The Three Stooges

[geese]

Curly is my favourite. remember what happens to him when he hears "pop goes the weasel"?

[Dapper Dan]

Uhh.. who are the Joe's?

I recall a Moe, Larry and Shemp, then Shemp dropped out and Curly came in. Although I don't keep up with the Stooges I will try to catch an episode here and there, but I can never recall any Joe..

Moe was the oldest, then Shemp (Sam) and (Jerome) Curly. They were brothers originally named Horowitz, who changed their last name to Howard. The original Stooges were Larry, Moe and Shemp who worked in Vaudeville with a straight man named Ted Healy. Larry Fine was no relation to the brothers. Healy was a notorious drunk and had a very bad temper, so the boys left him and formed The Three Stooges. At the time they were getting into the picture business, Shemp had an offer to do the "Palooka Joe" serials. Shemp seasoned his skills doing character roles in films after that.

Shemp left at the same time Larry and and Moe signed on to Columbia pictures to do shorts. Needing a third partner, they signed on Curly who was then a real estate salesman. Who could have imagined Curly would by most accounts, go down in show business history as a comical genius!

From the mid thirties to the late forties, Larry Moe and Curly did shorts for Columbia Pictures. In the late forties, Curly suffered a series of strokes which soon ended his performing career. Needing a new partner, they hired Shemp back. Shemp performed as a Stooge until he suddenly died of a heart attack in the late fifties. Joe Besser was hired on but only lasted a short while as the boy's Columbia shorts contract was not renewed.

The Stooges became has-beens and would have slipped into obscurity had it not been for Columbia Pictures releasing the Stooges shorts to television. The Baby Boomer generation watched the Stooges on television and almost over night, The Three Stooges became bigger stars than they ever were while at Columbia. Moe then put the act back together in the early sixties. Joe DeRita was hired as the third Stooge, Curly Joe.

There was actually another Stooge hired to replace Larry who had a stroke in the early seventies. Emil Sitka, a hilarious character actor from many of the Stooges Columbia shorts, came on board. Shortly after this, Moe died. Everyone agreed that when Moe Howard died, he took the act with him. Moe was the brains behind the Stooges success through their fifty plus years in show business.

I know this is far more information than you probably wanted but I enjoyed recalling it

[Dapper Dan]

I've seen many of the shorts and never understood them or found them funny, I think it gets old after the second time moe gets punched in the nose. come on, these all come down to the same old jokes and the same old laughs...

As with any act, the Stooges had their good days and their bad. Yes, there are some Stooges shorts that are boring and un-funny. However, most were very clever and side splittingly hilarious. Maybe you have just missed the right ones...

I defy anyone to watch the short where they start a pie fight at a high class social function and not laugh...

[Dapper Dan]

Curly is my favourite. remember what happens to him when he hears "pop goes the weasel"?

Moe! Larry! The cheese!

[redbeard]

Curly is my favourite. remember what happens to him when he hears "pop goes the weasel"?

Moe! Larry! The cheese!

Yes, this is one of my favorites too! Why does he go nuts when he hears the weasel song? Because his father was a rat!

I believe the full quote is:

Moe, Larry, Cheese!
No, no, the Limburger!

[redbeard]

I voted for Larry, because he is always doing something funny (but more subtle) in the background while Moe and Curly are in the fore.

I think my favorite episodes are the ones where Larry is the cook (and they think he is serving the dog and cat), and the one where Moe is Hitler ("The world is mine, give it to me!" [after a game of keepaway with Mussolini and Hirohito, they thow it to Moe and it turns to dust when it hits his head] "You fools! Youve shattered my world!")

[Dapper Dan]

I think my favorite episodes are the ones where Larry is the cook (and they think he is serving the dog and cat)

Malice In The Palace
Enjoy...

[redbeard]

Malice In The Palace
Enjoy...

Thanks Dan! That is really neat!