3 Stooges Cartoons

[Bandini]

Is anyone familiar with the 3 Stooges cartoons? I am just trying to decide if they are worth buying or not. I've always been a fan of the Stooge shorts, but I've never seen the cartoons. Basically, I'm refering to this:

http://www.bestprices.com/cgi-bin/vlink/603497604029IE?source=InktomiDVD

[Shemp]

Is anyone familiar with the 3 Stooges cartoons?


http://www.threestooges.net/episode.php?id=237
Filmography entry, with viewer comments.

THE NEW 3 STOOGES (1965) is 156 TV cartoons, packaged with 41 live-action wraparounds. Syndicated in 1965 as 39 half-hour shows (@ 4 toons per show); resyndicated in 1966 as 156 individual cartoons.

Very limited animation and unimaginative stories by Cambria Studios; voices by Moe, Larry, Curly Joe, Hal Smith and Margaret Kerry. The live-action segments were produced by Norman Maurer and written & directed by Edward Bernds; cast includes Moe, Larry, Curly Joe, Emil Sitka, Margaret Kerry, Jeffrey Maurer, Eric Lamond, Cary Brown, Tina Brown and Eileen Brown.


I am just trying to decide if they are worth buying or not. I've always been a fan of the Stooge shorts, but I've never seen the cartoons.


A far cry from classic Stooges comedy, they're either for the Stooge completist, and/or basic, kid-friendly fare.


Basically, I'm refering to this:
http://www.bestprices.com/cgi-bin/vlink/603497604029IE?source=InktomiDVD

This is one of two 16-toon DVDs that Rhino released in 2002; Rhino released the same 32 toons on four VHS tapes. The series was discontinued after two DVDs due to poor sales. 155 (of 156) cartoons were released on VHS in the mid-1980s by Embassy Home Entertainment. The toons have lapsed into public domain and various titles are also available on discs from pd distributors such as GoodTimes and Passport/Koch.

http://www.threestooges.net/videography.php
Listing of Three Stooges home video (CED, Beta, VHS, Laser Disc and DVD) from 1980 - Present; with Amazon.com purchase links for available titles.

[ohmahaaha]

I've been a Stooge fan for well over 35 years, but I left these cartoons behind a long time ago. They are indeed a far, far cry from classic stooge shorts - I would stick with those wherever you can find them.

Columbia really needs to get off their butts and produce a complete, high quality restoration of the classic Curly and Shemp Stooge shorts series.

[Bandini]

Thanks for all the info guys. I knew they wouldn't be as good as the film shorts, but I was hoping they would be worthwhile. I'm guessing now they are not...

[detroittvguy]

I know they are terrible, but it's kind of neat to see the live action wraparounds with Moe, Larry, Curly Joe and Emil Sitka in color. I believe the live action stuff was shot in 16mm, giving them a weird, home movie type feel.

[Sogturtle]

I know they are terrible, but it's kind of neat to see the live action wraparounds with Moe, Larry, Curly Joe and Emil Sitka in color. I believe the live action stuff was shot in 16mm, giving them a weird, home movie type feel.

Detroittvguy~

I agree with you about the live-action Stooges being the joy of the Stooge cartoons!!! I'd personally rate the actual cartoons as "weak to bad" rather than out and out terrible, (which I reserve for the Charles Nichols Hanna-Barbera output:D ). And though I hate to mention it, the Stooge cartoons do have a sort-of-major tie to Warner Bros. theatrical cartoons in the person of one Dave Detiege (whose work at Warners and DePatie-Freleng is the weakest of any storyman ever).

[Bricolo]

If you just want to sample them cheaply, there are several dollar DVDs with some on them, Cartoon Craze has the live action wraparounds. Although mildly OK, I didn't care much for them either and I generally like everything. I think Laurel & Hardy's animated series came across a lot closer to its source material. The 3 Stooges were fine in the New Scooby-Doo Movies though.

[Geezil]

In fairness, there's one "New 3 Stooges" cartoon on some of those PD collections, "The Noisy Silent Movie," that's about tolerable, since the story (such as it is) at least works in what seems to be actual silent comedy footage to pleasing effect. Not that I'd watch it more than once every five years or so... ;)

[mmtper]

I do remember enjoying the live-action wrap arounds, though even at the age of nine, I recognized them as exercises in nostalgia. The boys were 70-ish, grandfatherly, their joints practically creaked when they moved, but they were still willing to toss pies and squirt selzer bottles at each other. The Way of the Stooge, I guess...

[cbrubaker]

I believe the live action stuff was shot in 16mm, giving them a weird, home movie type feel.
I think the whole show was made in 16mm, like most syndicated cartoons. Anyone has a list of old cartoons that were shot entirely in 16mm, rather than more expensive 35mm?

Anyway, yeah, I've seen several "3 Stooges" cartoons in many PD tapes, and they're mediocre, although some are okay.

Oh, and you mentioned David Detiege. Don't forget that he was also a writer for Disney shorts during the 1950s. In fact, I think Detiege was married to Walt Disney's niece.

[Sogturtle]

I think the whole show was made in 16mm, like most syndicated cartoons. Anyone has a list of old cartoons that were shot entirely in 16mm, rather than more expensive 35mm?

Anyway, yeah, I've seen several "3 Stooges" cartoons in many PD tapes, and they're mediocre, although some are okay.

Oh, and you mentioned David Detiege. Don't forget that he was also a writer for Disney shorts during the 1950s. In fact, I think Detiege was married to Walt Disney's niece.

Oh no Charles... I didn't forget that Detiege was previously a Disney storyman, I just left it out deliberately. Just like I left out that he directed the animated-western feature "The Man From Button Willow" (which featured a fair amount of Ben Washam and other vintage animators work) just before his venture on "The New Three Stooges". And that he had two major positions on "Shinbone Alley" the animated feature based on a work by Mel Brooks... And yes he was married to Phyllis Bounds. But these things were superfluous to my little point, but they're always nice to bring up.:)

[cbrubaker]

Neat.

Anyway, one final comment about "The New 3 Stooges", it was at least better than "3 Robonic Stooges" from Hanna-Barbera.:cool:

[Bartman]

Columbia really needs to get off their butts and produce a complete, high quality restoration of the classic Curly and Shemp Stooge shorts series.

COLUMBIA already has restored the Three Stooges series - all 190 shorts have been cleaned up and have been in circulation for quite a long time. Check out the VHS and DVD releases - the prints are beautiful...!

SPIKE-TV's recent acquisition/presentation of the Three Stooges is deplorable - there are 3 commercial breaks in each 18-20 short!!! Thank God I get them every Saturday night here in Chicago complete, uncut and uninterrupted!

[Shemp]

COLUMBIA already has restored the Three Stooges series - all 190 shorts have been cleaned up and have been in circulation for quite a long time. Check out the VHS and DVD releases - the prints are beautiful...!


All 190? Far from it. When Columbia exited the VHS market in 1998, 55 Stooges shorts had not been released to home video (comprised of 1950s Shemp and Besser comedies). Many of the VHS copies were mediocre, with several duped from old 16mm Screen Gems prints.

On DVD, only 1/3 of the shorts are available. The volumes released from 2002 to 2004 were of generally high quality... but the earlier discs of 1998 to 2001 were of questionable quality, suffering from overly-contrasted picture, some instances of obvious film splices, and in one case (THREE LITTLE BEERS), technical carelessness that dropped out 20 seconds of film. Up to early 2004 Columbia went the cheap route and created their digital masters from 16mm prints and/or their old VHS video masters from the 1980s and 1990s.

The Stooge restorations used for the 'colorized' discs in August 2004 are the first sourced from 35mm.

[ohmahaaha]

All 190? Far from it. When Columbia exited the VHS market in 1998, 55 Stooges shorts had not been released to home video (comprised of 1950s Shemp and Besser comedies). Many of the VHS copies were mediocre, with several duped from old 16mm Screen Gems prints.

On DVD, only 1/3 of the shorts are available. The volumes released from 2002 to 2004 were of generally high quality... but the earlier discs of 1998 to 2001 were of questionable quality, suffering from overly-contrasted picture, some instances of obvious film splices, and in one case (THREE LITTLE BEERS), technical carelessness that dropped out 20 seconds of film. Up to early 2004 Columbia went the cheap route and created their digital masters from 16mm prints and/or their old VHS video masters from the 1980s and 1990s.

The Stooge restorations used for the 'colorized' discs in August 2004 are the first sourced from 35mm.
Thanks for backin' me up Shempy - I knew I wasn't crazy!

[Madison Carter]

slightly OT:

just last month, Fox released Soup To Nuts, the first film featuring the 3 Stooges. It's actually a rarity, having never been on VHS or DVD before, and was from the time period when they weren't "THE" 3 Stooges, but the sidekicks of Ted Healy, who has a prominent role. Moe is even credited as "Harry Howard."

[Barb Herholzer]

slightly OT:

just last month, Fox released Soup To Nuts, the first film featuring the 3 Stooges. It's actually a rarity, having never been on VHS or DVD before, and was from the time period when they weren't "THE" 3 Stooges, but the sidekicks of Ted Healy, who has a prominent role. Moe is even credited as "Harry Howard."

I might be wrong, but weren't they called "Ted Healy and His Racketeers" in this?

[Shemp]

Originally Posted by Madison Carter
slightly OT:
just last month, Fox released Soup To Nuts, the first film featuring the 3 Stooges. It's actually a rarity, having never been on VHS or DVD before


A little background history on how the lone surviving print of SOUP TO NUTS was saved from oblivion.
http://threestooges.net/forums/index.php?topic=548.msg2900


Originally Posted by Madison Carter
Moe is even credited as "Harry Howard."


A carry-over from the playbill cast listing of Broadway's A NIGHT IN VENICE (1929). "Moe" was considered too ethnic a name for a supporting player in a mainstream Broadway show.


Originally Posted by Barb Herholzer
weren't they called "Ted Healy and His Racketeers" in this?


Yes, that's how they were billed in the film's promotional materials. The "racketeers" were Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard and Fred Sanborn... Healy's stooges from A NIGHT IN VENICE.

[GeniusIntheLamp]

It's my understanding that there is a box set of all 190 Three Stooges shorts, but it's of dubious legality. Of course, Columbia/Sony couldn't sell a free lunch without screwing it up; hence, the bootleggers have come out of the woodwork.

And there haven't been any shorts released since last year's colorization fiasco.

[ohmahaaha]

It's my understanding that there is a box set of all 190 Three Stooges shorts, but it's of dubious legality. Of course, Columbia/Sony couldn't sell a free lunch without screwing it up; hence, the bootleggers have come out of the woodwork.

And there haven't been any shorts released since last year's colorization fiasco.
We are all victims of coicumstance!

[Ray Pointer]

To answer the original question in short, no they are not worth buying.

[corey3rd]

It's a shame that all the Civil war themed shorts are being held back.

The cartoons are worth a buck since you get to see Moe and Larry toward the end of their careers.

[Shemp]

It's a shame that all the Civil war themed shorts are being held back.


They're not held back. UNCIVIL WARRIORS (1935) is one of the 130 shorts in the current national and syndicated TV packages. Although UNCIVIL WARBIRDS (1946) is not one of the 130, it is shown by a few local broadcasters who leased all 190 shorts, e.g., WCIU in Chicago and WSBK in Boston.

Both WARRIORS and WARBIRDS are on VHS, the volumes "Micro-Phonies" and "Three Little Pirates" respectively. WARBIRDS is on the DVD volume "All the World's a Stooge." WARRIORS is still absent on DVD (along with 2/3 of the shorts); but this is not due to "held back," but rather Sony/Columbia's lazy and sloppy treatment of the Stooges' library on home video.