Stooge features to Blu-Ray on 4/21/15

falsealarms · **on:** February 12, 2015, 02:04:10 AM

Mill Creek Entertainment will release two volumes of Three Stooges feature films on Blu-Ray on April 21.

Volume one will have TIME OUT FOR RHYTHM (1941), ROCKIN IN THE ROCKIES (1945) and HAVE ROCKET, WILL TRAVEL (1959).

Volume two will have THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES (1962), THE THREE STOOGES GO AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAZE (1963) and THE OUTLAWS IS COMING (1965).

Each volume has a $14.98 SRP. There doesn't appear to be any special features on either volume.

All six films will be making their Blu-Ray debut.

Now only if Sony would release the 190 shorts and the solo shorts on Blu-Ray.....

Shemp_is_Awesome78 · **Reply #1 on:** February 12, 2015, 06:16:49 AM

I'm debating if I should get these when they come out. I will most likely get the one with the 2 Curly features, but I'll probably end up getting the Curly-Joe set.

luke795 · **Reply #2 on:** February 12, 2015, 08:39:17 AM

I wonder why Mill Creek Entertainment has not re-released Three Stooges In Orbit or Stop Look and Laugh on DVD or Blu-Ray.

Shemp_is_Awesome78 · **Reply #3 on:** February 12, 2015, 03:00:12 PM

Quote from: luke795 on February 12, 2015, 08:39:17 AM

I wonder why Mill Creek Entertainment has not re-released Three Stooges In Orbit or Stop Look and Laugh on DVD or Blu-Ray.

I was also wondering that, too. The Three Stooges in Orbit was the first movie I watched as a kid of the Stooges.

QuinceHead · **Reply #4 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:03:45 PM

Aren't there rights issues regarding Snow White and The Three Stooges, and possibly The Three Stooges in Orbit?

For duty and humanity,
JohnH aka QuinceHead

BeAStooge · **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2015, 10:20:53 PM

Quote from: QuinceHead on February 12, 2015, 10:03:45 PM

Aren't there rights issues regarding Snow White and The Three Stooges

No. It is owned by 20th Century Fox. From VHS to DVD, it has been available on Fox home videos for over 30 years.

Quote

and possibly The Three Stooges in Orbit?

No.

Tony Bensley · **Reply #6 on:** February 26, 2015, 10:09:38 PM

Let's just hope that Mill Creek Entertainment fixed the glitches that were in their 2 DVD Set of these same 6 Features that they released last year! THE OUTLAWS IS COMING was so badly botched that I ended up ordering the Sony DVD version!

For more details regarding the Good, The Bad, And The Ugly of that set, here is the link to my Amazon Review for THE THREE STOOGES COLLECTION - 6 MOVIE SET by Mill Creek Entertainment: http://www.amazon.com/Three-Stooges-Collection-6-Movie-Set/dp/B00HFWETIK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1425009866&sr=8-3&keywords=three+stooges+mill+creek

CHEERS!

Tony Bensley · **Reply #7 on:** March 18, 2015, 08:07:29 AM

Quote from: Tony Bensley on February 26, 2015, 10:09:38 PM

Let's just hope that Mill Creek Entertainment fixed the glitches that were in their 2 DVD Set of these same 6 Features that they released last year! THE OUTLAWS IS COMING was so badly botched that I ended up ordering the Sony DVD version!

For more details regarding the Good, The Bad, And The Ugly of that set, here is the link to my Amazon Review for THE THREE STOOGES COLLECTION - 6 MOVIE SET by Mill Creek Entertainment: http://www.amazon.com/Three-Stooges-Collection-6-Movie-Set/dp/B00HFWETIK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1425009866&sr=8-3&keywords=three+stooges+mill+creek

CHEERS!

One difference between DVD & Blu-Ray may work in favor of the two upcoming 3 Stooges Triple Feature Packs: Unlike Dual Layered DVD's, which can only handle a maximum 4 hour (240 minutes) capacity before glitches and artifacts start appearing (The aforementioned DVD Collections contain slightly over 4 hours on each disc!), double layer Blu-Ray's have at least a 5 hour (300 minutes) capacity.

Regarding the Blu-Ray sets, we can hope that Millcreek Entertainment got these right! Time will tell.

CHEERS!

Larrys#1 · **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2015, 04:03:29 PM

I pray and hope that these won't contain the same glitches that the DVDs had.

Tony Bensley · **Reply #9 on:** March 19, 2015, 04:33:13 PM

Quote from: Larrys#1 on March 19, 2015, 04:03:29 PM

I pray and hope that these won't contain the same glitches that the DVDs had.

Hi Larry's#!!

Hopefully, somebody at Millcreek Entertainment took some notice of the issues with the Three Stooges 6 Movie DVD set and acted accordingly when assembling the two Three Stooges Blu-Ray Triple Pack volumes.

In any event, we should know just over a month from now!

CHEERS!

Tony

Operator15 · **Reply #10 on:** April 02, 2015, 11:57:08 AM

Amazon has them on preorder for $7.79 each right now, so I'm definitely grabbing them. I already have some of the movies in my collection thanks to various other DVD releases, but I'll gladly ditch them if these end up being good quality versions.

Tony Bensley · **Reply #11 on:** April 02, 2015, 12:42:06 PM

Quote from: Operator15 on April 02, 2015, 11:57:08 AM

Amazon has them on preorder for $7.79 each right now, so I'm definitely grabbing them. I already have some of the movies in my collection thanks to various other DVD releases, but I'll gladly ditch them if these end up being good quality versions.

Hi Operator15!

It was the low price tag for last year's THE THREE STOOGES: 6 Movie DVD Collection that I was enticed by. However, given it's decidedly mixed bag quality, I plan to wait for the reviews this time around!

Besides, I'm down for a pre-order for VCI's upcoming May 19 Blu-Ray release of Laurel & Hardy's THE FLYING DEUCES, as I have it from a most trusted source that this is THE best Home Video version ever, and quite frankly, represents the first good Non-PAL based digital transfer (Even the Region 1 Kino DVD was derived from a PAL Transfer, and is thus, subject to the 4% speedup!) to be issued in North America!

While I hope that I'm wrong about the upcoming Three Stooges Millcreek Blu-Ray Volumes, from what I've read about recent Millcreek Entertainment DVD issues (IE. The Starsky & Hutch Complete Series Set.), squeezing content beyond acceptable limits appears to be de riguer for them, these days!

CHEERS!

Tony

Operator15 · **Reply #12 on:** April 02, 2015, 12:54:05 PM

I would worry more about quality, but given that we're talking about decades old movies being put onto a Blu-ray, I'm not all that concerned. Given how much content is shoved onto single Blu-rays for modern movies (both the films themselves AND bonus features) three movies shouldn't be an issue as long as decent masters were used. And even if not, it'll still calm the OCD collector in me for the time being.

Tony Bensley · **Reply #13 on:** April 02, 2015, 02:28:23 PM

The fact that these Volumes are being issued to Blu-Ray rather than DVD may very well prove to be their saving grace, in terms of artifacting and encoding issues.

Let's just hope that Millcreek doesn't get the bright idea of jamming 4 Features onto each Blu-Ray disc for future releases!

CHEERS!

Operator15 · **Reply #14 on:** April 03, 2015, 11:06:05 AM

I really highly doubt that four movies would even be an issue on a Blu-Ray, especially with how old any of the Stooge features are at this point. The Three Stooges Collection DVDs managed to get significant numbers of shorts onto each disc, in pretty amazing picture quality, and that was on a format with that single layer Blu-ray discs beat by roughly 36x in terms of storage capacity.

Four features on a DVD? No thanks. But on a Blu-ray, at the age of those features? Probably fine.

Tony Bensley · **Reply #15 on:** April 03, 2015, 11:25:58 AM

My previous post was based on a supposed 5 hour capacity for double layered Blu-Ray discs with 4 Features averaging over 75 minutes each. On a different thread, somebody had mentioned an approximate 5 Hour capacity for DL Blu-Ray discs, but I suppose that could also depend on a number of factors.

Let's just hope that whatever the acceptable capacity is for Blu-Ray, Millcreek doesn't edge above it in any future releases, as they have for some of their past DVD releases!

CHEERS!

Tony Bensley · **Reply #16 on:** April 21, 2015, 05:32:13 PM

As it's now Release day for these 2 "Three Stooges Triple Feature" Blu-Ray Volumes, hopefully the wait for informed Reviews is almost over!

Unfortunately, as yet, there's nothing along these lines on U.S. Amazon as of 6:30 PM EDT tonight!

CHEERS!

Tony Bensley · **Reply #17 on:** April 21, 2015, 05:50:31 PM

Of course, on our Canadian Amazon, the cost for each Three Stooges "Triple Pack" Blu-Ray Volume is more than double that on U.S. Amazon!

OK, I realize that our Canadian Dollar took a massive blow following the big plummet in the World Price for Crude Oil, which in turn, put the screws on our Alberta Oil, but it didn't drop THAT much!

Anything short of stellar Reviews for these Blu-Ray Volumes, I'll just put up with the Three Stooges 6 Movie DVD Set by Millcreek!

CHEERS!

Operator15 · **Reply #18 on:** April 21, 2015, 06:21:24 PM

I'll probably have some thoughts up tomorrow. I have all night off tonight, but so does my wife, and she's not a Stooge fan, so she'll have the TV with the Blu-Ray player.

So far, all I can say is that the cases are pretty basic, with snapping clasps on each to keep them shut. Not my favorite design, but not really a detriment either. Case art is nice, looks good but isn't overly flashy. Info on back is pretty limited and basic.

Tony Bensley · **Reply #19 on:** April 21, 2015, 06:34:50 PM

Hi Operator15!

Thank you very much for your kind reply!

For me, the content is what it really comes down to. If there are any of the same issues that plagued last year's 6 Movie DVD Release by Millcreek, these two Volumes will be a definite pass for me, though I'm hoping this won't the case with the Blu-Ray Triple Feature Volumes!

I do greatly look forward to your Review with anticipation!

CHEERS!

Tony

Squirrelbait · **Reply #20 on:** April 21, 2015, 09:35:03 PM

I totally forgot about these. I'll definitely be looking forward to hearing your opinions!

Operator15 · **Reply #21 on:** April 21, 2015, 10:47:08 PM

Alright, some quick opinions. Nothing here should be taken as gospel/fact, especially since I've only had time to take quick looks at everything.

Disclaimer: I have nothing on hand to compare the BD versions of "The Three Stooges Meet Hercules" and "Time Out for Rhythm" with, so thoughts on those are based entirely off what I'm seeing from the BD versions.

Menus:
Simple, just a picture and the movie selections. No animations, no music.

Extras:
None at all. Barebones presentation of three features per disc.

Video Quality:
There's obviously only so much that can be done with material this old when it comes to the medium of Blu-Rays, but quite frankly, I was happy with what I saw. While there was still some grainy snow in quite a few shots, (especially in the beginning of "The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze") I thought there was a fairly clear line between what was presented here, and what I saw from the DVDs I used for comparison. (The 3-disc "Rare Treasures from the Columbia Vault" set for "Rockin' in the Rockies" and "Have Rocket, Will Travel", and the older Sony releases of "The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze" and "The Outlaws is Coming") Now, if you're the kind of person who can't often see the difference between DVDs and Blu-Rays, you might not see as much of a difference, but if your eyes are more sensitive, I think you'll see that the quality is strong for the price, age of the material, and the number of features per disc.

Sound Quality:
I don't have a big home theater setup, so I tested using my 5-year old Dynex LCD and a Panasonic Blu-Ray player, and working together I thought that the sound came out loud and fantastically clear for being mono-mastered tracks.

Overall, I paid a little less than $8 per disc, and honestly, even though only two of the six features were new to my collection, I'm glad I picked these up. I wouldn't consider tossing my "Rare Treasures from the Columbia Vault" set, of course, but I am thinking I might toss my old Sony releases for "The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze" and "The Outlaws is Coming".

Tony Bensley · **Reply #22 on:** April 22, 2015, 11:03:09 AM

Quote from: Operator15 on April 21, 2015, 10:47:08 PM

Alright, some quick opinions. Nothing here should be taken as gospel/fact, especially since I've only had time to take quick looks at everything.

Disclaimer: I have nothing on hand to compare the BD versions of "The Three Stooges Meet Hercules" and "Time Out for Rhythm" with, so thoughts on those are based entirely off what I'm seeing from the BD versions.

Menus:
Simple, just a picture and the movie selections. No animations, no music.

Extras:
None at all. Barebones presentation of three features per disc.

Video Quality:
There's obviously only so much that can be done with material this old when it comes to the medium of Blu-Rays, but quite frankly, I was happy with what I saw. While there was still some grainy snow in quite a few shots, (especially in the beginning of "The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze") I thought there was a fairly clear line between what was presented here, and what I saw from the DVDs I used for comparison. (The 3-disc "Rare Treasures from the Columbia Vault" set for "Rockin' in the Rockies" and "Have Rocket, Will Travel", and the older Sony releases of "The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze" and "The Outlaws is Coming") Now, if you're the kind of person who can't often see the difference between DVDs and Blu-Rays, you might not see as much of a difference, but if your eyes are more sensitive, I think you'll see that the quality is strong for the price, age of the material, and the number of features per disc.

Sound Quality:
I don't have a big home theater setup, so I tested using my 5-year old Dynex LCD and a Panasonic Blu-Ray player, and working together I thought that the sound came out loud and fantastically clear for being mono-mastered tracks.

Overall, I paid a little less than $8 per disc, and honestly, even though only two of the six features were new to my collection, I'm glad I picked these up. I wouldn't consider tossing my "Rare Treasures from the Columbia Vault" set, of course, but I am thinking I might toss my old Sony releases for "The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze" and "The Outlaws is Coming".

Hi Operator15!

Thank you very much for your quick opinions on these! I understand full well the not always having full access to our lone Blu-Ray Player!

While based on your review the Three Stooges Triple Feature Blu-Ray Volumes look promising, I'll hold off on purchasing these until either you or someone else is able to do a review based on complete viewings, as I recall that similarly quick viewings for last year's Three Stooges 6 Movie Millcreek DVD set (Screenshots were even posted!), which unfortunately failed to reveal the significant flaws (IE. Green Screen Frames in THE OUTLAWS IS COMING!) in what turned out to be a rather mixed bag!

CHEERS!

Tony

Squirrelbait · **Reply #23 on:** April 22, 2015, 10:16:41 PM

Quote

Alright, some quick opinions. Nothing here should be taken as gospel/fact, especially since I've only had time to take quick looks at everything.

Disclaimer: I have nothing on hand to compare the BD versions of "The Three Stooges Meet Hercules" and "Time Out for Rhythm" with, so thoughts on those are based entirely off what I'm seeing from the BD versions.

Menus:
Simple, just a picture and the movie selections. No animations, no music.

Extras:
None at all. Barebones presentation of three features per disc.

Video Quality:
There's obviously only so much that can be done with material this old when it comes to the medium of Blu-Rays, but quite frankly, I was happy with what I saw. While there was still some grainy snow in quite a few shots, (especially in the beginning of "The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze") I thought there was a fairly clear line between what was presented here, and what I saw from the DVDs I used for comparison. (The 3-disc "Rare Treasures from the Columbia Vault" set for "Rockin' in the Rockies" and "Have Rocket, Will Travel", and the older Sony releases of "The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze" and "The Outlaws is Coming") Now, if you're the kind of person who can't often see the difference between DVDs and Blu-Rays, you might not see as much of a difference, but if your eyes are more sensitive, I think you'll see that the quality is strong for the price, age of the material, and the number of features per disc.

Sound Quality:
I don't have a big home theater setup, so I tested using my 5-year old Dynex LCD and a Panasonic Blu-Ray player, and working together I thought that the sound came out loud and fantastically clear for being mono-mastered tracks.

Overall, I paid a little less than $8 per disc, and honestly, even though only two of the six features were new to my collection, I'm glad I picked these up. I wouldn't consider tossing my "Rare Treasures from the Columbia Vault" set, of course, but I am thinking I might toss my old Sony releases for "The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze" and "The Outlaws is Coming".

Sounds good - I've already got the DVD release from last year, but there's something special about the Stooges on Blu-Ray.
I wish now that they'd release another volume with 'In Orbit', possibly 'Stop, Look And Laugh', and maybe some of the other Columbia features they had cameos in (Captain Hates The Sea, Start Cheering, and My Sister Eileen, even though they're only on screen for about 5 seconds.)

Operator15 · **Reply #24 on:** April 22, 2015, 11:18:34 PM

Well, sat down to watch "Time Out for Rhythm" tonight. Transfer quality was fantastic all the way through. Movie was okay, with the Stooges definitely stealing the show anytime they showed up.

What I want, besides a further compilation of the remaining movies, is honestly a TV show/guest star compilation. The Marx Brothers got one recently (which I need to pick up, along with the post-Paramount films) and I think the Stooges deserve one too. Give us any available TV show appearances, plus things like "Kook's Tour" and "Jerks of All Trades", so that some of us have an easier time filling gaps in the filmography.