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Thursday, 04 July 2024

Stooge O-Rama: The Men Behind the Mayhem – And Even More Mayhem! (Blu-ray Review)

  • Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
  • Review Date: Jul 19, 2023
  • Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Stooge O-Rama: The Men Behind the Mayhem – And Even More Mayhem! (Blu-ray Review)

Director

Paul E. Gierucki

Release Date(s)

Various (July 10, 2023)

Studio(s)

Sprocket Vault/Kit Parker Films/Cinemuseum
  • Film/Program Grade: B+
  • Video Grade: B+
  • Audio Grade: B+
  • Extras Grade: A+

Stooge O-Rama: The Men Behind the Mayhem – And Even More Mayhem! (Blu-ray)

Buy it Here!

Review

Vintage made-for-TV documentaries have often been relegated to being low quality bonus features on home video releases, or they’re never to be seen again thanks to mountains of legal red tape to even include them in the first place. That’s why something like the Blu-ray collection Stooge O-Rama: The Men Behind the Mayhem – And Even More Mayhem! is so special. Not only does it include a revised, extended, and upscaled version of the A&E Biography TV special that originally aired in 1996, but also adds a mountain of bonus material that every die-hard Three Stooges fan will want to dig through endlessly. Directed by Paul E. Gierucki, who also produced other documentaries about Fatty Arbuckle and Buster Keaton, this is a loving tribute to the history and career of the beloved vaudeville-turned-movie star comedy act, featuring interviews with some of their (then) surviving relatives and friends, as well as voiceover artist Billy West, among others. For fans wanting to know more about the history of classic slapstick, this is a must.

Stooges: The Men Behind the Mayhem was captured and finished on video in the aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Sprocket Vault, Kit Parker Films, and Cinemuseum bring the film to Blu-ray for the first time, upscaled to 1080p. It has its obvious limitations, but it’s clean and sharp enough to be enjoyable, featuring a mix of video-based interviews and segments with other film and video sources of differing qualities, including various kinescope material. Audio is included in English 2.0 LPCM, but unfortunately, there are no subtitle options. The latter is a shame, especially since—not to be overly ageist—many Three Stooges fans are likely in their 40s and beyond, meaning that they may depend on subtitles more than most. Even so, the audio comes across just fine with good support for the interviews and various TV programs and film clips. Nothing is amiss.

Stooge O-Rama is a 3-Disc set with the main documentary appearing on the first disc. The gargantuan amount of extras are spread across the three discs:

DISC ONE – STOOGES: THE MEN BEHIND THE MAYHEM

  • Introduction by Brad “Curly G” Server (HD – :50)
  • Extended Interviews: Lyla Fine Budnick (Upscaled SD – 12:06)
  • Extended Interviews: Nate Budnick (Upscaled SD – 16:55)
  • Extended Interviews: Billy West (Upscaled SD – 2:56)
  • Extended Interviews: Lola Jensen (Upscaled SD – 1:43)
  • Unaired Commercial Bumpers (1992) (SD – 4 in all – 1:05)
  • Photo Galleries: Lyla Fine Personal Scrapbook (HD – 45 in all – 2:37)
  • Photo Galleries: Stooge Memorabilia (HD – 56 in all – 5:38)

DISC TWO – STOOGES LOST AND FOUND

  • Fox Movietone News Outtakes with Moe & Shemp (August 6, 1929) (Upscaled SD – 6:33)
  • Stooge Home Movies: Snippets of the Stooges at Work and Play (1920s-1960s) (HD and Upscaled SD – 5:47)
  • Everybody Likes Music – Rare Shemp Howard Van Beuren Short (March 9, 1934) (HD – 19:25)
  • Surprise, Surprise Lost Theatrical Short (October 31, 1937) (HD – 2:09)
  • Ed Wynn Camel Comedy Caravan TV Kinescope (March 11, 1950) (Upscaled SD – 29:44)
  • Andy Wade’s California Home Movies (July 1956) (HD – 7:56)
  • On the Go TV Interview (April 15, 1960) (Upscaled SD – 19:17)
  • Strictly for Laffs TV Pilot (July 1, 1962) (Upscaled SD – 21:32)
  • Star Spangled-Salesman Government PSA (February 9, 1968) (Upscaled SD – 18:07)
  • Kook’s Tour Outtakes (December 7, 1969) (Upscaled SD – 11:15)
  • Joe DeRita Interview (1976) (Upscaled SD – 6:20)
  • The Funniest Guys in the World Documentary Outtake Reel (1983) (Upscaled SD – 27:37)
  • Mousie Garner Live at The Three Stooges Convention (June 1994) (Upscaled SD – 15:31)

DISC THREE – ADDITIONAL EXTRAS

  • Commercial Stooges:
    • Instant Simonize (March 15, 1960) (HD – 1:06)
    • Do Lamond Spot – KTTV TV-11 Los Angeles (1961) (Upscaled SD – 1:05)
    • Mr. Poplolly – Cartoonerville Trolley Promo WJZ TV13 Baltimore (Circa 1961) (Upscaled SD – :23)
    • Dickie’s Work Clothes (March 21, 1969) 60 Second Spot (Upscaled SD – :59)
    • Dickie’s Work Clothes (March 21, 1969) 30 Second Spot (Upscaled SD – :28)
    • Stroke of Luck Book (November 1, 1973) 60 Second Spot (Upscaled SD – 1:04)
    • Three Stooges Tee-Shirt (June 1, 1974) – Partial (HD – :49)
  • Movie Trailers and Coming Attractions:
    • Turn Back the Clock (August 25, 1933) (HD and Upscaled SD – 2:41)
    • Dancing Lady (November 24, 1933) (HD and Upscaled SD – 1:58)
    • Hollywood Party (May 24, 1933) (Upscaled SD – 3:10)
    • Time Out for Rhythm (June 5, 1941) (Upscaled SD – 2:11)
    • Gold Raiders (September 14, 1951) (Upscaled SD – 1:42)
    • The Three Stooges Laff-A-Rama (1950s) (Upscaled SD – :46)
    • Have Rocket, Will Travel (August 1, 1959) (HD – 2:43)
    • Three Stooges Fun-O-Rama (September 1, 1959) (Upscaled SD – :35)
    • Stop! Look! and Laugh! (July 27, 1960) (Upscaled SD – 1:37)
    • Snow White and the Three Stooges 1 – B&W (June 12, 1961) (Upscaled SD – 1:01)
    • Snow White and the Three Stooges 2 – Color (June 12, 1961) (HD – 3:06)
    • The Three Stooges Meet Hercules 1 (January 26, 1962) (Upscaled SD – 1:36)
    • The Three Stooges Meet Hercules 2 (January 26, 1962) (HD – 2:38)
    • The Three Stooges in Orbit (July 4, 1962) (HD – 2:23)
    • The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Dazed (August 21, 1963) (Upscaled SD – 2:36)
    • 4 for Texas (December 25, 1963) (SD – 3:53)
    • The Outlaws Is Coming (January 14, 1965) (Upscaled – 2:47)
    • The Outlaws Is Coming Radio Trailer (January 14, 1965) (HD – 1:04)
  • Archival Audio:
    • Fiddler’s Theme – Moe, Larry, & Shemp Song Rehearsal, From Moe’s Personal 78 RPM (1948) (HD – :42)
    • WBAL-AM Baltimore – Brent Guns Interviews Moe, Larry, & Shemp (April 6, 1950) (HD – 5:03)
    • WERS-FM Boston, Audio 66 – Ron Barry, aka Ron Klugman, Interviews Moe Howard (November 30, 1964) (HD – 10:03)
    • Headshop – KBSC-TV 52, Los Angeles, Moe Howard with Elliot Mintz – Audio Excerpts (January 27, 1972) (HD – 12:40)
    • WOHO-AM Toledo – Ken R. Deutsch with Moe Howard (November 1972) (HD – 17:28)
    • WVSC Radio – Moe Howard at Salem College in Salem, West Virginia (March 2, 1973) (HD – 18:45)
    • Larry Fine Interview – Illinois State University, Bloomington, Illinois (Circa 1973-74) (HD – 7:05)
    • Larry Fine Q&A with Jeff and Greg Lenburg at Loara High School, Anaheim, CA (March 2, 1974) (HD – 28:05)
    • Moe Howard at State University of New York, Buffalo (September 24, 1974) (HD – 64:16)
    • WFAA-AM Dallas – Ed Busch with Moe Howard and Larry Fine (May 1975 Replay of September 27, 1974 Broadcast) (HD – 26:43)
    • Rich Gallo Calls Stooge’s Director Ed Bernds (Circa 1985) (HD – 10:43)
    • Rich Gallo Calls Joe Besser (1987) (HD – 14:49)
    • Rich Gallo Visits Actor Emil Sitka (April 1987 – August 1988) (HD – 10:18)
    • Chris Seguin with Moe’s Daughter Joan Howard Maurer (May 26, 2009) – Surviving Excerpts (HD – 34:58)
  • Bonus Features:
    • No Census, No Feeling – Scwartzy and Pagana Meet Curly G (HD – 7:01)
    • Curly G Meets Shemp’s Great Granddaughter Chandler Isaac (HD – 7:48)
  • For More Fun:
    • Stooge O-Rama Credits (HD – 1:11)
    • Shokus Video Commercial (HD – 1:05)
    • Curly G Youtube (HD – 1:17)

A mix of extended interviews, home movies, radio interviews, rare shorts, trailers, photo galleries, and other goodies help make Stooge O-Rama: The Men Behind the Mayhem – And Even More Mayhem! well worth the price of admission. All of it is well-worth digging through, and makes for a fine package alongside the main documentary. For fans of The Three Stooges, this one is a no-brainer. Highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

 

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Tags

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