Shemp Howard - the Fourth Stooge? Hmmmm.

Thursday, March 4, marks the birthday of Sam "Shemp" Howard. Born in 1895, Shemp would be 115 years old today. And I bet he'd still be funny!

sigh - One more time for anyone who didn't hear me ramble on and on about the funniest slapstick team in the business the first 100 times.

There were 6 Three Stooges, but only 4 of them count. Ted Healy started with 1, then added 1 and got 2, then added 1 more and got 3. Number 2 quit and a 4th was added to make 3 again. Those 3 left Ted Healy, but after 13 years, number 4 had a stroke so number 2 was brought in again. 11 years later, number 2 had a heart attack and died and a 3rd was needed to replace 2 and 4. 5 came in and wasn't very good and they lost their contract after about 3 years anyway. About 5 years later, demand was back and they added a 4th 3rd stooge (bringing the total to 6) and they hung around making features until number 3 had a stroke and they retired. Later number 3 passed away, then number 1, then number 5 and finally number 6.

Clear?

OK. One more time.

Ted Healy worked in vaudeville in the early 1930's and needed a comic foil. He hired Moe Howard (1). Almost immediately they decided to add a second, Moe's big brother Shemp Howard (2). Soon there was room for one more and they added a friend Larry Fine (3).

Moe (1), Shemp (2) and Larry (3).

They banged around vaudeville awhile and eventually broke into movies. They made a few appearances as supporting characters (Healy and 1, 2 and 3) until soon, Shemp (2) grew tired of Ted's heavy handed and abusive ways and accepted a contract with Warner Bros. as a single comedian. Needing a third stooge, Moe (1) suggested his other brother Curly Howard (4).

Moe (1), Larry (3) and Curly (4).

These three made a few more appearances with Healy, but finally all got tired of Ted's ways and broke off on their own. Signing a contract with Columbia, they began their 25 year stint of Three Stooges shorts that we all know and love.

So even though Shemp was before Curly, we all see the films where Curly was there first.

In 1946, Curly (4) had a stroke leaving him unable to perform. Big brother Shemp (2) answered the call and returned to the Stooges.

Moe (1), Shemp (2) and Larry (3).

In 1955, Shemp was attending the boxing matches, and after a fun night out with friends, had a heart attack and died on the way to the hospital.

After that Joe Besser (5) came in to help live out their Columbia contract...but those shorts sucked. A few years into the 1960's, baby boomers rediscovered the Stooges and they returned, making a series of feature films with Curly Joe DeRita (6). These were also, not very funny. Hence #'s 5 and 6 of the Stooges don't really count.

And even through Shemp was #2, because of the films we are all exosed to, it appears he was #4...or the 2nd of the 3rd Stooges, replacing Curly (4) but in reality Curly (4) replaced Shemp (2) first.

Confused?

Don't think about it then.

My point is, Shemp is often looked down on as a replacement for Curly and not as funny because he wasn't one fo the originals.

But he WAS one of the originals.

Curly was the embodiment of the human "id" and very childlike in his actions, he appealed to a lot of children who see him for the first time.

Shemp was a very different comedian. The comparison is unfair.

It sounds funny if you say it outloud...but as you mature, you really get an appreciation for Shemp.

Go ahead. Say it outloud in front of people. I bet it makes them laugh.

And THAT's the whole point of being a Stooge.

Thanks Shemp. You guys was funny!

Here's a compilation of some great Shemp moments. Watch them at work. It'll be funny!

Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk, Everyone's Favorite Stooge...Coitenly!

Happy Would-Be 106th Boithday to Jerome "Curly" Howard!

Born today in 1903, Jerry...or Curly was the Stooge we all wanted to imitate. A true personification of the human id, he seemed the most like we manic folks, who are stoogophiles!

Jerry was the youngest of the 5 Horwitz brothers (Shemp, Moe and Curly all changed to Howard when they entered show bid-ness) and so was dubbed "Babe" by his older siblings, a nickname which stuck with him for life. He was only "Curly" in front of the camera.

In the early 1930's, when Shemp grew tired of the abuse (financial and emotional and physical) suffered under from Ted Healy, Moe suggested his other brother "Babe" to replace him. Jerry walked in to the meeting with Ted coiffed as he standardly was in his own stage persona, with longish wavy brown hair and a bushy moustache. Healy said, "You don't fit in! Your brother's got that bowl haircut and Larry's got the porcupine look...you're too normal looking!". Jerry left the meeting, went downstairs and had a moustache-ectomy and his hair shaved away and came back and said, "Just call me Curly.", and the rest is history.

In 1934 the boys broke away from Healy to begin their long run at Columbia doing the shorts we all know and love. Curly was the bright light who really clicked with audiences, until illness came.

In 1946 Curly had a debilitating stroke which left him unable to perform as Curly did. If you watch the last 12 or so shorts that Curly appears in, we can assume that there were a series of smaller strokes that happened beforehand left unattended. He seems much more slowed down and sluggish.

This was the end of Jerry Howard's career.

Shemp was asked and agreed to come back and fill the shoes of the third stooge until Curly could recover, but Curly never got back to fighting strength. He lived until 1952 and had a happy and relaxing retirement with his 4th wife. They even had a child in 1948.

Below is one of my favorite pictures of the stooges. A few shorts into Shemp coming back, Curly was visiting the set, and came up with a gag idea. Moe, Larry and Shemp are running through a train car trying to find someone, when they're suddenly distracted by a strange snoring sound. You all know the one...go ahead...I'll wait while you do it...there, feel better? There in his seat is the sleeping Jerry "Curly" "Babe" Howard in all his glory.

It's the only scene on film that features all 3 Howard's. A gem.

Here's a couple of Curly clips to start your day with.

The first a scene from "Disorder in the Court":



Next is "Swinging the Alphabet" from "Violent is the Word for Curly":

Just try and get that out of your head the rest of the day. I dare you.

Curly's career was stopped short when he was just 43 and his life when just 49.

Aren't we the better and happier for the short time he was here though?

I think so.

Thanks Jerry!

In the Alchemy/Chemistry of Stooges...Ted Healy was the Catalyst

Ted Healy was born today in 1896. A leader of men, and a bringer-together of stooges!

I've discussed the history of The Three Stooges here already in the blog here, so the importance of Healy and his role of bringing Moe, Larry, Shemp and Curly to the stage and then screen has been stated.

But Healy was a really funny guy in his own right. More than just a footnote in Stooge history.


Above: From the film "Soup to Nuts" (1930), Ted Healy (standing) with (left to right) Moe, Shemp, Larry and a fourth-almost-stooge Fred Sanborn.

Left to right: Moe, Larry, Ted and Curly.

From their vaudeville days: Larry, Moe, Shemp and Ted.

Here's a great clip of Ted, Moe, Larry and Curly from the Clark Gable-Joan Crawford MGM musical "Dancing Lady". Great interaction between the 3 boys and their boss.

Great stuff.

Thanks for bringing our favorite boys to the screen Ted. Sorry you had to leave so soon.

"Look here Porkypine."

Larry Fine and Moe Howard in 1974. I couldn't resist. I hope I'm still acting like a stooge at their age.

"Spread out!...Come Here!"

First of all, let's get some 3 stooges history/lineage straight. This will be covering trampled ground for some of you, but I'm always surprised when I meet someone who "loves the stooges" but doesn't really know basic Stooge breakdown. First there was Moe. In 1925, Vaudeville comic Ted Healy hired Harry Moses Horwitz (you know him as Moe Howard) to act as a stooge in his act. A foil to volley banter and comic bits with, a "stooge" is usually masquerading as an audience member who gets involved in the act.

Moe Howard

The act was progressing well for a time, then Ted decided they could use one more "stooge". Moe suggested his older brother Sam "Shemp" Howard and soon Ted, Moe and Shemp were a team. One night they were appearing on the bill with an act with a comic violinist, who they invited to join the team, and Andrew Louis Feinburg became Larry Fine and the comic science of 3 began. Very soon Shemp became tired of Ted's abusive behavior toward his (now called) 3 Southern Gentlemen (among other things) and broke away from the act. In the lurch needing a third "stooge", Moe suggested his baby brother Jerry Howard, who shaved his head to find a comic hairstyle to keep up with Moe's bowl cut and Larry's Jew-fro and Curly entered the picture.

Curly Howard, Shemp Howard, Moe Howard

After making a slight foray into motion pictures from the vaudeville stage, Moe, Larry and Curly found that, they too found working with Healy wasn't something they wanted to continue so they broke away on their own. They soon signed a contract with Columbia Pictures and officially became "The Three Stooges" in 1934, and these are the beginnings of the shorts most of us can recite entire bits from.

Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Moe Howard

In 1946 after literally dozens of 2-reel comedies, Curly suffered a stroke which debilitated him physically and kept him from any more Stoogieness. Brother Shemp returned to the fold to keep the team going until Curly could get his moves back, but he was never able to. Shemp remained with the group until 1955, then one night while coming from a night out at a boxing match, Shemp suffered a fatal heart attack.

Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Moe Howard

Then came the dark ages. In 1957 Joe Besser became the third stooge and sissyfied and lameified and basically made the stooges boring. In 1959 their Columbia contract was cancelled and the stooges retired and went their separate ways. A few years later, after their films had been re-discovered by droves of baby boomers, The 3 Stooges reformed and made a series of feature length films, this time with Joe DeRita as stooge #3 under the name "Curly Joe".

Let's review: There were actually 6 stooges in the 3 stooges. Moe, Larry and Shemp; Moe, Larry and Curly; Moe Larry and Shemp; Moe, Larry and Joe; and Moe, Larry and Curly Joe were the line-ups. Sometime I'll lay out who Emil Sitka, Fred Sanborn, Mousie Garner and a few other unofficial stooges were and how they play into this magnificent opus, but believe it or don't, this isn't a post about The 3 Stooges...it's all about...

Today would have been Moe's 112th birthday. Happy birthday to the "anchor" stooge and one who was there from the beginning in 1925 right up to the bitter end in 1970. Moe, You've been mortalized!

Oh, and happy birthday Dave. Hope Disneyland with your girls was great!

"I'll mortalize ya!"...soon.

What's a momma not to love about this face? Lot's of news today, see ye tonight.