Product Description

This fifth collection of The Three Stooges, which features 25 digitally remastered shorts from 1946-1948, marks the end of Curly's career with the Stooges and the return of original Stooge Shemp. Curly suffered a stroke on the final day of filming HALF-WITS HOLIDAY and retired at age 43. Moe realized there was only one person who could fill baby brother Curly's shoes: his older brother Shemp (who, ironically, Curly had replaced in 1932). The Three Stooges were born in 1925 when Moe and Shemp met Larry Fine. But the 1930's Shemp left to pursue a film career in Hollywood. By the time Moe called in 1946, he was starring in films with the likes of W.C. Fields, John Wayne and Abbott and Costello. But he accepted Moe's offer, and the original Three Stooges reunited. Shemp's first short upon his return was FRIGHT NIGHT . And Curly did recover enough to make an appearance in HOLD THAT LION, but his health continued to deteriorate and he unfortunately passed away in 1952 at age 48. The Three Stooges Collection Volume 5 is bittersweet for the change but filled with more fun than ever?and the added bonus of not only Larry, Moe and Curly, but Shemp too!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2437 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2009-03-17
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 432 minutes

Amazon.com
Fans of the Three Stooges tend to fall into two camps--those that love Shemp Howard, and those that, quite simply, do not, but one might believe that the pristine presentation of the 25 postwar shorts gathered in The Three Stooges Collection Volume 5 will sway even the most ardent anti-Shemp viewer to reversing his position. Shemp’s involvement with the Stooges goes back to their days in vaudeville with Ted Healy, whose questionable business practices forced him to leave the act and seek stardom on his own, which he achieved in one-reelers and features throughout the ‘30s and ‘40s. He returned to the fold after brother Curly suffered a series of strokes, which forced him to bow out of all shorts after 1947’s "Half-Wits Holiday" (on Disc One). Shemp became a full-time Stooge again in the trio’s 98th short, "Fright Night," and almost immediately established his persona in the group--a blend of Curly’s volcanic man-child and an easily amused goof whose skewed sense of humor drew the wrath of Moe. Whether his performance will win new converts remains to be seen, but some of his best work with the Stooges are compiled on this two-disc set, including "Brideless Groom" (Shemp must get married in 24 hours or lose his inheritance; Stooge supporting player Emil Sitka’s oft-quoted line, "Hold hands, you lovebirds!" from this short is overheard in Pulp Fiction); "Sing a Song of Six Pants" (the boys attempt to corral a fugitive bank robber for the reward money); "Shivering Sherlocks" and "Hot Scots" (two of their best haunted house scenarios, with the hunchback Angel in "Sherlocks" a bizarre highlight); and "Hold That Lion," which features the final screen appearance of Curly Howard in a surprise cameo. As with all previous Three Stooges Collection DVDs, Volume 5 includes a number of shorts that have never been released to disc, including "Lion," "All Gummed Up" and "Pardon My Clutch." --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

Curly's Final 10 Shorts & Shemp's First 14
Finally a release date!! The 3 Stooges Collection 5: 1946-1948 will include the following 24 shorts, a few of which were later remade in the 1950s:

1946:
Beer Barrel Polecats (Curly's declining health forced the studio to use extensive stock footage from 'So Long, Mr. Chumps,' & 'In the Sweet Pie & Pie.'Below average.)
A Bird In The Head (This one still works despite Curly's ill health. Along with '3 Little Pirates,' 'A Bird In The Head' is another favorite Curly two-reeler from '46. Watch for the scene in which Curly finally gets to hit Moe back. Also, there is a rarely shown scene where the gorilla and Curly drink alcohol, which was censored out of the AMC broadcast airings. Curly's ears shoot out steam!).
Uncivil Warbirds (Sort of a follow-up to Uncivil Warriors, only not as funny. The last stooge short to feature another opening theme besides '3 Blind Mice.')
3 Troubledoers (Curly's last western, not as great as the previous ones but still okay)
Monkey Businessmen
3 Loan Wolves
G.I. Wanna Home
Rhythm & Weep (Curly is in a sad state in this, one of The 3 Stooges worst shorts.)
3 Little Pirates (Easily the best of Curly's last 10 two-reelers. He seems like his old self.)

1947:
Half-Wits Holiday(Sadly, Curly's last. Stooge foil Emil Sitka's first. A remake of 'Hoi Polloi' with a pie fight instead of a slap fight at the end. Curly is absent in the last 5 minutes or so of the film, having suffered a major stroke while sitting off camera waiting for his next scene).
Fright Night (The return of the original 3rd stooge, Shemp Howard. Remade as 'Fling in the Ring.')
Out West (Features a jail cell escape gag that was later reused in 'The 3 Stooges Meet Hercules.')
Hold That Lion!(The only Shemp film to feature a cameo by Curly-with a full head of hair. Filing cabinet scene was later reused in 'Tricky Dicks.' Shemp was so afraid of the lion that a glass plate had to be placed between the lion and the stooges in certain shots).
Brideless Groom (one of my favorites and later remade as 'Husbands Beware' in 1955 with a funny twist at the end)
Sing a Song of 6 Pants
All Gummed Up (another favorite and I like the remake 'Bubble Trouble')

1948:
I'm A Monkey's Uncle (remade as 'Stone Age Romeos')
Shivering Sherlocks
Pardon My Clutch
Squareheads of the Round Table
Fiddler's Three
Hot Scots
Heavenly Daze (Yet another classic that was later remade in 1955.'Bedlam In Paradise' is one of the few remakes that was actually funnier than the original.)
Mummy's Dummies
A Crime on Their Hands

COMETH THE SHEMP
There was only one Curly, of course - but the vastly underrated Shemp Howard was surely the next best thing, and a class act all the way. Not many fans know that Shemp took a 50% salary cut from his successful solo career to help out his kid brother, Moe. He'd been earning twice as much for years as a busy freelance character actor, in memorable cameo bits supporting W.C. Fields, Abbott & Costello, Olsen & Johnson - and just about everyone else in Hollywood. (And, frankly, having a much easier go of it. Unfortunately for posterity, the 52 year-old Shemp was already past his prime as a knockabout comic by the time he gamely returned to the team in 1947.)

But game he was, luckily for us. Shemp was blessed with an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime face that was a gift from the comedy gods. Displaying the seasoned comic instincts of a veteran clown, Shemp came equipped with a wonderful natural delivery, perfect ensemble timing, and a hilarious arsenal of quirky sounds, twitches and classic pratfalls. Out of altruism and family loyalty, he made the devil's choice - and three generations of comedy fans can be grateful for a noble and selfless gesture.

More Shemp facts: Shemp had virtually created the Stooges' trademark style of comedy with Ted Healy in vaudeville, before Moe, Larry Fine or Curly ever even joined the act. Simply put (for the benefit of some uninformed reviewers), without the vitally important Shemp there never would have been any Three Stooges in the first place - which makes undermining his legacy all the more pointless and absurd. He was also an uncredited gag writer on some early Curly shorts, such as "Pardon My Scotch," and in 1944 he took over for an ailing Curly during the Stooges' many live performance appearances.

Ah, but was he FUNNY? Well, the proof is in the pudding, (or custard pie, as the case may be.) Even his HAIR was funny - and who else could get his head "ironed" in an industrial pants press in quite the same way? Sixty years later, and the world is still laughing.

"Heeb-eep-eep-eep-eep!" Shemp fever....CATCH IT!

A beginning and an end
While this collection of shorts fails to measure up to the ones that preceded them, this is an important point in the career of The Three Stooges.

The shorts on this volume represent the height of Curly's sad demise - by 1946, he was very ill and ultimately never returned to the act on a full-time basis after suffering a stroke during the filming of Half Wits Holiday. These final Curly shorts are among the worst of his Stooge years but for very understandable reasons. He had a brief cameo in 1947's Hold That Lion, which is featured on this set.

When Curly couldn't continue as a member of the team, Shemp returned and would stay with them until his own death in 1955. Shemp is criminally underrated by the average fan. He wasn't Curly, but Shemp was a very gifted comic in his own right. Curly and Shemp were two very different comics but both excelled at their type of comedy. Give Shemp a shot.