The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 3: 1940-1942

I have been waiting my entire life for the Three Stooges to be remastered and distributed in chronological order. Now that they have I fear that Sony is dropping the proverbial ball on the promotion front. I saw endless commercials and ads on television and my local Hastings when those ridiculous colorized/themed sets came out, and entirely too many stooge fans bought those, bought the old VHS tapes etc. These things WILL sell Sony, I promise you...push 'em and they WILL sell. The Farelly Brothers are currently Making a movie, the demand is real. If anyone knows how to reach Sony please Email me totht@sbcglobal.net. I am passionate about this, I love the Stooges despite what Comedy III has done to there legacy and I want this series to at the very least give me volume 5 and hopefully the entire Shemp run as well. Please Sony you've obviously started listening, now please follow through. You've got a virtual goldmine if you play your cards right!
Thanks
Tony Toth

Once again Sony Pictures has done an incredible job with the video remastering and sound restoration and they should be commended for their ongoing efforts. The digitally remastered video transfers have given new life to the all but faded comedy that was the "Three Stooges" and hopefully introduced them to a new generation of fans waiting to discover them in superior clarity and sound. These shorts look like they were made yesterday with modern equipment and not over 70+ years ago. The completely restored soundtrack is once again the best I've ever heard any of these shorts sound and fans will be delighted that the annoying hissing noises are gone. Also missing from the newly remastered shorts is the debris, grain, dirt, scratches and lines that used to plague these wonderful shorts. This set contains 23 shorts on two single sided discs packaged in slim cases. The disc artwork and packaging is fantastic and first class to say the least, making this third installment set even more attractive and a must have for fans to own.

Like many of the other "Three Stooges" fans who purchased the first "Three Stooges Collection" volume one (1934-1936) and the second "Three Stooges Collection" volume two (1937-1939) I wondered if Sony Pictures would continue to release these affordable sets with the same level of quality shorts found in the volume one and volume two sets and so far the answer is an overwhelming yes!

Stooge fans, Sony Pictures have done it again quickly releasing the third installment of 23 digitally restored and remastered stooge shorts. The "Three Stooges Collection" volume three from 1940-1942 continues to offer the same outstanding video and sound quality as found in the first two sets. Once again fans will be happy to find that all 23 shorts in this fantastic two-disc set are in chronological order and the laughs get better and better as the shorts continue. By 1940-1942 the "Three Stooges" were well into their act and the brand of hilarity and hijinks that made them famous. From the quality of their shorts it was clearly evident that fans couldn't get enough of them and they wanted more. In volume three some of the notable shorts are "You Nazty Spy", "I'll Never Heil Again" as well as "Boobs in Arms", "An Ache in Every Stake" and the hilarious "A Plumbing We Will Go" another personal favorite of mine.

"Three Stooges" Fans will rejoice that eight of the twenty three newly digitally remastered shorts are finally presented complete and uncut for the first time on DVD with all they're political incorrectness intact and still presented in beautiful Black & White. The only drawback to this set is that it doesn't include any bonus features or extras, although for me it's the quality of the shorts that really matters.

Shorts Include:

You Nazty Spy!
Rockin' Thru the Rockies
A Plumbing We Will Go
Nutty But Nice
How High is Up?
From Nurse to Worse
No Census, No Feeling
Cookoo Cavaliers
Boobs in Arms
So Long Mr. Chumps
Dutiful But Dumb
All the World's a Stooge
I'll Never Heil Again
An Ache in Every Stake
In the Sweet Pie and Pie
Some More of Samoa
Loco Boy Makes Good
Cactus Makes Perfect
What's the Matador?
Matri-Phony
Three Smart Saps
Even as IOU
Sock-a-Bye Baby

This third volume of the Three Stooges Collection again showcases the hilarious slapstick comedy of Curly Howard, Moe Howard, and Larry Fine. If you enjoyed the first two volumes in this collection, or are just a Stooges fan in general, you will heartily laugh along to nearly ever short.

The only negative thing I have to say about this set is that, about 3/4 of the way through the shorts, there is a stretch of 4-5 shorts that just aren't as good as the rest. It was almost as if new directors were trying their hand at directing the three mischief-makers and couldn't quite grasp the winning slapstick formula (too much plot substance...never a Stooges strong-suit!). However, many of the episodes before and after that stretch I consider to be some of my favorite shorts ever produced!

Buy this product with confidence knowing that you will have hours of laughs and hilarious entertainment awaiting you!

This was my second order Volume 3. The first was for me, and the second was for Lorna Gray, who was in several Three Stooges shorts (including ones on this disc). She was thrilled that the shorts are being digitally restored, and presented in order.

Frank Reighter

If you don't get them now, you never will. This is a great collection and I love how the video and audio was cleaned up to where it should be and was when they were seen in the theatres. Great collection.

I just can't get enough of these guys... Sony did such a great job with this collection!!! All the shorts are restored and in chronological order, in three year intervals per volume. --It's total stooge mania!!! Some of these, you probably never even seen!!! or maybe 20 years ago, and forgot about that old classic one. If your a stooge fan, vol. 3 is a must have... actually, all of them are!!

MORE STOOGES! As if Volume 1 & 2 didn't satisfy your need for eye pokes and face slaps! I hope they continue the volumes all the way through Shemp to Curley Joe!!!

This is a great collection that I was saving up for on another sight that would have cost over $200 for the same stooge shorts.

Here are some of the Stooges finest shorts, all presented in crystal-clear versions. This set is worth purchasing just for "An Ache in Every Stake" alone!

Keep Um Coming Sony A.S.A.P. !! I Dont Really Care If They Do All The Stooges Shorts ! Just As Long As All The Curly Ones Are Done, And All Of The Shemp's Ones Are Done !!! Curly Joe And Joe Did Not Live Up To The Prior Two Stooges ! Curly-Shemp-Moe The Three Real Life Brothers Were The Perfect Mix- Including Of Course Larry !!!

Volume 3 in the Three Stooges Collection is another excellent presentation of their shorts. Moe, Larry & Curly do it all to comedy; Curly, in particular, shows off his comedic genius. The two disc set has 23 shorts from 1940 through 1942. Sony has done an excellent job in remastering these shorts which is incredible considering the age of the product. Sony needs to be commended for releasing these shorts in chronological order.

The set opens with "You Nazty Spy" which is a short that takes place in the Kingdom of Moronica. The Stooges do a take-off on the Axis leaders (with supporting help), Moe does a great send up of Hitler. They are hired to rescue the king & put him back in power.

The highlight of the set is "A Plumbing We Will Go" where the Stooges make a complete wreck of a house. Their piping skills has Curly trapped in the midst of pipes, faucets turning in place, water from lighting fixtures & water crashing out of a television set. There are many who think this particular short is the Stooges ultimate short & it's hard to disagree.

Other shorts that deserve mentioning are "How High Is Up?" in which they work in constructing a skyscraper. "Cuckoo Cavaliers" where they open a beauty salon in Mexico. "Boobs in Arms" where they make a shambles out of the Army. In "I'll Never Heil Again" they repeat their roles in the Kingdom of Moronica. In this short the Stooges are over the top in their portrayal of Axis leaders. When Curly takes Moe's moustache (Moe does an incredible Hitler) Moe hollers, "Give me back my personality!" "Cactus Makes Perfect" finds the Stooges out west looking for a gold mine with Curly's gold seeking arrow. "What's the Matador" has them portraying bullfighter & bull.

There aren't any bonus features & there isn't any subtitles available either. But there's no shortage of laughs as the Stooges yuk it up better than most.

These are the best transfers I have ever seen. I recently compared my video copy of "A Plumbing We Will Go" with the version on Vol. 3 of this DVD series...

All I can say is BUY THESE NOW!!

Instead of scratched copies, these collections have been done with much love and care, and in chronological order as well. I can't believe my eyes. These are BEAUTIFUL!!

Vol. 4 comes out in October, but Shemp fans will have to be patient. He won't show up until Vol. 5...

Brothers Moe and Curly Howard and Larry Fine were at the peak of their popularity around 1940 and except for one subsequent short,THREE BLIND MICE was the signature theme. In 1939,the trio filmed YOU NAZTY SPY when Adolph Hitler was a mad dictator,just like Saddam Hussein was in recent years. The trio are putting up wallpaper in a politician's dining room and he elects them to become world figures(Moe Hailstone,the ideal Hitler double,Larry Goalstone as Minister of Propaganda and Curly Pebble as Field Marshall). In ROCKIN' THRU THE ROCKIES,the boys are stranded in the woods with three sister actresses and their mother,who despises the frequently misbehaving Stooges. In A PLUMBING WE WILL GO,the boys are tried in court for vagrancy and pose as plumbers(and of course,wreck havoc) when they learn about a leak in a woman's home(later remade as VAGABOND LOAFERS then SCHEMING SCHEMERS). In NUTTY BUT NICE,the boys search for a morose,ailing girl's missing father. In HOW HIGH IS UP?,the boys seek employment in construction,beginning work on the 97th floor of a skyscraper. Curly quipps,"Three of the best riveters who ever riveted!". Of course,the boys' work is messy. In FROM NURSE TO WORSE,to receive money from an insurance company,Curly,the "Mad Dog Man" is involuntarily chosen to pretend he is a dog and act nuts. In NO CENSUS NO FEELING,the boys are census takers,even at a football game,and play some bridge at a woman's home. In CUCKOO CAVALIERS,the boys retire from seafood retail with plans to open a saloon and instead are given a beauty salon(the Hispanic owner who's paid $300 for his business says "saloon"!). He is angry when he finds three female friends bald when they wanted their hairs bleached. In BOOBS IN ARMS,the boys peddle greeting cards and meet a woman who's crying because she believes her husband no longer loves her. Later,the boys join the army with the husband as the drill seargeant(footage later re-used for DIZZY PILOTS). SO LONG MR. CHUMPS features the boys planning to get a falsely charged inmate out of jail(the man's girlfriend was in tears). In DUTIFUL BUT DUMB,the boys are photographers sent to Vulgaria to safely obtain a photo of a ray machine(everyone else who attempted was shot since photography was illegal there). In ALL THE WORLD'S A STOOGE,the boys as janitors,cure a man's toothache pain and he takes them home to his wife as her "refugees" named Frankie(Curly),Johnny(Moe) and Mabel(Larry,coincidentally,his wife's name). I'LL NEVER HEIL AGAIN is a sequel to YNS. Hailstone,Goalstone and Pebble are scheming again and playing rough with other world figures. In AN ACHE IN EVERY STAKE,the boys are ice peddlers and fill in for a chef for a birthday dinner party after he and his partner quit. In IN THE SWEET PIE AND PIE,the Stooges,in jail for murder,meet and marry three beautiful girls who later boss them around,making them wear fancy clothes,take dancing lessons and baths 10 times a day! The triple wedding takes place while the Stooges are still in jail. At the party,there's gooey pie fights and while the girls planned to divorce their husbands to reunite with their longlost fiances,they remain married to the Stooges. The boys,as tree surgeons, search for a rare tree on an island in SOME MORE OF SAMOA. The boys search for gold with Curly's new invention,a gold-finder(the boys' mother was played by a male actor in drag) in CACTUE MAKES PERFECT. An elderly lady is on the verge of losing her hotel in LOCO BOY MAKES GOOD. So the boys provide adequate entertainment. Curly dons a magician's jacket,filled with gags,identical to Curly's own. In WHAT'S THE MATADOR?,the boys travel to Mexico to do a bullfighting act. Larry and Moe don a two-person bull costume and Curly serves as the silly matador! This is later remade as SAPPY BULLFIGHTERS with Joe Besser,which in fact was the last released short in the series. In MATRI-PHONY,a young woman about to be appointed empress as well as an emperor's wife makes her escape with Curly posing as her. In THREE SMART SAPS,the boys' fiancees are sad that their prison warden father is an inmate(spitefully imprisoned) himself. The prison is being run by racketeers and gangsters who are throwing a party in the dining room and with a handful of photos taken by the Stooges,the father is released and the racketeers and gangsters are placed behind bars. So the three couples tie the knot and are off to their honeymoons. In EVEN AS I.O.U.,the boys sell(expired) horse-racing programs and rip off an interested passer-by. When the man yells for a cop to place the Stooges under arrest,they run away,meet and befriend a talking horse who becomes a father. In SOCK-A-BYE BABY,the Stooges take in an abandoned baby and believe me,next to the 1987 blockbuster film THREE MEN AND A BABY,fatherhood has never been funnier. When the trio discover in the newspaper that another baby has been kidnapped and held for ransom,they believe it was Jimmy,the one in their care. Jimmy is happily reunited with his mother and her policeman husband who I believe is Jimmy's father(the couple had a heated argument the previous evening). Jimmy was given away by his mother while she was resolving issues with his father. I dedicate this item to the memories of Moses "Moe" Harry Horwitz(1897-1975),Louis "Larry" Fineberg(1092-1975) and Jerome Lester "Curly" Horwitz(1903-1952).

Best comedy team ever. Looks like they came out today. keep them coming. jeff phila.

A big Thank You to Sony for giving the Three Stooges fans what we've wanted for a long time with the DVD releases of the Stooges shorts [no pun intended!] in their original release order. I would like to request that for future volumes that Sony's research people locate any existing news reel footage, guest appearances in other film shorts, etc, that could be bonus discs for all us loyal fans and product purchasers!
Also, a DVD collection of the films that the boys made with their old boss, Ted Healy, would make a wonderful addition to this marvelous collection!
Thank you, Sony? Certainey!!! Now, spread out!!!
Donna Tindall
Indianapolis, Indiana

can someone please tell me if this is coming out on BluRay?I thought I saw on DVD Town that these 2 discs were in HD,Thanks,Andy

I have been a Stooge fan since I was a liitle boy and am 50 now. I have seen them all over the years. I have tried to videotape some of the episodes but it was frustrating. But to have them in cronilogical order and on DVD is great. This way, the Stooge world is assured of getting ALL of the Stooges shorts. I have Volumes 1 and 2 and am ordering Vol. 3 and Volume 4 will be out in October. This is great! It is truly a must for all Stooge fans.

As the boys enter the 1940's, their characters and unique brand of comedy have achieved a sort of perfection, displaying the enthusiasm, timing and creativity that comes from familiarity, genuine affection, and physical vibrancy. Curly in particular is in peak form, with a genius that would later fade as his physical problems kicked in. While some of the gags are predictable (and of course, that is part of their enduring charm), the shorts remained varied and fresh, allowing Moe, Larry and Curly to act and react upon different situations.

Several shorts stand out (and this review will only focus upon a few as others have done a marvelous job of reviewing them). These are my personal favorites among the many fine shorts in this volume.

"You Natzy Spy" - This is the Stooges' (and Hollywood's) first spoof of Hitler and his band of "merry men." Moe does a remarkable turn of Adolf; Charlie Chaplin's wonderful "The Great Dictator" was not released until some nine months later. Quite honestly, I found Moe's portrayal of Hitler much better, although Chaplin fans will argue the point. Larry is particularly interesting in his role as Pebble - minister of propaganda.

"A Plumbing We Will Go" - The classic "Moe, these pipes are all clogged up with wires" short, later remade with Shemp. The original version, features a manic Curly, tangled up in the waterpipes; his childlike antics are never more hilarious (as a side note, the remake with Shemp was a classic as well).

"How High is Up" - A frenetic short in which the boys end up at the top of a skyscraper construction site. Nothing particular to note here (other than the "Get the tools" routine), but just a fun one.

"All the World's A Stooge" - Moe, Larry and Curly play three refugee children, who are called upon to pass themselves off to a wealthy society matron. Their parody of precious little children is priceless, especially Larry, with his typical brand of humor.

"I'll Never Heil Again" - The worthy sequel to "You Natzy Spy," provides a fitting end to the erstwhile dictator and his henchman.

"An Ache in Every Stake" - The boys are icemen, delivering ice to a home at the top of one of those long LA staircases. Classic gags abound. Stooge regular Vernon Dent is at his blustery best.

"What's the Matador" - The Stooges are vaudeville performers, taking their bullfighting act to Mexico. They annoy the jealous husband of a gorgeous Mexican woman and hilarity ensures. Perfect timing from beginning to end. Curly is at his best in this one. This short was remade with Joe Besser as "Sappy Bullfighters." While one of Joe's better efforts, it pales in comparison to Curly's antics.

The charm of these shorts is not just with Moe, Larry and Curly, but also with the wonderful co-stars who appeared with the boys at that time. Vernon Dent is the perfect foil: pompous, dignified - the perfect stuff shirt. Bud Jamison, adept at playing butlers, cops, or members of the upper crust, was an able character actor supporting other notable stars such as Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Charley Chase and numerous others in a career that spanned from 1915 until his death in 1944. Talented women abounded in the shorts as well. Dorothy Appelby, Bess Flowers, Symona Boniface provide the feminine touch in a land of lunacy.

As with the first two volumes, the restoration of the shorts is excellent, providing viewers, used to the sliced and diced television versions, with a new found appreciation for the programs as originally released.

I have all of the 3 Stooges DVD's,..However, My question is:
When are they coming out with "Shemp" shorts?!?! PLEEEZZZZ!!!!!!
Love em' all,..however,..SHEMP IS SHEMP!!!
Please respond!
Thx,
Stevie

I am proud to own The Three Stooges Volumes One and Two and they are awesome. Best transfers I've ever seen and in chronological order. So even sight unseen, I'll assume the same for Volume 3 and award it five stars.

HOWEVER...... AND HERE'S THE GREAT NEWS!!!

Volume 4 is on the way according to "creepyclassics.com". Here are the particulars.



THE THREE STOOGES COLLECTION - Volume 4 (1943-45) Release Date: October 7, 2008

On this one will be there "werewolf" short IDLE ROOMERS!:

They Stooge To Conga (1943)*
2. Dizzy Detectives (1943)
3. Spook Louder (1943)
4. Back From The Front (1943)
5. Three Little Twirps (1943)*
6. Higher Than A Kite (1943)
7. I Can Hardly Wait (1943)*
8. Dizzy Pilots (1943)
9. Phony Express (1943)
10. A Gem Of A Jam (1943)*
11. Crash Goes The Hash (1944)
12. Busy Buddies (1944)*
13. The Yoke's On Me (1944)*
14. Idle Roomers (1944)*
15. Gents Without Cents (1944)
16. No Dough Boys (1944)
17. Three Pests In A Mess (1945)*
18. Booby Dupes (1945)
19. Idiots Deluxe (1945)
20. If A Body Meets A Body (1945)
21. Micro-Phonies (1945)

*new to dvd

My rating is based on the first 2 releases. Not knowing what to expect with the next, I really hope Shemp is included here or in another release in the future.
My memories of the 3 Stooges goes back to the 1950's, where every Saturday afternoon at the local theatre here in Melbourne Australia, we were entertained with one of the shorts.
I'm going back about 50 years here, but can vividly remember the laughs all around me.
For some reason, Shemp was in nearly all of the versions I saw and I really don't remember seeing much of Curly at all.

its about time the sony people are coming out with these shorts .They have been bootleg for so long and the picture quality was so bad , a real disgrace to any stooge fan . I hope they release all 190 to show the fans what they are really made of and to show respect for the three stooges for not doing them justice along time ago until now ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, many thanks GO ALL THE WAY SONY!

As a long time Stooge fan, its nice Sony is releasing the complete Stooge shorts. My only question is will it stop after Curly? I hope they release Shemp's shorts, even though alot of them are remakes in the later years. I give props for not changing the format of the discs (thus far) and Amazon preorder price is always $17. Like I said in the last review, Stooges have been around for almost 80 years and have a ton of footage on various dvds that could be used as great extras. Id like to see extra features instead of trailers to movies. All in all, great product and keep up the good work!

I have been a Stooge fan since I was 13 years old. I'm now 44. I can't say how happy I am that Sony is giving the Stooges the respect they deserve. I just hope they don't stop with Curly. I want Shemp and Joe too!

Thank the Lord himself that they are FINALLY doing this! This has literally been my dream for over 4-5 years, now! I have become so tired of recording shorts with commercial bits in the way and getting lousy DVD's that had them in so many random orders with mixed episodes of Curly & Shemp... it was driving me up the wall! But what Sony has done here I can honestly say that I am VERY THANKFUL for the efforts before me.

I've bought both volumes so far and to see the third show up SO QUICKLY is beyond words. I'm so happy to see them in chronological order too. My Dad and I LOVE these guys... especially my brother and I'm going to sit down and watch this with them all night! Thank you Sony for the next volume release. Come on Stooge fans... pre-purchase it NOW... you WONT complain a BIT!