Three Stooges Collection, The: Volume Three, 1940-42 (DVD)

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1941
So Long, Mr. Chumps.
The boys are usually either unlikely heroes or goats. This time find themselves somewhere in-between after getting tossed in the clink so they can try to find a convict they're convinced is innocent, but discover that getting into prison is infinitely easier than breaking out.

Dutiful but Dumb
They're photographers this time, who end up being recruited as spies on a mission to snap a picture of a new death ray machine in Vulgaria. Will they end up in front of a firing squad? Of course! Some funny moments.

All the World's a Stooge
This time the boys are janitors who are mistaken for dentists, and as they do in every case of mistaken identity they just play along. Here, they get into pulling teeth and escaping by the skin of their teeth. In this one they are also disguised as refugee children.

I'll Never Heil Again
In a sequel to "You Nazty Spy!" the boys pick up where they left off in Moronica, and play pool with a loaded ball while also playing football for a world globe after the deposed king's daughter convinces them that the leaders of other countries are after them.

An Ache in Every Stake
The Stooges fill in for a chef they've driven to quit, right before he was to have catered a high-society birthday party. Yet another episode where a familiar (and unwelcome) face turns up in the end.

In the Sweet Pie and Pie
In this one, the boys play convicts on death row who were framed but spared when a lawyer somehow gets them off if they'll marry three rich heiresses who need to meet an obligation in order to collect their inheritances. Their real fiancées are in the Navy, but the Stooges will do. Or not. Some funny moments.

Some More of Samoa
Now they're tree surgeons who set sail for the island of Rhum Boogie to find a mate for a rare Puckerless Persimmon. But the boys end up in hot water when the cannibals take offense that Curly won't marry the head honcho's sister.

1942
Loco Boy Makes Good
This time the scam is to check into a hotel, find a bar of soap to slip on, and sue. But the boys run into a lady who's in danger of losing her hotel, so how can they scam her? Instead, they try to fix up the place before an important journalist pays a visit. One of the better episodes.

Cactus Makes Perfect
Thar's gold in them thar hills, and the boys are determined to find it in this historical comedy. This time they're hoping Curly's new invention will give them an edge. Instead, they have to contend with rival prospectors, a lost mine, and a ghost town.

What's the Matador?
How the boys get a gig as bullfighters is beyond anyone, but in this episode about a trip to Mexico, beautiful girl, a suitcase swap, and (what else?) a jealous husband, it happens.

Matri-Phony
Another historical comedy finds the guys in ancient Erysipelas, where the emperor wants to marry a redhead. So when one of them takes refuge in their pottery shop, the Stooges get to work. Some funny moments, especially with Curly in drag.

Three Smart Saps
It's hero time again when the boys are to be married and their prospective father-in-law, a warden, is set up and jailed himself. More attempts to get arrested and spring him follow, with some funny segments involving the boys at a gangster dinner party.

Even as I.O.U.
To help a hungry woman and her daughter, the Stooges, homeless themselves, try to win some money by playing the horses. One of the weaker entries in the collection.

Sock-a-Bye Baby
When the Stooges find an abandoned baby on their doorstep, it's the original three men and a baby . . . until cops think they kidnapped the kid, then it's another chase scene. Some funny stuff and some dumb stuff, which characterizes a lot of the weaker episodes.

When the Stooges are "on," they're fun to watch, and this collection thankfully includes a few classic episodes among the not-so-classic ones. The bonus is that you never know when these guys are going to tickle your funnybone--even in the episodes that don't seem on-track. Total runtime is 396 minutes.

Video:
Re-mastered and in High Definition, the Three Stooges have never looked so good. Though they're presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio, they look pretty good stretched to fill out a 16x9 screen. No real noticeable "fun-house" distortion on the edges, as is sometimes the case. Contrast is also very good. I remember a number of these episodes from television, and they had black levels that weren't nearly as strong. There are a few occasional skips, as if a frame was damaged, but otherwise it's a nice, solid video presentation.

Audio:
The audio is nothing special, though--just an English (CC) Dolby Digital Mono. But it's worth noting that it doesn't have the Gramophone effect that these shorts seemed to have on cheaper releases. You know, with all sorts of hiss, snap, crackle and pop. These soundtracks are pretty clean. There's some background white noise, but it's very slight.

Extras:
No extras, knuckleheads. But it's nice that all of the episodes are listed in order on the backs of the keep cases, complete with a brief description of each, so you can easily find the episode you're looking for.

Bottom Line:
As I said, this is a must-have for Stooges fans, something to savor until the fourth installment (1943-1945) is released on October 7, 2008!

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