The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 3: 1940-1942

I have been a Stooge fan since I was a liitle boy and am 50 now. I have seen them all over the years. I have tried to videotape some of the episodes but it was frustrating. But to have them in cronilogical order and on DVD is great. This way, the Stooge world is assured of getting ALL of the Stooges shorts. I have Volumes 1 and 2 and am ordering Vol. 3 and Volume 4 will be out in October. This is great! It is truly a must for all Stooge fans.

As the boys enter the 1940's, their characters and unique brand of comedy have achieved a sort of perfection, displaying the enthusiasm, timing and creativity that comes from familiarity, genuine affection, and physical vibrancy. Curly in particular is in peak form, with a genius that would later fade as his physical problems kicked in. While some of the gags are predictable (and of course, that is part of their enduring charm), the shorts remained varied and fresh, allowing Moe, Larry and Curly to act and react upon different situations.

Several shorts stand out (and this review will only focus upon a few as others have done a marvelous job of reviewing them). These are my personal favorites among the many fine shorts in this volume.

"You Natzy Spy" - This is the Stooges' (and Hollywood's) first spoof of Hitler and his band of "merry men." Moe does a remarkable turn of Adolf; Charlie Chaplin's wonderful "The Great Dictator" was not released until some nine months later. Quite honestly, I found Moe's portrayal of Hitler much better, although Chaplin fans will argue the point. Larry is particularly interesting in his role as Pebble - minister of propaganda.

"A Plumbing We Will Go" - The classic "Moe, these pipes are all clogged up with wires" short, later remade with Shemp. The original version, features a manic Curly, tangled up in the waterpipes; his childlike antics are never more hilarious (as a side note, the remake with Shemp was a classic as well).

"How High is Up" - A frenetic short in which the boys end up at the top of a skyscraper construction site. Nothing particular to note here (other than the "Get the tools" routine), but just a fun one.

"All the World's A Stooge" - Moe, Larry and Curly play three refugee children, who are called upon to pass themselves off to a wealthy society matron. Their parody of precious little children is priceless, especially Larry, with his typical brand of humor.

"I'll Never Heil Again" - The worthy sequel to "You Natzy Spy," provides a fitting end to the erstwhile dictator and his henchman.

"An Ache in Every Stake" - The boys are icemen, delivering ice to a home at the top of one of those long LA staircases. Classic gags abound. Stooge regular Vernon Dent is at his blustery best.

"What's the Matador" - The Stooges are vaudeville performers, taking their bullfighting act to Mexico. They annoy the jealous husband of a gorgeous Mexican woman and hilarity ensures. Perfect timing from beginning to end. Curly is at his best in this one. This short was remade with Joe Besser as "Sappy Bullfighters." While one of Joe's better efforts, it pales in comparison to Curly's antics.

The charm of these shorts is not just with Moe, Larry and Curly, but also with the wonderful co-stars who appeared with the boys at that time. Vernon Dent is the perfect foil: pompous, dignified - the perfect stuff shirt. Bud Jamison, adept at playing butlers, cops, or members of the upper crust, was an able character actor supporting other notable stars such as Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Charley Chase and numerous others in a career that spanned from 1915 until his death in 1944. Talented women abounded in the shorts as well. Dorothy Appelby, Bess Flowers, Symona Boniface provide the feminine touch in a land of lunacy.

As with the first two volumes, the restoration of the shorts is excellent, providing viewers, used to the sliced and diced television versions, with a new found appreciation for the programs as originally released.

I have all of the 3 Stooges DVD's,..However, My question is:
When are they coming out with "Shemp" shorts?!?! PLEEEZZZZ!!!!!!
Love em' all,..however,..SHEMP IS SHEMP!!!
Please respond!
Thx,
Stevie

I am proud to own The Three Stooges Volumes One and Two and they are awesome. Best transfers I've ever seen and in chronological order. So even sight unseen, I'll assume the same for Volume 3 and award it five stars.

HOWEVER...... AND HERE'S THE GREAT NEWS!!!

Volume 4 is on the way according to "creepyclassics.com". Here are the particulars.



THE THREE STOOGES COLLECTION - Volume 4 (1943-45) Release Date: October 7, 2008

On this one will be there "werewolf" short IDLE ROOMERS!:

They Stooge To Conga (1943)*
2. Dizzy Detectives (1943)
3. Spook Louder (1943)
4. Back From The Front (1943)
5. Three Little Twirps (1943)*
6. Higher Than A Kite (1943)
7. I Can Hardly Wait (1943)*
8. Dizzy Pilots (1943)
9. Phony Express (1943)
10. A Gem Of A Jam (1943)*
11. Crash Goes The Hash (1944)
12. Busy Buddies (1944)*
13. The Yoke's On Me (1944)*
14. Idle Roomers (1944)*
15. Gents Without Cents (1944)
16. No Dough Boys (1944)
17. Three Pests In A Mess (1945)*
18. Booby Dupes (1945)
19. Idiots Deluxe (1945)
20. If A Body Meets A Body (1945)
21. Micro-Phonies (1945)

*new to dvd

My rating is based on the first 2 releases. Not knowing what to expect with the next, I really hope Shemp is included here or in another release in the future.
My memories of the 3 Stooges goes back to the 1950's, where every Saturday afternoon at the local theatre here in Melbourne Australia, we were entertained with one of the shorts.
I'm going back about 50 years here, but can vividly remember the laughs all around me.
For some reason, Shemp was in nearly all of the versions I saw and I really don't remember seeing much of Curly at all.