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Whistle Stopper - Biography - The Three Stooges
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List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $2.75
Your Save: $ 12.20 ( 82% )
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Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
Starring: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Edward Bernds, Joe Besser
Directed By: Paul E. Gierucki
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9781565014633
Format: Black & White
ISBN: 1565014634
Label: A&E Home Video
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: A&E Home Video
Release Date: 1998-11-11
Running Time: 50
Studio: A&E Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1994
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great expanded A & E Biography
Comment: Always sleuthing for "missing links" of Stoogedom, this 2 disc-set brings a smile (and laughs during crystal clear film and audio excerpts).
A true bonanza for Larry Fine afficionados, as Lyla Fine Budnick speaks at length about her Brother, in a most articulate and engaging way.
An insightful, heart-warming life story is the result.
Interviewees such as Larry's Brother-In-Law, and yes, Curly's daughter Janie (!) are sensitived presented. On the original A & E Show, I do not recall them being as strongly identified as on this excellent, expanded reissue.
Speaking of the most popular Stooge, there are fascinating photos of his retirement (or semi-retirement, if you consider two post-1946 cameos), an important element of the story. As much as this package is appreciated, one wonders if more detail could have provided about that second cameo, which has the been a source of mystification and frustration for fans who have been told the results are (1) a lobby card still of Curly in costume for "Malice In The Palace"; (2) the lobby card still is the only remnant;
(3) there is n actual alternate version available that for some reason local TV stations do not use - Stooge historians.....help!!!
The Gallery feature has plenty of photos which, to this fan, appear to be previously unpublished.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Complete overview of the Stooges
Comment: This DVD is great in being brief, but descriptive, in the stooges. It follows the development of their act and all the people that made it happen. Perfect for the casual fan looking for an inside story of these bozo's.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great extras, very good documentary
Comment: This is basically an extended version of the A&E Biography on the boys from some time back. The only difference is that it's now padded out with a lot of great extras. Though they're essentially the same but for the bonus features, it's kind of confusing how reviews for both 'The Men Behind the Mayhem' and the old VHS of the original documentary are showing up on one another's review pages instead of being separated.
I agree that there are very few clips shown, and the only Columbia shorts shown via clips are 'Disorder in the Court' and 'Sing a Song of Six Pants,' but the title of this documentary is 'The Men Behind the Mayhem,' not 'The Mayhem Behind the Men.' If one wants something that's little more than a glorified clipshow, there's always the dreadful 'Stop! Look! And Laugh!' It also seems to work under the premise that the majority of viewers are already quite familiar with the shorts, so they won't need to see endless clips of them paraded out. However, while I did enjoy this documentary and found it really good, I just wish it had been longer and gone into more depth about some things. There wasn't a lot of information here that I didn't know already.
The photographs used both during the documentary and included as one of the bonus features (grouped into memorabilia, pix of the boys in character, and rare photos from Lyla Fine Budnick's personal photo album) are a real treasure trove. I think that most people who move beyond being casual fans into more serious interest in the boys and their careers find it really fascinating, sometimes even touching, how off-camera they were devoted family men and a far cry from their crazy screen characters. The pictures of Curly (with a full head of hair) and his daughter Janie, from the last few years of his life, were particularly touching. Janie herself was interviewed, and had nothing but good things to say about her parents' marriage, which was shortlived but very happy, and the father who adored her in the short time he had with her.
Other extras include an appearance Moe, Larry, and Shemp made on 'The Comedy Caravan' (hosted by Ed Wynn) in 1950, the 4 public domain shorts ('Brideless Groom,' 'Disorder in the Court,' 'Sing a Song of Six Pants,' and 'Malice in the Palice'), an interactive DVD-ROM webpage created by Bob Bernet, "Me and My Pal Moe" (full of personal letters, photographs, newspaper and magazine obits, and memorabilia), radio interviews, extended interviews with Billy West, Nate Budnick, and Lyla Fine Budnick, and movie trailers. The television appearance is somewhat amusing, but not really fall-down funny, and it's hampered by the poor print quality. It's far from unwatchable, but still not crystal-clear. (It's also shocking how it's sponsored by Camel cigarettes and even contains a skit where Ed is putting up a display of them and then selling them to customers; how far we've come since 1950!). And speaking of poor print quality, the public domain shorts weren't much better. 'Brideless Groom' in particular had very bad pictorial quality. I've seen much better prints of them, so it's not like these shabby prints were the only ones to choose from just because they're public domain. The radio interviews are also great, even though we hear Moe perpetuating the apocryphal legend about Joe DeRita being their first choice to replace Shemp (an urban legend which thankfully is corrected in the documentary itself) and that Shemp left the group in 1932 to play Knobby Walsh in the Joe Palooka series. Shemp was doing Vitaphone shorts in 1932; the Joe Palooka series wasn't until 1936. The first half of the final interview is with Larry, about two weeks before he passed away; because of the strokes he'd suffered, his speech is kind of slow and he doesn't sound like his old self, so one has to listen carefully for that one.
All in all, there are a lot of good things on these two discs. The only reason I can't give it a full 5-star rating is because, as aforementioned, the best possible prints were not used, and as great and informative as it is, I just wish it had gone into some more depth in certain areas instead of reading like a succinct biographical profile of these 6 men and their lives and careers. The new or casual fan probably won't mind, but people who are more serious fans will want a lot more than just the basics with some elaborations.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mediocre
Comment: The Three Stooges shorts are some of the best loved comedy films of all time, and yet many people do not know anything about the men behind the act. They each played a role in keeping the act together for over twenty years and led lives outside of the Stooges.
This biography attempts to shed some light on the subject. It describes how the Stooges were put together by Ted Healy, their decision to leave him, and the reasons for many replacement stooges.
The information found here is easily found in books about the trio, so one would expect something extra special in documentary form. There is nothing really, however. Aside from interviews with good sources like Larry's sister, Ted Healy Jr., and the Stooges fan club president, there is hardly anything to savor. Hardly any clips are used from the many shorts made by the Stooges and what is shown is in bad condition.
This is an acceptable documentary, but it is by no means groundbreaking or highly watchable.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Top Notch Addition to any Stooge Collection
Comment: I was impressed with the quality in this DVD presentation. This documentary succeeds in many ways and preserves for all time some integral interviews of those who knew the Stooges. Some of the rare photography (including much from the Larry Fine family) was amazing, to say the least, and the DVD is well worth the purchase. It's much better than any previous or current documentaries on the comedy team or Ted Healy. The radio interviews with the Stooges add a nice touch as supplemental materials.
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Editorial Reviews:
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For four decades, the Three Stooges ran amuck in a riotous frenzy of eye-poking, ear-slapping, kicks, jabs, punches and frying pans to the cranium.Now, BIOGRAPHY offers fans of the Moronic Maestros a chance to relive the Golden Age of Stoogery. Through rare recordings, exclusive interviews, outtakes and behind-the-scenes antics, THE THREE STOOGES tells the pure, uncensored Stooge story from the early Shemp shuffles to the final days of Curly Joe, "the forgotten Stooge." Whether you're fascinated by the unrestrained id, or just enjoy the good, clean humor of pliers applied to the nose, you'll find something to love in this in-depth look at America's most beloved madcaps!
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