Topic: The Three Stooges Collection Vol. 4: 1943 - 1945 Press Release

[BeAStooge]

From Sony Home Entertainment...

Nutty Numbskulls Larry, Moe and Curly Are Back in the Latest Volume of Classic Comedy Antics

THE THREE STOOGES COLLECTION Volume Four: 1943 - 1945
21 Digitally-Restored Shorts, Arranged Chronologically, and Packaged in a Two-Disc DVD

AVAILABLE ON OCTOBER 7

CULVER CITY, CALIF. (July 28, 2008) – The Three Stooges will be caught in their brand new set of crazy shorts on October 7. The classic comedy trio returns with more eye-gouging, nose-tweaking fun in The Three Stooges Collection Volume Four: 1943 – 1945 debuting on DVD October 7 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. All 21 short films from those two years, chronologically organized, have been digitally remastered from original negatives and include such fan favorites as Dizzy Detectives, Busy Buddies and Three Pests in a Mess. The Three Stooges Collection Volume Four: 1943 – 1945, continuing the fan-requested roll-out of the group’s complete short film anthology, will be available for $24.96 SRP.

The Three Stooges are one of the most influential screen comedy teams of the 20th century and an inspiration to generations of comics that followed. Following their start in vaudeville, the trio’s film career began in the early 1930s, reached its slapstick peak during their tenure at Columbia Pictures (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 surpassed all their contemporaries in terms of lasting popularity.

The Three Stooges Collection Volume Four: 1943 – 1945 episodes include:

They Stooge to Conga
Busy Buddies
Dizzy Detectives
The Yoke’s on Me
Spook Louder
Idle Roomers
Back From the Front
Gents Without Cents
Three Little Twirps
No Dough Boys
Higher Than a Kite
Three Pests in a Mess
I Can Hardly Wait
Booby Dupes
Dizzy Pilots
Idiots Deluxe
Phoney Express
If a Body Meets a Body
A Gem of a Jam
Micro-Phonies
Crash Goes the Hash

DVD Features Include:
· Full Screen Presentations
· Audio: English (Mono)

The Three Stooges Collection Volume Four: 1943 – 1945 has a run time of approximately 360 minutes and is not rated. Artwork is available at Welcome to SPHE Connect. Visit Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on the Web at Sony Pictures.

DVD Catalog # 27104
UPC Code: 0-43396-27104-3
Order Date: 9/04/08
SLP: $24.96

Image courtesy of DVDEmpire

[xraffle]

Wow! So it's official. I never thought I'd see the day when a restored copy of "Micro-Phonies" would be released on DVD. I hope Sony fixes that jump in dialogue on Christine McIntyre's line.

I hope I don't sound like a nut, but I'm actually looking forward to "Spook Louder." It's one of the underrated shorts that I like.

[stooged and confused]

Just got the press release from Sony on my email a few minutes ago, but BeAStooge had it posted already...man, dude, you're quick!! 

[Justin T]

Awesome News! They really are putting them out as fast as they can, we get Vol 3 in August and now
Vol 4 comes out in October. Like X i'm really looking foward to a new restored version of "Micro Phonies"
and there are several shorts on this set I just love like "They Stooge to Conga", "Spook Louder"
"Gents Without Cents", "Dizzy Pilots", "Crash Goes The Hash" and many more.

Thanks for posting it Brent.

and thanks to Sony for giving us Stooge fans what we want!

[metaldams]

Really have nothing to say except....COOL!

[locoboymakesgood]

AWESOME!!

But the press release has an error in it.. they say a span of two years when it should say three.

Any cover art yet?

[xraffle]

AWESOME!!

But the press release has an error in it.. they say a span of two years when it should say three.

Any cover art yet?

Another typo is "Phoney Express." I just hope that typo doesn't carry over to the cover art, which I'm dying to see. I wonder what color it'll be.

[locoboymakesgood]

So far we have red, blue, and green. Purple perhaps?

[ProfessorStooge]

Sony is really on the ball with these DVD releases. I have a feeling that Volume 5 will cover 1946-1948 and mix Curly and Shemp shorts. This volume, plus the subsequent volumes in the series, should have bonus features, so as to boost sales.

[archiezappa]

This is really quick!  It's totally awesome that Sony is serious about releasing the entire catalog of Three Stooges short subjects.  I like what they've done with the first two and I wouldn't change a thing.  If they make all the volumes just like volumes 1 & 2, I'll be happy!  Once again, I'm impressed.  A very special thanks goes out to the people at Sony.  You're making my dreams come true!

[AmalgamatedMoron]

I just hope that before volume 4 goes to print Sony catches that silly error on the cover and dvd menu of the G.I Stooge dvd, where they titled G.I. Wanna Home, as "G.I. Wanna GO Home".

[ArPharazon]

Great!!  Maybe V.5 by the end of the year?

One of my long-time faves in this group is Gem Of A Jam.  Dudley Dickerson is hilarious in this one, but obviously a very PI portrayal these days.  He does a similar routine in Phony Cronies on the Swing Parade DVD.  That was a pretty good non-stooge short BTW.  The guy in the wheelchair was the same one who played Mr. Zero in Woman Haters, but it took me a little longer to recognize him "Your face is familiar, but I don't know where to put it".

[archiezappa]

Great!!  Maybe V.5 by the end of the year?

One of my long-time faves in this group is Gem Of A Jam.  Dudley Dickerson is hilarious in this one, but obviously a very PI portrayal these days.  He does a similar routine in Phony Cronies on the Swing Parade DVD.  That was a pretty good non-stooge short BTW.  The guy in the wheelchair was the same one who played Mr. Zero in Woman Haters, but it took me a little longer to recognize him "Your face is familiar, but I don't know where to put it".

What's really funny is that the same guy (Monte Collins) also plays the Stooges' mother in "Cactus Makes Perfect."  Hilarious!

[Stooges#1]

Great!!  Maybe V.5 by the end of the year?

One of my long-time faves in this group is Gem Of A Jam.  Dudley Dickerson is hilarious in this one, but obviously a very PI portrayal these days.  He does a similar routine in Phony Cronies on the Swing Parade DVD.  That was a pretty good non-stooge short BTW.  The guy in the wheelchair was the same one who played Mr. Zero in Woman Haters, but it took me a little longer to recognize him "Your face is familiar, but I don't know where to put it".

I hope so. There'll be 11 weeks before the end of the year, after V4 is released, and V3 came out 12 weeks after V2 and V4 only 5 weeks after V3. So its a good possibility, fingers crossed. 

I cant even see a drop off in sales as all the Curly shorts get released because Shemp was just as funny and he isnt as easily found as Curly. Joe Besser might be a different story but he was only involved in 16 shorts so it isnt as if we need to buy multiple volumes of him, but i'll still happily buy his shorts as it is still the Stooges.

[Stooges#1]

I hope this isnt a sign of things to come, volume 4 on Amazon.com is $21.99 as of now. That is more expensive than volume 1/2 ever got and volume 3 is still $16.99.

So it actually does pay to pre-order well in advance which is something i have never done, hopefully the price will come down but even if it doesnt is isnt such a big price to pay to own the Stooges on dvd.

[xraffle]

It's probably a mistake and should get lowered later on. If the price still remains the same, I wouldn't mind paying that. These sets are worth the money.

The only thing I don't like about Amazon now is that they just recently started to charge tax on items shipped to New York. It isn't Amazon's fault as New York is requiring them to do so. But the main reason I always picked Amazon over other stores when buying certain products is because I saved on tax. But now that isn't the case anymore and so I don't order from Amazon that much. The only time I do is when I can't find the item in the store.

[Stooges#1]

I hope the price does come down, but no biggie. I was expecting to pay over $25 before volume 1 even came out. 

[AmalgamatedMoron]

I also noticed that price of $21.99.  I believe this is some sort of anomaly.  I called Amazon to inquire about the price because I ordered the first two volumes from them, and I have pre-ordered volume 3 from them.  The customer service rep wasn't able to give me a specific reason why, she only gave some general factors as to what determines the price of an item.  She did confirm what I already knew, that if you pre-order the item and the price drops between the time you order the item and the time the order ships, you get the lowest advertised price. 

Unless Sony has raised the price of these, we should expect to see the price drop to $16.99 for a short time, then go up to the usual $19.99.  This is probably the case because the MSRP has not changed for volume 4 according to Amazon's listing.  Volume 4's MSRP is still $24.96, the same as the first 3 volumes.

[Dunrobin]

Yeah, that $21.99 caused me to raise an eyebrow for a moment when I saw it, but I didn't hesitate to still put in my pre-order.  I know the price on the first two volumes dropped between the time I entered my orders and the time they shipped, but I don't recall what the original price was on those two.  I'm not too worried about it; like Stooges#1 I had initially anticipated paying even more per set, so even at $21.99 they are worth the price to me.

[AmalgamatedMoron]

Yeah, I agree with you there Rob.  Given the fact that Sony teased us with all of the "theme" sets with 5 or 6 shorts for about $19.99, these chronological sets are a real bargain, even at $21.99.  It just chaps my hide that I purchased every single theme set they put out.  Now I'm purchasing many of the same shorts all over again.  Oh well, all is forgiven now that Sony is doing right by the fans.  I'd gladly pay the MSRP if I had to.  These chronological sets are a dream come true for us die hard fans.

[xraffle]

Now I'm purchasing many of the same shorts all over again.  Oh well, all is forgiven now that Sony is doing right by the fans.  I'd gladly pay the MSRP if I had to.  These chronological sets are a dream come true for us die hard fans.

I'm doing the same and I'm sure we're not the only ones. I bought several of the themed discs, transfered several of my VHS copies to DVD, and also bought the bootleg set. But don't worry. These chronological sets are the last time I'm buying them. No more double-dipping after this.

[Dunrobin]

The chronological Collection volumes are my first Stooges DVDs.  My brother purchased a couple of those "themed DVDs" but we were both so unimpressed by them that neither of use bothered to buy any more of them.  (I mean, c'mon - not even a "play all" feature?  It was simpler to just throw one of my VHS tapes into the player, instead.)

I do still have my collection of VHS tapes that Columbia put out years ago, but since there are only three episodes per tape they will probably just continue to sit on the shelf and collect dust.   

[xraffle]

(I mean, c'mon - not even a "play all" feature?  It was simpler to just throw one of my VHS tapes into the player, instead.)

I must be like the only stooge fan that never uses the "Play all" feature. I like to pick what episode I like to watch.

I do still have my collection of VHS tapes that Columbia put out years ago, but since there are only three episodes per tape they will probably just continue to sit on the shelf and collect dust.  

I sold some of my old VHS tapes on Ebay, but I still have quite a bit left. As time goes by, they get harder and harder to sell. The problem is nobody watches VHS tapes anymore.

[AmalgamatedMoron]

The chronological Collection volumes are my first Stooges DVDs.  My brother purchased a couple of those "themed DVDs" but we were both so unimpressed by them that neither of use bothered to buy any more of them.  (I mean, c'mon - not even a "play all" feature?  It was simpler to just throw one of my VHS tapes into the player, instead.)

Yeah, the lack of a "play all" feature is probably my biggest pet peeve about these sets.  Though oddly a couple of them actually have that feature, though most of them don't, haven't yet figured that out.  The biggest hassle for me is when I'm busy doing something around the house and my son wants to watch one of those theme sets.  He's not yet old enough to properly navigate the DVD remote, so he calls approximately every 15 minutes for me to start a new one.  Now I can just pop in one of the new chronological sets and just let it go.  Thank you Sony!

[Dunrobin]

Yeah, the lack of a "play all" feature is probably my biggest pet peeve about these sets.  Though oddly a couple of them actually have that feature, though most of them don't, haven't yet figured that out.

LOL!  That was news to me - I don't remember anyone mentioning that before (although it could just be the senility kicking in.)