts were like mini sitcoms. They weren't bogged down with dated musical numbers and gooey romantic sub plots like features starring Abbott and Costello and The Marx Brothers, for example. The pacing was that of animated cartoons and the Stooges were human cartoon characters. The short films they made 70+ years ago fit surprisingly well in today's video game generation of quick paced action, fast edits and short attention spans.
The other alleged nail in their career coffin was television. When the shorts market dried up in theatres due to the popularity of TV, the Stooges thought they were finished. Their backlog of films were sold in syndication and millions of people have been exposed to them ever since, therefore rescuing them from obscurity and cementing them as pop culture icons.
The first 19 of these episodes are featured in this collection. But they don't look like they did on TV. Sony has lovingly restored each short to its original brilliance and the results are nothing short of spectacular. The quality of the restoration is on par with that of Disney, the Looney Tunes series and classic films like "Wizard Of Oz", "Casablanca", and "Singin' In The Rain."
I've seen each of these Curly shorts more times than I should admit to, and watching these newly mastered films is like seeing them for the first time. Gone are the hairline scratches, dust, pops and other debris commonly found on TV and previous VHS and DVD prints. The black and white resolution is rich and some of the shorts look like they have a glossy finish to them. On "Three Little Pigskins", the picture is so clear at times, I can see the beauty parlor sign behind the boys and read that a polish and fingerwave cost 79 cents. The picture quality is that pristine! Those glorious sound effects jump from my speakers. The oldest film on the set is 73 years, and it looks beautiful on a widescreen HD TV.
So, if you're still asking yourself the question: to Stooge or not to Stooge, the answer should be as predictable as a slap from Moe. Why, Soitinly!

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When the Three Stooges first signed with Columbia Pictures, their deal was for one short. 1934's Woman Hater, done entirely in rhyme, wasn't a huge success, but the Stooges hit their stride with their second short, Punch Drunks, and began to settle into their definitive roles - Moe as boss, Larry the middleman and Curly as their foil. Witness the rise of these comedy icons in this high-spirited collection containing the first 10 Columbia shorts, all of which have been remastered for the best quality picture and sound. You'll experience the eye-pokes, face slaps, hollow head knocks and knuckle cracks like you've never heard or seen them before. So go ahead, nyuck yourself out!

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