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Sony Pictures Poll on Stooges DVD

Dunrobin · 26 · 10865

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Offline Dunrobin

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Got this in my e-mail recently, and thought I'd share it:

"Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is asking fans of "The Three Stooges" to pick which classic shorts you would like to see released on DVD. We are trying to target the real 3 Stooges alpha fans and think that your site would be the best way to reach out to them. If you are willing, please post this link to the survey and encourage your audience to vote!
 
http://www.sonypictures.com/cthe/3stooges/poll/
 
"Happy holiday!!"


« Last Edit: December 04, 2004, 02:47:44 PM by shemps#1 »


Offline 3Stooges

Thanks for the link. I checked it out. It's pretty lame that they dont even list the complete 190 shorts to pick from! I want some Besser Stooge stuff released on DVD


Offline shemps#1

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I just edited the "i" out of the title, Rob (in case you were wondering).
"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime; give a man religion and he will die praying for a fish." - Unknown


Offline scribe8585

I voted for:

1) Pardon My Scotch
2) Cash and Carry
3) Calling All Curs
4) Uncivil Warriors
5) Movie Maniacs


Offline Robbie883

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I voted for Dizzy Pilots. False Alarms, and Gents In a Jam


Offline Baggie

 I voted for loads, but the survey doesn't list all of the shorts. I'd definately like some of the Besser shorts released, not to mention more of the Shemp shorts, especially 'Cuckoo On A Choo Choo' and of course 'Self Made Maids.'
The artist formerly known as Shempetta


xraffle

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Interesting! The list does not include any of the missing Shemp shorts nor any Joe shorts. I don't know why Columbia is hesitant to release it.


Offline locoboymakesgood

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I think Columbia's poll should ask "Are we taking way too long in getting the Stooges out on DVD?"

I've been collecting these for years, and by the time all 190 shorts are released DVD will be a dead format and HD-DVD will be here. They're taking way too long, and I like the Curly shorts of course, but I want the rest of my Shemps and some Joe Bessers! Ugh.
"Are you guys actors, or hillbillies?" - Curly, "Hollywood Party" (1934)


Offline BeAStooge

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Interesting! The list does not include any of the missing Shemp shorts nor any Joe shorts.

It's more annoying, than it is interesting.  Most of the films in the poll are already on DVD!

Examples from this thread:

I voted for Dizzy Pilots. False Alarms,
Calling All Curs

All three requests listed above are included in past volumes.  The poll is designed (intentionally? stupidly?) to create repeat releases... assuming Columbia ever bothers to use the poll data.


Pilsner Panther

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I can't even vote... when I click on their buttons, nothing happens. My popup blocker must be disabling them, or maybe their software doesn't work with Firefox.

In any case, I'm not about to lose any sleep over it, since I plan to have all my VHS Stooges tapes transferred to DVD instead of buying anything more from Sony!

 [yes]
« Last Edit: December 05, 2004, 03:09:50 AM by Pilsner Panther »


Offline Baggie

by the time all 190 shorts are released DVD will be a dead format

 I think by the time they get their asses in gear and release all 190, WE'LL be dead.
The artist formerly known as Shempetta


Offline Waldo Twitchell

There's no rhyme or reason to their 'list', although I voted for shorts that aren't already on DVD.

I'd still like to see box sets of all 190 titles someday (yeah, right).

 


Offline metaldams

If I were in charge of a Columbia shorts DVD project and wanted to make money as well as be good to the films, here's what I'd do:

- Release 19 volumes separately, with 10 shorts on each volume.  I would also have one hidden "easter egg" in each volume that would contain another short from the Columbia shorts department.

- Release a box set with all 19 volumes, as well as bonus DVD's exclusive to the box set containing ALL the Shemp, Besser, and Derita Columbia solo shorts.  I would hae the box set for a cheaper price than buying all 19 volumes separately. 

- A 10 volume box set with all the Curly shorts, since some fans only like Curly.

- Release a Buster Keaton volume with all of his Columbia shorts.  Buster Keaton is a marketable name.

That, my friends, is how you release comedy shorts. 

- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Robbie883

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Thats an excelent idea man, to bad they dont listen to us. Because they dont even really care for stooges fans.


Offline locoboymakesgood

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They need to do exactly what Universal did for Laurel and Hardy in the UK. Someone mentioned it above, we need a boxset with all the shorts. It sucks, I've had all the shorts at one point or another on tape but I've lost most of my tapes through the years. I still have a few Family Channel airings left, which were, IMO, the best. They always showed atleast one Shemp (usually two!) and almost a Besser every night. This is why I hate Columbia AND AMC. What crap. This gets old.
"Are you guys actors, or hillbillies?" - Curly, "Hollywood Party" (1934)


Offline Baggie

Yeh, I think they should release a huge box set with all the shorts, why they don't baffles me. In most stores over here you can buy the HUGEST box set you've ever seen of Laurel and Hardy, but when you look for the Stooges there's naff all, that's why I have to buy all my stuff on the net. Columbia/Sony clearly don't pay attention to what the Stooge fans want.

I voted for all the shorts that haven't been released on DVD before on the survey, but I'm pissed off at them for not putting EVERY short on, because then we could have voted for the ones that aren't even on VHS. Sheesh! Such hard work trying to get it through to those guys!  :'(
The artist formerly known as Shempetta


Offline metaldams

Shempetta, I think I speak for all American Laurel and Hardy fans when I say - shut up!  ;D  You have no idea how rotten the Laurel and Hardy situation is here for the talkies, and it will never improve thanks to the jerks at Hallmark.  Us Yanks would KILL for the Laurel and Hardy box set treatment you Brits have access to.

- Doug Sarnecky


Offline Baggie

I would have thought 'you Yanks' had the same access as we did. Sorry about that, but if we can buy loads of Laurel and Hardy stuff, why not Stooges stuff too, that's all I'm saying.
The artist formerly known as Shempetta


Offline metaldams

I would have thought 'you Yanks' had the same access as we did. Sorry about that, but if we can buy loads of Laurel and Hardy stuff, why not Stooges stuff too, that's all I'm saying.

I was just teasin ya, Shempetta, but the bad Laurel and Hardy situation here in the States is for real.
- Doug Sarnecky


Pilsner Panther

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I would have thought 'you Yanks' had the same access as we did. Sorry about that, but if we can buy loads of Laurel and Hardy stuff, why not Stooges stuff too, that's all I'm saying.

I was just teasin ya, Shempetta, but the bad Laurel and Hardy situation here in the States is for real.

Doug, do you really think the Hallmark L & H DVD is that bad? The one complaint I have is that the music they put under the menus is a lot louder than the soundtracks of the films, to the point where it's annoying.

Even so, I have no complaints about owning clean copies of these comic masterpieces, especially "The Music Box" and "Sons of the Desert."

I guarantee, show "The Music Box" to anyone, and they'll fall on the floor, laughing hysterically— unless they have no sense of humor at all. I don't know which is my favorite scene: the block and tackle to Babe's head, Babe crashing through the front door of the house and then putting his foot through the back of an expensive radio (with the sound effect of exploding tubes), and of course the classic "swapping hats" routine. Stan is puzzled throughout, and he's hilarious. He never seems to know why he's causing one disaster after another.

 :D

There are only a few other comedy sound shorts of the period that are anywhere near as funny as this one. The only real equals to "The Music Box" from that time are "Punch Drunks," "The Fatal Glass of Beer," and "False Alarms."

In my non-humble opinion...

 [scratchchin]



Offline Larry Larry

Columbia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Wake Up!!!!!!!!!!

Release the Stooge shorts, in remastered, chronological order.

I work for a major, national DVD authoring company.   It is not that difficult to work with a producer and a professional DVD authoring facility or post-production company to put together some nice sets.   And it is not as expensive as some would lead you to believe.

The real problem is that some of these entertainment companies cling to their product so tightly that they dole out little drips and draps in order to squeeze every last cent out of their ever dwindling audience.

Someone posted here that WE WILL ALL BE DEAD before they ever get around to releasing them.  They are probably right.

The DVDs Columbia has managed to slap together are some of the shoddiest, most over-priced DVDs on the market.  

Because I love the Stooges so much, I've bought all their releases up until the 2 recent "colorized sets".   These were the last straw.   Here is how these 2 "brilliant" releases stack up compared to some other interesting product.

Goofs on the Loose:  Contains 4 "Three Stooges" shorts.  Half of which have already been released.  HALF!!!!  About 60:00 minutes.   $25

vs.

Best of Abott and Costello: Contains 8 Full Length Films  709:00 Minutes!!!!   $25

vs.

Gilligan's Island Season 1:  Contains all 36 episodes.  Remasterd!!!  Plus the un-aired pilot!!  Plus commentary!!  Plus some other bonus features!!  916:00 minutes!!!!!!!!   Lists about $35 but you'll find it for $29 at major retailers and even online.

Columbia, please do the right thing.  We don't need any more stupid, lame 4 or 5 short sets spaced 6 to 8 months apart.  Hurry up and do it correctly.  Please.  

And your survey was of no use.  I selected every single film you had on the list because I want all of them, including the weird Joe Besser ones.

If you need some help authoring your DVDs, let me know.  I will be happy to work you a very, very good deal.  You apparently are strapped for cash, so lets find out what we can do to help you.
These pretzels are making me thirsty!


Offline BeAStooge

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Doug, do you really think the Hallmark L & H DVD is that bad?

I don't think Doug is referring to the one-and-only Hallmark DVD.

He's referring to Hallmark's negative view and dismissal of Laurel and Hardy as an unprofitable commodity.  Here's something you should read, a recent comment from a film historian who posts at an L&H website, which sums up what has been going on at Hallmark for several years...

Quote
Steve Beeks, the head of Artisan(Hallmark) home video (who now has a similar position with Lion's Gate, which acquired Artisan/Hallmark) is a Harvard MBA, a keen businessman, and an absolute horse's backside. I  begged, pleaded, and cajoled him for years to do a major release with the L&H films. I told him that all the press attention lavished on the Chaplin reissues -- when the films were widely available in beautiful DVDs from Image -- would be matched by a Laurel & Hardy restored, remastered collection. I pointed out that 2002 was the 75th anniversary of the official teaming of Laurel & Hardy, and they could do limited theatrical reissues, a special on the Hallmark Channel (or a broadcast network), and a DVD release. I told them that Leonard Maltin and Billy Crystal would jump at the chance to lend themselves to the project. I advised him about the Sons of the Desert and how they could help.

His response? "Black and white films don't sell unless John Wayne is in them."

You saw the final result: a half-assed DVD release with edited, unrestored films from 20-year-old video masters, and no press whatsoever.

There's no exaggeration in the above.  The "John Wayne" comment was also mouthed by Mr. Beeks in Sept. '03, at the Egyptian Theatre's 3-D Festival in LA.  Beeks attended to "monitor" the screening of a B&W film owned by Hallmark.  He was shocked, in an annoyed way, that people were actually paying to watch a b&w film in a theater.  Beeks made that same "John Wayne" comment to a group that included Leonard Maltin.  There was dead silence, and Beeks became upset when everyone walked away from him.

The worst...
About 1-1/2 years ago, Hallmark authorized the destruction of all original Hal Roach nitrate camera negatives in their library vaults... Laurel & Hardy, Charley Chase, Todd & Pitts/Kelly, etc.  Why?  The protective storage of nitrate material was too expensive for their budgets, and besides, quote, "It's b&w garbage."  Thankfully, several film historians got wind of Hallmark's plans, and convinced Hallmark to send the nitrates to UCLA (at UCLA's cost).  The nitrates are safely stored at UCLA (along with the OUR GANG nitrates that were fully restored in the early '90s, before Hallmark purchased the Roach  library).

Hallmark's current, in-house, library of Hal Roach films are safety stock negatives.  But they aren't restored.  They are the safety stocks made in the mid '80s for TV packages.  They look nice, but they are poor in comparison the original negatives at UCLA.  AND, they are edited for TV, which primarily means the addition of music for modern audiences... these are the prints that were used for the DVD.  Example, SONS OF THE DESERT's classic wax fruit scene on the DVD is overdubbed with a music track taken from another film... Stan's scene wasn't "modern enough" to be watched without music.

Hallmark released that one US DVD with one basic marketing plan... "We're tired of L&H people complaining about no Hallmark home video.  Here's one DVD, to shut you up.  There will be no more."  There were rumors of a 2nd disc, but Hallmark canceled those plans.

Due to complicated rights issues, distributors in Denmark and Germany received access to restored prints from European libraries (somehow, only peripherally controlled by Hallmark), and has done extremely well-received DVD sets of all the Hal Roach L&H's over the past couple years.  But these distributors have had some financial issues...

So Hallmark screwball-concluded that the financial issues were caused by 'Laurel and Hardy.'  Under that asinine conclusion, they decided to license Great Britain's DVD distribution rights to Universal... let Universal take the marketing risk, and Hallmark will collect a guaranteed licensing fee.  As a result, England has a beautiful, complete set of Hal Roach L&H films on DVD, including all existing Spanish-language versions of the '30 - '31 films.  Sales successes.

Universal has expressed interest to distribute in the US too, but Hallmark said "no."  Hallmark says it views Universal as a US competitor, and refuses to discuss the idea.  Partly true... Hallmark is also pissed that it misjudged the Great Britain marketing plan, and won't do US business with Universal out of spite.

« Last Edit: December 09, 2004, 02:08:04 AM by BeAStooge »


Offline Baggie

Can't you just go on www.hmv.co.uk and buy them? HMV is a big store over here and they DO ship to the US, to anyone interested. It is a pretty stunning box set with a lot of content. Here's the link to look at the box set:

http://www1.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1&sku=170410

For a limited time, there is £50 off the box set.

At the moment you can get it for £149.99, that's about $288.

Hope this helps a little
The artist formerly known as Shempetta


Pilsner Panther

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Doug, do you really think the Hallmark L & H DVD is that bad?

I don't think Doug is referring to the one-and-only Hallmark DVD.

He's referring to Hallmark's negative view and dismissal of Laurel and Hardy as an unprofitable commodity.  Here's something you should read, a recent comment from a film historian who posts at an L&H website, which sums up what has been going on at Hallmark for several years...

Steve Beeks, the head of Artisan(Hallmark) home video (who now has a similar position with Lion's Gate, which acquired Artisan/Hallmark) is a Harvard MBA, a keen businessman, and an absolute horse's backside. I  begged, pleaded, and cajoled him for years to do a major release with the L&H films. I told him that all the press attention lavished on the Chaplin reissues -- when the films were widely available in beautiful DVDs from Image -- would be matched by a Laurel & Hardy restored, remastered collection. I pointed out that 2002 was the 75th anniversary of the official teaming of Laurel & Hardy, and they could do limited theatrical reissues, a special on the Hallmark Channel (or a broadcast network), and a DVD release. I told them that Leonard Maltin and Billy Crystal would jump at the chance to lend themselves to the project. I advised him about the Sons of the Desert and how they could help.


[...]

Thanks for staying on top of these matters, Brent, the way you always do. Leonard Maltin is invaluable (he recently accompanied Suzanne Lloyd on a national tour of restored Harold Lloyd films, along with all the other good work he's done in the past), but bureaucrats like this Steve Beeks are just useless pains in the ass. I've never found that having an MBA makes anyone a film expert...

 >:(

What's saddest about this situation with Hallmark and L&H is that if they did put together a first-rate, multi-disc package of Stan and Babe's films (like the WB Looney Toons DVD set, for example), they'd make a ton of money with it.  Apparently, Mr. Beeks is too dense to figure that out.

Of course, if he wants John Wayne and Oliver Hardy together on the screen, there's always "The Fighting Kentuckian!"

 ;)

« Last Edit: December 09, 2004, 11:49:17 AM by Pilsner Panther »


Offline metaldams

Shempetta, I could order those Laurel and Hardy DVD's as imports, but I would not be able to play them in my DVD player.  Those are Region 2 DVD's.  In order for me to play those DVD's, I would have to buy either a Region 2 or a no region DVD player in ADDITION to the DVD's themselves.  Lots of money for a lowly college student like myself.  Of course, when I graduate in a year, I'll be rolling the the dough. ::)     

Seriously, if I won Powerball and had more money than I could possible ever need, I would offer Hallmark so much money for those Hal Roach films that they couldn't refuse handing over the rights to me.  Then I'd treat those films with respect by distributing them properly.  Hey, I can dream, can't I?   
- Doug Sarnecky