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HISTORY looks on.]] Ted Healy and His Stooges The Stooges got their name and their start from a Vaudeville act called Ted Healy and His Stooges (originally called "Ted Healy and His Southern Gentlemen"), which was founded in 1922 . Brothers Harry Moses Howard (Moe) and Samuel Howard (Shemp) (original last name Horwitz) were later joined by violinist Larry Fine (born Louis Feinberg). Shemp acquired his name from his mother's attempts to pronounce his name, "Sam", in spite of her thick accent. By 1930 , Ted Healy and His Stooges were appearing in Hollywood feature films, such as '' Soup To Nuts ''. Shemp left the act in 1931 for a career in feature films, notably as trainer Knobby Walsh in the '' Joe Palooka '' films, and in '' The Bank Dick '' with W.C. Fields . When Shemp left the act, Ted and the two remaining stooges (Moe and Larry) needed a third stooge, so Moe offered his baby brother, Jerome. Ted took one look at Jerome and with his long black locks and facial hair, stated he was not a character like Moe and Larry, so Jerome left the room and returned moments later with a shaved head and face; thus, Curly was born. According to Moe Howard in his autobiography, ''Moe Howard and the Three Stooges'', the Stooges split with Ted Healy in 1934 once and for all because of his alcoholism and abrasiveness. Columbia Short Subjects, 1934-1959 The same year, the Three Stooges (as the Howard brothers and Fine renamed their act) signed on to appear in two-reel comedy Short Subjects for Columbia Pictures at just a few hundred dollars a week. The Stooges went on to star in 190 film short subjects over the next twenty-three years, the longest such series in history. Del Lord directed more than three dozen of the ''Three Stooges'' shorts. Jules White directed many others, and his brother Jack White directed several under the Pseudonym "Preston Black". According to a published report, Newspaper article about the anti-fascist short ''You Nazty Spy'' Moe, Larry, and director Jules White considered their best film to be '' You Nazty Spy '' (1940). This 18-minute short subject starring Moe as a Hitler -like character satirized the Nazis in a period when America was still neutral and isolationist about WWII . ''You Nazty Spy'' was the first Hollywood film to spoof Hitler, and was released nine months before the more famous Charlie Chaplin film '' The Great Dictator ''. Curly suffered a Stroke on May 6 , 1946 , during the filming of '' Half-wits' Holiday '', curtailing his output at 97 shorts. Brother Shemp reluctantly rejoined the act to take Curly's place. Curly did make one brief cameo appearance (doing his "Rrrowf! Rrrowf!" routine) in the third film after Shemp returned to the trio, '' Hold That Lion! '', in an effort to boost his morale. It was the only film that contained all three Howard brothers simultaneously (Curly's cameo appearance was recycled in the 1953 remake ''Booty and the Beast''). Shemp Howard was hesitant to rejoin the Stooges, as he had a successful solo career going at the time of Curly's untimely illness. However, he realized that Moe and Larry's careers would be finished without the Stooge act. Shemp wanted some kind of assurance that his rejoining was indeed temporary, and that he could leave the Stooges once Curly recovered. Unfortunately, Curly's condition grew worse. He died in January, 1952 . With Shemp on board, the Stooges went on to appear in 77 more shorts and a mediocre feature entitled '' Gold Raiders '' ( 1951 ). During this period, Moe, Larry, and Shemp also made a pilot for a ''Three Stooges'' Television Show called '' Jerks Of All Trades '' in 1949 . The series was never picked up, although the pilot is today in the Public Domain and is available on home video, as is an early TV appearance from around the same time on a Vaudeville -style comedy series starring Ed Wynn . The quality of the Stooge shorts took a nosedive in 1952 when director Edward Bernds was fired from Columbia Pictures . Bernds took producer Hugh McCollum with him, and Columbia Short Subjects head Jules White was left to both produce and direct the remainder of the Stooge shorts. Remakes of earlier Shemp shorts occurred on a regular basis as a cost-saving tactic. To add insult to injury, death paid the Stooges another visit just three years after Curly's demise. Shemp Howard died of a sudden Heart Attack at age 60 on November 22 , 1955 . Archived footage of Shemp, combined with new footage of his stand-in, Joe Palma (filmed from behind or with his face hidden), were used to finish the last four films on Shemp's contract. Joe Besser then replaced Shemp in 1956 and 1957 , appearing in 16 shorts. Besser had a clause in his contract specifically prohibiting him from being hit too hard, though this restriction was lifted as Besser's tenure continued (ironically, Besser was the only "third" stooge that dared to hit Moe back, Larry Fine was also known to hit Moe on occasion, but also with serious repercussions). Unfortunately, the market for short subjects had all but dried up by the time Besser joined the trio. Television was the new popular medium, and the Stooges were practically dinosaurs. Columbia Pictures, the last studio still producing shorts, unceremoniously fired the trio in 1957 at the end of production of their final short, ''Flying Saucer Daffy''. Because of a production backlog, the final ''Stooges'' short, ''Sappy Bullfighters'', did not reach theatres until June 4 , 1959 . ''See also'' List Of Three Stooges Shorts Rebirth In 1959 , Columbia syndicated the entire Stooges film library to television (through its TV subsidiary, Screen Gems ), and the Stooges were rediscovered by the Baby Boomers . A "Stooge fandom" quickly developed, and Howard and Fine found themselves back in demand again with the public. Besser's wife had had a Heart Attack , however, and he withdrew from the act. Moe quickly signed Joe DeRita as his replacement; DeRita shaved his head and became "Curly-Joe" because of his resemblance to the original Curly Howard . This version of the Three Stooges went on to make a series of moderately popular full-length films during the late 1950s and through the 1960s. The trio also filmed 39 short comedy skits that were broadcast as introductions and closings for a 1965 Animated Television Series based upon the comedy team. Throughout the 1960's, The Three Stooges were one of the most popular, and highest paid live acts in the country. In 1969 , the Three Stooges filmed a Pilot Episode for a new TV series entitled '' Kook's Tour '' which would have been a combination Travelogue and Sitcom that would have seen the "retired" Stooges travelling around the world, with the episodes filmed on location. During production of the pilot, Larry suffered a paralyzing Stroke , ending his acting career, as well as future plans for the TV series. A 50-minute version of ''Kook's Tour'' was edited together from usable material and initially only made available for the Home Movie market (years before the popularity of Home Video ); it has subsequently been released to DVD, though unrestored. Later years Larry suffered another Stroke in December 1974. The following month, he suffered a more serious stroke that he did not survive. On January 24 , 1975 , Larry Fine was gone. After his death, it was decided that long-time Stooge supporting actor Emil Sitka would replace him, and be dubbed "The Middle Stooge". Several movie ideas were considered, including one called '' Blazing Stewardesses '' according to Leonard Maltin , who also uncovered a pre-production photo (the film was ultimately made with the last surviving Ritz Brothers ). However, Moe died on May 4 , 1975 , and it was inconceivable that the Three Stooges continue without a Howard, although Curly-Joe did do some live performances with a new group of Stooges in the early 1970s . It's interesting to note that in 1975, the world lost both Larry and Moe, but also Moe's wife of 50 years, Helen. Joe Besser died on March 1 , 1988 , and Curly-Joe died on July 3 , 1993 , making him the last Stooge to die. Curly-Joe often stated that his time with the Three Stooges were the 'best years of his life.' Post-history Throughout their career, Moe was the heart and soul of the troupe, acting as both their main creative force and business manager. Comedy III Productions, Inc., formed by Moe, Larry and Curly-Joe DeRita in 1959 , is today the owner of all of the Three Stooges' trademarks and merchandising (the company is currently operated by DeRita's two stepsons). In Spring of 2000, long time stooge fan Mel Gibson produced a TV-movie about the life and careers of the Stooges. It was produced for and broadcast on ABC . This movie was based on Michael Fleming 's authorized biography on the Stooges, ''The Three Stooges: From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons''. Spike TV currently airs selected Three Stooges shorts in their Stooges Slap-Happy Hour. For those living in the chicago land area Rich Koz hosts on WCIU Stoogeapalooza. Rich Koz has an amazing knowledge of the stooges and all their shorts and often gives incredible tid bits of information about the stooges and bloopers which occur within the shorts. Rich Koz is also known for his other WCIU character, Svengoolie, introducing B rated horror films on Saturday nights. MEMBERS Moe Howard Real Name: Harry Moses Horwitz Born: June 19 , 1897 Died: May 4 , 1975 Stooge years: 1922, 1926, 1929-1975 Larry Fine Real Name: Louis Feinberg Born: October 5 , 1902 Died: January 24 , 1975 Stooge years: 1925-1926, 1929-1971 Curly Howard Real Name: Jerome Lester Horwitz Born: October 22 , 1903 Died: January 18 , 1952 Stooge years: 1934-1946 Shemp Howard Real Name: Samuel Horwitz Born: March 4 , 1895 Died: November 22 , 1955 Stooge years: 1922-1925, 1929-1932, 1947-1955 Joe Besser Born: August 12 , 1907 Died: March 1 , 1988 Stooge years: 1957-1959 Curly-Joe DeRita Real Name: Joseph Wardell Born: July 12 , 1909 Died: July 3 , 1993 Stooge years: 1959-1975 Emil Sitka Born: December 22 , 1914 Died: January 16 , 1998 Stooge years: c.1971-1975
CATCHPHRASES Although The Three Stooges are best known for their physical comedy, the group's dialogue is also highly quotable, with many of their lines (or signature nonverbal vocalizations) having become popular catchphrases. Here are some examples:
SLAPSTICK Examples of archetypical Stooge slapstick: 1 pokes the other in the eyes with the first and second fingers of one hand. After a while, the other Stooge catches on and holds his palm perpendicular to the edge of his nose to block this. The first Stooge then uses the index finger of each hand to jab both eyes at once. Here is an example:
or:
There were many variants to this classic move, one over the phone, and it being done in two episodes... in 3-D, giving you a Stooge's POV of Moe dishing out the two-finger eyepoke! One Stooge, usually Moe, strikes his own outstretched fist with his other fist. After being struck, the hand revolves downward, back and onto another Stooge's head. :Moe: See that? :Larry: ''(jeering)'' Ahhh. (Larry slaps Moe's hand, which flies up and knocks Larry's head.)
:Larry: ''(in pain)'' Ow! In a variant of this maneuver, one Stooge strikes his own outstretched fist with his other fist; usually, it is either Curly or Larry who is the one that does this, except after being struck, the clever trick backfires as the hand revolves downward, back and onto Curly's or Larry's own head. :Curly: See that? :Moe: ''(jeering)'' Ahhh! (Moe slaps Curly's hand, which flies up and knocks himself on the head.)
:Curly: ''(in pain)'' Owowow! The triple slap: a straight man slaps the faces of all three Stooges in one energetic sweep.
One Stooge, typically Moe, grasps another Stooge's nose then vertically strikes the grasping fist, making the sound of a honking horn-like device.
In some brief scenes for certain episodes, Moe would be seen with his hair standing straight in fright as he yelled in terror. This was done with an air hose off-camera (usually below as it takes an extreme close-up of him) blowing his hair upward as he yells. His voice was later dubbed in. And in some episodes, there were sight gags involved Curly, who supposedly has a very hard head. (Moe, irritated by Curly's behavior, takes a handsaw, and runs it down Curly's head.) :Curly: OW! OWWW! OH! Oh... ''(points to the saw)'' Ohhh, look! (Moe holds up the saw, and staggers back in surprise as he sees the saw's teeth are ruined) :Moe: You and that iron head o' yours. You've ruined the saw! See {Link without Title} for more examples. SOUND EFFECTS The use of clever sound effects was important to the overall effect of the action. A good example would be Moe whacking one of his fellow Stooges on the head with a hammer. Typically, the sound of a hammer striking an anvil or a block of wood was used, suggesting the characters were "hard-headed" in more ways than one. A blow to a kettle drum accompanied blows to the stomach, and for pokes to the eye, a plucked violin string made the sound, or sometimes a high pitched piano sound. When appendages such as fingers, noses, toes, etc. were pinched, crunched, vice gripped, etc. a noise like a cracking nut generally accompanied. For some reason, sound effects were not used in their original television pilot. Some believe that this is the main reason their pilot failed to sell. The hitting, poking and punching without the clever sound came across as just violent. MUSIC Several instrumental tunes were played over the opening credits at different times in the production of their short features. The most commonly used themes were:
The Moe-Larry-Curly Joe version of the Three Stooges recorded several musical record albums in the early 1960s. Most of their songs were adaptations of Nursery Rhymes . Among their more popular recordings were "Making a Record" (a surreal trip to a recording studio built around the song "Go Tell Aunt Mary"), "Three Little Fishes", and "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". FEATURE MOTION PICTURES The Three Stooges also made appearances in many feature length movies in the course of their careers:
TELEVISION In addition to the unsuccessful television series pilots, '' Jerks Of All Trades '' ( 1949 ) and '' Kook's Tour '' ( 1970 ), the Stooges appeared in a short-lived television show called '' The New Three Stooges '' which ran from 1965 to 1966 . This series featured a mix of thirty-nine Live Action segments which were used as wrap-arounds to 156 animated Stooges shorts. An episode of Hanna-Barbera 's '' The New Scooby-Doo Movies '' aired in the early 1970's featuring animated Stooges as guest-stars. Due to this guest appearance there was a short-lived animated series, also produced by Hanna-Barbera , entitled '' The Robonic Stooges '' featuring Moe, Larry, and Curly as bionic cartoon superheroes with extendable limbs, similar to the later '' Inspector Gadget ''. In John Badham 's movie Short Circuit , Johnny 5 , while watching T.V., sees the original Three Stooges in their first short for Columbia Pictures , Women Haters , made in 1934 at Stephanie's ( Ally Sheedy ) house. He later reprograms three of the Nova Robots into a breed of the Three Stooges, almost in their likeness. PUBLIC DOMAIN SHORTS There are four Three Stooges shorts that are in the Public Domain , and which can be downloaded at no charge from the Prelinger Archive : {Link without Title} ''Disorder in the Court'' (1936) {Link without Title} ''Malice in the Palace'' (1949) {Link without Title} ''Sing A Song of Six Pants'' (1947) {Link without Title} ''Brideless Groom'' (1947) TRIBUTES
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