The Three Stooges Collection: Volume 5 1946-1948 – DVD Review

Film, Reviews

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“Exit the Curly – Enter the Shemp” is the theme of this boxset. For kids who grew up watching the Stooges on TV, there was always confusion about why some shorts had Curly while others had Shemp. Who came first? Its wasnt quite on par with the great Darren switch on Bewitched. They didnt shave Shemps head and call him Curly. He was his own Stooge. Why did the brothers swap roles? It wasnt money or a family squabble. Curly was 43 when his health went downhill. According to reports, Curly had a series of small strokes while making these final shorts. His speech was slurred and motor skills were shot. It was the mark of fine directors and editors to not expose Curlys health issues. Curly had a major stroke at the end of making “Half-Wits Holiday.” He would be dead six years later. But lets not dwell upon such a sad moment. The Three Stooges Collection: Volume 5 1946-1948 completes Curlys slapstick legacy while giving us a taste of Shemps future.

“Beer Barrel Polecats” reminds us of the dangers of home brewing. The Stooges are upset that their local watering holes are out of suds. They take matters into their own hands and mix up a batch in the kitchen. They have the classic too much yeast joke working overtime. Things go really wrong when one of them decides to sell an extra bottle. However his first customer is a cop. The Stooges get tossed into prison where their sentences keep getting extended. As a kid this wasnt that funny. But after a failed attempt at making my own booze, I can attest to the comic joy found in their exploits. “A Bird in the Head” once more has them hired to hang wallpaper. Does nobody check references? “Uncivil Warbirds” has the Stooges living in a border state when the Civil War breaks out. In order to look brave, they enlist in the army. However Moe and Larry don the Union blue while Curly returns home in Confederate grey. Without much of a wait, the battles come to their plantation. In order to survive, the trio keep acting like the others are their prisoners. The big moment is when they dress up as black slaves and perform a song about South New York City where cotton grows on trees. Nobody put the war between the states into perspective like the Stooges.

“Half-Wits Holiday” is their second stab at spoofing Pygmalion. The Stooges become pawns in a bet between two psychologists. One swears you can train anyone to be a gentlemen. The other declares one must be born with manners. So the boys hit a Miss Manners boot camp. Needless to say, all the fine work goes to hell when the pies show up at their debutant ball. Curly had his massive stroke right before the pie fight which explains why hes absent from the footage.

Shemp changed the dynamic of the trio. Curly worked off reactive instinct with a child-like glee. Shemp was a thinker. Not a great thinker, but a guy who went with the brain before making that yipping noise when it all went bad. Theres still plenty of violence on the screen. This is not a more cerebral comedy. “Fright Night” introduces Shemp without an introduction. The trio are managing a boxer who is favored to win so much that the Stooges bet all their cash on him. Trouble is a mobster wants the boxer to take the dive or hell put the Stooges in the grave. They boys come up with an ingenious idea, but can it really work?

“Hold That Lion” features a cameo from Curly although you might miss it. The boys are searching a train for a crooked broker who stole their inheritance. They lift the hat off a sleeping man who has a clothespin on his nose. When they unplug the guys nose, he has a familiar snore. Its Curly. but hes got hair. Its so beautiful to see the classic stooges in a single frame. Shame Curly slept through this historic reunion.

“The Hot Scots” sends them to Scotland as detectives. They cant seem to tell that its the castles help thats ripping off the familys prized possessions. “Mummys Dummies” takes them back to ancient Egypt. The trio are running a used chariot dealership. Theyre sprucing up a lemon to unload on a customer. But they pick the wrong guy to rip off. Hes the captain of the royal guard. He drags them to the kings throne in hopes of having the cheats executed. The Stooges finally get to meet King Rootentootin. He was the main mummy in “We Want Our Mummy” starring Curly. The tall Vernon Dent is the pharaoh which is strange since the earlier short had him as a midget.

Curly was such a creative monster that its easy to see why Shemp is often demeaned by casual fans. Both men were experts in the fine art of the violent comedy. This was like Yankee fans adjusting from Joe DiMaggio to Mickey Mantle. Shemp was more entertaining than Joe Besser and Curly Joe DeRita. He didnt impersonate his brother, but brought the character hed perfected in feature films to the two reel life. It also doesnt help that the budgets for the shorts during the Shemp era were getting tightened. They also repeated scripts to save a few bucks on typing. All Im saying is to give Shemp a chance. The 25 shorts featured on The Three Stooges Collection: Volume 5 1946-1948 show a smooth transition from Curly to Shemp. Theres no floundering to remake the Stooge dynamic. Shemp hit the group poking and popping Larry and Moe like he was always amongst them.

The Shorts
Moe, Larry and Curly: “Beer Barrel Polecats,” “A Bird in the Head,” “Uncivil War Birds,” “The Three Troubledoers,” “Monkey Businessmen,” “Three Loan Wolves,” “G.I. Wanna Home,” “Rhythm and Weep,” “Three Little Pirates,” “Half-Wits Holiday.”

Moe, Larry and Shemp: “Fright Night,” “Out West,” “Hold That Lion!,” “Brideless Groom,” “Sing a Song of Six Pants,” “All Gummed Up,” “Shivering Sherlocks,” “Pardon My Clutch,” “Squareheads of the Round Table,” “Fiddlers Three,” “The Hot Scots,” “Heavenly Daze,” “I’m a Monkey’s Uncle,” “Mummy’s Dummies” and “Crime on Their Hands.”

The video is 1.33:1. These remastered shorts look splendid. You get to see every eyepoke with stellar resolution. The audio is Dolby Digital Mono. The sounds of Moe going to town are crystal clear. Youll wince when he makes contact.

None.

The Three Stooges Collection: Volume 5 1946-1948 wraps up the 97 Stooges shorts starring Curly along with his cameo appearance. While some folks dismiss Shemps shorts, he brought a charm with his cerebral bumblings. His 15 entries on this boxset make a case that Curly fans need to open up their hearts to let Shemp inside. If not, the ghost of Moe will poke you in the eyes. For those doing the math, this collection means that 112 of the 190 Stooge shorts have been released as part of The Three Stooges Collection series.

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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment presents The Three Stooges Collection: Volume 5 1946-1948. Starring: Moe Howard, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard and Larry Fine. Boxset Contents: 25 Shorts on 2 DVDs. Released on DVD: March 17, 2009. Available at Amazon.com

Joe Corey is the writer and director of "Danger! Health Films" currently streaming on Night Flight and Amazon Prime. He's the author of "The Seven Secrets of Great Walmart People Greeters." This is the last how to get a job book you'll ever need. He was Associate Producer of the documentary "Moving Midway." He's worked as local crew on several reality shows including Candid Camera, American's Most Wanted, Extreme Makeover Home Edition and ESPN's Gaters. He's been featured on The Today Show and CBS's 48 Hours. Dom DeLuise once said, "Joe, you look like an axe murderer." He was in charge of research and programming at the Moving Image Archive.