The Three Stooges Collection - 6-Movie Set

Below are my technical reviews for each of the six Three Stooges Features, as they appear on the Mill Creek Entertainment two DVD Set. Due to the markedly inconsistent quality of their digital transfers, my Mill Creek Entertainment Vs. Individual Sony DVD recommendations for the six Features are additionally listed below my reviews for each:HAVE ROCKET, WILL TRAVEL (1959) - I find it difficult to imagine a better looking print than this flawless Mill Creek Entertainment digital transfer. This is, along with THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES, the best of the Mill Creek digital transfers!THE OUTLAWS IS COMING (1965) - The overall quality of this transfer is unfortunately very poor. In addition to several instances of green screen and one brief instance of green pixilation, there is also the added annoyance of jittery video, which was apparently caused by excessive frame rate re-encoding conversion. The latter is especially evident during the film's action scenes. Overall, this digital transfer is pretty much a complete write off! I've seen less jittery video on old You Tube clips! This is easily the worst of the lot!ROCKIN' IN THE ROCKIES (1945) - The otherwise fine digital transfer is slightly marred by a pair of brief glitches of the non pixel variety, that occur at the 42:28 and 59:39 (When the top half of Spade Cooley's head briefly appears as though it were semi-decapitated!) marks, respectively.THE THREE STOOGES GO AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAZE (1963) - This amusing Feature Length Travelogue is relatively free of glitches, save for a brief vertical shake that occurs at the 88:49 mark.THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES (1962) - This most enjoyable feature thankfully appears to be free of obvious visual issues. This and HAVE ROCKET, WILL TRAVEL are this Millcreek Set's best digital transfers!TIME OUT FOR RHYTHM (1941) - This otherwise pleasant Musical/Comedy passer timer, which features delightful appearances by Moe, Larry, and Curly throughout is unfortunately slightly marred by two brief instances of pixilation, which occur during the Film's first four and a half minutes.My overall assessment of THE THREE STOOGES - 6 MOVIE SET is that, while the Mill Creek Entertainment digital video transfers are far from terrible (With the exception of THE OUTLAWS IS COMING! ), the results are something of a mixed bag. As such, I can't give this set a wholehearted recommendation, but rather a qualified one laced with caveats. Indeed, whether or not to consider purchase of this set should depend on which of the Features listed above are being sought. Below are my Sony Vs. Mill Creek recommendations for each of these:HAVE ROCKET, WILL TRAVEL and THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES - For those who are looking for either or both of these Titles, my recommendation is to look no further, as these are the two "Stooges" Features that Mill Creek got right! So long as the price tag for this set remains low, in my opinion, the Mill Creek Set is worth the price for even just one of these Features!TIME OUT FOR RHYTHM - In my opinion, the choice for this one is a bit murky. In my view, it comes down to what one considers to be the lesser of two evils; a DVD-R Glitch Free Print Transfer vs. Commercially Pressed DVD, but with a Slightly Glitchy Digital Transfer. One of these two glitches (Both are unfortunately of the pixilation variety!) that appear on the Mill Creek DVD occur during the opening credits. Personally, I can live with the Mill Creek Version.ROCKIN' IN THE ROCKIES - Due to the aforementioned pair of quick glitches, I recommend the version that appears on THE THREE STOOGES: RARE TREASURES FROM THE VAULT 3 DVD Set by Sony. Thankfully, as I do also have that set, I needn't make a choice here, though I could live with either digital transfer.THE THREE STOOGES GO AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAZE - Due to the aforementioned brief vertical image shake that occurs during the Film's final five minutes, I give a slight recommendation for the original Sony DVD Version. As for the poor print quality that's been reported for both the Mill Creek and original Sony DVD issues, I strongly suspect that more than one Film source was used in the digital scanning for this particular Title, as the video quality does vary throughout. For me, the Mill Creek Transfer is quite adequate.THE OUTLAWS IS COMING - Very simply, my recommendation for those who are considering purchase of the Mill Creek Set solely for this Three Stooges Feature--DON'T! Out of the six "Stooges" Features, the problems with Visual Jitter and multiple instances of Green Screen (Two issues that should NEVER occur on any commercially issued DVD!), have sadly combined to produce what is by far the most disappointing result of all the Titles within the Three Stooges Mill Creek Set! It is my strong recommendation to get the original Sony DVD release, instead! I plan to do so as soon as my budget allows! ************************************** UPDATE! ************************************June 6, 2015:For those who are set up for Blu-ray, I recommend the two recently released THE THREE STOOGES TRIPLE FEATURE Blu-ray Volumes instead, as all of the aforementioned glitches (Except for "Go Around The World In A Daze") have been corrected for these Millcreek Entertainment offerings!

"Time Out For Rhythm" (1941) is the earliest, and my least favorite, movie included in this 2-DVD, 6-movie set. Rudy Vallee and Ann Miller are the stars of that film, while the Three Stooges are relegated to occasional appearances as comic relief. One of their skits involves Curly as a near-sighted Maharaja wearing coke-bottle glasses, with Moe speaking gibberish to him. A variation of that skit was repeated in the Three Stooges short "Three Little Pirates" (1946). This 2-DVD set also includes "Rockin' In The Rockies" (1945). It's a short feature film in which Curly and Larry interact more with each other than with Moe. Its value is more in its rarity than its quality, in my opinion. "Rockin' In The Rockies" is also included in "The Three Stooges: The Ultimate Collection." This set also includes "Have Rocket, Will Travel" (1959), the first feature-length film in which Joe DeRita plays the third stooge Curly-Joe. It's my favorite film in this set, but it’s also included in "The Three Stooges: The Ultimate Collection." In addition, "Have Rocket, Will Travel" makes a great double feature with “The Three Stooges In Orbit” (1962), which is only available on a separate DVD.This 2-DVD set also includes "The Three Stooges Meet Hercules" (1962). Schuyler Davis (Quinn K. Redeker) invents a time machine that sends him, Diane Quigley (Vicki Trickett), and the Three Stooges back in time to ancient Greece. My favorite line in the movie occurs when Larry and Curly-Joe are trying to read road signs for directions. Moe: "I'll smash the first guy who says it's all Greek to me!" This set also includes "The Three Stooges Go Around The World In A Daze" (1963). Phileas Fogg III (Jay Sheffield) accepts a bet to duplicate his great grandfather's famous trip around the world. Why the Three Stooges are in England and acting as Phileas Fogg's servants is never explained, but that doesn't matter. My advice for the viewer is to sit back and go along for the ride. I don't want to say that the stooges are showing their age in this film, but in addition to packing his suitcase, Moe should have packed the bags under his eyes! This set also includes the Three Stooges' final feature film, "The Outlaws Is Coming" (1965). As noted in other reviews, the DVD transfer of this film includes several instances of green screen, which are very brief, but very noticeable. The movie is set in 1871. The Three Stooges work for Kenneth Cabot (Adam West), the editor of a Boston wildlife conservation magazine. They travel to the town of Casper, Wyoming where, with the help of Annie Oakley (Nancy Kovack), Kenneth is made sheriff. Later, Kenneth ends up having a gun duel with virtually every notorious Wild West gunslinger at the same time! With this film, the Three Stooges end their movie career on a strong note. Despite the fact that two movies are duplicated in "The Three Stooges: The Ultimate Collection," and even taking into account the minor green screen defects in one movie, the low price of this 2-DVD set makes it a worthwhile purchase for Three Stooges fans.

If you want to see the Three Stooges at their best look no further than their 1st 15-20 years of shorts. That would include almost anything with Curly in it, and most of the material with Shemp. (Avoid the later remakes, however). You don't want to really waste your time with the Joe Besser shorts or the Curly Joe films included here unless you've seen everything else and are a huge fan and a completist that needs to see it all.There are two films in this Mill Creek set that do include Curly. One is "Time Out for Rhythm" (1941) which includes the Stooges in their prime. The problem with this movie is that it's not really a Three Stooges movie per se. They really are only in a cameo appearance in this one. "Rockin' in the Rockies" from 1945 also includes Curly, though during his declining years. This is a decent musical, and The Stooges do star in this one, although oddly it's more like the "Two Stooges" and Moe. But it's still okay and to me this is the best film of the bunch.The other four movies are later Curly-Joe DeRita films. The problem with Curly-Joe is that he seems to lack a personality. Joe Besser had a lot of personality, but it was an annoying one that grates on you, but that's for a different discussion.So back to this set. Although you are only getting DVD quality, which is two steps backward in 2020, and you are getting only one, possibly two movies worth re-watching, you are also getting four other movies that you "have" to see regardless so long as you are a huge Three Stooges fan, like me. For $4 I'm not complaining. I wouldn't want to spend much more than $10 though to be perfectly honest.

When people think of the Three Stooges they usually remember the slapping, hair-pulling and eye-gouging routines but there's much more to their comedy than just that. These six relatively short films, averaging out at approximately 80 minutes each, are surprisingly engaging, well written and funny.In "Have Rocket Will Travel", the Stooges are working as janitors at a rocket testing facility where their favourite lady-scientist faces the sack unless she can perfect her formula for rocket fuel. Using their own unique recipe and a crashed rocket, the Stooges accidentally launch themselves to Venus, where they thwart the invasion plans of an insane robot before returning to Earth as heroes.In "The Outlaws Is Coming" the Stooges are working as ink-monkeys at an East Coast newspaper. After annoying the owner they and their Editor, played by a pre-Batman Adam West, are sent to the wild west to campaign against the slaughter of Buffalo. This slaughter is actually a plot by corrupt Lawmen and outlaws to cause an Indian uprising and so take control of the western territories. Only the fact that Adam West's character catches the eye of Annie Oakley keeps saving their lives. Yes, this is very similar to the plot of "Carry on Cowboy" but is actually better than it."Rocking In The Rockies" sees the Stooges setting up as prospectors but never quite getting around to any prospecting. Instead they become involved in helping to promote a large group of singers and musicians. As you might expect, this film is full of musical numbers and, while I'm really not a fan of musicals, I still found it enjoyable anyway."Three Stooges Go Around The World In A Daze". This is a take on "Around the World in Eighty Days" and here the grandson of Fillius Fogg is challenged to repeat the achievement without using money by a criminal mastermind intent on using the bet to cover a major crime. Facing bankruptsy if he fails and accompanied by his faithful servants (the Stooges) the grandson sets off and is pursued by both the villains, intent on killing him and the Police intent on capturing him. The plot is actually quite complicated and the Stooges set-pieces are very entertaining.In "The Three Stooges Meet Hercules" , the Stooges accidentally change history when the time machine belonging to an inventor friend of theirs transports them to ancient Greece. Here they must first survive and then put things right before somehow returning to their own time. Again, the plot is surprisingly sophisticated and imaginative.The final film, "Time Out For Rhythm", is more of a straight romantic comedy with only a few, brief appearences of the Stooges as a terrible act auditioning for a theatre spot they'll never get. The story itself is ok, despite it being another musical and the lack of any real input from the Stooges. It's certainly the weakest of all six films but it's still not terrible to watch. The picture restoration and sound quality is excellent apart from a few green flashes towards the end of The Outlaws and overall, even including the two musical peices, the plotting and comedy is complex and well thought out.This collection of films is a good representation of the Three Stooges output and to all those who haven't seen them or, like myself, not for many years, I can thoroughly recommend it.

Six classic movies from the Three Stooges including meet Hercules and Go around the world in a daze, classic laughs all the way in the usual Stooge manner. RECCOMENDED

the DVD is area sensitive and wont play on the persons machine that I bought it for, I feel this should be highlighted so as I could chose a different supplier very disappointed

3 Stooges what can you say apart from the remake film may be better than the original

Fine