THE LIFE OF A STOOGE

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We've all grown up with The Three Stooges, no matter what age we are. For over five decades, fans have been roaring with laughter at the wild, two-fisted antics of the Stooges. Their trademark blend of slaps, bops, and pokes caught the eye of audiences throughout the world.

The Three Stooges act first started as a Vaudeville act in the early 1900's. Moe Howard and his brother Shemp began as a Blackface act, used to clear audiences from the theater. The act never did well, but they never gave up. In 1922, Moe teamed up with a friend named Ted Healy. The act was changed to a comedy routine Healy had written and Moe was payed one hundred dollars a week.

In 1925, Shemp joined Healy's act, and Moe and Shemp were once again a team. That same year, while the three were sitting in a club, they spotted a young blonde fellow in a high silk hat and tails, playing a violin and dancing a Russian dance. Healy invited the man into their act, and Larry Feinberg became known as the third stooge--Larry Fine. The act was then called "Ted Healy and His Three Southern Gentlemen."

Many arguments went on over the years with Healy. He tried to ruin Moe, Larry and Shemp, but when they learned of Healy's plan, they set out on their own as Howard, Fine, and Howard-Three Lost Souls. However, they decided to re-joined Healy's act after Healy promised never to drink again. Shemp didn't go along, and left the act for a part in a Joe Palooka film. Healy was furious when he learned that Shemp had left, but was relieved when Moe's youngest brother, Jerome, joined the act.

There was only one problem with Jerome... he didn't fit the act. Larry had a head like a wild porcupine, Moe had a spittoon haircut, but Jerome had thick wavy hair and a wax-tipped mustache. After Healy explained the problem to the boys, Jerome disappeared for 20 minutes. When he came back he had shaved off his mustache and shaved his head like a dirty tennis ball. The act was complete as Ted Healy and His Stooges and Jerome became known as Curly.

Healy continued to drink, and Moe made the decision to leave the act. Moe, Larry and Curly decided to call themselves the Three Stooges, which came from them being three fairly good actors and Healy's Stooges.

The Stooges had a contract with both MGM and Columbia. Their first two-reel comedy was Woman Haters, which was made in 1934. The Stooges would make shorts with Curly into the mid-forties. Curly's health problems started to become an issue as he began to have strokes. One such stroke left him partially paralyzed, and Moe arranged for Curly to be taken to the Motion Picture Country Home to get therapy and care. Moe put the Stooges on hold while he stayed with Curly. For six years, Curly would remain ill until he passed away in January of 1952, at age 49.

Moe asked his brother Shemp to come back to the act and he agreed. The revival of the Stooges hurt Moe deeply. Each time he went to smack or poke Shemp, he saw Curly. Eventually he was able to think clearly again, but Curly never left his thoughts. The Three Stooges remained Moe, Shemp and Larry until 1955, when Shemp Howard passed away. While on the way home from a fight with a few friends, Shemp suffered a major heart-attack. His head suddenly dropped on his friends' shoulder and there he died with a smile on his face. When Moe heard the news that his brother had died, he was devastated. He was ready to give up the entire act. His wife, Helen, and Larry talked him into finding a replacement.

Joe Besser was hired as the 5th Stooge, and they would make sixteen two-reel films with him. In 1958, Besser left the Stooges to stay home with his wife, who was sick. That same year, Joe DeRita was hired as the 6th and final Stooge. He was nick-named Curly-Joe because of his resemblance to Curly. The Three Stooges continued into the 1970's. In 1971, the stooges decided to do a series of color travel films where the Stooges would visit and foul up places around the world. The title would be Kook's Tour. The show never made it passed the first few shootings. While in Los Angeles, Larry had suffered a stroke that would put an end to the entire Stooge career. Moe refused to go on without Larry and called it quits. Larry was placed in an institution, and Moe visited him as often as he could. In late 1974, Moe phone the home and was informed that Larry had been placed in intensive care. Shortly after New Year's, Moe received a call that shattered him: Larry was dead.

Moe did talk shows after Larry's stroke. He continued the circut through 1974. Moe became sick with the flu and stayed ill for months. As he began to get better, the curtain on one of the screen's legendary comedy acts was brought down when Moe Howard died on May 4, 1975.

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