The New 3 Stooges

I'm very pleased these episodes can now be found on DVD. These have been continually appearing in 99 cent stores all over town. So far I've collected about 33 episodes on 3 different DVDs some of which (about 18 episodes) are without the live action skits.

I'm a fan of the classic stooges shorts but when I first discovered the cartoons years ago they also became a favorite of mine. I'm always on the look out for more cartoon stooges DVDs. Although it has been said that some of those episodes are lost, I'm going to try to find as many episodes as I can.

It's hard to believe that they were still doing comedy in 1965. Larry and Moe have been through so many third stooge partners its amazing they lasted so long.

Not from my childhood but i love it anyway. I like the live actions and then the cartoons. I have the whole set but wish they had done more. At Halloween is watch some like Transylvania Railroad. They're just cute and i love how at the end of the cartoons they all run away. I love gagster dragster when they make their own rail. Other good ones for Halloween are mummies boys, unhaunted house, and campsite fright.

Hi Im 13 years old and I'm a big Three Stooges fan! The New Three Stooges is A Short Film Of Them! Then a Cartoon Version. The cartoon is good. I like them and the short live action from Moe,Larry,Curly Joe, they are good but I like the movies alot better plus the old shorts with Moe, Larry, Curly alot better! But The new Three Stooges is still good and funny though!

Legendary and timeless as well as way ahead of their time, the Three Stooges and their movies took slapstick comedy to heights that have not been reached again, more than a half century later. Their fluid chemistry and uncanny sense of timing made their routines side-splittingly funny no matter how many times they were recycled.

However, "The New Three Stooges" is more like a last gasp than a new beginning for the Stooges. Granted, the two Stooge stalwarts Moe and Larry are present (which is more than can be said for "The New Adventures of Laurel and Hardy"), but Curly Joe is a poor substitute for the original Curly. His performance makes you long for Shemp or Joe Besser, who are sometimes overlooked in Stooge lore. Curly Joe is way too subdued in the show - too passive to be one of the manic Stooges.

The show's episodes were formulaic. They featured one live action segment, which introduced a typical Stooges conflict, then segued into a cartoon Stooges short. Then it was back to live action, where the comical conflict was resolved in a manner only the Stooges can fathom.

I feel fortunate to have two episodes of the show on low-quality tape, despite its many flaws. One such flaw being the production values. The live action segments have all the budget of the average film school student's final project, as does the animation. Props are extremely limited. The cartoon animation is stiff and lacks the detail and color of more well animated shorts of the time from companies such as Warner Bros.

As for the plots, they're typical Stooge fare from the episodes I've seen. The Stooges deal with mean bosses (like in the Western railroad episode) and tackle odd jobs (like being police officers). They're back to their old schemes again, such as prospecting for gold. Even some of their old routines are present - like mistaking something else for syrup, specifically glue in one episode. Unfortunately the one thing not recycled from the old days is much of the slapstick comedy. Sure Moe scowls plenty and the Stooges get their fair share of bumps and bruises in the cartoons, but the face-slapping, head thumping action of yesteryear is sadly kept to a bare minimum, possibly due to the Stooge's ages.

When you look at all the show's flaws though, it's amazing the Stooges were able to deal with second-rate cartoons and their increasing ages and still make people laugh. The bit in one episode where Moe and Larry duel it out Western-style over a "fair dame" (played by Curly Joe) is classic. The cheesy sound effects and campy cowboy getup, combined with some hilarious lines is the perfect recipe for a laugh-out-loud skit. Their innate aptitude for childish antics make for comedy that is simultaneously idiotic and brilliant. And at the core, it is that special knack for comedy is the reason why the Stooges have made and still make many laugh, even in this flawed production.

Someone recently mailed me a few of those 'Dollar Store' DVD's, two of which contain Three Stooges cartoons.

They can actually be quite entertaining when enjoying a 'night-cap' after the bar closes, right before bed.

It helps to remember that this was a CHILDREN'S show, hence the Stooges assault was toned-down and simplified for that audience.

These poor guys were so past their prime when these were made, but with just short filmed segments and the rest being cartoon voices, they were probably talked into 'easy money.' But yea, viewed in the right context and keeping in mind that this was never, ever meant to compete or add to the classic Stooges legacy, you might find yourself smiling or even chuckling at this charmingly bad show. ;)