The transfers look consistently outstanding, as with all the previous volumes. In
Spooks!, you can even see a fly buzzing around the studio as Moe suggests the Pie Demonstration routine.
Similarly, the transfer of
Pardon My Backfire is so pristine, the ol' wire-up-the-nose gag is somewhat betrayed as a crude special effect. Who knew?! I thought they really shoved a wire up his nose!
These are not complaints, mind you. Simply, revelations.
The widescreen framing can be problematic-- at the worst, perhaps, just cramped. Check out Moe having a
"cheese" sandwich in
Goof on the Roof (the second shot where he's actually drinking the vinegar). The full-frame shot already has headroom issues and looks artificially zoomed in, and the widescreen matting seems to close in the field of view even more.
Based on some quick comparisons with other full frame transfers, it looks like (in some cases) a teeny bit more horizontal image information is present in the new widescreen copies. I'd guess that some shots, particularly when all 3 Stooges are in frame, were more carefully planned than others.
I certainly haven't watched all the shorts but, so far, there's been no evidence of tampering or tweaking in this collection.
Scotched in Scotland does not exhibit the same audio pitch-correction as its predecessor,
The Hot Scots. Thankfully!
