Three Stooges

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
This article or section recently underwent a major revision or rewrite and needs further review. You can help!


Moe Howard, Curly Howard and Larry Fine
Moe Howard, Curly Howard and Larry Fine

The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act in the first half of the 20th century. Best known for their numerous short films, they originally featured the three-man line-up of brothers Harry Moses Horwitz (Moe) and Samuel Horwitz (Shemp) and long-time friend Laurence Feinberg ("Larry Fine"). Shemp was later replaced by Jerome "Curly" (sometimes spelled "Curley") Howard, another brother, in 1932. When Curly suffered a stroke in 1946, Shemp returned until his death in 1955. He was then replaced first by stand-in (Joe Palma), doubling for Shemp to fulfill Shemp's contracted four remaining films, then by bald-headed "sissy" comedian Joe Besser, and eventually by Joe "Curly-Joe" DeRita (Joseph Wardell). After Larry's death, Emil Sitka, a long-time fellow actor in Stooge comedies, was contracted to be the replacement Stooge for Larry, but no film was ever made with him in that role, although some publicity photographs exist of him with his hair combed similarly to Larry posing with Moe and Curly-Joe prior to Moe's death and the end of the act.

The Stooges' hallmark was extremely physical slapstick comedy, mixed with one-liners, the introduction of additional characters and outrageous plots.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Ted Healy and His Stooges

The boys with Ted Healy in the 1933 film, Dancing Lady. Joan Crawford looks on.
The boys with Ted Healy in the 1933 film, Dancing Lady. Joan Crawford looks on.

The Three Stooges started in 1925 as a raucous vaudeville act called Ted Healy and His Stooges (previously called "Ted Healy and His Southern Gentlemen" and "Ted Healy and His Racketeers"). Healy would try to sing or tell jokes while his noisy assistants kept "interrumping" him. Healy would respond by abusing his stooges verbally and physically. Brothers Harry Moses Horwitz (Moe) and Samuel Horwitz (Shemp) were joined later that year by violinist Larry Fine (born Louis Feinberg). In 1930, Ted Healy and His Stooges appeared in their first Hollywood feature film: Soup to Nuts, released by Fox Studios. The film was not a critical success but the Stooges' performances were considered the highlight and Fox offered the trio a contract on their own, without Healy. This upset Healy, who told studio executives that the Stooges were his employees. The offer was withdrawn, and after Howard, Fine, and Howard learned the reason, they left Healy to form their own act. Their act quickly took off, and they toured the theatre circuit. Healy attempted to stop the new act with legal action, claiming they were using his copyrighted material. There are accounts of Healy threatening to bomb theatres if Howard, Fine, and Howard performed there, and these incidents worried Shemp so much that he almost left the group; reportedly, only a pay raise kept him on board. Healy tried to save his act by hiring replacement stooges, but they were not as well-received as their predecessors had been. With Moe acting as business manager, in 1932 Healy reached a new agreement with his former stooges, and they were booked in a production of J.J. Shubert's The Passing Show of 1932. Joe Besser, a future member of the Three Stooges, was a member of the cast. During rehearsals, Healy received a more lucrative offer and found a loophole in his contract allowing him to leave the musical. Shemp, reportedly was fed up with Healy's abrasiveness and decided to leave the act but ultimately, he was offered Healy's role.

When Shemp left, Ted and the two remaining stooges (Moe and Larry) needed a third Stooge, so Moe suggested his youngest brother Jerry (Jerome Lester Horwitz). Ted reportedly took one look at Jerry, who had long chestnut red locks and facial hair, and stated that he did not look like a character, as did Moe and Larry. Jerry left the room and returned a few moments later with with his head shaved (the mustache stayed on for a time); and thus, 'Curly' was born. (There are varying accounts as to how Curly actually came about. Some publications maintain that Moe, Larry, Ted Healy, and even Shemp, actually came up with the concept of shaving Jerry's head and dubbing him 'Curly.') Several sources have incorrectly stated that Curly made his first film appearance in a Hollywood On Parade short (entry #B-9), released by Paramount Pictures in 1932. The film in question was one of the last film appearances of Ted Healy, Moe, Larry and Curly together, released 1934-06-01. (The Hollywood On Parade shorts were later released to television, and replaced opening title sequences carried the same date, 1932, for every segment of the series, which led to the confusion.) Although the Stooges' characterizations initially were less distinct and more interchangeable, over time Moe’s character transformed, starting to duplicate Healy’s role as straight man.

In 1933, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) signed Healy and his Stooges to a movie contract to appear in film shorts and features. They appeared in feature films and short subjects, sometimes together, sometimes individually, and other times with various combinations of members. The group were featured in a series of musical comedy shorts, beginning with Nertsery Rhymes, released 1933-07-06. Nertsery Rhymes was one of a few shorts to be filmed in an early two-strip Technicolor process; the shorts were built around recycled film footage of production numbers cut from M-G-M musicals, some of which had been filmed in Technicolor, so some shorts (including Roast-Beef and Movies, Hello Pop and Jailbirds of Paradise) were filmed in color to match the reused footage. Nertsery Rhymes and Roast-Beef and Movies are the only two color Stooge-related M-G-M shorts to have survived the years; the others are presumed lost. Incidentally, Jailbirds of Paradise featured Moe and Curly without Larry or Ted Healy, while Roast-Beef and Movies featured Curly (billed as Jerry Howard) as part of a trio with two other comics, George Givot and Bobby Callahan. Other M-G-M shorts to feature the team included Beer and Pretzels, Plane Nuts' (which recreates the Stooges' vaudeville act of the time), and The Big Idea. They also appeared in the feature films Turn Back the Clock, Meet the Baron, Dancing Lady, Fugitive Lovers, and Hollywood Party. Larry appeared solo in Stage Mother, while Moe and Curly played a pair of clowns in Broadway to Hollywood. Healy and the Stooges also appeared together in Universal's Myrt and Marge. In 1934, the team's contract with M-G-M expired, and the Stooges parted professional company with Healy. According to Moe Howard in his autobiography,[1] the Stooges split with Ted Healy in 1934 once and for all because of Healy's alcoholism and abrasiveness. Their final film with Healy was MGM’s 1934 film: [[Hollywood Party]. He set the slaps-and-pokes pattern that the Stooges would follow throughout their careers.

[edit] Columbia Short Subjects, 1934-1957

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. (In Moe Howard and the Three Stooges, Moe said they each got $600 per week 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 gotten $2,500 per film, to be split by the team.) According to Moe, Columbia Pictures studio head Harry Cohn would always wait until the last minute to renew the contract: the Stooges, too worried about keeping their jobs to ask for a raise, didn't get one during the entire two decades they worked for him. The Stooges appeared in 190 film shorts and five features under the "original" contract with Columbia. Their first Columbia short was the 1934 release of Woman Haters. Del Lord directed more than three dozen of the Three Stooges shorts. Jules White directed dozens more, and his brother Jack White directed several under the pseudonym "Preston Black."

According to a published report,[2] Moe, Larry, and director Jules White considered their best film to be You Nazty Spy! (1940). This 18-minute short subject starring Moe as an 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.

The Stooges, Mark I, with Curly on board. Promotional photo from 1938's Wee Wee Monsieur.
The Stooges, Mark I, with Curly on board. Promotional photo from 1938's Wee Wee Monsieur.

Curly suffered a stroke on May 6,1946, during the filming of Half-Wits Holiday, curtailing his Columbia output at 97 shorts. Brother Shemp reluctantly rejoined the act to take Curly's place. Curly did make one brief cameo appearance, in an effort to boost his morale (doing his dog barking routine) in the third film after Shemp returned to the trio, Hold That Lion!. It was the only film that contained all three Howard brothers on screen simultaneously. (Curly's cameo appearance was recycled in the 1953 remake Booty and the Beast.) According to The Three Stooges Journal, a scene was written for 1949's Malice in the Palace, in which Curly was to appear as a chef.

Curly snoring during his cameo in Hold That Lion!. Also shown (left to right): Larry, Moe, Shemp.
Curly snoring during his cameo in Hold That Lion!. Also shown (left to right): Larry, Moe, Shemp.

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, and declined until his death on 1952-01-18.

With Shemp on board, the Stooges went on to appear in 73 more shorts and a quickie Western 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 (Camel Comedy Caravan, originally aired live on CBS-TV on 1950-03-11). Shemp and Joe Besser appeared together in the 1949 Abbott and Costello comedy Africa Screams. Video markets now promote the film as having "two of the Three Stooges," though Besser was not a stooge until Shemp's passing.

The Three Stooges, Mark II, during the Shemp years (1947-1956). Shemp takes it like a man in A Snitch In Time (1950).
The Three Stooges, Mark II, during the Shemp years (1947-1956). Shemp takes it like a man in A Snitch In Time (1950).

The quality of the Stooge shorts declined after Columbia's short-subject division downsized in 1952. Producer Hugh McCollum was discharged and director 'Edward Bernds resigned out of loyalty to McCollum, leaving only Jules White to both produce and direct all of the remaining Columbia comedies. As a cost-cutting measure, White created "new" Stooge shorts by borrowing footage from old shorts and filming a few new scenes, often with the same actors in the same costumes. This is the major reason that many Stooge shorts resemble each other.

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 1955-11-22. 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 (Rumpus In The Harem, Hot Stuff, Scheming Schemers and Commotion On The Ocean).

Joe Besser replaced Shemp in 1956 and 1957, appearing in 16 shorts. Besser, noting how one side of Larry Fine's face seemed "calloused"[citation needed], 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 in retaliation and get away with it on a regular basis; Larry Fine was also known to hit Moe on occasion, but always with serious repercussions). Actually, Besser simply continued playing the same "whiny sissy" character he had used throughout most of his career (with such catch-phrases as "Not so louuuuuuud!" and "You craaaaaaaazy, youuuuuu!") and tried to play that character alongside Larry's and Moe's established Stooge characterizations. "I usually played the kind of character who would hit others back," Besser recalled. Unfortunately, the market for short subjects had declined by the time Besser joined the trio. Television was the new popular medium, and the Stooges were practically considered dinosaurs. Columbia Pictures, the last studio still producing shorts, opted not to renew the Stooges' contract, which expired at the end of 1957, following production of their final short, Flying Saucer Daffy. Because of a production backlog, the last short released, Sappy Bullfighters, did not reach theatres until June 4, 1959.

The Stooges, Mark III, with Joe Besser on board. Moe takes some abuse in 1957's Guns A-Poppin'.
The Stooges, Mark III, with Joe Besser on board. Moe takes some abuse in 1957's Guns A-Poppin'.

See also List of Three Stooges shorts.

[edit] 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. Moe and Larry discussed plans for a personal appearance tour; meanwhile, Besser's wife had had a heart attack, and he preferred to stay local, leading him to withdraw 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; "Curly-Joe" also made it easier to distinguish him from Joe Besser, the previous Stooge called Joe.

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 41 short comedy skits that were broadcast as introductions and closings for The New Three Stooges, an animated television series based upon the comedy team, consisting of 156 short cartoons which also featured the voices of the Stooges. Throughout the 1960s, The Three Stooges were one of the most popular, and highest paid live acts in the country.

The Three Stooges, Mark IV, with "Curly-Joe" DeRita filling the role of the third stooge. From 1961's feature film flop Snow White and the Three Stooges.
The Three Stooges, Mark IV, with "Curly-Joe" DeRita filling the role of the third stooge. From 1961's feature film flop Snow White and the Three Stooges.

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. On 1970-01-09, 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.

[edit] End of Lives

Larry Fine suffered another stroke in December 1974. The following month, he suffered a more serious one, and slipped into a coma. He died on 1975-01-24, at the age of 72. Devastated by his comrade's passing, Moe decided that the Three Stooges would continue, and long-time Stooge supporting actor Emil Sitka would replace Larry, and be dubbed "The Middle Stooge". Sitka later said he accepted the offer after receiving Larry's blessings.

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, long-life smoker Moe had fallen ill from lung cancer, and died on 1975-05-04. With Moe gone, 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.

The Three Stooges, Mark V, promotional picture taken in 1975 (after Larry Fine's death), from left to right, Curly Joe DeRita, Moe Howard (who died shortly thereafter) and Emil Sitka.
The Three Stooges, Mark V, promotional picture taken in 1975 (after Larry Fine's death), from left to right, Curly Joe DeRita, Moe Howard (who died shortly thereafter) and Emil Sitka.

Joe Besser died on 1988-03-01, followed by Curly-Joe on 1993-07-03, and Emil Sitka on 1998-01-16, making him the last "Stooge" (he never appeared on film as a member of the trio, only in a few publicity shots) to die. Curly-Joe was often reported as stating that his time with the Three Stooges was the 'best years of his life.'

[edit] 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 and Larry Fine's grandson, majority owner Eric Lamond).

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 of the Stooges, The Three Stooges: From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons. The film regularly runs on the AMC (American Movie Classics) channel.

AMC had held the rights to the Three Stooges shorts until Spike TV picked them up in 2004, airing them in their Stooges Slap-Happy Hour. By 2006, however, Spike had discontinued airing the shorts. However, WCIU-TV in Chicago currently airs all 190 Three Stooges shorts on Stooge-A-Palooza, hosted by Rich Koz. WSBK in Boston also airs The Three Stooges shorts.

Some of the Stooges films have been colorized by two separate companies. The first colorized DVD releases, distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, were prepared by West Wing Studios in 2004. The following year, Legend Films and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment colorized the shorts Malice in the Palace, Sing a Song of Six Pants, Disorder in the Court and Brideless Groom. Four more DVDs will be released by Legend in 2007; episodes to be announced. Disorder in the Court and Brideless Groom also appear on two of West Wing's colorized releases.

[edit] Books

  • The Columbia Comedy Shorts by Ted Okuda with Edward Watz, [1]. (Includes complete filmography of the Stooges' Columbia shorts, and interviews with the people who produced and acted in them)
  • Smile When the Raindrops Fall by Brian Anthony and Andy Edmonds, [2]. (Biography of actor and Stooge director Charley Chase includes a chapter on Columbia)

[edit] Members

Moe Howard
Real Name: Harry Moses Horwitz
Born: 1897-06-19
Died: 1975-05-04
Stooge years: 1922, 1926, 1929-1975

Larry Fine
Real Name: Laurence Feinberg
Born: 1902-10-05
Died: 1975-01-24
Stooge years: 1925-1926, 1929-1975

Curly Howard
Real Name: Jerome Lester Horwitz
Born: 1903-10-22
Died: 1952-01-18
Stooge years: 1932-1946

Shemp Howard
Real Name: Samuel Horwitz
Born: 1895-03-04
Died: 1955-11-22
Stooge years: 1922-1925, 1929-1932, 1947-1955

Ted Healy
Real Name: Clarence Nash
Born: 1896-10-01
Died: 1937-12-21
Stooge Years: 1922-1925, 1929-1934

Joe Palma
Born: 1905-03-17
Died: 1994-08-15
Stooge Year: 1956 (Body double for Shemp)

Joe Besser
Born: 1907-08-12
Died: 1988-03-01
Stooge years: 1956-1957

Curly-Joe DeRita
Real Name: Joseph Wardell
Born: 1909-07-12
Died: 1993-07-03
Stooge years: 1958-1975

Emil Sitka
Born: 1914-12-22
Died: 1998-01-16
Stooge year: (1975)

  • Sitka was officially named a member of the Stooges following Larry Fine's stroke, but never got to perform with the group.

[edit] Catchphrases

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

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:

  • "Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk!" (Curly laughing)
  • "Why I oughta..." (Moe)
  • "What's the big idea?" (Larry)
  • "Eeeb-eeeb-eeeb-eeeb!" (Shemp)
  • "Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo!" (Curly)
  • "I'll murderize ya!" (Moe)
  • "Remind me to kill you later!" (Moe)
  • "How's it goin there toots?" (Moe)
  • "Wise Guy, Eh?" (Moe)
  • "You Nitwit you!" (Moe)
  • "Wake up and go to sleep!" (Moe)
  • "Ya' ok kid?" (Moe)
  • "I'll moyder you!" (Moe)
  • "Hey, that hurts!" (Joe)
  • "Not so ha-a-a-ard." (Joe)
  • "Soitenly!" (certainly) (Curly)
  • "I resemble that remark!" (Curly)
  • "You imbecile!" (Moe, to the others)
  • "I'm a victim of soicumstance!" (circumstance) (Curly)
  • "Spread out!" (Moe, to the others)
  • "I'm sorry, Moe! Please forgive me!" (Larry)
  • (Stooges on phone) "Yes? Yes, yes? Yes, yes, yes? ...NOOO!"
  • "Waah, w-ohh!" (Shemp, which was a wolf-whistle towards women that sounded like a steam whistle)
  • "Yauauaua!" (Curly)
  • "La-la-la, la-la-la..." (Curly, humming)
  • "Mmmmmmmmh!" (Curly) (when frustrated; difficult to transcribe exactly)
  • "Rrrowf! Rrrowf!" (Curly) (when angry or defiant)
    • Other attempt: (Ruff! Ruff!)
      • (Sometimes Moe on some Shemp and Joe shorts)
  • "You knucklehead!" (Moe, to others)
  • "Hey Moe! Hey Moe!" (Curly)
  • "Hellooooo (1st Stooge)...Hellooooo (2nd Stooge)...Hellooooo! (3rd Stooge) ... Hello! (All Stooges)"
  • "You chucklehead!" (Moe, to the others)
  • "You chowderhead!" (Moe, to the others)
  • "Whoop-whoop-whoop-whoop!" (Curly, when frightened. He sometimes runs around or away when saying this and variations exist.)
  • "I'll lead the way. Go ahead." (Moe, usually to Larry)
  • "Say a few syllables!" (All Stooges, attempting to revive of their number who has been knocked unconscious.)
  • "Yaadadeeee, Yaadeda" (Curly, high pitch singing. Usually while concentrating on something such as cooking.) (Moe does this on at least one Shemp short Flagpole Jitters.)
  • Moe: "Wash that ham." (or anything Moe orders his underlings to do; he's the boss). Curly, defiantly: "I'll do it when I'm ready." Moe, menacingly: "Are you ready?" Curly, sheepishly: "Yeah, I'm ready."
  • Larry: "I can't see, I can't see!" Others: "Whatsamatta?" Larry: "I had my eyes closed."
  • Curly: "Hey fellas, I can't hear anything!" Others: "Why not?" Curly: "'Cuz I ain't listenin'."
  • How stupid can you get? (Moe to Curley-Joe and Larry)
  • Heya, Buddy-boy! (Curley-Joe to Moe)
  • Larry: "You know, fish is great brain food."
Moe:  "You know, you oughta fish for a whale", slapping him on the face.

[edit] Slapstick

Slapstick was a mainstay of Stooge humor. The key was that, no matter how hard anyone was poked, slapped, punched or prodded, the pain immediately went away, and no one was ever really hurt by it. Even Moe dragging a handsaw across Curly's head would result only in a momentary "OH! OH! OH!" and then a "Oh, LOOK!" as they gazed at the bent and/or dulled teeth of the now completely useless saw. Moe would inevitably blame Curly for the damage... "You and that iron head o' yours. You've ruined the saw!"

Examples of archetypal Stooge slapstick:

One 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:

  • Moe: (holding out his hand) Pick out two.
  • Curly: (pointing out Moe's first and second fingers) One, two!
  • (Moe immediately pokes Curly in the eyes.)
  • Curly: YEOW!!

Another example (From Ants in the Pantry):

  • Moe: (pokes Larry in the eyes)
  • Larry: Ow! I can't see! I CAN'T SEE!
  • Moe: (Concerned) What's the matter?
  • Larry: I got my eyes closed.

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. This move is known as the "Around-The-World Bop".

Moe: See that?
Larry: (jeering) Ahhh.
(Larry slaps Moe's hand, which flies up and knocks Larry's head.)
Sound effect: *BONK!*
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.)
Sound effect: *BONK!*
Curly: (in pain) Owowow!

The triple slap: a straight man slaps the faces of all three Stooges in one energetic sweep.

Sound effect: *SLAD-DA-DAP!!*

One Stooge, typically Moe, grasps another Stooge's nose then vertically strikes the grasping fist, making the sound of a honking horn-like device.

Sound effect: *HONK!*

Other side-aching classics include:

(Three Stooges are cops)

Moe: Next time you handle a gun, shoot yourself in the head.
Curly: (Pulling out a pen and pad of paper) I'll make a note of it. How do you spell head?
Moe: B-O-N-E Head.
(He hits Curly on the head with the gun)
Curly: (Painfully) Ow! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh... look!
(The butt of the gun is smashed)

Sometimes, when one of the Stooges was hit over the head three times, the NBC chimes would play as each hit landed, usually with bowling balls or some other heavy object. Sometimes a fourth hit would cause a "CLANK!" sound effect as well.

Another trademark of Curly's was his mad dog impression. Curly would be either surprised or scared by something or someone, and would make a barking noise at whatever it was. Usually whatever he barked at would bark back at him, frightening Curly. A few examples of things he's tried his mad dog impression on: policemen, oysters, mob hitmen, a bear, a set of false teeth, a dog fish, Indians, another dog, random men and women, hot dogs, a dog biscuit sandwich, an alligator, a skunk, cars, etc.

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.

Other bizarre events frequently occurred, including a scene in Brideless Groom in which Moe sits in a chair that has a bear trap set in it, which immediately clamps down on Moe's butt. He runs around the room with the trap on screaming, "Larry! Larry! An octopus has got me!" There were many times that the Three Stooges would blame an octopus for their injuries, even if an octopus had little or nothing to do with whatever happened to the stooges.

See Three Stooges Online's Slapshtick for more examples.

[edit] Social commentary and satire

Although the Three Stooges slapstick comedy was primarily arranged around basic plots dealing with more mundane issues of daily life, a number of their shorts featured social commentary or satire. The Stooges were often anti-heroical commentators on the class divisions and economic hardships of the Great Depression in the United States.. They were usually under- or unemployed and sometimes homeless or living in shanty towns.

The language used by the Three Stooges was more slang-laden than that of typical feature films of the period and deliberately affected a lower class status with use of crude terms and ethnic mannerisms.

One important area of political commentary was in the area of the rise of totalitarianism in Europe, notably in the directly satirical You Nazty Spy! and I'll Never Heil Again, both released before United States' entry into World War II despite an industry Production Code that advocated avoiding social and political issues and the negative portrayal of foreign countries.

[edit] 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. If a Stooge was hit with or sat on something hot, a sizzling noise was heard. If something heavy was dropped on a Stooge's head, usually, the sound of a gong was used. If the Stooges drank a type of strong liquor, or "Magic potion", the sound of a bomb being slowly dropped would accompany.

For unknown reasons, sound effects were not used in the Jerks of All Trades (1949) television pilot. Some believe that this is the main reason their pilot failed to sell, as the silly sound effects made the hitting, poking and punching come across as a joke, whereas without the clever sound it came across to audiences as just violent.

[edit] Music

Several instrumental tunes were played over the opening credits at different times in the production of the short features. The most commonly used themes were:

  • "Three Blind Mice", beginning as a slow but straightforward presentation, often breaking into a "jazzy" style before ending. Another version was played fast all the way through.
  • The verse portion of "Listen to the Mockingbird", played in a comic way, complete with sounds of cuckoo birds and such. Ironically, the actual song is mournful.

The Columbia short subject “Woman Haters” (1934) was done completely in song. It was sixth in a “Musical Novelties” short subject series, and appropriated its musical score from the first five films. The memorable “My Life, My Love, My All,” was originally “At Last!” from the film “Um-Pa.”

Swinging the Alphabet (B-A-bay, B-E-be, B-I-bicky-bi…) from the 1938 “Violent is the Word for Curly” is perhaps the best-known original song performed by the Stooges on film.

The “Lucia Sextet” (Chi mi frena in tal momento?), from the opera Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti (announced by Larry as “the sextet from Lucy”), is played on a record player and lip-synched by the Stooges in “Micro-Phonies” (1945). The same melody re-appears in “Squareheads of the Round Table” (1948) as the tune of “Oh, Elaine, can you come out tonight?”

“Micro-Phonies” also includes the Johann Strauss Jr. waltz “Voices of Spring” (Frühlingsstimmen) Op. 410

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", "All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth," and "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas".

[edit] Feature motion pictures

The Three Stooges also made appearances in many feature length movies in the course of their careers:

[edit] Shorts

see List of Three Stooges shorts

[edit] Television

Title card for The Three Stooges' guest appearances on The New Scooby-Doo Movies.
Title card for The Three Stooges' guest appearances on The New Scooby-Doo Movies.

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.

Two episodes of Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Movies aired on CBS featuring animated Stooges as guest-stars: the premiere, "Ghastly Ghost Town" (9/9/72) and "The Ghost of the Red Baron" (11/18/72). Due to these guest appearances there was a short-lived animated series, also produced by Hanna-Barbera, entitled The Robonic Stooges, originally seen as a featured segment on Skatebirds (CBS, 1977-1978), featuring Moe, Larry, and Curly as bionic cartoon superheroes with extendable limbs, similar to the later Inspector Gadget.

The Stooges were brought back to life (so to speak) in a 2000 TV movie. Moe was played by Paul Ben-Victor (who also had a small role as a fan who thinks he's Moe in 'StoogeMania'), Larry by Evan Handler, Shemp by John Kassir, and Curly by Michael Chiklis. The executive producer was Mel Gibson.

[edit] Tributes

  • The well known line, "Paging Doctor Howard, Doctor Fine, Doctor Howard," is from the Three Stooges' 1934 short Men in Black (1934), in which the trio play doctors. This line is frequently echoed in the media:
    • In the first episode of the second season of The Pretender, Jarod (Michael T. Weiss) pretends to be Dr. Howard, a University anatomy professor, while working with Dr. Fein, the head of the department. One of their students calls to them, "Dr. Howard, Dr. Fein, Dr. Howard!"
    • In the film Conspiracy Theory, Mel Gibson's character, Jerry Fletcher, disguises himself in medical scrubs to elude capture. He introduces himself as Dr. Fine.
    • Gene Simmons, co-founder of KISS, came up with the song title "Calling Dr. Love" after finding inspiration from watching the "Men In Black" short on television one day.
    • The eclectic group NRBQ recorded an instrumental entitled "Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard" with Carl Perkins on their second LP, Boppin' the Blues in 1970 as an homage to the Stooges' famous hospital routine.
    • In the movie version of Inspector Gadget, "Calling Doctor Howard, Doctor Fine, Doctor Howard" can be heard over the intercom in the hospital. This is an obvious tribute to "Men in Black"
  • In the children's book series Captain Underpants, Jerome Horowitz Elementary School is named after Curly Howard.
  • The Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon episode "The Altruists" is almost entirely a homage to the Stooges, a fact that creator John Kricfalusi confirms on the DVD release of this episode. The episode was an attempt to recreate the altruistic nature of the Stooges and takes many comical cues from classic Stooges episodes. Other homages in the episode include a version of Three Blind Mice being played prior to the cartoon and borrowed plot elements and gags. The character Stimpy's voice has always been an impression of Larry Fine's Stooge character.
  • The song "Hairstyles and Attitudes" by Timbuk 3 describes scientific research which "categorize[s] us into three basic types based on which of the Three Stooges we most closely resemble."
  • In 1983, the very first film documentary about the lives and career of The Three Stooges debuted at The Gordon Theatre in Hollywood. Produced by Mark Gilman, the film was later released to television under the name of STOOGE SNAPSHOTS: 50 YEARS WITH THE FUNNIEST GUYS IN THE WORLD. It was later re-released on home video with added footage as LOVE THOSE STOOGES. It was hosted by comedian Steve Allen and included filmed interviews with producer/director Jules White, writer/director Ed Bernds, writer Elwood Ulmann, actors Emil Sitka, Jock Mahoney, Julie Gibson, Ted Healy's Three Stooges (Mousie Garner, Dick Hakins and Sammy Wolfe) and Curly's ex-wife Elaine and daughter Marilyn. The same day that documentary was released, radio host Gary Owens introduced the Hollywood Walk of Fame star featuring the names of all six Stooge comics. While Besser and DeRita were the lone survivors, only Besser and Larry's daughter did the unveiling.
  • In the book Garfield: His 9 Lives, it is shown in Garfield's fourth life, he was a Moe-type character that led a group of mouse exterminators who resembled Larry and Curly. The exterminators were similar to the Stooges for their hair-styles, their slapstick ways of hurting each other, and their clumsiness of certain jobs.
  • The 1984 song The Curly Shuffle, recorded by Jump N'The Saddle Band, expressed admiration for the Stooges and included several Curly imitations in the chorus.
  • In the television show Friends in Joey and Chandler's apartment there is a small statue which contains the Stooges' heads.
  • The 1985 film, Stoogemania tells the story of an obsessed Three Stooges fan, and includes clips of their classic Shorts.
  • The Evil Dead film series has a number of Stooge inspired moments. Among these: the blood flowing in the basement in Evil Dead (an homage to 1940's A-Plumbing We Will Go), the fight with his hand in the kitchen in Evil Dead 2, and the fight with the skeleton hands and with the little Ashes in Army of Darkness.
  • The 1992 Seinfeld episode "The Suicide" features Jerry's reference to The Three Stooges to his very enamored neighbor, Gina. Gina: "Who are these Stooges you speak of?" Jerry: "They're a comedy team." Gina: "Tell me about them, everything" Jerry: "Well, they're three kind of funny looking guys and they hit each other a lot." Gina: "You will show me these Stooges?" Jerry: "I will show you these Stooges."
  • The 1994 Song, "Two Reelers" by Frank Black tells the story of the four "original" Stooges and Jules White, and protests the dismissal of the Three Stooges as mere low-brow slapstick: "If all you see is violence/Well then I make a plea in their defense/Don't you know they speak vaudevillian?"
  • In the computer game remake of Quest for Glory 1, three guards attempt to kill the hero in the Brigand fortress. These three guards are none other than the Three Stooges.
  • In an episode of the cartoon Pinky and the Brain entitled "Pinky & The Brain And... Larry", Pinky and The Brain are inexplicably joined by a third wheel Larry in their plan to get into the White House posing as wallpaperers, whose unwelcome addition to the team causes Stooge-style antics to ensue.
  • The King of the Hill episode "A-Fire Fighting We Will Go" contains several references to the Stooges.
  • The independent comic book Cerebus contains an homage to the Stooges as the "Three Wise Fellows" in the graphic novel Latter Days. The three comically kidnap the main character, convinced that he is the messiah (meanwhile satirizing the Torah). While waiting for him to speak the "Word of Truth", they engage in hijinks such as clamping pliers on one another's noses over theological arguments.
  • The Super NES RPG Final Fantasy VI features as bosses the "Three Dream Stooges" (also named Larry, Curly and Moe), who entered Cyan Garamonde's mind while he was facing his inner demons in Doma Castle. In the remake of the game for the Game Boy Advance, their names are modified into Laragorn, Curlax, and Moebius, respectfully.
  • The television show The Simpsons has made frequent reference to the Stooges[3].
    • Lead character Homer Simpson imitates Curly occasionally.
    • In the episode The Mansion Family, it is mentioned that the character of Mr Burns suffers from 'Three Stooges Syndrome'; this is described by the attending doctor as what happens when every disease known to man tries to squeeze into his body at once.
    • The owner of the bar where Homer frequently goes is named Moe and one of his clients is called Larry.
    • When George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter appear in the season 14 episode Large Marge, they imitate the Stooges, hitting each other with tools.
    • In the episode Bart's Comet, Bart must aid Principal Skinner in stargazing late at night. As Skinner points out a myriad of star constellations, he points out one by saying "Look, it's the Three Wise Men"; this is a depiction of the Stooges.
    • In the episode Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington, Homer is watching a version of the Three Stooges in their later years. After Moe slaps Curly, Curly replies that he hit him on the paralyzed side of his face. After being slapped on the side he exclaims, "I don't want to do this anymore, Moe!" Moe then kicks the third stooge to wake him up, saying "Get up Curly IV!" When he doesn't get up, Moe starts to act concerned, whereupon Larry walks around asking for money to ride the bus.
  • The Canadian rock group Rush used the Stooges' television series's theme music, a derivative of "Three Blind Mice", as introductory music during the Signals through Hold Your Fire tours, and again for the Vapor Trails tour. A picture of the Stooges and their names is included in the Counterparts liner notes, and they are included in the "assistance, inspiration, comic relief" listing.[4]
  • Doctor Zoidberg, from the animated series Futurama, makes Curly's trademark "Whooping" sound when "evading enemies" (sometimes after squirting ink), and sometimes makes Shemp's trademark "Heep, heep, heep" sound when frustrated.
  • In Louis Sachar's children's novel The Boy Who Lost His Face, a group of three children (one of which is a girl called Mo) is nicknamed after the Stooges.
  • The Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Carbon Creek" features a group of Vulcans stranded in a small American town in the 1950s. One of the Vulcans is annoyed at being nicknamed "Moe" because of his resemblance to "something called a 'Stooge'". Another Vulcan, who is depicted as being familiar with human pop culture, agrees with the assessment.
  • The folk trio Modern Man perform the song "Moe" (written by pianist/singer George Wurzbach), about a boy whose father looks like Moe Howard.
  • The appearance of the Second Doctor in the British science fiction series, Doctor Who, played by Patrick Troughton, was often compared to that of Moe Howard (due to his hairstyle), although it's not known if this was intentional.
  • The Berkeley band Funky Nixons used the Stooges' musical "hello-hello-hello" routine to open their shows for many years, and the song "Criticize" included a tribute to the Stooges
  • In the cartoon Animaniacs, the Warner brothers and sister (Yakko, Wakko, and Dot) often do the musical "hello-hello-hello" routine when they enter a scene.
  • In the opening sequence of the SpongeBob SquarePants television series, SpongeBob uses his nose to play the same end-notes that are used in the opening of the Stooge shorts.
  • In 1979, Ral Partha released a 25mm figure released a "Three Headed Troll" figure. Each of the heads was one of the Three Stooges.
  • The youthful protagonists of the Captain Underpants series of books attend Jerome Horwitz Elementary School.
  • In a 2002 episode of the sitcom Titus titled "Insanity Genetic: Part 2", an FBI interrogator asks if Christopher Titus has ever physically abused any of his family or friends. His brother Dave immmediately begins sobbing as several flashbacks are shown in which Christopher is seen slapping Dave upside his head several times, stomping on his feet and even flat out tackling Dave to the ground in the midst of a fight. During the flashbacks the Three Stooges theme is played.
  • In 2004, Big Idea added a short to their movie, Sumo of the Opera. Mr. Lunt is Moe, Jerry the gourd plays Larry, and Larry the cucumber plays Curly. The three have to push a player piano up a large, steep flight of stairs.
  • In the Jackie Chan Adventures episode "Sheep In, Sheep Out", when Daolon Wong sends the Shadowkhan after Jackie, Jade, and Uncle, Jade says, "Larry, Moe, and Curly must be on vacation!" Also, in the episode "Rumble in the Big House", Jade points to Finn, Chow, and Ratso and says, "Look! The Three Stooges!", implying that the enforcers remind Jade of The Three Stooges.
  • In the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX episode "Champion or Chazz-been", Reggie guesses that Chazz's facedown card involves the Ojamas, and when Chazz asks why, Reggie replies with "You built your entire deck around The Three Stooges!" as one of his ways of making fun of the Ojama cards throughout the duel. Chazz later refers to the Ojamas as the Stooges when they keep bugging him in "I've Seen the Light". Numerous other references to the Ojamas as The Three Stooges are made throughout the second season, sometimes by Chazz himself.
  • In Disney's Gargoyles episode entitled "Turf", Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington (commonly known as "the Trio") are fighting over a female gargoyle, Angela. While Lex and Broadway argue, Brooklyn steps between them, pushes them apart and says "Knock it off, muttonheads!"
  • "Jon's," a bar/restaurant on South Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, features several likenesses of Larry Fine, who was born at the establishment's current location at 3rd and South Streets, in its decor, most notably an exterior mosaic of the actor.
  • In an episode of M*A*S*H, Major Winchester is disgruntled when Col. Potter orders him to show three South Korean doctors around the compound. During the tour of the O.R., Winchester calls the three Korean doctors Larry, Curly, and Moe. When one of them asks why he keeps calling them that, Winchester answers that in his country, they were highly respected philosophers. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that they knew of the Three Stooges all along.
  • In a sketch for MADtv, the Three Stooges are spoofed as drug dealers along with David Faustino as the head of the cartel.
  • In an episode of Full House episode, Danny, Jesse, and Joey all dress up as the Three Stooges. In the opening scene of the episode "It's Not My Job," they sing "hello," joining in sequence the way the Stooges did.
  • In a Halloween episode of Roseanne, Dan dresses up with a mask that has two of the Stooges' heads beside his own.
  • Meatloaf's "Back into Hell" album contains the song "Wasted Youth" proclaiming "the three men I admire most are Larry, Curly, Moe!"
  • In the 1981 film Stripes, John Candy impersonates Curly during the mud wrestling match with the bikini clad and nude women.
  • In the Cheers episode "What's Up, Doc?", Sam is distressed when a female doctor thinks that sex is his whole life and everything he cares about is a means to sex. Rebecca reminds him of his adoration of the Three Stooges. When Sam realizes he has an interest that has nothing to do with sex, he suddenly perks up.
  • In the Farscape episode "Out Of Their Minds", the main characters switch bodies, which leads to some strange behaviour of the characters in their respective "unfamilar" body. It goes so crazy that John Crichton proclaims: "It's the three freaking Stooges, I'm hitting myself!" In the episode "Self-Inflicted Wounds", John Crichton flies onto a wormhole to shoot pictures, to see what is at the other end. The take later shows a scene from Disorder in the Court. This proves that it was actually Earth at the other end.
  • In an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will, Hilary, and Carlton are fighting on who should get the car first. Hilary suggested that they play rock, paper, scissors. Will replied, "No, lets play the Three Stooges". He then raised his hand and points two fingers and says "Hey, Moe!".
  • An episode of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide titled "Class Clown" features Lumer and his two bully friends auditioning to be the new class clown by performing a Three Stooges fight with each other.
  • In the movie There's Something About Mary, in an homage to the Stooges, Ben Stiller tries to eye gouge the dog only to be blocked by his paw.

[edit] Further reading

  • Moe Howard and the Three Stooges; by Moe Howard [5], (Citadel Press, 1977).
  • The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion; by Jon Solomon [6], (Comedy III Productions, Inc., 2002).
  • The Three Stooges Scrapbook; by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer, Greg Lenburg [7](Citadel Press, 1994).
  • The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons; by Michael Fleming [8](Broadway Publishing, 2002).
  • One Fine Stooge: A Frizzy Life in Pictures; by Steve Cox and Jim Terry [9], (Cumberland House Publishing, 2006).
  • Curly: An Illustrated Biography of the Superstooge (Citadel Press 1985.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Moe Howard and the Three Stooges
  2. ^ Newspaper article about the anti-fascist short You Nazty Spy

[edit] External links

[edit] 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:

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../t/h/r/Three_Stooges_5408.html"