This is an accepted version of this page
103-488: Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz ; March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955) was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the third Stooge in The Three Stooges , a role he played when the act began in the early 1920s (1923–1932), while it was still associated with Ted Healy and known as "Ted Healy and his Stooges"; and again from 1946 until his death in 1955. During the fourteen years between his times with
206-472: A Joseph Goebbels -type propaganda minister. Moe, Larry, and director Jules White considered You Nazty Spy! their best film. Yet, these efforts indulged in a deliberately formless, non-sequitur style of verbal humor that was not the Stooges' forte, according to Okuda and Watz. Other wartime entries have their moments, such as They Stooge to Conga (considered the most violent Stooge short), Higher Than
309-461: A cerebral hemorrhage . Film actor Joe Palma stood in (shot from behind to obscure his face) to complete four Shemp-era shorts under contract. The procedure of disguising one actor as another outside of stunt shots became known as the " fake Shemp ". Columbia contract player Joe Besser joined as the third Stooge for two years (1956–1957), departing in 1958 to nurse his ill wife after Columbia terminated its shorts division. The studio then released all
412-509: A crew cut and later a completely shaven head, thus becoming "Curly Joe". Howard, Fine, and DeRita found themselves in great demand for personal appearances and guest shots on television. DeRita made his first nationwide appearance with the Stooges on Sunday, January 11, 1959, on the Steve Allen variety show on NBC ; the Stooges re-created their "Stand-In" sketch, with Moe and Larry making a western movie and Curly Joe (who did not speak) as
515-478: A Kite , Back from the Front (all 1943), Gents Without Cents (1944) and the anti-Japanese The Yoke's on Me (also 1944). However, taken in bulk, the wartime films are considered less funny than what preceded them. No Dough Boys (1944) is often considered the best of these farces. The team, made up as Japanese soldiers for a photo shoot, is mistaken for genuine saboteurs by a Nazi ringleader ( Vernon Dent ,
618-636: A Star , a 1937 Hal Roach production distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Mr. Cinderella in 1936. Haley was raised Roman Catholic . He was a member of the Good Shepherd Parish and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild in Beverly Hills, California . His nephew Bob Dornan served as a Republican congressman for California. On June 1, 1979, Haley suffered a heart attack. He died on June 6, 1979, at
721-421: A classic in its own right. Hoi Polloi (1935) adapted the premise of Pygmalion , with a stuffy professor making a bet that he can transform the uncultured trio into refined gentlemen; the plotline worked so well that it was reused twice, as Half-Wits Holiday (1947) and Pies and Guys (1958). Three Little Beers (1935) featured the Stooges running amok on a golf course to win prize money. Disorder in
824-554: A clause in his contract specifically prohibiting him from being hit beyond an infrequent tap, though this restriction was later lifted. "I usually played the kind of character who would hit others back," Besser recalled. Despite Besser's prolific film and stage career, Stooge entries featuring him have often been considered the team's weakest. During his tenure, the films were assailed as questionable models for youth, and in response began to resemble television sitcoms. Sitcoms, however, were available for free on television, quickly making
927-407: A comedian already under contract to the studio. They agreed on Joe Besser, who appeared in the final 16 Stooge shorts at Columbia. Besser had been starring in his own short-subject comedies for the studio since 1949 and appeared in supporting roles in a variety of movies, making his persona sufficiently well known. Besser had observed how one side of Larry Fine's face appeared "calloused", so he had
1030-524: A few fair entries, such as Hold That Lion! (1947), Hokus Pokus (1949), Scrambled Brains (1951), A Missed Fortune , and Corny Casanovas (both 1952). Another benefit from the Shemp era was that Larry was given more time on screen. Throughout most of the Curly era, Larry was relegated to a background role, but by the time that Shemp rejoined the Stooges, Larry was allotted equal time, even becoming
1133-547: A few serious parts, such as his supporting role in Pittsburgh (1942), starring Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne . From 1938 to 1940 and again from 1944 to 1946, Howard appeared in Columbia's two-reel comedies, co-starring with Columbia regulars Andy Clyde , The Glove Slingers, El Brendel , and Tom Kennedy . He was given his own starring series in 1944. He was working for Columbia in this capacity when his brother Curly
SECTION 10
#17327828599501236-449: A full recovery, but Curly never appeared in a film again except for a single cameo appearance in the third film after Shemp returned to the trio, Hold That Lion! (1947). It was the only film that contained all four of the original Stooges (the three Howard brothers and Larry) on screen simultaneously. According to Jules White, this came about when Curly visited the set one day, and White had him do this bit for fun. Curly's cameo appearance
1339-572: A job at Columbia." By this time, Moe Howard and Larry Fine were carrying the short-subject series as a two-man team, with Shemp Howard seen entirely in older footage. Larry suggested that he and Moe could continue working as "The Two Stooges." Columbia flatly refused, having promoted the team as "The Three Stooges" for decades, and Moe was forced to recruit a third Stooge. Several comedians were considered, including burlesque comic and former Ted Healy stooge Paul "Mousie" Garner, and noted African-American comedian Mantan Moreland , but Columbia insisted on
1442-457: A more gentlemanly appearance; while both Moe and Jules White approved of the idea, they used it sparingly. Their other films—remakes of older comedies—required the familiar Stooge haircuts to match the older footage. In general, the remakes among the Besser shorts had the traditional Stooges knockabout, such as 1958's Pies and Guys (a scene-for-scene remake of Half-Wits Holiday , which itself
1545-402: A new agreement with his former Stooges in 1932, with Moe now acting as business manager, and they were booked in a production of Jacob J. Shubert 's The Passing Show of 1932 . During rehearsals, Healy received a more lucrative offer and found a loophole in his contract allowing him to leave the production. Shemp, fed up with Healy's abrasiveness, bad temper, and heavy drinking, decided to quit
1648-530: A personal-appearance tour. In the meantime, Besser's wife suffered a minor heart attack and he preferred to stay local, leading him to withdraw from the act. After Besser's departure, Moe and Larry began looking for potential replacements. Larry suggested former Ted Healy stooge Paul "Mousie" Garner, but based on his tryout performance, Moe later remarked that he was "completely unacceptable." Weeks later, Larry came across burlesque performer Joe DeRita , who had starred in his own series of shorts at Columbia back in
1751-454: A replacement, so Moe suggested his younger brother Jerry Howard. Healy reportedly took one look at Jerry, who had long chestnut-red hair and a handlebar mustache , and remarked that Jerry did not look like he was funny. Jerry left the room and returned a few minutes later with his head shaved (although his mustache remained for a time), saying: "Boy, do I look girly." Healy heard "Curly", and the name stuck. Other accounts have been given for how
1854-400: A result, Shemp resumed being a Stooge full-time for nearly a decade. Curly remained ill until his death of a cerebral hemorrhage from additional strokes on January 18, 1952. Shemp appeared with the Stooges in 76 shorts and a low-budget Western comedy feature titled Gold Raiders (1951) in which the screen time was evenly divided with cowboy hero George O'Brien . Shemp's return improved
1957-405: A routine from Harold Lloyd 's The Freshman (1925), in which Curly's loosely stitched suit begins to fall apart at the seams while he is on the dance floor. The Stooges made occasional supporting appearances in feature films. Most of the Stooges' peers had either made the transition from shorts to feature films ( Laurel and Hardy , The Ritz Brothers ) or starred in their own feature films from
2060-469: A starring feature, and then we wouldn't know whether it would be funny enough to click." Film critics have cited Curly as the most popular member of the team. His childlike mannerisms, natural comedic charm, and uncouth, juvenile humor made him a hit with audiences, particularly women and children. However, Curly having to shave his head for the act led him to feel unappealing to women. To mask his insecurities, he ate and drank to excess and caroused whenever
2163-417: A term contract for $ 7,500 per film (equal to $ 170,821 today), to be divided among the trio. Within their first year at Columbia, theater bookings for the Stooges films took off. Columbia Pictures president Harry Cohn was able to use the Stooges as leverage, as the demand for their films was so great that he eventually refused to supply exhibitors with the trio's shorts unless they also agreed to book some of
SECTION 20
#17327828599502266-503: A tour of the theater circuit. Healy attempted to stop the new act with legal action, claiming that they were using his copyrighted material. Accounts exist of Healy threatening to bomb theaters if Howard, Fine, and Howard ever performed there, which worried Shemp so much that he almost left the act; reportedly, only a pay raise kept him on board. Healy tried to save his act by hiring replacement stooges, but they were inexperienced and not as well-received as their predecessors. Healy reached
2369-603: A week. Curly also entered a disastrous third marriage in October 1945, leading to a separation in January 1946 and divorce in July 1946, at great cost to his already fragile health. Upon the Stooges' return to Los Angeles in late November 1945, Curly was a shell of his former self. They had two months to rest before reporting back to Columbia in late January 1946, but Curly's condition was irreversible. They had only 24 days of work over
2472-835: Is interred in a crypt in the Indoor Mausoleum at the Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles . His younger brother Curly is also interred there, in an outdoor tomb in the Western Jewish Institute section, as well as his parents Solomon and Jennie Horwitz and older brother Benjamin "Jack". The Three Stooges earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street on August 30, 1983. Columbia had promised exhibitors eight Three Stooges comedies for 1956, but only four were completed at
2575-594: The Litvak dialect of Yiddish . They married in 1888 and two years later immigrated to New York City. They initially lived with Jennie's brother Julius in Manhattan before eventually moving to Brooklyn, where they started their family. He had two older brothers, Isadore "Irving" (1891–1939) and Benjamin Jacob "Jack" (1893–1976). His two younger brothers were Moses "Moe" (1897–1975) and Jerome "Curly" (1903–1952). Howard, who
2678-553: The RKO vaudeville circuit . They premiered at Los Angeles's Paramount Theatre on August 28, 1930. In 1931 they added "Three Lost Soles" to the act's name, and took on Jack Walsh as their straight man. Moe, Larry and Shemp continued until July 1932, when Ted Healy approached them to team up again for the Shuberts' Broadway revue "Passing Show of 1932", and they accepted the offer. In spite of their past differences, Moe knew an association with
2781-752: The Van Beuren musical comedy short The Knife of the Party . In 1937 he followed his brothers' lead, moved to the West Coast, and landed supporting actor roles at several studios, mainly Columbia Pictures and Universal . He worked exclusively at Universal from August 1940 to August 1943, performing with such comics as W. C. Fields , and with comedy duos Abbott and Costello and Olsen and Johnson . He lent comic relief to Charlie Chan and The Thin Man murder mysteries. He appeared in several Universal B-musicals of
2884-494: The 1940s, and thought he would be a good fit. The early days of television provided movie studios a place to unload a backlog of short films that they thought no longer marketable, and the Stooge films seemed perfect for the burgeoning genre. ABC had even expressed interest as far back as 1949, purchasing exclusive rights to 30 of the trio's shorts and commissioning a pilot for a potential series, Jerks of All Trades . However,
2987-496: The 1960s as popular kids' fare, until Larry's paralyzing stroke in the midst of filming a pilot for a Three Stooges TV series in January 1970. He died in January 1975 after a further series of strokes. Unsuccessful attempts were made in 1970 and 1975 to revive the act with longtime supporting actor Emil Sitka in Fine's role, but they were each cut short—the first by a movie deal falling through and Moe's wife persuading him to retire,
3090-568: The Court (1936) features the team as star witnesses in a murder trial. Violent Is the Word for Curly (1938) was a quality Chase-directed short that featured the musical interlude " Swingin' the Alphabet ". In A Plumbing We Will Go (1940)—one of the team's quintessential comedies—the Stooges are cast as plumbers who nearly destroy a socialite's mansion, causing water to exit every appliance in
3193-481: The Curly character actually came about. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) signed Healy and his stooges to a movie contract in 1933. They appeared in feature films and short subjects together, individually, or with various combinations of actors. The trio was featured in a series of musical comedy shorts, beginning with Nertsery Rhymes . It was one of a few shorts to be made with an early two-color Technicolor process. These also included one featuring Curly without Healy or
Shemp Howard - Misplaced Pages Continue
3296-630: The Harem borrows from Malice in the Palace ; Hot Stuff from Fuelin' Around ; Commotion on the Ocean from Dunked in the Deep . The best-received and most technically accomplished of the four is Scheming Schemers (1956), combining new footage with recycled clips from three old Stooge shorts: A Plumbing We Will Go (1940), Half-Wits Holiday (1947) and Vagabond Loafers (1949). When it
3399-468: The Matador? , Sock-a-Bye Baby (all 1942), I Can Hardly Wait and A Gem of a Jam (both 1943) are considered to be lesser-quality works than previous films. Spook Louder (1943), a remake of Mack Sennett 's The Great Pie Mystery (1931), is sometimes considered one of their weakest shorts because of its repetitious and rehashed jokes. Three Smart Saps (1942), was an improvement, reworking
3502-566: The Shemp era contrast sharply with those from the Curly era, largely owing to the individual directing styles of Edward Bernds and Jules White. From 1947 to 1952, Bernds hit a string of successes, including Fright Night (1947), The Hot Scots , Mummy's Dummies , Crime on Their Hands (all 1948), Three Arabian Nuts (1951), and Gents in a Jam (1952). Three of the team's finest efforts were directed by Bernds: Brideless Groom (1947), Who Done It? (1949), and Punchy Cowpunchers (Bernds's own favorite, 1950). White also contributed
3605-444: The Stooge shorts were the most popular of all. The Stooges' release schedule was eight short subjects per year, filmed within a 40-week period; for the remaining 12 weeks, they were free to pursue other employment, time that was either spent with their families or touring the country with their live act. The Stooges appeared in 190 film shorts and five features while at Columbia, outlasting every one of their contemporaries employed in
3708-570: The Stooges made personal appearances, which was around seven months of each year. His weight ballooned in the 1940s, and his blood pressure became dangerously high. Curly's wild lifestyle and constant drinking eventually caught up with him in 1945, and his performances suffered. During a five-month hiatus from August 1945 through January 1946, the trio committed themselves to making a feature film at Monogram, followed by two months of live appearances in New York City, with performances seven days
3811-544: The Stooges were at Columbia; the team never once asked for or received a salary increase. After they stopped making the shorts in December 1957, Moe learned of Cohn's tactics, what a valuable commodity the Stooges had been for the studio, and how many millions more the act could have earned. Columbia offered theater owners an entire program of two-reel comedies (15–25 titles annually) featuring such stars as Buster Keaton , Andy Clyde , Charley Chase , and Hugh Herbert , but
3914-410: The Stooges working entirely by themselves for the only time in their Columbia career. The musical Sweet and Hot (1958) deserves some credit for straying from the norm. The American science-fiction craze also led to three entries focusing on space travel: Space Ship Sappy , Outer Space Jitters (both 1957), and Flying Saucer Daffy (1958). Jules White finally closed the comedy-shorts unit at
4017-503: The Stooges' primary foil). The highlight of the film features the Stooges engaging in nonsensical gymnastics for a skeptical group of enemy agents expecting renowned acrobats. Wartime also brought on rising production costs that resulted in fewer elaborate gags and outdoor sequences, Del Lord's stock in trade; as a result, the quality of the team's films, particularly those directed by Lord, began to slip after 1942. According to Okuda and Watz, entries such as Loco Boy Makes Good , What's
4120-422: The Stooges' remaining Columbia comedies. Not long after, the quality of the team's output markedly declined, with producer-director White now assuming complete control over production. DVD Talk critic Stuart Galbraith IV commented that "the Stooges' shorts became increasingly mechanical...and frequently substituted violent sight gags for story and characterization." Production was also significantly faster, with
4223-647: The Stooges, he had a successful solo career as a film comedian, including a series of shorts by himself and with partners. He reluctantly returned to the Stooges as a favor to his brother Moe and friend Larry Fine to replace his brother Curly as the third Stooge after Curly's illness. Howard was born Samuel Horwitz on March 11, 1895 in Bensonhurst , Brooklyn , New York. He was the third of five Horwitz brothers born to Lithuanian Jewish parents Solomon Gorwitz (1872–1943) and Jennie Gorwitz (1870–1939). His parents, who were second cousins, were from Kaunas and spoke
Shemp Howard - Misplaced Pages Continue
4326-555: The Sweet Pie and Pie (both 1941). With the onset of World War II , the Stooges released several entries that poked fun at the rising Axis powers. You Nazty Spy! (1940) and its sequel I'll Never Heil Again (1941) lampooned Hitler and the Nazis at a time when America was still neutral. Moe was cast as "Moe Hailstone", an Adolf Hitler -like character, with Curly playing a Hermann Göring character, replete with medals, and Larry
4429-593: The act and toured in his own comedy revue for several months. Shemp had been working for the Vitaphone studio in Brooklyn , New York since 1931. He first appeared in movie comedies playing small roles and bits in the Roscoe Arbuckle shorts, and gradually worked his way up to star comedian. Shemp stayed with Vitaphone through 1937. With Shemp gone, Healy and the two remaining stooges (Moe and Larry) needed
4532-415: The act's run (with only three active at any given time); Moe Howard (born Moses Horwitz) and Larry Fine (born Louis Feinberg) were mainstays throughout the ensemble's nearly 50-year run, while the "third stooge" was played in turn by Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz), Curly Howard (born Jerome Horwitz), Shemp Howard again, Joe Besser , and "Curly Joe" DeRita (born Joseph Wardell). The act began in
4635-405: The age of 48. Shemp agreed to remain with the group permanently. Shemp's role as the third Stooge was much different from Curly's. His characterization was more relaxed as opposed to Curly's energetic persona. Unlike Curly, who had many distinct mannerisms, Shemp's most notable characteristic as a Stooge was a high-pitched "bee-bee-bee-bee-bee-bee!" sound, a sort of soft screech done by inhaling. It
4738-569: The air. Haley made a few phonograph records in 1923, and in the early 1930s starred in comedy shorts for Vitaphone in Brooklyn , New York. His wide-eyed, good-natured expression gained him supporting roles in musical feature films, including Poor Little Rich Girl with Shirley Temple , Higher and Higher with Frank Sinatra and the Irving Berlin musical Alexander's Ragtime Band . Both Poor Little Rich Girl and Alexander's Ragtime Band were released by Twentieth Century-Fox . Haley
4841-638: The comedian to develop his own Stooge character. Jules White, however, persisted in employing the "living cartoon" style of comedy that reigned during the Curly era, forcing either Shemp or Moe to perform lackluster imitations of gags and mannerisms that originated from Curly. Most acutely, it created the "Curly vs. Shemp" debate that overshadowed the act upon Curly's departure. The Stooges lost some of their charm and inherent appeal to children after Curly retired, but some excellent films were produced with Shemp, an accomplished solo comedian who often performed best when allowed to improvise on his own. The films from
4944-510: The cook in the final print. Moe asked his older brother Shemp to take Curly's place, but Shemp was hesitant to rejoin the Stooges, as he was enjoying a successful solo career. He realized, however, that not rejoining the Stooges would mean the end of Moe and Larry's film careers. Shemp wanted assurances that rejoining them would be only temporary and that he could leave the Stooges once Curly recovered. However, Curly's health continued to deteriorate, and it became clear that he could not return. As
5047-483: The date cited by other accounts. Much of that book was finished posthumously by his daughter and son-in-law, and some details were confused. The Los Angeles County Coroner's death certificate states that Shemp Howard died on Tuesday, November 22, 1955, at 11:35 [PM] PST. Howard's obituary appeared in the November 23 afternoon editions of Los Angeles newspapers, citing the death on the night of November 22. Shemp Howard
5150-614: The dust settled in Ebsen's lungs and, within a few days of principal photographic testing, he found himself struggling to breathe. For Haley, to avoid the same problem, the dust was converted into a paste—even so, the paste caused an eye infection that sidelined Haley for four shooting days. Surgical treatment averted serious or permanent damage to Haley's eyes. Haley also portrayed the Tin Man's Kansas counterpart, Hickory Twicker, one of Aunt Em and Uncle Henry's farmhands. Haley did not remember
5253-449: The early 1920s as part of a vaudeville comedy act billed as "Ted Healy and His Stooges", consisting originally of Ted Healy and Moe Howard. Over time, they were joined by Moe's brother, Shemp Howard, and then Larry Fine. The four appeared in one feature film, Soup to Nuts , before Shemp left to pursue a solo career. He was replaced by Moe's younger brother, Jerome "Curly" Howard, in 1932. Two years later, after appearing in several movies,
SECTION 50
#17327828599505356-655: The early 1940s, including Private Buckaroo (1942), Strictly in the Groove (1942), How's About It? (1943), Moonlight and Cactus (1944) and San Antonio Rose (1941); in the latter of which he was paired with Lon Chaney Jr. as a faux Abbott and Costello. Most of these projects took advantage of his improvisational skills. When Broadway comedian Frank Fay walked out on a series of feature films teaming him with Billy Gilbert , Gilbert called on his closest friend, Shemp Howard, to replace him in three B-comedy features for Monogram Pictures , filmed in 1944–45. He also played
5459-441: The end of 1957. His final Stooge comedy was Flying Saucer Daffy , filmed December 19–20, 1957. Within the week, the Stooges were fired from Columbia Pictures after 24 years of employment. No formal goodbyes or congratulatory celebrations occurred in recognition of their work and of the money that their comedies had earned for the studio. Moe visited Columbia several weeks after the dismissal to say goodbye to several executives, but
5562-521: The feature film Gold Raiders (1951). Shemp suffered a mild stroke in November 1952, but recovered within weeks. The medical episode had no noticeable effect on his remaining films with the Stooges, many of which were remakes of earlier films that also used recycled footage to reduce costs. In September 1925, Shemp married Gertrude Frank (1905–1982). They had one child, Morton (1927–1972). Shemp had several phobias, including of airplanes, automobiles, dogs, and water. According to Moe's autobiography, Shemp
5665-476: The focus of several films, in particular Fuelin' Around (1949) and He Cooked His Goose (1952). The Shemp years also marked a major milestone: the Stooges' first appearance on television. In 1948, they guest-starred on Milton Berle 's popular Texaco Star Theater and Morey Amsterdam 's The Morey Amsterdam Show . By 1949, the team filmed a pilot for ABC-TV for their own weekly television series, titled Jerks of All Trades . Columbia Pictures blocked
5768-444: The former four-day filming schedules now tightened to two or three days. In another cost-cutting measure, White created a "new" Stooge short by borrowing footage from old ones, setting it in a slightly different storyline and filming a few new scenes, often with the same actors in the same costumes. White was initially very subtle when recycling older footage; he would reuse only a single sequence of old film, re-edited so cleverly that it
5871-452: The group sometime between 1925 and 1928. In the act, lead comedian Healy would attempt to sing or tell jokes while his noisy assistants would keep interrupting him, causing Healy to retaliate with verbal and physical abuse. In 1930, Ted Healy and His Stooges (plus comedian Fred Sanborn ) appeared in Soup to Nuts , their first Hollywood feature film, released by Fox Film Corporation . The film
5974-688: The hapless double who takes all the punishment. Columbia, which was still releasing Stooge shorts to theaters, cashed in on the Stooges' spectacular show-business comeback by signing the team for new feature-length films. The first, Have Rocket, Will Travel (1959), was produced by the Stooges' agent, Harry Romm. The second was a quickie compilation film produced by Romm, Stop! Look! and Laugh! (1960), with "The Original Three Stooges" seen entirely in old short-subject extracts with Curly Howard, and new footage with ventriloquist Paul Winchell and animal act The Marquis Chimps . Jack Haley John Joseph Haley Jr. (August 10, 1898 – June 6, 1979)
6077-664: The home, including an early television set. This was remade twice, as Vagabond Loafers and Scheming Schemers . Other entries of the era are considered among the team's finest work, including Uncivil Warriors (1935), A Pain in the Pullman and False Alarms (both 1936), Grips, Grunts and Groans , The Sitter Downers , Dizzy Doctors (all 1937), Tassels in the Air (1938), We Want Our Mummy (1939), Nutty but Nice (1940), and An Ache in Every Stake and In
6180-465: The makeup or the costume fondly. Interviewed about the film years later by Tom Snyder , he related that many fans assumed making the film was a fun experience. Haley said, "Like hell it was. It was work!" For his role as the Tin Woodman , Haley spoke in the same soft tone he used when reading bedtime stories to his children. Oz was one of only three films Haley made for MGM. The others were Pick
6283-424: The market for comedy shorts had all but ceased. As a result, Jules White told Columbia president Harry Cohn that he was shutting down the two-reel-comedy department. White canceled all of his comedy-shorts series in 1956, but Cohn insisted on keeping the Stooge comedies coming. In his own way, Cohn was sentimental about the team; Larry Fine recalled that Cohn once told the Stooges, "As long as I'm president, you've got
SECTION 60
#17327828599506386-602: The market in April 1959. By September 1959, all 190 Stooge shorts were airing regularly. With so many films available for broadcast, daily television airings provided heavy exposure aimed squarely at children. Parents who had grown up seeing the same films in the theaters began to watch alongside their children. After the Curly-era shorts were found to be the most popular, Moe suggested that DeRita shave his head to accentuate his slight resemblance to Curly Howard. He adopted first
6489-625: The nationally known Healy would provide opportunities the three comics were not getting on their own. On August 16, 1932, in a contract dispute, Healy walked out of the Shuberts' revue during rehearsals. Three days later, tired of what he considered Healy's domineering handling of the Stooges' career, Shemp left Healy's act to remain with "Passing Show", which closed in September during roadshow performances and after pan reviews in Detroit and Cincinnati. Shemp regrouped to form his own act and played on
6592-435: The next three months, but eight weeks of time off could not help the situation. In those last six shorts, ranging from Monkey Businessmen (1946) through Half-Wits Holiday (1947), Curly was seriously ill, struggling to get through even the most basic scenes. During the final day of filming Half-Wits Holiday (1947) on May 6, 1946, Curly suffered a debilitating stroke on the set, ending his 14-year career. They hoped for
6695-452: The onset ( Marx Brothers , Abbott and Costello ). However, Moe believed that the team's slapstick style worked better in short form. In 1935, Columbia proposed to star them in their own full-length feature, but Moe rejected the idea, saying, "It's a hard job inventing, rewriting, or stealing gags for our two-reel comedies for Columbia Pictures without having to make a seven-reeler (feature film). We can make short films out of material needed for
6798-520: The original Stooges; Larry Fine joined them in 1928. On stage, Healy sang and told jokes while his three noisy stooges got in his way, and Healy retaliated with physical and verbal abuse. Shemp played a bumbling fireman in the Stooges' first film, Soup to Nuts (1930), the only film where he played one of Healy's gang. After a disagreement with Healy in August 1930, Moe, Larry and Shemp left to launch their own act, "Howard, Fine & Howard", and joined
6901-460: The other Stooges, Roast Beef and Movies (1934), and the recently rediscovered Technicolor short Hello Pop! . Jail Birds of Paradise (1934) was also shot in Technicolor, but as of 2022, no print has been found. The short films were built around recycled Technicolor film footage of production numbers cut from MGM musicals, such as Children of Pleasure , Lord Byron of Broadway , and
7004-512: The quality of the films, as the previous few had been marred by Curly's sluggish performances. Entries such as Out West (1947), Squareheads of the Round Table (1948), and Punchy Cowpunchers (1950) proved that Shemp could hold his own. New director Edward Bernds , who joined the team in 1945 when Curly was failing, sensed that routines and plotlines that worked well with Curly as the comic focus did not fit Shemp's persona, and allowed
7107-609: The road for a few months. He landed at Brooklyn's Vitaphone Studios for movie appearance opportunities in May 1933. When he split from Healy, Shemp was immediately replaced by his and Moe's younger brother Jerry Howard , known as Curly. After leaving the Three Stooges, Shemp Howard, like many New York City-based performers, found work at Vitaphone. Originally playing bit roles in their six two-reel Roscoe Arbuckle comedies made from 1932 to 1933, showing off his comical appearance, he
7210-473: The role. He subsequently went into real estate, taking guest roles in television series over the next couple of decades. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer hired Haley for the part of the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz . He replaced song-and-dance comedian Buddy Ebsen , who had suffered a severe allergic reaction after inhaling aluminum powder from his silver face makeup, which triggered a congenital bronchial condition;
7313-426: The same time, they worked for a rival vaudeville circuit, without makeup. By 1922, Moe had teamed up with his boyhood friend Ted Healy in a "roughhouse" act. One day Moe spotted his brother Shemp in the audience and yelled at him from the stage. Quick-witted Shemp yelled right back, and walked up onto the stage. From then on he was part of the act, usually known as "Ted Healy and His Stooges". The Howard brothers were
7416-483: The schooner Charles A. Briggs at Nahant, Massachusetts on February 10, 1899, aged 31, when Jack was almost six months old. He had one older brother, William Anthony "Bill" Haley, a musician, developed pneumonia which caused tuberculosis and he died in 1915 at the age of twenty. Haley headlined in vaudeville as a song-and-dance comedian. One of his closest friends was Fred Allen , who would frequently mention "Mr. Jacob Haley of Newton Highlands, Massachusetts " on
7519-437: The second by Moe's death. The Three Stooges began in 1922 as part of a raucous vaudeville act called "Ted Healy and His Stooges". The act was also known as "Ted Healy and His Southern Gentlemen" and "Ted Healy and His Racketeers". Moe Howard joined Healy's act in 1922, and his brother Shemp Howard came aboard a few months later. After several shifts and changes in the Stooges membership, violinist-comedian Larry Fine also joined
7622-755: The series from going into production, but allowed the Stooges to make television guest appearances. The team went on to appear on Camel Comedy Caravan (also known as The Ed Wynn Show ), The Kate Smith Hour , The Colgate Comedy Hour , The Frank Sinatra Show , and The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre , among others. In 1952, the Stooges lost some key players at Columbia Pictures. The studio decided to downsize its short-subject division, resulting in producer Hugh McCollum being discharged and director Edward Bernds resigning out of loyalty to McCollum, and having had creative differences with Jules White. Screenwriter Elwood Ullman , who had worked closely with Bernds, also resigned. Bernds's departure left only White to direct
7725-934: The short film an artifact of a bygone era. Besser was a talented comic, and was quite popular as "Stinky" on The Abbott and Costello Show , but his whining mannerisms and resistance to slapstick punishment did not match the films' established format of continuous physical comedy. His presence, though, did create verbal friction between Moe and Larry, improving their mutually insulting banter. The Besser Stooge shorts were of inconsistent quality, alternating between fresh, original material and tired rehashes. Fully half of these shorts contained all-new scripts, experimenting with science-fiction, fantasy, and musical-comedy formats. The other eight scripts were remakes, based on earlier Stooge comedies. Budgets were lower than ever, and Moe and Larry's advanced ages prohibited them from performing much of their trademark physical comedy. Besser had suggested that Moe and Larry comb their hair back to give them
7828-504: The short-film genre. Del Lord directed more than three dozen Stooge films, Jules White directed dozens more, and his brother Jack White directed several under the pseudonym "Preston Black". Silent-comedy star Charley Chase also shared directorial responsibilities with Lord and White. The Stooge films made between 1935 and 1941 captured the team at their peak, according to film historians Ted Okuda and Edward Watz, authors of The Columbia Comedy Shorts ; nearly every film produced became
7931-495: The shorts via Screen Gems , Columbia's television studio and distribution unit. Screen Gems then syndicated the shorts to television, whereupon the Stooges became one of the most popular comedy acts of the early 1960s. Comic actor Joe DeRita became "Curly Joe" in 1958, replacing Besser for a new series of full-length theatrical films. With intense television exposure in the United States, the act regained momentum throughout
8034-422: The studio's mediocre B movies . Cohn also saw to it that the Stooges remained unaware of their popularity. During their 23 years at Columbia, the Stooges were never completely aware of their drawing power. Their contracts with the studio included an open option that had to be renewed yearly, and Cohn would tell them that the short subjects were in decline, which was not a complete fabrication (Cohn's yearly mantra
8137-469: The success of television revivals for such names as Laurel and Hardy , Woody Woodpecker , Popeye , Tom and Jerry , and the Our Gang series in the late 1950s led Columbia to cash in again on the Stooges. In September 1958, Columbia's television subsidiary Screen Gems offered a package consisting of 78 Stooge shorts (primarily from the Curly era), which were well received. An additional 40 shorts hit
8240-401: The team's contract expired with MGM, and the Stooges' professional association with Healy came to an end. According to Moe Howard's autobiography, the split was precipitated by Healy's alcoholism and abrasiveness. Their final film with Healy was MGM's Hollywood Party (1934). Healy and the Stooges went on to separate successes, with Healy dying under mysterious circumstances in 1937. In 1934,
8343-403: The television biopic The Three Stooges (2000), Shemp Howard was portrayed by John Kassir . The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures . Their hallmark styles were physical , farce , and slapstick comedy. Six total Stooges appeared over
8446-531: The time of Shemp Howard's death. To fulfill the contract, producer Jules White manufactured four more shorts "with Shemp" by combining old footage of Howard with new connecting scenes played by a body double (longtime Stooge supporting actor Joe Palma ) who is seen mostly from the back. He came to be known by Stooge fans as the " Fake Shemp ", a term which director Sam Raimi later coined in reference to any body double replacing an actor. These new releases of 1956 are all based on Stooge comedies of 1949. Rumpus in
8549-431: The trio left Healy and signed on to appear in their own short-subject comedies for Columbia Pictures, now billed as "The Three Stooges". From 1934 to 1946, Moe, Larry, and Curly produced over 90 short films for Columbia. Curly suffered a debilitating stroke in May 1946. Shemp returned, reconstituting the original lineup, until his death of a heart attack on November 22, 1955, three years and ten months after Curly's death of
8652-528: The trio—now officially named "The Three Stooges"—contracted with Columbia Pictures for a series of two-reel comedy short subjects. Moe wrote in his autobiography that they each received $ 600 per week (equal to $ 13,666 today) on a one-year contract with a renewable option; in the Ted Okuda –Edward Watz book The Columbia Comedy Shorts , the Stooges are said to have received $ 1,000 among them for their first Columbia effort, Woman Haters (1934), and then signed
8755-455: The unfinished March of Time (all 1930). The studio concluded the series with standard, black-and-white two-reel subjects: Beer and Pretzels (1933) Plane Nuts (1933), and The Big Idea (1934). Healy and company also appeared in several MGM feature films as comic relief, including: Healy and the Stooges also appeared together in Myrt and Marge for Universal Pictures . In 1934,
8858-419: Was "the market for comedy shorts is dying out, fellas"). The Stooges thought that their days were numbered and would sweat it out each year, with Cohn renewing their contract at the last moment. This deception kept the insecure Stooges unaware of their true value, resulting in them having second thoughts about asking for a better contract without a yearly option. Cohn's scare tactics worked for all 23 years that
8961-642: Was a multipurpose effect: he emitted this sound when scared, sleeping (done as a form of snoring), overtly happy, or dazed. It became his trademark sound as the "nyuk nyuk" sound had become Curly's. Because of his established solo career, he was also given opportunities in the films to do some of his own comic routines. During this period, The Three Stooges ventured into live television appearances, beginning on Tuesday, October 19, 1948, with Milton Berle on his Texaco Star Theatre program. Shemp appeared with Moe and Larry in 77 short subjects, four of which were produced posthumously using stock footage. The trio also made
9064-450: Was a reworking of the earlier Hoi Polloi ), Guns a Poppin (1957), Rusty Romeos (1957), and Triple Crossed (1959). In contrast, Hoofs and Goofs and Horsing Around , both featuring a trained horse, and Muscle Up a Little Closer (all 1957) mostly resembled the sitcoms of the era. A Merry Mix Up (1957) cast the Stooges as three sets of triplets, and Oil's Well That Ends Well (1958) had no supporting cast at all, with
9167-528: Was an American actor, comedian, dancer, radio host, singer, drummer and vaudevillian. He was best known for his portrayal of the Tin Man and his farmhand counterpart Hickory in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz . Haley was born in Boston Massachusetts on August 10, 1898. His father John Haley Snr. was a waiter by trade, and later a ship's steward. He died in the wreck of
9270-401: Was combined with new footage of Columbia supporting player Joe Palma doubling for him (see Fake Shemp ). These last four films were Rumpus in the Harem , Hot Stuff , Scheming Schemers , and Commotion on the Ocean (all released in 1956). Columbia was the last studio still producing live-action two-reel comedies; Warner Bros. ended its one-reel Joe McDoakes series in 1956, and
9373-661: Was felled by a debilitating stroke on May 6, 1946. Curly had already suffered a series of strokes prior to the filming of If a Body Meets a Body (1945), and in January 1945 Shemp filled in for Curly at a week-long appearance at the St. Charles Theatre in New Orleans . Shemp agreed to fill in for Curly in Columbia's popular Stooge shorts, knowing that if he refused, Moe and Larry would be out of work. He intended to stay only until Curly recovered, which never happened as Curly's health continued to worsen. Curly died on January 18, 1952, at
9476-507: Was given speaking roles and supporting parts almost immediately. He was featured with studio comics Jack Haley , Ben Blue and Gus Shy ; then co-starred with Harry Gribbon , Daphne Pollard , and Johnnie Berkes, and finally starred in his own two-reel comedies. The independently produced Convention Girl (1935) featured Shemp in a very rare straight role as a blackmailer and would-be murderer. Shemp preferred to improvise dialogue and jokes, which became his trademark. In late 1935, Vitaphone
9579-513: Was involved in a driving accident as a teenager and never obtained a driver's license. On November 22, 1955, Shemp went out with associates Al Winston and Bobby Silverman to a boxing match, one of Shemp's favorite pastimes, at the Hollywood Legion Stadium. While returning home in a taxi that evening, Shemp died of a massive heart attack, at the age of 60. Moe's autobiography gives a death date of November 23, 1955, which became
9682-532: Was licensed to produce two-reel short comedies based on the Joe Palooka comic strip. Shemp was cast as Knobby Walsh, and although only a supporting character, he became the comic focus of the series, with Johnnie Berkes and Lee Weber as his foils. He co-starred in the first seven shorts, released in 1936–1937. Nine of them were produced, the last two done after Shemp's departure from Vitaphone. Howard unsuccessfully attempted to lead his own group of "stooges" in
9785-569: Was named Samuel after his mother's grandfather, Shmuel , was known as Sam. However, his mother's thick accent left her unable to articulate the name Sam. Instead she pronounced it as Shem and then Shemp , the latter of which stuck as his nickname. Shemp's brother Moe Howard started in show business as a youngster, on stage and in films. Moe and Shemp eventually tried their hands as minstrel-show-style "blackface" comedians with an act they called "Howard and Howard – A Study in Black". At
9888-462: Was not a critical success, but the Stooges' performances were singled out as memorable, leading Fox to offer the trio a contract, minus Healy. This enraged Healy, who told studio executives the Stooges were his employees, whereupon the offer was withdrawn. Howard, Fine, and Howard learned of the offer and subsequent withdrawal, and left Healy to form their own act (billed as "Howard, Fine & Howard" or "Three Lost Souls"). The act quickly took off with
9991-464: Was not easy to detect. The later shorts were cheaper and the recycling more obvious, with as much as 75% of the running time consisting of old footage. White came to rely so much on older material that he could film the "new" shorts in a single day. New footage filmed to link older material suffered from White's heavy-handed directing style and penchant for telling his actors how to act. Shemp, in particular, disliked working with White after 1952, when White
10094-457: Was recycled in the remake Booty and the Beast , released in 1953. In 1949, Curly filmed a brief scene for Malice in the Palace (1949) as the restaurant's cook, but it was not used. Jules White's copy of the script contained the dialogue for this missing scene, and a production still of Curly does exist, appearing on both the film's original one-sheet and lobby card. Larry played the role of
10197-418: Was refused entry without the current year's studio pass. He later stated that it was a crushing blow to his pride. The studio had enough completed Stooge films to be released over the next 18 months, though not in the order in which they were produced. The final Stooge release, Sappy Bull Fighters , did not reach theaters until June 4, 1959. With no active contract in place, Moe and Larry discussed plans for
10300-399: Was sponsored by Wonder Bread and was known as The Wonder Show . During the second season the show featured Gale Gordon and Lucille Ball as regular radio performers. Haley returned to musical comedies in the 1940s. Most of his '40s work was for RKO Radio Pictures . He left the studio in 1947 when he refused to appear in a remake of RKO's Seven Keys to Baldpate . Phillip Terry took
10403-467: Was the Stooges' only director. Three years after Curly's death, Shemp Howard died of a heart attack at age 60 on November 22, 1955, during a taxi ride home with a friend after attending a boxing match. Moe was stunned and contemplated disbanding the Stooges. Columbia, though, had promised exhibitors eight Stooge shorts for the year but only four had been completed, forcing producer Jules White to manufacture four more shorts "with Shemp". Old footage of Shemp
10506-442: Was time to renew the Stooges's contract, Columbia hired comedian Joe Besser to replace Shemp. Columbia discontinued filming new Stooge shorts in December 1957 but continued to release them through June 1959. The Stooge shorts were still in demand for kiddie-matinée shows, and their TV revivals boosted the team's popularity to an all-time high. Columbia kept the theatrical series going by reissuing Shemp's Stooge shorts until 1968. In
10609-610: Was under contract to them and appeared in the Fox films Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Pigskin Parade , marking his first appearance with Judy Garland . Haley hosted a radio show from 1937 to 1939 known to many as The Jack Haley Show . The first season (1937–1938), the show was sponsored by Log Cabin Syrup and was known as The Log Cabin Jamboree . The next season (1938–1939), the show
#949050