Classic Shorts from the Dream Factory, Volume 3

On their way from the boards of vaudeville to becoming bona fide comedy legends, the men who would be Stooges did a spell as second bananas for Ted Healy on the soundstages of MGM. Along the way they had to sub one sibling for another, with younger brother Jerry ("Curly") coming in to replace brother Shemp, who was on his way to a successful solo career in Vitaphone movies comedies. Ted Healy may have been the nominal headliner, but it's Howard, Fine and Howard's comedic antics that captivate across these frothy MGM musical comedy shorts that combine slapstick and show-stoppers, and even some snazzy two-strip Technicolor. Best of all, this collection contains the long-through-lost Stooge-sational short Hello Pop!, which was recently rediscovered and restored.

Plane Nuts (1933)
Ted Healy gets unreliable stage help from Howard, Fine and Howard, while trying to set up a series of big production numbers.

Roast Beef and Movies (1934)
Jerry Howard takes a solo turn alongside George Givot and Bobby Callahan. This Hollywood-themed spoof features Jerry Howard sans his "Curly"isms.

Beer and Pretzels (1933)
Healy, Howard, Fine and Howard take up the high-end restaurant trade after Healy gets them booted from the stage.

Nerstery Rhymes (1933)
Healy plays a papa trying to soothe some unruly children (Howard, Fine and Howard) with some off-kilter nursery rhymes.

Hello Pop! (1933)
Long thought to be forever lost to the ages, this rarely-seen MGM short was rescued and restored from the last-known print, discovered in Australia in 2013. Ted Healy's unruly children (Howard, Fine and Howard) show up backstage just in time to ruin Ted Healy's Follies opening night.