The Three Stooges Forever

Larry, Moe and Curly

This past birthday, my sons bought me a Three Stooges t-shirt. My nine year old has a metal poster of the Three Stooges, dressed as firemen, on his wall. Much to my wife’s dismay, my sons and I have started a tradition of watching AMC’s Three Stooges marathon every New Years Eve. A guy I work with carries a Three Stooges bottle opener in his pocket. In 2000, long time Stooge fan Mel Gibson, helped produce a made for television Three Stooges movie. The Farrelly Brothers have long been in preproduction on a Three Stooges movie.  After so many years, why are these guys still relevant and entertaining to new generations?

Children love slapstick. Look at the success of Home Alone or any Bugs Bunny cartoon. A good slap to the face or a poke in the eye can be a real gut buster when set up and executed correctly. Children also love laughing at dumb characters. Such modern mentally challenged cartoon characters like Ed Edd and Eddy have nothing on the IQ lacking Moe, Larry and Curly. Children love a scared character like Scooby and Shaggy. Some of the best Stooge shorts have the boys running from gorillas or bad guys.

The Three Stooges originally started as a novelty act billed as Ted Healy's stooges.  In 1922 Moe, his brother Shemp and friend Larry Fine joined vaudeville comic Ted Healy.  In 1932 Curly replaced Shemp.  They did vaudeville tours and films with Healy.  This included small parts in such notable films as Dancing Lady in 1933, with Clark Gable and Joan Crawford.   Although they had worked together for some ten years on stage and screen, the first official Three Stooges short film is Woman Haters (1934).  It was the first time Curly was billed as such.

Moe Howard was the leader of the Three Stooges, on and off screen. He and Larry Fine appeared in their Stooge roles in more than 200 shorts and movies. Both actors died in 1975. Curly is easily the most popular of the group. In 1947 he suffered a stroke during the filming of Half Wits Holiday. It forced him into retirement. His last movie was a cameo appearance, with hair, that same year in Hold That Lion. He died in 1952 after suffering from more strokes.  Just as Curly had replaced Shemp, Shemp stepped back in to replace Curly.  Shemp would only live a few more years.  After his death in 1955 he was replaced by Curly Joe and then Joe Derita.  It is however, the combo of Larry, Curly and Moe that is the true heart of the Three Stooges.

Larry, Shemp and Moe

With so many short films on their resume, you would think that a few famous stars would have appeared in some of them, and a couple did.  The grand dame of sitcom television Lucille Ball worked with the three stooges in 1934's Three Little Pigskins.  She was a blonde starlet showcasing her looks far more than the comic timing she would later perfect. Chester Conklin, who started his career with Max Sennett in 1913 and worked often with Charlie Chaplin, has a scene in Three Little Twirps (1943) where he tries to shoot Larry and Curly in a horse costume.

Although they are known for their slapstick and physical abuse of each other, their movies did have some funny lines as well;
"If at first you don't succeed, keep on suckin' til ya do suck seed!" - Curly in Movie Maniacs
"One of us is crazy, and it ain't YOU!" - Larry in Crash Goes the Hash
“Meet the wife, and don't laugh." - Shemp in Why Pay Rent?
"Good morning, sir. I'm the census taker. Are you married or happy?" - Moe in No Census, No Feeling

As long as there are children, and men who like childish humor, The Three Stooges will forever be relevant and entertaining. My wife dislikes the Stooges. But as my birthday t-shirt reads “It’s a guy thing. You wouldn't’t understand.”