The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the mid–20th century (1930–1975) best known for their numerous short subject films, still syndicated to television. Their hallmark was physical farce and slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: Moe, Larry, and Curly or Moe, Larry, and Shemp, among other lineups depending on the films; there were six active stooges, five of whom performed in the shorts. Moe and Larry were always present until the very last years of the ensembles forty-plus-year run. The act began as part of a late-twenties vaudeville comedy act, billed as Ted Healy and his Stooges, consisting of Healy, Moe Howard, his brother Shemp Howard, and Larry Fine. The four made one feature film entitled Soup to Nuts before Shemp left to pursue a solo career. He was replaced by his younger brother Jerome (Curly Howard) in 1932, and the trio eventually left Healy to launch their own act, billed as The Three Stooges. Curly suffered a debilitating stroke in May 1946, and Shemp returned, reinstating the original lineup until Shemps death in November 1955. Film actor Joe Palma was used as a temporary stand-in; the maneuver thereafter became known as the term of art Fake Shemp—to complete four Shemp-era shorts under contract. The coining of the term took place before a new contract from Columbia but after comic Joe Besser joined as the third Stooge in a run in 56–57—but he left in 1958 to nurse his ailing spouse. Columbia terminated its shorts division and released its Stooges contractual rights to the Screen Gems production studio. When Screen Gems syndicated the shorts to television, the Stooges became one of the most popular comedy act of the early 1960s. They also made a cameo appearance in the 1963 comedy classic Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 22:54:23 +0000
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