Silent color footage Three Stooges (1938)

[René Riva]

Hello everyone. I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I didn't know where else.

Today I discovered some silent color footage of The Three Stooges from 1938. The footage is on YouTube. The action takes place at Steel Pier, Atlantic City. I hope you'll enjoy this.

[All Darc]

Interesting... Despite of color the girl look very like a 30's girl in a film production.

I hope nobody here blame the color or call it a vandalism, requesting to see the original classic B&W.

One thing I would like to know, is if old color films from late 30's and early 90',s, like agfacolor and Kodachrome) as we saw in some documentaries about world War II, can have the colors "restored" (balanced to look natural) to look similar to color film of today.

Agfacolor and kodachrome from 30's have limitations, poor color, sharpness ands contrast results, and very poor duplication would not render watchable prints, and that's why only in 50's that Shooting in color film became viable, replacing technicolor shooting (but not technicolor prints).

[All Darc]

is this the only clip or yo have more ???

[René Riva]

I hope nobody here blame the color or call it a vandalism, requesting to see the original classic B&W. .

Hahaha. Well, asking your money back after seeing 'The Artist' because it has no sound and color is even worse!

That's true. For instance; the German movie "Münchausen" (1943) was shot in Agfacolor and the colors have faded. The DVD I have claims to be a restored and digitally remastered version. I have my doubts about this. I understood that Eastman colors fade too. I think technically things can be done, yet I don't think it's possible to make the films look similar to color film of today. Or at least not without making too much changes. I think an important question is; do we want them to look as color film of today?

[All Darc]

Well, not really modern... but at least get a good blue sky and fine greens green trees.

Since all real color films form WWII I saw looks like a sort of fadded low satured, I think much of the look is inerent of the this early color film stock itself.

I think an important question is; do we want them to look as color film of today?

[René Riva]

Well, not really modern... but at least get a good blue sky and fine greens green trees.

I think an important question is; do we want them to look as color film of today?

I understand. I don't like modern too much. I'd use a time machine any day!

[Richard Finegan]

Someone has given it a new opening, ending and added Stooges sound effects:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFB25M4K78M" target="_blank" target="_blank

[René Riva]

Someone has given it a new opening, ending and added Stooges sound effects:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFB25M4K78M" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

Thanks for the link! Very nice!

[Richard Finegan]

More details about this Three Stooges film:

The exact date it was filmed was Friday, July 1, 1938.
The Three Stooges were appearing that week at The Steel Pier with their onstage "straight man" Eddie Laughton.
Also on the bill that week were Abbott & Costello.
Near the end of this film, just before the cop takes The Stooges away, if you look very quickly at the right of the scene you can see a lady and little boy. That is Larry Fine's wife Mabel and their son Johnny.

[René Riva]

More details about this Three Stooges film:

The exact date it was filmed was Friday, July 1, 1938.
The Three Stooges were appearing that week at The Steel Pier with their onstage "straight man" Eddie Laughton.
Also on the bill that week were Abbott & Costello.
Near the end of this film, just before the cop takes The Stooges away, if you look very quickly at the right of the scene you can see a lady and little boy. That is Larry Fine's wife Mabel and their son Johnny.

Brilliant information. On the messageboard of http://www.abbottandcostello.net" target="_blank I read someone had seen photos of Bud Abbott with the Stooges once at the Steel Pier. Fits in very well with the information you give.

[All Darc]

The girl could hit the Stooges more realisticly (faster and stronger. I supose she respect then and was afraid to hurt.
This leads me to think sometimes the Stooges get a bit hurt while making the 30's and 40's short, since they appear to hit each other very realisticly, specially Moe.


I notice one thing... When a film is shot in 16 or 18 fps or so, even if you project at the same speed used for shooting, the result will look a little bit like in slow motion, compared to shoot in 24fps or video.

Maybe because at such low speeds the brain start to broke the retin persistence effec. We start to identiphy a bit of the frames separated.

[todmichel]

I think an important question is: do we want them to look as color film of today?

No, it would be a kind of revisionism. The best way would be to restore faded colors to make them appear exactly as they were when it was shot. This is why I didn't buy the DVD of "The Mystery of the Wax Museum", "restored" in the bad sense of the term with artificial colors, and kept the earlier laserdisc, far more respectful of the original aspect of the movie.

[René Riva]

The girl could hit the Stooges more realisticly (faster and stronger. I supose she respect then and was afraid to hurt.
This leads me to think sometimes the Stooges get a bit hurt while making the 30's and 40's short, since they appear to hit each other very realisticly, specially Moe.

Yes, but this was only made for fun. So I guess it didn't matter.

From what I've read they did get hurt a lot, especially Curly.

[René Riva]

I think an important question is: do we want them to look as color film of today?

No, it would be a kind of revisionism. The best way would be to restore faded colors to make them appear exactly as they were when it was shot. This is why I didn't buy the DVD of "The Mystery of the Wax Museum", "restored" in the bad sense of the term with artificial colors, and kept the earlier laserdisc, far more respectful of the original aspect of the movie.

I agree. That's the right way to do it.

I have 'The Mystery of the Wax Museum' on a DVD from 2003 with 'House of Wax'. I have to watch this DVD yet. I guess this isn't the restored version you refer too.

[All Darc]

Not necessarily like today or like the 80's, but at least like a color movie from 50's.

The Kodachromein 30's (probably used in this clip) had some limitation, producing murk and altered hues, but was a tri layer color film (I thinlk), so it capture red green and blue. I presume it's possible to use digital filter to restore it to get better color reprodution.

Wax Museum and Doctor-X was a two color technicolor, a process that use just two color matrix, and so it can't be adjusted with digitral filter to get the full color spectrum, cause it's need at least three color to get the full rainbow.


René, may I ask who did the telecine of the film footage for youy ???

[René Riva]

Not necessarily like today or like the 80's, but at least like a color movie from 50's.

The Kodachromein 30's (probably used in this clip) had some limitation, producing murk and altered hues, but was a tri layer color film (I thinlk), so it capture red green and blue. I presume it's possible to use digital filter to restore it to get better color reprodution.

Wax Museum and Doctor-X was a two color technicolor, a process that use just two color matrix, and so it can't be adjusted with digitral filter to get the full color spectrum, cause it's need at least three color to get the full rainbow.


René, may I ask who did the telecine of the film footage for youy ???

Hello All Darc. I see. Very interesting.

Sorry, I don't understand your question. Unless you think I own the footage of the Stooges. That's not the case. I was just the messenger. Please don't shoot the messenger!

[Richard Finegan]

René, may I ask who did the telecine of the film footage for you ???

The footage was posted on YouTube by the son (named Brad Smith) of the Vaudeville headliner George Mann (of team Barto and Mann). It was filmed by George Mann in 1938. George Mann and his wife Barbara Bradford appear in the film.
Barto and Mann were part of the show at The Steel Pier that week, along with The Three Stooges.

Here is an article with some more info on the film and on George Mann:

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/the-scene/ ... 78893.html" target="_blank"

And another article:

http://onbunkerhill.org/threestooges" target="_blank"

Here is some further info from Brad, the poster of the film on YouTube, about the lady in the film:

Barbara Bradford, married to George Mann when this film was shot, was a John Robert Powers model, appearing in ads for Coca-Cola, Chesterfield, Buick, Railway Express, Kodak, Ivory, and many other businesses. She was the model for a painting done by Bradshaw Crandal that appeared on the February 1937 cover of Cosmopolitan. In 1937, she was voted the most beautiful woman in New York.

[Robert Moulton]

Here's four photos by Mann on the same day:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_smith ... 815997629/" target="_blank

[René Riva]

Thank you for the wonderful information you provided, Richard.

And thank you for the great photos, Robert.