Topic: Volume 5 1946-1948, March 17

[BeatleShemp]

There are always weird places in Stooges shorts where something was filmed but wasn't kept in.  For instance, in HOKUS POKUS, when the scene of Moe making Mary's breakfast dissolves into the scene with him ordering Shemp to set up the table, you can see Larry rubbing his head as if he had been hit.  There might have been something there, but it didn't end up in the final product.

The mystery triple slap has never been scene, and it was probably like that in the original film: cut from the final version.  Sad, because it would have been a great scene to have kept.

[Stooges#1]

Thanks gentlemen. It is very unfortunately that it is missing, also the bit that BS mentions.

Apart from that i would also like to say that the only thing i dont like about the set is the gold cover. To me the stooges were a no frills team and the gold sticks out like a sore thumb next to the first 4 volume, i would've prefered any other colour except for gold.

[Justin T]

I stopped by my local Wall-Mart today and picked up my copy of Volume 5, they had it for $19.99.

I'll be diving into it later tonight, can't wait to see how good Three Little Pirates looks. From what
S&C said they did one hell of a job restoring the print.

[dimelives]

Apart from that i would also like to say that the only thing i dont like about the set is the gold cover. To me the stooges were a no frills team and the gold sticks out like a sore thumb next to the first 4 volume, i would've prefered any other colour except for gold.

Eh, just a color Probably running short on colors. I mean, how many are left (besides variations on previous colors)? Yellow, brown, orange... what else? Haha. I doubt they'd do black or white.

[Stooges#1]

Eh, just a color Probably running short on colors. I mean, how many are left (besides variations on previous colors)? Yellow, brown, orange... what else? Haha. I doubt they'd do black or white.

Yeah, I guess. That seems like a small thing to get upset about as you cant really fault Sony. They're doing a terrific job.

[dimelives]

Indeed. But hey, we all have our little pet peeves

[falsealarms]

I've either watched or sampled most of these shorts... some for the first time in years. This is the weakest set yet by a country mile. These Curly's are more often depressing than funny. Not only was Curly extremely ill during his final shorts, a lot of them were even worse thanks to boring plots -- shorts like Rhythm and Weep, which was especially horrendous. Uncivil War Birds, Three Loan Wolves and The Three Troubledoers are nearly as bad. The only half-way decent Curly's on here are A Bird in the Head and G.I Wanna Home.

There are some good Shemp shorts here, but I never was real big on a majority of the Shemp shorts from 47 and 48. The good news is that it goes way up from here. Shemp from 49-52 is a gold mine of shorts -- some of my favorite Stooge years. The next couple sets should exceed this one with ease.

[locoboymakesgood]

I defend it all the time here, but I really don't see all the flack for The Three Troubledoers. If anything, it's because people can't stand the sight of a sick Curly - but that's it. It's a classic short with some great one-liners.

[falsealarms]

I defend it all the time here, but I really don't see all the flack for The Three Troubledoers. If anything, it's because people can't stand the sight of a sick Curly - but that's it. It's a classic short with some great one-liners.

I'm just not big on most of the western themed shorts, but a sick Curly certainly doesn't help.

[Justin T]

I agree with Falsealarms in the argument this Volume is the weakest quality wise so far, due to the
fact most of the final Curly shorts in this set are tough to watch or even enjoy. The only ones I can
watch and enjoy the most are probably A Bird in the Head and Three Little Pirates.

However, I think there are several really good Shemp shorts in his first batch from 47 to 48. 1948 in
particular has some of my favorite Shemp's like Squareheads of the Round Table, The Hot Scots,
Heavenly Daze, Mummy's Dummies and Crime on their Hands.

Last night I poped in Disk 1 and watched one Curly, Three Little Pirates and one Shemp, Out West

WOW, Stooged and Confused was right..the restoration job on Pirates is AMAZING. I never thought I would see it
so clean and clear like this. The images in both Pirates and Out West were very sharp and clear. Sony continues to do
an incredible job in restoring the shorts!

I can't wait for Volume 6: 1949 to 1951. Alot of the best Shemp short's are going to finally be on DVD in that set.
I'm with False, 49-52 is just loaded with great shorts from the Shemp era.

[falsealarms]

Definitely an A+ on the restoration. I haven't noticed any major blemishes in any of the shorts I've seen and some of them are in drastically better shape. Monkey Businessmen is another that has come a long way.

The best Shemp's on here are Hold That Lion and Heavenly Daze.

[dimelives]

I've always been very fond of Six Pants (the ironing board ) and Brideless Groom (when Larry and Moe are kissing each other on the cheeks and the guy walks by and Moe's reaction ) as well (also Malice in the Palace can't wait for that one!).

[ThumpTheShoes]

Mummies Dummies is also in much better shape than previous editions. On the older "Spook Louder" dvd, this one had some seriously overdone noise reduction. It was like listening to the film soundtrack with earplugs!

Another nice feature here is that, with the inclusion of the silent Columbia logo, there's no clipped audio at the start of the shorts.

As good as these pictures look, it is almost forgivable that they all still end with that LOUD and blindingly colourful Sony branding. No, really. It stands out like a banged thumb and, you know.. once is enough!

What the hell.. I'm going to watch more!

[moglia]

Apart from that i would also like to say that the only thing i dont like about the set is the gold cover. To me the stooges were a no frills team and the gold sticks out like a sore thumb next to the first 4 volume, i would've prefered any other colour except for gold.

While I see you point, I really like the way this volume looks. It's not too bright which would have been bad, it's a nice shade and it gives the set a classy look.  I wish all the boxes had been this color. Since they are different, I'm hoping the next one is a platinum or a metallic type silver.

I can't wait for the next volume with Vagabond Loafers

DM

P.S. The green is the one that really sticks out on my shelf....

[Justin T]

Mummies Dummies is also in much better shape than previous editions. On the older "Spook Louder" dvd, this one had some seriously overdone noise reduction. It was like listening to the film soundtrack with earplugs!

Another nice feature here is that, with the inclusion of the silent Columbia logo, there's no clipped audio at the start of the shorts.

As good as these pictures look, it is almost forgivable that they all still end with that LOUD and blindingly colourful Sony branding. No, really. It stands out like a banged thumb and, you know.. once is enough!

What the hell.. I'm going to watch more!

Thanks Thump, I forgot that Mummy's Dummies was also in rough shape. That's a favorite of mine, I cant wait to watch it. Monkey Buisnessmen
is another short im looking foward to watching just for the restoration job.

[ThumpTheShoes]

Okay, I've found the first evidence of tweaking in this set. In Half-Wits' Holiday, right after Vernon Dent says, "All you have to do is let me make gentlemen of you," you should hear a teeny little echo of that dialogue in production audio right before the Stooges react. An entirely different and disinterested voice should say, "..of you", as they cut to the Stooges, a leftover of someone delivering the lines for the Stoges to react to.

This isn't as big of a tweak, or "fix", as the golf-ball head-clonking scene in Three Little Beers.. You know, the one where the golf ball goes "clonk-clonk-clonk" right over the Boys' heads? The new restored version sports a big zoom on that scene to match the undercranked footage match the rest of the shot.

I remember reading, here, about some mis-placed/deleted dialogue in Ants in the Pantry, as well. Do you think the folks in charge should make changes like this? Are they improvements, or just someone twiddling with the video just because they can?

Have there been any others that I just can't recall or haven't come across, yet? Have I suddenly channeled Andy Rooney?

I haven't watched The Hot Scots, yet. I hope the audio from the big, undercranked fight scene at the end hasn't been pitch-corrected!   

[locoboymakesgood]

I picked up the set at Best Buy today (found it in the TV section.. figures). I'm watching Disc 1 tonight. Right now I'm on The Three Troubledoers, and noticed a soft picture when Curly is found in the hay. The camera seems almost a tad out of focus. I don't have the old DVD handy to compare, but it seemed a bit blurred. Is it just my eyes?

[Bum]

I noticed something: In Beer Barrel Polecats, when Moe raises himself off the jailhouse floor [with an ice cream cone on his nose], there used to be a slight overlap of the same footage and for a split second you'd see Moe raise himself twice. This has now been corrected; it looks like a few frames of film have been removed, and while there's still an obvious edit, the scene flows smoother now.

I'm torn on this tweaking as well; to me, those goofy little technical glitches and mistakes [and there's a million of 'em!] have always added to the appeal of these films.........

[dimelives]

to me, those goofy little technical glitches and mistakes [and there's a million of 'em!] have always added to the appeal of these films.........

Agreed The occasional sketchy editing, use of dumbies, and the corny props always added to the wonderful hilarity of it all

[ThumpTheShoes]

I picked up the set at Best Buy today (found it in the TV section.. figures). I'm watching Disc 1 tonight. Right now I'm on The Three Troubledoers, and noticed a soft picture when Curly is found in the hay. The camera seems almost a tad out of focus. I don't have the old DVD handy to compare, but it seemed a bit blurred. Is it just my eyes?

You ain't just seein' things, Loco! That shot (from 2 different angles, no less!) is entirely out of focus (and it's just the same on the old release). Maybe things were already just that tight and rushed at Columbia, that they couldn't afford re-shoots or further coverage! If the subjects, there, had only been about a foot closer to the camera.. or the camera about a foot back..

I noticed something: In Beer Barrel Polecats, when Moe raises himself off the jailhouse floor [with an ice cream cone on his nose], there used to be a slight overlap of the same footage and for a split second you'd see Moe raise himself twice. This has now been corrected; it looks like a few frames of film have been removed, and while there's still an obvious edit, the scene flows smoother now.

I'm torn on this tweaking as well; to me, those goofy little technical glitches and mistakes [and there's a million of 'em!] have always added to the appeal of these films.........

I'm not sure if I can come to grips with this tweaking business, myself. I have to wonder, who decides what needs fixing? And, if scene transitions/edits like what you mention here get tightened, why, then, would something like the off-camera snickering in G.I. Wanna Home (when moe looks up, glad of no more eggs) not be excised?!

What should constitute a "goof" or flaw that just has to be ironed out? Again, if the editing needs fixed, why not go back with digital tools and erase all the wires used for special effects?

I don't know. I just.. don't know.

[moglia]

My feeling is DO NOT EDIT anything. I want want was originally there in the theaters. There is no reason to mess with any of that. This kind of thing upsets far more people than those mor0ns at $ony realize.

[metaldams]

Picked mine up for 20 bucks minus a penny (I live in Delaware, no sales tax, natch) at BEST BUY today.  So now you all know metaldams owns a copy.  Rest easy tonight.

[busybuddy]

I finally found a copy last night. I don't know about anyone else, but I have a certain sense of satisfaction knowing that I now own every single Curly short in mint-condition chronological order. I can't wait until all 190 plus the features are out there.

I've been jumping between shorts and I can't belive how good Three Little Pirates looks, but I also can't believe how up Curly is in it. Granted, he's not completely back to his old self, but he does a great job in his second to last short.

[dimelives]

I also can't believe how up Curly is in it. Granted, he's not completely back to his old self, but he does a great job in his second to last short.

One can't help but wonder if his overexhertion of energy to perform in the Stooges was a heavy contributor to his subsequent, disabling stroke(s) 

[ThumpTheShoes]

Hey, fellas. Y'know what? I've just watched The Hot Scots and, y'know what? The damned audio during the fight HAS been pitch-corrected at the end of the picture!! And, it sounds like slowed down, pure-dee SHIT!

The sound effects were laid in AFTER the sped-up scene was flown in to the mix so, by slowing down the audio, they slowed down the goofy sound effects and the whole 30-second lash-up is a cheap, swirly, fluttery, noise reduction artifacted mess, audio-wise. Great way to twiddle with the pacing of the film, kids!

Humourist and outdoor writer Patrick McManus often writes swearing in a comical way, using dashes.

"----," he might intone, or "---- - ------," being hyphenated whenever something really wacky happens.

With that in mind, I'd like to say, here and now, "---------------------!!!" and "----------er -----------er!!"

The damn film has been untampered with for 75 frickin' years! Why start now?! I've said it before and I think it rings true.. Sony has made a boo-boo in turning these films over to the television department. Those "kids" are trying to clean and polish these pictures so they look like they were made yesterday. They were not. They have problems, errors, and technical limitations inherent to filmmaking (budget filmmaking, too!) of yesteryear! Transfer them, and make them look as good as film needs to. Just leave the artistic integrity the hell alone!

Let me put it in simple terms: The things don't need fixin'. Just because you can, don't mean you should!

Am I wrong in getting a teensy weensy bit into the upset dept.?

-------Edit:
This just in.. I've re-viewed Sing a Song of Six Pants to be sure, and the sped-up scene with Shemp on the carousel has NOT been pitch-corrected like the bit from The Hot Scots. It remains at about 4% higher pitch, as it SHOULD!