The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion [Paperback]

Jon Solomon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

The Three Stooges are the greatest comedy team of all time. Their great body of work spanned almost forty years and includes over 200 films. This book pays tribute to the great comedy genius of The Three Stooges with a detailed study and analysis of all of their films. This is the definitive source book from respected Stooge expert Professor Jon Solomon and specifically authorized by The Three Stooges'company, Comedy III Productions, Inc. This is a one of a kind book. The 562 page book presents all of the film work of The Three Stooges from their beginning in 1930 to their last in 1970. Each film is meticulously analyzed and added to the chapters are anecdotes and information regarding the film itself, the supporting players, directors and producers. There is no book quite like this. It is a Stooge fans dream, but it is also informative and quite entertaining for non-stooge fans who are interested in entertainment.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Meticulous in detail and precise in facts, Professor Solomon produced a complete work fit for the kings of comedy. -- Comedy III Productions, Inc.

About the Author

Jon Solomon was born in Philadelphia where he spent many hours watching The Three Stooges on television. He began his study of Latin at 12, ancient Greek at 16, earned a BA in Classical Languages & Literature from the University of Chicago and an MA in Greek and a Ph.D. in Classics from the University of North Carolina. He has taught at the University of Colorado and the University of Minnesota and is currently a Professor of Classics at the University of Arizona. He has written, eidted or translated ten books, including The Ancient World in the Cinema.

Product Details

• Paperback: 562 pages
• Publisher: Comedy III Productions Inc (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971186804
• ISBN-13: 978-0971186804
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,575,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Complete, Accurate and Absorbing Read, May 21, 2002

By 

Eric Lamond (Glendale, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion (Paperback)

I must tell you that I am somewhat biased toward the subject matter of The Complete Three Stooges as I am Larry Fine's eldest grandchild. I also worked with them in my youth.

Having intimate knowledge of The Three Stooges both personally and professionally, I was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy and detail brought to this filmography by Dr. Solomon.

As a family member I think all Three Stooges fans will get a true picture of the Stooges body of work and its importance to the development of comedy as a visual art.

As a fan I was surprised about the many details brought to light that even I did not know about their films.

The book as a filmography is the most detailed I have seen and can serve as a guide for compiling such a work. It's simply the most complete filmography I have encountered on any subject.

It's well researched, well written, factual and fun to read. This book belongs in the library of every Three Stooges fan, comedy fan and film fan.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Could they have done a better job? Soitainly!, August 2, 2004

By 

Scott Leslie "tinman2000" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion (Paperback)

For years I've been looking for that perfect guide to Stoogedom. Did I find it? Well, kind of. Solomon's book does have its merits. It covers and analyzes ever single one of their films and cameos appearances (it is a filmography after all) in excessive detail. In some ways, that is also one of its faults, however. Much of the book's wopping size is taken up with Solomon's listing of their verbal and visual gags. A few succinct summaries or examples would've worked perfectly here - such as the first appearance of certain jokes and gags, etc. - but instead, he goes on for pages, listing much of the dialogue and which of their 190 shorts they'd previously appeared in. Unfortunately, this tendency towards "list writing" made for a very tedious read at times.

What was more effective was Solomon's "Perspective" and "Other Notes" sections where he offered up more analysis on Stooge themes and included some production details of the talent involved. But despite all Solomon's research, what his writing lacked was a strong sense of the Stooges themselves and what went on behind the scenes. Many times I found myself frustrated when Solomon would start into a brief anecdote or personal detail and drop it very quickly. (The death of Curly during the Shemp's years comes to mind - mentioned in a couple of sentences. Or Joe Besser's decision to give up the group over his sick wife. Or a brief mention that Shemp had a stroke a few years before his death.) He also tends to refer the reader to other sources rather than including them (ie. read Moe's autobiography here to find out more about his feelings on Curly, etc.)

Admittedly, Solomon isn't writing a biography here. And doing both a filmography and biography would make for an even more massive tome! But I found other comedy team books like Randy Skretvedt's "Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies" or Bob Furmanek's "Abbott and Costello in Hollywood" much more successful in this regard. Yes, they summarized the films - but also delved into the lives of the comedians themselves and how they merged with the making of the films. Did the Stooges have a lot of input into their scripts? How did Larry and Moe feel about the death of Shemp or the years of cost-cutting and rehashing of "Shemp" material before and after his death? What kind of injuries did the Stooges suffer while filming? How did the complaints of violence by the PTA effect their films? Solomon doesn't give us much insight or info here. With this book coming from the Stooge's company, I really expected more of an "insider's take" on their films - and here, you don't get it.

Perhaps the biggest drawback here is the book's layout and construction. Despite all the obvious research, it "looks" like a rush job in many respects and certainly could've used some more editing and proofing - there are countless misspellings, careless mistakes like boldings and a title missed in the table of contents, etc. At times, the san serif font makes reading a little difficult. Solomon often repeats himself, telling the reader the same details on subsequent pages, or even in the photo captions on the same page. The pictures also tend to be dark and sometimes resemble screen captures that should've been of much higher quality. The cover indicates this book was for the 75th anniversary of the Stooges so that could explain the rush to get it finished in time. However, since this book was authorized and published by The Three Stooges company itself (maybe an additional problem here because Solomon hardly says anything critical of the Stooges) you'd think they should've produced something with more care and higher quality, given their vested interest in the product.

Don't get me wrong - it's great to have info on all the Stooge films in one place with a guide of this kind. But coming from "the Stooges" themselves, the bar just should've been set so much higher.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Book, Printed by Ma Bell ?, November 16, 2003

By 

Hedley Lamarr (kentucky, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion (Paperback)

I found this book to be quite enjoyable. A lot of work has gone into this. There are a few mistakes, but I'm sure these can and will be corrected, in a 2nd printing. If your a Stooge fan, this book is a must. The only real complaint I have, (reason why I didn't give five stars) is that the pages are SO paper thin, you have to be careful with the book, to prevent a page from tearing. I would rather have paid $60 for a hardback copy, with top quality paper. I hope this will be considered if another edition is printed. You will enjoy this book almost GUARANTEED, but I wanted to forewarn you about the paper being telephone book style.