Just curious -- I suppose this doesn't matter at all now, since all the 190 Columbia shorts are accessible to those who want to see them, or even own them!
In 1958, the first package of Stooge shorts was released to television. It consisted of 78 titles. They weren't just the "first 78," but were cherry-picked with the only apparent requirement that they be pre-1948. (See, before the "missing 60," there were the "missing 112!") There were a few Shemp shorts included among mostly Curly shorts. In fact, the first couple shorts shown in Chicago were with Shemp:
http://threestooges.net/forums/index.php/topic,4788.0.htmlA friend once went to the downtown Chicago library and went through reels and reels of microfilm to compile this list of the Stooges shorts airing on WGN-TV in Chicago as listed in the local editions of TV Guide. (This was back in the 1970s, pre-internet, so it must have been a long and tedious undertaking.) However, he only came up with 61 titles. More were added later while others disappeared (and sometimes reappeared). The shorts were eventually all released in three separate packages. Later, Columbia released another package of other comedy shorts (non-Stooges). WGN showed some Andy Clyde and Buster Keaton shorts alongside the Stooges -- not all the Clydes though, since I don't think they were all released to television.
My question is -- are there accurate lists out there of which shorts were released in which TV packages -- for the Stooge shorts as well as the other Columbia shorts? I'd be interested to see them just for historical purposes, to know what was available when and in what configuration.
Some of the 1940s shorts had the visuals of the Screen Gems logo replacing the "The End" title, for instance. Others from the same period had it tacked on after "The End" with its usual fanfare. I believe that was handled differently at different times (it may be a clue to which of the three packages included a particular short).
Just curious.
Also, while as far as I know there is no footage of Bob Bell as Andy Starr on WGN introducing the Stooges, I have seen an occasional still picture and there is one in particular which WGN used in a few of their retrospective specials, with Andy Starr standing outside the Odeon Theatre with either a marquee or poster listing the Stooges, Andy Clyde and Buster Keaton. In at least one instance (and I don't remember where I saw this), they showed more of the photo and beneath Clyde and Keaton, W.C. Fields was listed. I assume that either had to refer to "The Golf Specialist" (which might have been in some package of RKO shorts?) or the four Paramount shorts, but not both?
Ted Okuda even told me WGN ran the Laurel & Hardy silent "Do Detectives Think" once, with Andy Starr narrating it with a voice-over.
I wonder if a short's inclusion or non-inclusion in the TV packages might have anything to do with trying to find master materials for them now (i.e. the two missing Andy Clydes on the Ultimate Collection box set)?
