51
The Three Stooges - Curly Years / Re: Introduction to the weekly episode discussions
« Last post by HomokHarcos on March 26, 2024, 02:59:08 PM »Good luck with your exams! Sounds like you’ve been doing some intense school work.
Recent Posts
52
The Three Stooges - Curly Years / Re: The Three Stooges Shorts - director, producer, writer, etc.
« Last post by tunersub on March 26, 2024, 06:14:36 AM »Fancy doing a list of editors? Could spark some interesting discussion. I never see their contributions brought up much, then again, I don't know how much influence directors had over the editing themselves. Either way, what separates a lot of the good Stooge shorts to me is tight editing, and it'd be nice to have a clean list of who's responsible.
53
The Three Stooges - Curly Years / Re: Introduction to the weekly episode discussions
« Last post by Paul Pain on March 25, 2024, 04:59:24 PM »I have been absent too long without giving y'all a fair explanation. I'm taking my Ph.D. exams this week, and they have had all of my attention for several weeks now. Hopefully I shall return soon with good news 
54
General Discussion / Re: Buster Keaton feature films
« Last post by Umbday on March 25, 2024, 01:44:25 PM »The silents feature follow — ranked by a combination of excellence, “importance,” and my own desire to rewatch them. All of the films are elevated if you are fortunate enough to see them on a screen with an attentive audience:
• Sherlock Jr. — Shows off Keaton’s imagination and mindset and sensibilities to the n’th degree. This one is turned up to 11. The concise masterpiece.
• The General — The big masterpiece. Keaton at his summit. An epic, but watch it for the subtleties. Get to know it.
[The ranking of the next four can change from viewing to viewing]
• Cameraman — In spite of the first signs of MGM’s meddling in story structure, a satisfying movie and story that showcases Buster at his most "relatable." It play great to a big audience. (The involvement of a love interest who actually plays a role in the plot arguably makes this a great date movie.)
• Seven Chances— My controversial choice. In spite of several gags and situations that draw offended gasps from today’s audiences (I’ve heard them), and in spite of Keaton’s own disavowal of the film (he was more or less obligated to make it), this is packed with incident, speed, and gags, and it’s another one that gets huge laughs from an audience.
• The Navigator — Refined and polished.
• Steamboat Bill Jr. — The last time Keaton had freedom to really do things his way.
• Our Hospitality — The first time Keaton really had freedom to stretch out. A slow-ish first act pays off later on.
• College — Reportedly, this less-ambitious film was Keaton’s penance for breaking the bank making The General. I return to College more often than the following films for the gags and to marvel at Keaton’s physical performance throughout. The ending is a jaw-dropper.
• Go West — A more constrained outing. The pace has slowed, so it’s best enjoyed for its subtleties and melancholy. (A finale cattle stampede thought the streets of Los Angeles just can’t move as fast or as threateningly as those hundreds of brides and hundreds of boulders in Seven Chances.)
• Three Ages — Famously (and maybe apocryphally), it’s three two-reelers with the same plot, woven together. His first indy, and so, essential. The closing gag gets a huge response from a modern audience. (It probably did a hundred years ago too.)
• Battling Buster — An unconventional one. Slower — and not only because Keaton plays another of his idle rich, babes in the woods. A darker than expected final reel that doesn’t play things strictly for laughs. See it, but there are many others that are more essential.
• Spite Marriage — To my eye, a drastic shift from the preceding Cameraman. MGM is now calling the shots. Keaton is diminished.
• The Saphead — Young Keaton stars, but it’s not a Buster Keaton movie.
# # #
Thanks for indulging me. Now, more of the Three Stooges . . . .
• Sherlock Jr. — Shows off Keaton’s imagination and mindset and sensibilities to the n’th degree. This one is turned up to 11. The concise masterpiece.
• The General — The big masterpiece. Keaton at his summit. An epic, but watch it for the subtleties. Get to know it.
[The ranking of the next four can change from viewing to viewing]
• Cameraman — In spite of the first signs of MGM’s meddling in story structure, a satisfying movie and story that showcases Buster at his most "relatable." It play great to a big audience. (The involvement of a love interest who actually plays a role in the plot arguably makes this a great date movie.)
• Seven Chances— My controversial choice. In spite of several gags and situations that draw offended gasps from today’s audiences (I’ve heard them), and in spite of Keaton’s own disavowal of the film (he was more or less obligated to make it), this is packed with incident, speed, and gags, and it’s another one that gets huge laughs from an audience.
• The Navigator — Refined and polished.
• Steamboat Bill Jr. — The last time Keaton had freedom to really do things his way.
• Our Hospitality — The first time Keaton really had freedom to stretch out. A slow-ish first act pays off later on.
• College — Reportedly, this less-ambitious film was Keaton’s penance for breaking the bank making The General. I return to College more often than the following films for the gags and to marvel at Keaton’s physical performance throughout. The ending is a jaw-dropper.
• Go West — A more constrained outing. The pace has slowed, so it’s best enjoyed for its subtleties and melancholy. (A finale cattle stampede thought the streets of Los Angeles just can’t move as fast or as threateningly as those hundreds of brides and hundreds of boulders in Seven Chances.)
• Three Ages — Famously (and maybe apocryphally), it’s three two-reelers with the same plot, woven together. His first indy, and so, essential. The closing gag gets a huge response from a modern audience. (It probably did a hundred years ago too.)
• Battling Buster — An unconventional one. Slower — and not only because Keaton plays another of his idle rich, babes in the woods. A darker than expected final reel that doesn’t play things strictly for laughs. See it, but there are many others that are more essential.
• Spite Marriage — To my eye, a drastic shift from the preceding Cameraman. MGM is now calling the shots. Keaton is diminished.
• The Saphead — Young Keaton stars, but it’s not a Buster Keaton movie.
# # #
Thanks for indulging me. Now, more of the Three Stooges . . . .
55
General Discussion / Re: NEW! A Tour De Farce: The Complete History of the Three Stooges on the Road
« Last post by garystooge on March 25, 2024, 06:37:50 AM »Thanks Mark, I really appreciate the shout out. Setting the record straight was a major motivation for this book. I always found it bothersome in the other Stooges books that lots of stuff was bandied about as fact without presenting any evidence. They're all filled with Moe said this, or Larry thought that, even though the author wasn't even there and couldn't possibly know what was actually said or thought. It leaves the reader wondering about credibility. I decided to put the evidence for my findings right in the book. So when I write that the Stooges were in Memphis from August 10-12, I present the newspaper ad or contract or poster for the shows containing that info. Anyway, thanks again for your comments and glad you like the book.
Gary
Gary
56
General Discussion / Re: Buster Keaton feature films
« Last post by HomokHarcos on March 25, 2024, 03:38:17 AM »Sherlock Jr. is a bit of a toss up about whether I view it as a feature or not, but my rankings would be, counting mainly his silents and MGM talkies.
The Cameraman
Seven Chances
Steamboat Bill Jr.
The General
Sherlock Jr.
Our Hospitality
The Navigator
Sidewalks of New York
Doughboys
What? No Beer?
Spite Marriage
Three Ages
Battling Butler
Go West
Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
College
Speak Easily
The Passionate Plumber
The Saphead
Free and Easy
The Cameraman
Seven Chances
Steamboat Bill Jr.
The General
Sherlock Jr.
Our Hospitality
The Navigator
Sidewalks of New York
Doughboys
What? No Beer?
Spite Marriage
Three Ages
Battling Butler
Go West
Parlor, Bedroom and Bath
College
Speak Easily
The Passionate Plumber
The Saphead
Free and Easy
57
The Three Stooges - Joe and Curly Joe Years / Re: Sweet and Hot (1958)
« Last post by Larrys#1 on March 24, 2024, 01:07:53 AM »This one is just really bad. I appreciate Moe trying a different role here, but it just doesn't work. And the musical numbers here don't help either. Not a single laugh from me here. Sorry if this offends anyone, but this one had no business being a three stooges short.
1/10
1/10
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The Three Stooges - Shemp Years / Re: Studio Stoops (1950)
« Last post by Larrys#1 on March 24, 2024, 01:01:46 AM »Hard to explain why, but the little maha raja bit from Shemp when he was reading what he typed on the typewriter always has me laughing hysterically. His delivery was pricey. Shemp gives a great performance here! Overall, I really thought this was a really good episode!
9/10
9/10
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The Three Stooges - Shemp Years / Re: Sing a Song of Six Pants (1947)
« Last post by Larrys#1 on March 24, 2024, 12:54:26 AM »This is really good. Moe making pancakes on the pressing machine was good and surprisingly, makes me crave for pancakes every time I watch that scene. And Shemp laughing hysterically while reading the comics was priceless! And him ironing the pants was also really good. This is where Shemp's talent really shines and shows that he can be just as funny as Curly... in a different way of course, since both of them have very different styles.
9/10
9/10
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The Three Stooges - Shemp Years / Re: Rip, Sew and Stitch (1953)
« Last post by Larrys#1 on March 24, 2024, 12:51:44 AM »Agree with the OP on this. Sing a A Song of Six Pants was a great episode. But if I wanted to watch Sing a A Song of Six Pants, I'd watch Sing a A Song of Six Pants, not this one. It's pretty much 90% stock footage with nothing to add to the table other than a couple of meaningless new footage, which were rather brief.
3/10
3/10