Topic: SONY's OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FOR DVD SET

[stooged and confused]

As promised, here is the official press release that was just sent to me by my Sony contact. I hope this makes everyone's day!

Why there is no mention of bonus features is a mystery at this time. I have a call into her asking for any information/clarification of bonus features.

As I stated earlier, the set would most likely be out at the end of October. I hope this puts to rest any doubts.



Hi Jeff – Attached the press release – I’ve been in non-stop meetings all day.  Sorry it took so long to get this out to you.

 

Best,

Karen






FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   
      
Larry, Moe and Curly Are “Yuk, Yuk, Yuk”-ing it Up
in a New, Definitive Volume of Classic Shorts

THE THREE STOOGES COLLECTION

VOLUME ONE: YEARS 1-2

 All 19 Digitally-Restored Two-Reelers from 1934 through 1936
Packaged in a Two-Disc DVD

AVAILABLE ON OCTOBER 30


CULVER CITY, CALIF. (August 20, 2007) – Eye-gouging, nose-tweaking, stomach-poking, ear-pulling, head-slapping, pie-throwing, and seltzer-spraying can only mean one thing.  The classic comedy trio of Larry, Moe, and Curly are back doing what they do best.  On October 30, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will launch its definitive new series of Three Stooges DVDs with The Three Stooges Collection: Years 1-3.   This first volume includes all 19 shorts from the boys’ first three years at Columbia.  The two-reelers are chronologically organized by their original release date and painstakingly restored from the original negatives for the very best picture and audio quality.  The DVD will be available in a two-disc package for the standard retail price of $24.96.

The Three Stooges are one of the most significant screen comedy teams of the 20th century, on par with Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, and Martin and Lewis -- an inspiration to generations of comics that followed.  The trio’s film career began in the early 1930s, reached its slapstick peak during their tenure at Columbia (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 outstripped all their contemporaries in terms of lasting popularity.  The Three Stooges Collection: Years 1-3 finally pays the Stooges their due by tracing the evolution and development of their craft by presenting the films in progressive order.

The Three Stooges Collection: Years 1-3 includes the following titles:
1934 - Woman Haters, Punch Drunks (only short actually written by the Stooges), the Oscar® nominated Men in Black, and Three Little Pigskins (featuring a young Lucille Ball).
1935 - Horses' Collars (their first Western spoof), Restless Knights (first “triple-slap” in a Stooge short), Pop Goes the Easel (first film for frequent director Del Lord), Uncivil Warriors (set during the Civil War), Pardon My Scotch (first Stooge short to use “Listen to the Mockingbird” as its theme song), Hoi Polloi (remade as Half-Wits Holiday in 1947), and Three Little Beers.
1936 - Ants in the Pantry (features silent star Clara Kimball Young), Movie Maniacs (features Charlie Chaplin’s first wife Mildred Harris), Half-Shot Shooters (first short in which the Stooges get killed), Disorder in the Court (features the famous “swearing in” scene with Curly), A Pain in the Pullman (the longest short of the series), False Alarms, Whoops, I'm an Indian, and Slippery Silks (featuring the first Stooges cream dessert fight).

The Three Stooges Collection: Years 1-3 has a run time of approximately 345 minutes and is not rated.  Artwork is available at www.SPHEPUBLICITY.COM. Visit Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on the Web at www.SonyPictures.com.

 
DVD Catalog # 21104      
UPC Code: 043396211049      
Order Date: 09/27/07      
SLP: $24.96   

About Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a division of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. Sony Pictures Entertainment's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

[superstooge]

I would love for there to be some great special features on this.  Have you seen the Popeye collection just released?  That's how to do it right.  I'd like to see something like that.  The Stooges more than deserve the right treatment. 

[stooged and confused]

Yes, I have seen the Popeye Volume 1 set. They did a great job with the transfers. Some of the bonus features were good (and a few were skimpy, or as I call them, fillers). Also, the Looney Tunes sets were restored very nicely and had tons of extras.

With the exception of the Tom and Jerry and Droopy sets (which did not use restored prints), Warners has done a fine job with their cartoon shorts sets.

I agree that it's more than time for Sony to step up to the plate and treat the Three Stooges with the proper respect they deserve. Seeing as the Chromachoice and some of the themed DVD's did not sell as well (less product, higher prices), it seems that Sony got the message and will present these sets in the manner in which they should. As the press release states, they are using pristine prints that were "painstakingly" restored.

It's always been a thron in the side for true Stooges fans as to how Sony/Columbia has regarded the Stooges over the years. Look on Sony's website and click on all of the history pages pertaining to Columbia Pictures. There is NO mention of the team at all. The Stooges had the longest running association with them, produced more film footage than anyone and there is not even one sentence dedicated to them. It's as if Columbia has been more than happy to make millions from the Stooges , but act a bit embarrassed by them at the same time. While a "respected" filmmaker like Frank Capra is highlighted several times, I'm sure more people have seen Stooges shorts than the output of Capra. In fact, with few exceptions, Capra hasn't stood the test of time, in my opinion. The Stooges are a rare exception. Very few films from the 30's and 40's could still hold up in today's society. The shorter running time, the thin plots and the fast pacing have helped them live in modern times, the very points that excluded the team from serious consideration in the Stooges' lifetime.

[dave-A-roony]

It would be really nice if they released both of their 3D shorts in Anaglyph (Those red and blue glasses) format.  Then everyone could look at them in all their 3D glory at home. I understand there are versions of these floating around but I have no idea how to get them.

[xraffle]

I would love for there to be some great special features on this.  Have you seen the Popeye collection just released?  That's how to do it right.  I'd like to see something like that.  The Stooges more than deserve the right treatment. 

I own that DVD. It cost me a whopping $44.99 at Best Buy and that was with the sale. That DVD set might have made my wallet slimmer, but it was worth every penny. Never in my life have I seen those Popeye cartoons look so good. Now, if Sony would do that with the stooges, I would be the happiest person because I like the stooges A LOT more than Popeye.

[archiezappa]

This is our big chance to have the absolute best sets of the Three Stooges ever!  We all need to buy all of the sets, so all 190 episodes will be released.  I really want all of the episodes released in this manner.  Maybe that's Sony's intentions.  I hope so.  The almighty dollar is, of course, the deciding factor.  I sure hope this is done right.  The Stooges deserve it.

[Herman]

Hopefully they will restore "Three Little Beers" and "Three Little Pirates." Then previous DVD relases of "Beers" has a section missing and the "Pirates" print is terrible.

[archiezappa]

I totally don't understand why "Three Little Beers" was edited.  It doesn't make sense to me.  What was wrong with that scene, anyway?

[ThumpTheShoes]

I think that one was an honest-to-goodness glitch in the master recording. It happens right at the reel break, and that particular film may have been damaged at that point, it could have just been a lazy tech not paying attention when starting/stopping the encoding process... or, though I doubt this one, the clip was flagged for digital cleanup (to remove the reel change dot, maybe) and omitted from the work file/tape in error.

Based on the content, though, I doubt it was an on-purpose edit. Stooge-a-Palooza host Rich Koz has said that Sony, on occasion, has sent him similarly edited broadcast tapes. Stuff missing here and there for absolutely no reason, other than lousy source prints.

-Th

[xraffle]

I can only hope that "Three Little Beers" won't be edited on this new set. If it is, then I am not going to buy anymore future DVD sets.

[Sadistic Stooge]

If you stooges fans did not get to see this yet

check this out

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SSQ7JW/ref=s9_flash_asin_image_5/104-9842683-0447134?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1C92F96GN8BMAWM4AWGA&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=292858901&pf_rd_i=507846

[Justin T]

I see, so they went with that box art that we got a preview of several weeks back.

Its okay, would have prefered something more colourful. The gallery of pictures on the right
side is kinda cool though.

[Sadistic Stooge]

yeah it is kind of boring next to other comedy sets out there .....

[Sadistic Stooge]

I can only hope that "Three Little Beers" won't be edited on this new set. If it is, then I am not going to buy anymore future DVD sets.

DAMN RIGHT !!!!!

[Hollister]

What scenes were missing or cut out of Beers and Pirates?

[Herman]

As far as I can recall, Three Little Beers had the section with all the golf balls falling out of Curly's pockets cut -- and Three Little Pirates is just a lousy looking print (probably a dupe print) with badly scratched areas. Actually, A Plumbing We Will Go is a pretty bad print also (especially since  it is considered one of their best you'd think there would be better source material than what they used). I have a better 16mm print than the DVD!

[xraffle]

As far as I can recall, Three Little Beers had the section with all the golf balls falling out of Curly's pockets cut -- and Three Little Pirates is just a lousy looking print (probably a dupe print) with badly scratched areas. Actually, A Plumbing We Will Go is a pretty bad print also (especially since  it is considered one of their best you'd think there would be better source material than what they used). I have a better 16mm print than the DVD!

I have a MUCH better print of "A Plumbing We Will Go" on VHS. What's funny is that Sony used a nice print for the VHS release, but used a dupey print for the DVD release. Why they did that is beyond me.

[Laughing Gravy]

I have the new Stooges set, and can confirm that the missing Curly/golf ball sequence is back, and the shorts -- what I've seen of 'em so far -- look great.

L. Gravy
www.inthebalcony.com

[xraffle]

How did you get the set early? Do you have connections as well or is there a place that is selling it early?

[Laughing Gravy]

*wriggles nose like Samantha*

Actually, I got an early copy for review on my website, www.inthebalcony.com. I'm also doing "unofficial liner notes" and I've done an interview with a surviving cast member of Columbia comedy shorts, all of which will be up in a week or so.

[Laughing Gravy]

I've posted a frame of the previously-missing scene up in the Balcony. Plus, for you fans of W.C. Fields, big news on that front, too.