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The Three Stooges Collection - The Early Years

The Three Stooges Collection - The Early Years

List Price: $9.98
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Spread out!
Review: "Disorder in the Court" is a good early Stooges comedy. It's also one of the best "Curlys." The boys, working as musicians, are called as witnesses in a murder trial. The Three Stooges make short work of the courtroom's stuffy respectability. The "Curly on the witness stand" segment rivals anything in classic comedy films, from the Marx Brothers down. After the bailiff has trouble getting Curly to understand the oath, the judge tries to explain, "He asked if you swear..." Curly interrupts and replies, "No, but I know all the woids!" Curly's testimony includes so much jive-talking musician language that the defense attorney instructs him to "drop the vernacular." The perplexed Curly, looking at the hat he is holding, says, "Vernacular? That's a derby!" To get around these problems of semantics, the guys suggest they "act out" their testimony. Incredibly, the judge agrees, and complete pandemonium ensues.

The Three Stooges are arguably the greatest representatives of low comedy in the history of film. Moe, with his trademark sugar bowl haircut and his usual cranky demeanor, is the master of the eye-poke and the face-slap. Larry, his explosion-in-a-matress-factory hairstyle and his handog attitude, is mainly caught in the middle between Moe and Curly. The rotund Curly, his familiar "dirty tennis ball" crewcut, his "woo woo" expressions, and his "nyuk nyuk" laugh, has an otherworldly quality that defies written description. Curly Howard (a real example of a clown who laughed through his tears) could very well be given the "most under-rated comic genius of the 20th century" award.

This little video also includes "Malice in the Palace," a "Shemp" episode. The boys go after the Rootin'-Tootin' treasure stolen by "Omigosh, Emir of Shmoe." Generally, the Shemp comedies are less effective than the Curly episodes, but that is admittedly a personal preference issue. At least Larry has more to do in the Shemp episodes. This video can serve as a basic introduction to the Stooges for anyone visiting from another planet. It's also a good place to start the next generation of viewers in the zany world of Stooge mania. Even if you have seen these comedies countless times before, watch the video for a few minutes when you feel tired and cranky, and enjoy the absolute nonsense.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of Curly's best and 3 of Shemp's too!
Review: "Disorder in the Court" is the most outrageous court scene you'll ever see. If you have a heart problem, don't forget to have some NTG on hand. The belly laughs could get dangerous. The other three include perhaps the funniest that Shemp ever did. "Malice in the Palace" is one of my favorites, in spite of being without Curly. "Sing a Song of Six Pants" includes a fight scene that is an all time classic - whirling pants hangers (with real thugs wearing them) that sometimes strike the good guys, as well as the bad guys. "The Brideless Groom" is the weakest of the four episodes, but the phone booth scene with Shemp and Moe hopelessly entangled in miles of phone wire is worth seeing.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: poor quality made up by rarities
Review: Buy this if you are interested in Ted Healy's productions from really early Stooge days. If not, skip it. The quality (audio and video) of the DVD is shabby...hence, the low price. There are only 4 of 12 shorts really worth owning, available on other, higher quality products.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: stooges on dvd!
Review: disorder in the court is, in my opinion one of the great stooge shorts. Curly causes all kinds of havok when the judge tells him to take off his hat and lay his right hand on the Bible at the same time. Lary and Moe playing tic tac oe on the back of a lawyer's shirt with chalk is not to be missed. This is when the Three Stooges were original and unique, and you can now wath it on DVD

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: BETTER THAN NOTHING...YET DISAPPOINTING
Review: First of all, I got this DVD, primarily for the public domain short films, "DISORDER IN THE COURT", "SING A SONG OF SIX PANTS", "BRIDELESS GROOM" and "MALICE IN THE PALACE", as they have never been presented on the DVD format, "respectively", until now. If you've bought the ultra-crappy editions put out by Madacy and Platinum Disc Corporation, you know what I mean. The Madacy edition has a dis-jointed audio track for both "BRIDELESS GROOM" and "SING A SONG OF SIX PANTS"...so out of sync, it's a rip-off. Then, the Platinum edition contains nearly 4 minutes of "BRIDELESS GROOM", and that's it! It is so sad to see that these people are allowed to put these DVD's on the market, with total disregard for quality. Which brings me to the item on hand, THE THREE STOOGES COLLECTION: THE EARLY YEARS, from the good folks at American Home Treasures. This disc is such a fantastic curiousity. Most will complain that the films have not been "re-mastered", or cleaned up in any sort of way, but then again, we are dealing with public domain material, which has been around for ages. Now, we have a DVD that not only successfully compiles the aforementioned Stooge shorts in their entirety, but 8 more curiousities. The other shorts are some that I've never seen. Most of which, are pre-Columbia, MGM two-reelers with Ted Healy and his stooges, Howard, Fine and (Curly) Howard. Then there are some Vitaphone short films, containing the unsung works of Shemp Howard, working opposite several other contract players. A real gem is a film entitled "ROAST BEEF & MOVIES", that stars Jerry Howard, yep, Curly, pre-Stooges! The duration of the disc, runs a little over 3 hours and 40 minutes, containing 12 shorts in all. This is a real treat for die-hard Stooge fans, like myself, and I would highly recommend it. Also, for what you get, the price is unbeatable.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A STOOGE FAN'S DREAM...TREMENDOUS STUFF!
Review: First of all, I got this DVD, primarily for the public domain short films, "DISORDER IN THE COURT", "SING A SONG OF SIX PANTS", "BRIDELESS GROOM" and "MALICE IN THE PALACE", as they have never been presented on the DVD format, "respectively", until now. If you've bought the ultra-crappy editions put out by Madacy and Platinum Disc Corporation, you know what I mean. The Madacy edition has a dis-jointed audio track for both "BRIDELESS GROOM" and "SING A SONG OF SIX PANTS"...so out of sync, it's a rip-off. Then, the Platinum edition contains nearly 4 minutes of "BRIDELESS GROOM", and that's it! It is so sad to see that these people are allowed to put these DVD's on the market, with total disregard for quality. Which brings me to the item on hand, THE THREE STOOGES COLLECTION: THE EARLY YEARS, from the good folks at American Home Treasures. This disc is such a fantastic curiousity. Most will complain that the films have not been "re-mastered", or cleaned up in any sort of way, but then again, we are dealing with public domain material, which has been around for ages. Now, we have a DVD that not only successfully compiles the aforementioned Stooge shorts in their entirety, but 8 more curiousities. The other shorts are some that I've never seen. Most of which, are pre-Columbia, MGM two-reelers with Ted Healy and his stooges, Howard, Fine and (Curly) Howard. Then there are some Vitaphone short films, containing the unsung works of Shemp Howard, working opposite several other contract players. A real gem is a film entitled "ROAST BEEF & MOVIES", that stars Jerry Howard, yep, Curly, pre-Stooges! The duration of the disc, runs a little over 3 hours and 40 minutes, containing 12 shorts in all. This is a real treat for die-hard Stooge fans, like myself, and I would highly recommend it. Also, for what you get, the price is unbeatable.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good, but it get a little boring when viewed over and over.
Review: I have to say it. "Disorder in the Court" is one fo the funniest, especially when Larry and Curly play Moe's ribs like an accordion. "Malice in the Palace" is okay, with the funniest scene being when Shemp and Moe think Larry killed the cat and the dog and served it to the diners.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Historical but very disappointing
Review: I love the Stooges but this was very disappointing. This focuses primarily on Ted Healy. Some of the shorts don't even have all of the stooges in them. This is a good look at the pre-stooge era but it isn't the Three Stooges. The one bright spot was "Disorder In The Court". I have a few other Stooge videos and DVD's and I don't think that this one is on any of the ones I own. The other Three Stooges shorts I already have.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Fergitaboutit
Review: The four public domain shorts are good, but everywhere.
Ted Healy was incredibly UNfunny. He held the Stooges down.
When the Stooges left that jerk, they soared. Historicly interesting;Yes. Funny;No It's a small wonder Healy got stomped to death in a bar-room.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Quality of the video is poor compared to other stooge titles
Review: The quality of the tape with the three shorts is very poor. Other stooge titles that I've purchased do not have this problem. The second tape with interviews was fine. If your interested in these three shorts I would buy them separately in another tape instead of getting this anniversary collection.


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