Topic: Are the 190 Stooges shorts coming to Blu-Ray anytime soon?

[Tony Bensley]

That set is junk with horrible, cardboard sleeve packaging. It also doesn't have the volume with the solo shorts.

The Ultimate Collection doesn't seem to be available anywhere right now.

Yup, just very high priced used Ultimate Collection DVD sets appear on Amazon, now. Gone out of print is my guess. Too bad!

[Larrys#1]

I agree! Audio commentary would be lovely!

It would be great if we can have audio commentaries by Moe, Larry and Curly themselves. 

[Dr. Mabuse]

I have no complaints about the Sony DVD sets — they did a damn good job.  Unless Sony comes up with worthwhile commentary tracks and bonus material, I see no reason to double-dip. 

[Tony Bensley]

I have no complaints about the Sony DVD sets %u2014 they did a damn good job.  Unless Sony comes up with worthwhile commentary tracks and bonus material, I see no need to double-dip.

Honestly, I think one of the bigger selling points of a Blu-ray release for this set was the two 3-D shorts, which ended up getting released in that format as extras (Courtesy of Bob Furmanek and Greg Kintz!) by Twilight Time.  Of course, they are now out of print, and 3-D TV sadly died as a mainstream format. Don't get me wrong, a Blu-ray release would still be great, but I do agree the Sony DVD sets are top notch for that format!

Insofar as commentary tracks, my question is who would be best suited for providing commentary tracks, as at this stage, nearly all of the remaining supporting players have passed away? At the top of my head, I'm thinking Jerome "Curly" Howard's grandson could provide some.  There is also the idea of digging into archival audio interviews (I'm thinking Moe Howard, mainly!) and integrate some of that dialogue into whatever appropriate film.  Of course, Metaladams would also be a great choice for providing useful commentary!

But I'm getting way ahead of myself. Perhaps someday, though?

CHEERS! 

[metaldams]

Honestly, I think one of the bigger selling points of a Blu-ray release for this set was the two 3-D shorts, which ended up getting released in that format as extras (Courtesy of Bob Furmanek and Greg Kintz!) by Twilight Time.  Of course, they are now out of print, and 3-D TV sadly died as a mainstream format. Don't get me wrong, a Blu-ray release would still be great, but I do agree the Sony DVD sets are top notch for that format!

Insofar as commentary tracks, my question is who would be best suited for providing commentary tracks, as at this stage, nearly all of the remaining supporting players have passed away? At the top of my head, I'm thinking Jerome "Curly" Howard's son could provide some.  There is also the idea of digging into archival audio interviews (I'm thinking Moe Howard, mainly!) and integrate some of that dialogue into whatever appropriate film.  Of course, Metaladams would also be a great choice for providing useful commentary!

But I'm getting way ahead of myself. Perhaps someday, though?

CHEERS! 

I’m a much, much better writer than I am a speaker.  If I were to do commentaries, I would need a ton of notes in front of me.  But thanks for the vote of confidence.

[hiramhorwitz]

Insofar as commentary tracks, my question is who would be best suited for providing commentary tracks, as at this stage, nearly all of the remaining supporting players have passed away? At the top of my head, I'm thinking Jerome "Curly" Howard's son could provide some. 

I'm not trying to be a wiseguy, but I don't believe Curly had any sons.  He had two daughters, Marilyn and Janie, and Marilyn had a couple of sons (Curly's grandsons), but both of Marilyn's sons were born long after Curly's demise.  Are you referring to Moe's son Paul, who narrated the "Hey Moe, Hey Dad" documentary series?  He's always been willing to tell neat stories about his Uncle Curly.  And maybe Marilyn and/or Janie would also be willing to contribute to the commentary tracks.  Just a thought...

[Tony Bensley]

I'm not trying to be a wiseguy, but I don't believe Curly had any sons.  He had two daughters, Marilyn and Janie, and Marilyn had a couple of sons (Curly's grandsons), but both of Marilyn's sons were born long after Curly's demise.  Are you referring to Moe's son Paul, who narrated the "Hey Moe, Hey Dad" documentary series?  He's always been willing to tell neat stories about his Uncle Curly.  And maybe Marilyn and/or Janie would also be willing to contribute to the commentary tracks.  Just a thought...

Thanks for spotting my gaffe, which I have now corrected. Curly's grandson is who I meant to refer to!  The others you mentioned sound like great choices, as well!

CHEERS! 

[Dr. Mabuse]

Released by Time Life in 2018.  Enjoy the montage.

[Tony Bensley]

Released by Time Life in 2018.

I guess the Time Life set is OK in of itself, but for those who already own The Ultimate Collection set, it's largely redundant.

CHEERS! 

[steve49]

Have you had a chance to check out the UK powerhouse blu-rays ?  There 4 sets of Columbia Noir dramas all feature 6 Stooged shorts in HD , Unfortunately they say region B for the powerhouse sets , I do have a region free player and once there on sale I will pick them up . They do have "the Mad Magician" with the 2 3D shorts and all region , Picked that up long ago after the TT sold out .  I just found out about those and this...  Disorder in the court is on the Columbia Classics bonus disc volume 2 Blu-ray . The have them on eBay as stand alone discs . Was lucky to find one cheap since I had no desire to buy those other movies in that set .

Things seem to be  moving in the right direction , If only they would do a few volumes of test runs of just The three stooges bluray. Or at least do Columbia comedy's or even Colombia cartoons  and mix in a bunch of Stooges shorts if people need variety to be enticed . 

I do think were lucky to have the complete ultimate dvd but there looking old to my spoiled eyes , I pretty much only watch bluray and with the A&C set, L&H ,Marx brothers , etc. all getting the HD treatment it's time we finally get some . 

[Tony Bensley]

Have you had a chance to check out the UK powerhouse blu-rays ?  There 4 sets of Columbia Noir dramas all feature 6 Stooged shorts in HD , Unfortunately they say region B for the powerhouse sets , I do have a region free player and once there on sale I will pick them up . They do have the Mad Magician with the 2 3D shorts and all region , Picked that up long ago after the TT sold out .  I just found out about those and this,  Disorder in the court is on the Columbia Classics bonus disc volume 2 Blu-ray . The have them on eBay as stand alone discs . Was lucky to find one cheap since I had no desire to buy those other movies in that set .

Thing seem to be  moving in the right direction , If only they would do a few volumes of test runs of just The three stooges bluray. Or at least do Columbia comedy's or even Colombia cartoons  and mix in a bunch of Stooges shorts if people need variety to be enticed . 

I do think were lucky to have the complete ultimate dvd but there looking old to my spoiled eyes , I pretty much only watch bluray and with the A&C set, L&H ,Marx brothers , etc. all getting the HD treatment it's time we finally get some . 

I agree that it's high time The Three Stooges 190 Columbia Shorts get the Blu-ray treatment. It is my understanding they're already scanned in 2K, so Sony could simply do an HD upgrade without further restoration. The only problem is these days, Sony tends to farm out their classic catalogue to Mill Creek, where the results can be rather dicey, what with their disc cramming, poorly done encoding issues. Take their recent I DREAM OF JEANNIE Series Blu-ray release debacle, for instance! This SHOULD HAVE been a stellar release, instead of the "Better hold on to your old IDOJ Sony DVDs!" interlacing disaster!

CHEERS!

[Umbday]

Yes, the Sony DVDs had been fine with me — until I began checking out some of the high-def Stooges shorts that they've been running on MeTV here in the States. Granted, those are presented in a slightly letterboxed format, but the video upgrade over the DVDs is impressive.

If a blu-ray Stooges set ever were released, I wouldn't expect anyone to spend the money needed to produce extras or commentaries. (Those of us who still like to own physical copies of our favorite movies and TV series have seen how depressingly cheap and shoddy the packaging has become for these types of releases over the past few years.)

[Tony Bensley]

Yes, the Sony DVDs had been fine with me — until I began checking out some of the high-def Stooges shorts that they've been running on MeTV here in the States. Granted, those are presented in a slightly letterboxed format, but the video upgrade over the DVDs is impressive.

If a blu-ray Stooges set ever were released, I wouldn't expect anyone to spend the money needed to produce extras or commentaries. (Those of us who still like to own physical copies of our favorite movies and TV series have seen how depressingly cheap and shoddy the packaging has become for these types of releases over the past few years.)

Honestly at most, all that Sony would have to do is acquire the transfers used for the Twilight Time presentations for their two 1953 3-D shorts, and otherwise release their existing 2K scans of The Three Stooges Columbia Shorts in the Blu-ray format.

CHEERS! 

[HomokHarcos]

I'm hoping they would release them in a complete series instead of as a set. I Love Lucy was was released in volumes on Blu-ray and ended up being cancelled due to low sales.

[Tony Bensley]

I'm hoping they would release them in a complete series instead of as a set. I Love Lucy was was released in volumes on Blu-ray and ended up being cancelled due to low sales.

Releasing them as a complete series would certainly be ideal. Since existing HD masters for The Three Stooges Columbia shorts already exist, there should be little reason to issue them as separate volumes, in my opinion.

Insofar as the stalling of the I LOVE LUCY Blu-ray releases, I wouldn't say never, as CBS recently released all 8 seasons of THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW to Blu-ray years after they had abandoned releasing further seasons to Blu-ray after the first season didn't sell well enough (With pricing nearly as high as for the entire series now, no wonder!) for their liking. The key is they already had existing HD transfers that were designed for the TV and streaming markets.

CHEERS! 

[HomokHarcos]

Releasing them as a complete series would certainly be ideal. Since existing HD masters for The Three Stooges Columbia shorts already exist, there should be little reason to issue them as separate volumes, in my opinion.

Insofar as the stalling of the I LOVE LUCY Blu-ray releases, I wouldn't say never, as CBS recently released all 8 seasons of THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW to Blu-ray years after they had abandoned releasing further seasons to Blu-ray after the first season didn't sell well enough (With pricing nearly as high as for the entire series now, no wonder!) for their liking. The key is they already had existing HD transfers that were designed for the TV and streaming markets.

CHEERS! 

I see Paramount Plus has added I Love Lucy, but I'd still much rather have it on Blu-ray. I'm just not as into streaming. At least I still have the complete series on DVD. I missed the Andy Griffith Show coming out on Blu-ray, I think I'd like to get that set eventually.

I wonder if the social climate has changed things, would shorts like Uncivil Warriors, No Dough Boys or The Yoke's on Me be included?

[Umbday]

I wonder if the social climate has changed things, would shorts like Uncivil Warriors, No Dough Boys or The Yoke's on Me be included?

That is a concern. One can only hope that Sony (or whichever company were to release it) would do so with the awareness that it would be aimed at the collectors' market.

Somewhat funny and ironic: A collection of the 3 Stooges intended for a discerning audience with a sophisticated appreciation of the movies . . . .

[metaldams]

I’m not considered PC by today’s insane standards and even I find THE YOKE’S ON ME offensive.  However, even more offensive would be banning it.

I think there were a couple of Tom and Jerry shorts that didn’t make a DVD set because of racial concerns and it caused a huge backlash.  If a set of Stooge shorts do get released, hopefully the PC police will leave things alone.

[Dr. Mabuse]

I think there were a couple of Tom and Jerry shorts that didn’t make a DVD set because of racial concerns and it caused a huge backlash.  If a set of Stooge shorts do get released, hopefully the PC police will leave things alone.

Warner Home Video included the following disclaimer on its Looney Tunes, Popeye and Tex Avery releases:  "The cartoons you are about to see are products of their time. They depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. These cartoons are being presented as they were originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed."

Disney followed suit with its "Walt Disney Treasures" DVD sets (with Leonard Maltin providing the introductions to politically incorrect content) and now includes 12-second disclaimers for certain animated and live-action films on its Disney+ streaming service. Perhaps Sony will use such a disclaimer if they upgrade the Columbia shorts to Blu-ray.

[steve49]

I’m not considered PC by today’s insane standards and even I find THE YOKE’S ON ME offensive.  However, even more offensive would be banning it.

I think there were a couple of Tom and Jerry shorts that didn’t make a DVD set because of racial concerns and it caused a huge backlash.  If a set of Stooge shorts do get released, hopefully the PC police will leave things alone.

I love the "the yoke's on me" and every other stooges short .

here are the sets from the UK . They usually have a sale a few times a year dropping them down to about $40 usd each .

https://www.powerhousefilms.co.uk/collections/film-noir

[metaldams]

I love the "the yoke's on me" and every other stooges short .

here are the sets from the UK . They usually have a sale a few times a year dropping them down to about $40 usd each .

https://www.powerhousefilms.co.uk/collections/film-noir

https://moronika.com/forums/index.php/topic,5358.0.html

Feel free to join the “Yoke’s On Me” conversation linked above and post your thoughts, but you will read a lot on the con side.

[HomokHarcos]

I should point out that I don't believe that content like The Yoke's on Me alright. If you want to study The Three Stooges career you have to get into the good and the bad, and the most affective way to learn about the more unfortunate aspects is by seeing it. I can understand people will be uncomfortable, but I think warnings and disclaimers are better than film censorship.

[HELLOLARRY]

IMO...I think if things get released without pointing anything out, nobody pays attention. I don't say that to promote or condone anything. I just feel that the majority of people who complain about such things don't even watch the material in the first place. The more attention that is called to it, it becomes a 'thing'.

I don't know if this is the right place for this but my concern with a blu ray release of all 190 shorts is if the end titles will be left alone.

I'm not an avid watcher of the Stooges on TV these days since I have them all on DVD however myself and some friends have noticed that with some shorts that are run on MeTV and MeTV+, the end title is altered somewhat. For example, Gents Without Cents fades out without an end title and goes straight to the Sony tag. Others, have the original music but an end title from a different year (a 1938 short ends with "The End" title from 1947), or the end title is cut and replaced by an end title and music from a different year.

I don't know if this is addressed in another thread on the board here but I don't know how this happens. Someone has to go in there and make the change. It's weird and I don't understand how or why that was done but my fear is that if there is a blu ray release, these will be the masters that will be used.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Thanks in advance.

[metaldams]

IMO...I think if things get released without pointing anything out, nobody pays attention. I don't say that to promote or condone anything. I just feel that the majority of people who complain about such things don't even watch the material in the first place. The more attention that is called to it, it becomes a 'thing'.

I don't know if this is the right place for this but my concern with a blu ray release of all 190 shorts is if the end titles will be left alone.

I'm not an avid watcher of the Stooges on TV these days since I have them all on DVD however myself and some friends have noticed that with some shorts that are run on MeTV and MeTV+, the end title is altered somewhat. For example, Gents Without Cents fades out without an end title and goes straight to the Sony tag. Others, have the original music but an end title from a different year (a 1938 short ends with "The End" title from 1947), or the end title is cut and replaced by an end title and music from a different year.

I don't know if this is addressed in another thread on the board here but I don't know how this happens. Someone has to go in there and make the change. It's weird and I don't understand how or why that was done but my fear is that if there is a blu ray release, these will be the masters that will be used.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Thanks in advance.

You hit the nail on the head with Internet fandom.  You’ll see people begging all day for releases and obsessing over every minor detail - I remember when the DVD’s were being released the color of the sleeves and DVD spines were an issue - yet I bet half of these releases collect dust on a shelf.  This happens at other boards for other genres too - people just like to complain. I think discussing the films themselves is more important.

As far as end titles, I would like to think they would be included.  Sony did a good job on the DVD’s anyway.  Perhaps end titles are chopped off on TV for time considerations?  Just a guess on my part.

[Tony Bensley]

You hit the nail on the head with Internet fandom.  You’ll see people begging all day for releases and obsessing over every minor detail - I remember when the DVD’s were being released the color of the sleeves and DVD spines were an issue - yet I bet half of these releases collect dust on a shelf.  This happens at other boards for other genres too - people just like to complain. I think discussing the films themselves is more important.

As far as end titles, I would like to think they would be included.  Sony did a good job on the DVD’s anyway.  Perhaps end titles are chopped off on TV for time considerations?  Just a guess on my part.

I'm thinking the end titles with a different year getting tacked on is what HELLOLARRY finds most concerning. Like, how does that even happen?

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend!

CHEERS!