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The Three Stooges' comedy routines have inspired generations of tributes in other media. This article provides a partial list of such tributes.
[edit] Tributes
- The well known line, "Calling 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.
- In an episode of the Disney afternoon show Tale Spin when Baloo is briefly hospitalized after one of his misadventures, a scene begins with a long shot of the hospital while the intercom announces, "Paging Doctor Howard, Doctor Fine, Doctor Howard," in yet another direct tribute.
- In a "Weird Al" Yankovic single Like a Surgeon, the line "calling Doctor Howard, Doctor Fine, Doctor Howard" can be heard in the background.
- In an episode of the sixties cult cartoon Beany and Cecil, the lead characters set out to capture "The Dreaded Three-Headed Threep", a monster whose three heads resemble the Stooges.
- In The Flintstones, during the episode where Pebbles and Bam-Bam are contestants in a baby beauty contest, rival campaigners Fred and Barney call on a trio of men to get their votes. The trio engage in some stooge-like slapstick.
- The Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon episode, "The Altruists", is largely a homage to the Stooges, a fact that creator John Kricfalusi confirms on the DVD release of the episode, which was an attempt to recreate the altruistic nature of the Stooges, and takes several comical cues from classic Stooges episodes. Other homages in the episode include a version of "Three Blind Mice" being played prior to the cartoon, as well as borrowed plot elements and gags. 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 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.
- In the television show Friends in Joey's and Chandler's apartment there are small statues of all Three Stooges.
- 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, including the blood flowing in the basement in Evil Dead (an homage to the 1940 short A-Plumbing We Will Go), the hero's fight with his own severed hand 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. Another Seinfeld episode, "The Trip, Part 1", Kramer runs into an elderly woman who claims to have played a part as Mr. Sugarman's secretary (Mr. Sugarman himself was said to have been played by Curly) in a Three Stooges short titled "Sappy Pappies". When Kramer replies that he never saw it, the woman tells of three sailors charged with taking care of a baby. The story becomes unbelievable and overly dark for a Three Stooges short, as the ending has the baby dying and the Stooges being sent to death row.
- In John Badham's movie Short Circuit, Johnny 5, while watching television, sees the original Three Stooges in their first short for Columbia Pictures, Woman Haters, made in 1934 at Stephanie's (Ally Sheedy) house. He later reprograms three of the Nova Robots into a version of the Three Stooges, almost in their likeness. Johnny 5 even does Curly's "nyuk nyuk" laugh once in a while.
- The 1994 Song, "Two Reelers" by Frank Black tells the story of the four "original" Stooges and producer/director Jules White, and protests the dismissal of the Three Stooges as mere lowbrow 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. The 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.
- In the Pinky and the Brain episode "T.H.E.Y." they have become Harry, Bo, and Frizzy, "The Three Morons".
- 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[1].
- 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.
- 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 titled Three Brittle Boneheads. After Moe slaps Larry, Larry remarks that he was hit on the paralyzed side of his face. After being slapped on the other 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 does not get up, Moe starts to get concerned, whereupon Larry walks around asking for money to ride the bus.
- In Simpsons Christmas Stories, to entertain baby Jesus (Bart), Joseph (Homer) picks a fight with wiseman Skinner, imitating the Three Stooges.
- In Homer the Heretic, Homer watches a Three Stooges short where the trio are mistaken for chiropractors.
- The Canadian rock group Rush used the Stooges' television series 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 are included in the Counterparts liner notes, and are included in the "assistance, inspiration, comic relief" listing.[2]
- 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.
- 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 25 mm 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 immediately begins sobbing as several flashbacks, accompanied by Tree Stooges theme music, depict Christopher slapping Dave in the head several times, stomping on his feet and tackling him to the ground during a fight.
- 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 Colonel 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 calls them that, Winchester answers that in his country, they were highly respected philosophers. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that the Koreans 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 a sketch for the short-lived ABC comedy show Fridays, the Stooges are depicted smoking an "atomic bonger". This sketch aired only once due to objections from Moe's family.
- In a Full House episode, Danny, Jesse and Joey dress up as the Three Stooges. In the opening scene of the episode "It's Not My Job," they sing "hello," singing 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 "Everything Louder Than Everything Else" proclaiming "the three men I admire most are Curly, Larry, 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 tells him that all he cares about is 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 cheers up.
- In the Farscape episode "Out Of Their Minds", the main characters switch bodies, which leads to some "strange behavior" in their respective "unfamiliar" bodies. Witnessing this, 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 shoot later shows a scene from Disorder in the Court, proving that it was Earth at the other end of the wormhole.
- In an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will, Hilary and Carlton are fighting about who should first have access to a car. Hilary suggests that they play rock, paper, scissors. Will replies, "No, lets play the Three Stooges." He then raises his hand, 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.
- In the movie Lethal Weapon, Mel Gibson's character Riggs does a Curley bit when a drug buy goes bad to distract the sellers, pulling his handgun and placing them under arrest. Later in the director's cut version of the film, Riggs is asked by a young prostitute, "What have you got in mind?", to which which Riggs tells her "Well, I want you to come home and watch television with me." The prostitute responds, "You serious?", which Riggs replies "Yeah. 'The 3 Stooges' are on in 20 minutes." In the sequel Lethal Weapon 2 Riggs does a version of "inny minny miny mo" where he changes the mo to "Hey Mo" in Curley style and shoots out the bad guys aquarium. Aside from this, there's also a scene in which Riggs flips through a few channels on TV and finds "Three Missing Links" playing (specifically the scene in which Moe dumps the bucket of water down the back of Curly's overalls). In Lethal Weapon 3, Rene Russo's character has The Three Stooges (video game) on her computer, plus an extra scene in the director's cut has Riggs watching "Calling All Curs" on TV (specifically the part where Curly literally "calls all curs" and they meet up in the dining hall).
- In The Fairly Oddparents made-for-TV movie Abra Catastrophe, the main character, Timmy Turner, disguises himself in magical Groucho glasses and tells Mr. Crocker that he is one of America's most beloved comedy entertainers to which Crocker mistakes him as "Shemp". Later, when the disguise falls off, Mr. Crocker yells, "Hey! You're not Shemp! Not even Curly Joe!"
- Characters of the Pokémon series have made occasional references to the Stooges. In the episode, "The Flame Pokemon-athon!", Misty and Meowth mention the trio in a heated argument.
- In the computer-game The Legend of Kyrandia, book two: Hand of Fate, during the end game you need to solve a puzzle based on the Tower of Hanoi, except the three pins are replaced by three heads. When you look at each of the heads, Zanthia says: "He reminds me of my old friend Moe/Larry/Curly" respectively.
- In many episodes of SCTV, John Candy imitates Curly. Often doing a "nyuk nyuk" type of laugh.
- The music video for the song "I Love This Bar" by artist Toby Keith, features a scene where he is at a drive-in movie watching a Three Stooges clip, much to the dismay of his girlfriend.
- Warkop, an Indonesian trio of comedians is largely inspired by the Three Stooges.
- In the Ice Age movies, Sid imitates Curly's "Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk" twice when asleep.
- In the anime Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, the three Zentradi spies Roli, Konda, and Warera resemble The Three Stooges somewhat in personality and facial appearance, albeit different hairstyles. Their fish out of water adventures as spies aboard the Human SDF-1 Macross spaceship contribute to comic relief moments in the show. Later they defect to the human's side. Warera is heavyset like Curly and subject to the most visually comical moments. When Macross was adapted as the first part of Robotech, the three were renamed the Zentraedi spies Rico, Konda, and Bron. Rico (considered the leader of the trio) has a voice that resembles Moe Howard in his later years. In the Robtech Novel, Zentraedi Rebellion, Lazlo Zand nickames them the Three Alien Stooges.
- In the Garfield episode "Legend of the Lake" three of the cavecats bear a strking resemblance to the Three Stooges.
