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About These Films
Comic Books
Filmography
"The New 3 Stooges" Cartoon Series
Other Film Appearances
Recurring Themes in Stooges Shorts
Simple History of the Three Stooges
About These Films: The beauty of the Three Stooges is their energy and simplicity. If you want to see something that's not too involved, very fast-paced, and extremely funny this is what you should see. It's quick, it's stupid, and it's all you could really hope for in a 20-minute timespan. I love 'em! Curly's the best, because he's the most animated and lovable. All of the Stooges bring something to the formula. Moe and Larry are just as important. Shemp was also good, but greatly underrated. Joe Besser was NOT good as a Stooge, despite some great roles outside of the Stooges. Curly Joe was fine, but mild. I think anyone who likes the Stooges will agree the best Stooges shows come from the Curly and early Shemp eras.
The Three Stooges floundered in films for four years before finally receiving their first short. An impressive 190 shorts were released from 1934-1959. They moved on to six original feature films (with Curly Joe) from 1959-1965. These two periods are the most known to fans. The last-ever Three Stooges film project took place in 1970. Overall, the Three Stooges had an impressive film career that lasted 40 years! No one can ask for any more than that!
Simple
History of the Three Stooges: Stooge history started
during the vaudeville days of 1922. Brothers Moe and Shemp were
actually second bananas to comedian Ted Healy. The act was called
Ted Healy & His Stooges. Other names for the act were Ted
Healy & His Southern Gentlemen, Ted Healy & His Three Lost
Souls, and Ted Healy & His Racketeers. The "Three Stooges"
moniker was never used during their time with Healy. Larry joined
the group later in 1925, along with a guy named Fred Sanborn.
The vaudeville act consisted of Ted Healy doing something (telling a joke, singing a song, etc.) and being interrupted by his noisy assistants. Healy would then physically and verbally abuse his Stooges to the audience's delight (depending upon which audience watched it).
The act with three Stooges was around for about five years when they made their first feature film appearance in 1930s "Soup to Nuts", released by Fox. Ted Healy & His Stooges were just bit players in the film. In the early 1930s, it was common practice to take a lot of different vaudeville acts and work them into a film story. Some acts got further notice, and some didn't. "Soup to Nuts" was a box office dud. Ted Healy was singled out as being "not funny". He really WASN'T funny! He stinked! But audiences seem to like his flunkies Moe, Larry, and Shemp.
Fox soon offered the Stooges a contract without Ted Healy. Healy ruined it for them, telling the studio execs that the Stooges were his employees. Once the Stooges found out the contract had been withdrawn due to Healy's jealousy, they split and formed their own act. They were an immediate vaudeville success. Moe, like in the films, was the real boss of the Three Stooges and their business manager.
In 1932, against their better judgment, the Stooges tried to work with Ted Healy once again. It was short-lived. They were signed on to do a traveling act of Jacob J. Schubert's called "The Passing Show of 1932". During rehearsals, Healy received a more lucrative offer, found a loophole in his contract, and left the production. Shemp was actually scared of Healy (Healy wasn't a nice man) and quit the act. He found work almost instantly in movies from the Vitaphone studio, based in Brooklyn, New York. Shemp's work outside of the Stooges was actually quite good and he built a strong reputation as a dependable character actor.
Still with Healy, the Stooges needed a replacement for Shemp. Moe recruited his younger brother Jerome, who became better known as Curly! Ted Healy and the Stooges, until the final breakup in 1934, had a movie contract with MGM and appeared in small parts in several feature films. Healy and the Stooges weren't together in all these appearances. Sometimes the Stooges weren't even shown together! When the MGM contract expired, the Stooges permanently parted company due to his alcoholism and abrasiveness.
The permanent rift with Healy was the best thing that ever happened to the Stooges. Almost immediately, they were offered a contract from Columbia Pictures. They were officially christened "The Three Stooges" in 1934 with their first film short, "Woman Haters".
"Woman Haters" sucked and it wasn't a great success in theaters. The whole short was done in rhyme, and it wasn't very funny. The Stooges quickly redeemed themselves with their second short, "Punch Drunks". That film set the tone for pretty much all Three Stooges shorts and features to follow. For people unaware of the Three Stooges prior to the Columbia shorts, the team was always Moe, Larry, and Curly. This became the standard Three Stooges line-up, and ran from 1934-1946. Curly suffered a stroke and could no longer perform with the Stooges. The Stooges were in a really bad spot, and they needed a replacement pretty quick. Moe talked Shemp into rejoining the act. Shemp was a little reluctant, but Ted Healy had long been out of the picture (he died in 1937) and it was only meant to be temporary.
Curly never did recover from the stroke. Shemp became a permanent member of the Stooges from 1947-1955. Curly finally died in 1952; Shemp died in late 1955. Shemp was a good Stooge, and his films with the Stooges did pretty well in theaters, but many viewers to this day still look down on the Shemp shorts. Shemp could never fully get out of Curly's shadow. The shorts with Shemp, especially toward the end, were being made more "on the cheap", which made Shemp look worse. There was a lot of footage reused in the later Shemp shorts, and some of them were just written lazy. Nothing is worse than the Stooges shorts where they're just in one or two rooms!
Throughout 1956, Shemp shorts were released in theaters. There were eight in all that year, but only the first four were completed before Shemp died. A longtime Stooges supporting actor named Joe Palma acted as a double for Shemp, seen mostly from the back, in the last four shorts. These shorts were notoriously bad for using old footage, an obvious "fake Shemp", and simply hurried material.
The new third Stooge was hired in 1956, but not seen in theaters until 1957. Joe Besser had the shortest tenure of any Stooge with only 16 shorts to his credit from 1957-1959 (the last Besser short was actually made in 1958). Besser had been a popular character actor for years before the Stooges. However, the chemistry just wasn't right. Besser wasn't very likable in the Stooges films, and the films were generally bad. All the passion that had existed in the Curly movies and in the early Shemp movies was gone. Now the Stooges were just hacky. Moe and Larry themselves did not feel the shorts with Joe Besser were very good. Even Besser later referred to this period as "The Two Stooges With Joe Besser". Although the last Besser short was made in 1958, Columbia officially shut down the shorts department in 1959 after all the Besser shorts were released, and the Three Stooges suddenly found themselves out of jobs. They wanted to continue with a live tour, but Besser declined. Besser's wife was very sick and he didn't want to leave her. Despite a lot of rumors that floated around, the split between Besser and the Stooges was pretty clean and professional. Besser carried on with a successful career as character actor, while Moe and Larry faced new challenges.
Joe DeRita was hired as the new "third Stooge" in 1958, but was never in any of the Three Stooges shorts. In the late 1950s, thanks to television reruns, the Three Stooges had an incredible resurgence in popularity. Moe and Larry had thought the Stooges were done; now they realized they were back. Joe DeRita became Curly Joe. He shaved his head to resemble Curly, and kept the Joe part of his name to resemble Joe Besser, the previous third Stooge. Unlike Joe Besser, Curly Joe was a lot better received. The first original Stooges feature film was "Have Rocket, Will Travel" (1959). In all, the Stooges made six theatrical feature films, ending in 1965. By this time, the Stooges act was very toned down from the classic period. They were all old men now, so they couldn't be quite as physical as before. In addition, there was a lot of pressure from the PTA and other children's advocates to keep these movies "less violent". Moe wasn't as harsh in the features as he was in the shorts. Curly Joe, unlike Curly or other third Stooges, actually showed a bit of backbone. He wasn't hit as much, and he even talked back to Moe on occasion calling him "buddy boy" among other things. Curly Joe was very mild in comparison to any of the other Stooges. He was likable.
1965 was essentially the end of the Three Stooges "real" film career. They did a short film for the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 1968 called, "Star Spangled Salesman" which promoted Savings Bonds. In 1970, The Three Stooges made a pilot for a travelogue series called, "Kook's Tour". Before filming even finished, Larry suffered a severe stroke. They finished the pilot, but when it became apparent that Larry wasn't going to recover, the pilot was shelved and the potential TV series was cancelled. The show was actually quite interesting and it could have given the Three Stooges a new dimension in popularity as somewhat educational figures. We'll never know.
Several ideas for a comeback were attempted with Emil Sitka appointed as the new "middle Stooge". There were NO more Three Stooges shows ever made, so we'll never know what that would have been like. Larry died in January of 1975; Moe died in May of 1975. Even after Larry's death, Moe wanted to continue the Stooges, feeling Larry would have wanted them to continue. Sadly, nothing materialized and the Three Stooges definitely died with Moe.
Curly Joe attempted a truly new Three Stooges act called "The New 3 Stooges" in the mid-1970s. It was a live act with Curly Joe and his buddies Mousie Garner and Frank Mitchell. The act failed, and Curly Joe retired. Joe Besser, the previous third Stooge, died in 1988. "Curly" Joe DeRita died in 1993.
The vaudeville act consisted of Ted Healy doing something (telling a joke, singing a song, etc.) and being interrupted by his noisy assistants. Healy would then physically and verbally abuse his Stooges to the audience's delight (depending upon which audience watched it).
The act with three Stooges was around for about five years when they made their first feature film appearance in 1930s "Soup to Nuts", released by Fox. Ted Healy & His Stooges were just bit players in the film. In the early 1930s, it was common practice to take a lot of different vaudeville acts and work them into a film story. Some acts got further notice, and some didn't. "Soup to Nuts" was a box office dud. Ted Healy was singled out as being "not funny". He really WASN'T funny! He stinked! But audiences seem to like his flunkies Moe, Larry, and Shemp.
Fox soon offered the Stooges a contract without Ted Healy. Healy ruined it for them, telling the studio execs that the Stooges were his employees. Once the Stooges found out the contract had been withdrawn due to Healy's jealousy, they split and formed their own act. They were an immediate vaudeville success. Moe, like in the films, was the real boss of the Three Stooges and their business manager.
In 1932, against their better judgment, the Stooges tried to work with Ted Healy once again. It was short-lived. They were signed on to do a traveling act of Jacob J. Schubert's called "The Passing Show of 1932". During rehearsals, Healy received a more lucrative offer, found a loophole in his contract, and left the production. Shemp was actually scared of Healy (Healy wasn't a nice man) and quit the act. He found work almost instantly in movies from the Vitaphone studio, based in Brooklyn, New York. Shemp's work outside of the Stooges was actually quite good and he built a strong reputation as a dependable character actor.
Still with Healy, the Stooges needed a replacement for Shemp. Moe recruited his younger brother Jerome, who became better known as Curly! Ted Healy and the Stooges, until the final breakup in 1934, had a movie contract with MGM and appeared in small parts in several feature films. Healy and the Stooges weren't together in all these appearances. Sometimes the Stooges weren't even shown together! When the MGM contract expired, the Stooges permanently parted company due to his alcoholism and abrasiveness.
The permanent rift with Healy was the best thing that ever happened to the Stooges. Almost immediately, they were offered a contract from Columbia Pictures. They were officially christened "The Three Stooges" in 1934 with their first film short, "Woman Haters".
"Woman Haters" sucked and it wasn't a great success in theaters. The whole short was done in rhyme, and it wasn't very funny. The Stooges quickly redeemed themselves with their second short, "Punch Drunks". That film set the tone for pretty much all Three Stooges shorts and features to follow. For people unaware of the Three Stooges prior to the Columbia shorts, the team was always Moe, Larry, and Curly. This became the standard Three Stooges line-up, and ran from 1934-1946. Curly suffered a stroke and could no longer perform with the Stooges. The Stooges were in a really bad spot, and they needed a replacement pretty quick. Moe talked Shemp into rejoining the act. Shemp was a little reluctant, but Ted Healy had long been out of the picture (he died in 1937) and it was only meant to be temporary.
Curly never did recover from the stroke. Shemp became a permanent member of the Stooges from 1947-1955. Curly finally died in 1952; Shemp died in late 1955. Shemp was a good Stooge, and his films with the Stooges did pretty well in theaters, but many viewers to this day still look down on the Shemp shorts. Shemp could never fully get out of Curly's shadow. The shorts with Shemp, especially toward the end, were being made more "on the cheap", which made Shemp look worse. There was a lot of footage reused in the later Shemp shorts, and some of them were just written lazy. Nothing is worse than the Stooges shorts where they're just in one or two rooms!
Throughout 1956, Shemp shorts were released in theaters. There were eight in all that year, but only the first four were completed before Shemp died. A longtime Stooges supporting actor named Joe Palma acted as a double for Shemp, seen mostly from the back, in the last four shorts. These shorts were notoriously bad for using old footage, an obvious "fake Shemp", and simply hurried material.
The new third Stooge was hired in 1956, but not seen in theaters until 1957. Joe Besser had the shortest tenure of any Stooge with only 16 shorts to his credit from 1957-1959 (the last Besser short was actually made in 1958). Besser had been a popular character actor for years before the Stooges. However, the chemistry just wasn't right. Besser wasn't very likable in the Stooges films, and the films were generally bad. All the passion that had existed in the Curly movies and in the early Shemp movies was gone. Now the Stooges were just hacky. Moe and Larry themselves did not feel the shorts with Joe Besser were very good. Even Besser later referred to this period as "The Two Stooges With Joe Besser". Although the last Besser short was made in 1958, Columbia officially shut down the shorts department in 1959 after all the Besser shorts were released, and the Three Stooges suddenly found themselves out of jobs. They wanted to continue with a live tour, but Besser declined. Besser's wife was very sick and he didn't want to leave her. Despite a lot of rumors that floated around, the split between Besser and the Stooges was pretty clean and professional. Besser carried on with a successful career as character actor, while Moe and Larry faced new challenges.
Joe DeRita was hired as the new "third Stooge" in 1958, but was never in any of the Three Stooges shorts. In the late 1950s, thanks to television reruns, the Three Stooges had an incredible resurgence in popularity. Moe and Larry had thought the Stooges were done; now they realized they were back. Joe DeRita became Curly Joe. He shaved his head to resemble Curly, and kept the Joe part of his name to resemble Joe Besser, the previous third Stooge. Unlike Joe Besser, Curly Joe was a lot better received. The first original Stooges feature film was "Have Rocket, Will Travel" (1959). In all, the Stooges made six theatrical feature films, ending in 1965. By this time, the Stooges act was very toned down from the classic period. They were all old men now, so they couldn't be quite as physical as before. In addition, there was a lot of pressure from the PTA and other children's advocates to keep these movies "less violent". Moe wasn't as harsh in the features as he was in the shorts. Curly Joe, unlike Curly or other third Stooges, actually showed a bit of backbone. He wasn't hit as much, and he even talked back to Moe on occasion calling him "buddy boy" among other things. Curly Joe was very mild in comparison to any of the other Stooges. He was likable.
1965 was essentially the end of the Three Stooges "real" film career. They did a short film for the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 1968 called, "Star Spangled Salesman" which promoted Savings Bonds. In 1970, The Three Stooges made a pilot for a travelogue series called, "Kook's Tour". Before filming even finished, Larry suffered a severe stroke. They finished the pilot, but when it became apparent that Larry wasn't going to recover, the pilot was shelved and the potential TV series was cancelled. The show was actually quite interesting and it could have given the Three Stooges a new dimension in popularity as somewhat educational figures. We'll never know.
Several ideas for a comeback were attempted with Emil Sitka appointed as the new "middle Stooge". There were NO more Three Stooges shows ever made, so we'll never know what that would have been like. Larry died in January of 1975; Moe died in May of 1975. Even after Larry's death, Moe wanted to continue the Stooges, feeling Larry would have wanted them to continue. Sadly, nothing materialized and the Three Stooges definitely died with Moe.
Curly Joe attempted a truly new Three Stooges act called "The New 3 Stooges" in the mid-1970s. It was a live act with Curly Joe and his buddies Mousie Garner and Frank Mitchell. The act failed, and Curly Joe retired. Joe Besser, the previous third Stooge, died in 1988. "Curly" Joe DeRita died in 1993.
Recurring Themes in Stooges
Shorts:
Animals-
Mutts to You (1938)
Calling All Curs (1939)
Artists-
Pop Goes the Easel (1935)
Wee Wee Monsieur (1938)
Colonial-
Back to the Woods (1937)
Doctors-
Men in Black (1934)
Dizzy Doctors (1937) MEDICINE MEN
From Nurse to Worse (1940)
Explorers-
We Want Our Mummy (1939)
Firemen-
False Alarms (1936)
Flat Foot Stooges (1938)
Handymen-
Slippery Silks (1936) CARPENTERS
Tassels in the Air (1938) INTERIOR DECORATORS
A Plumbing We Will Go (1940) PLUMBERS
How High is Up (1940) CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
High Society-
Pardon my Scotch (1935)
Hoi Polloi (1935)
Ants in the Pantry (1936)
Termites of 1938 (1938)
Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb (1938)
Three Sappy People (1939)
Hunters-
A Ducking They Did Go (1939)
International-
Saved by the Belle (1939) VALESKA
You Natzy Spy (1940) MORONICA
Cuckoo Cavaliers (1940) MEXICO
Medieval-
Restless Knights (1935)
Police/Law & Order-
Three Dumb Clucks (1937) FIGHTING GANGSTERS
Show Business-
Movie Maniacs (1936) ASPIRING MOVIE STARS
Disorder in the Court (1936) MUSICIANS
A Pain in the Pullman (1936) SMALL TIME ACTORS
Three Missing Links (1938) MOVIE ACTORS
Nutty But Nice (1940) SINGING WAITERS
Sports-
Punch Drunks (1934) BOXING
Three Little Pigskins (1934) FOOTBALL
Three Little Beers (1935) GOLF
Grips, Grunts, and Groans (1937) WRESTLING
Playing the Ponies (1937) HORSE RACING
No Census, No Feeling (1940) FOOTBALL
Teachers-
Violent is the Word for Curly (1938)
Tramps-
Cash and Carry (1937)
Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise (1939)
War-
Half-Shot Shooters (1936) WWI
Boobs in Arms (1940)
Three Little Sew and Sews (1938) SAILORS
Westerns-
Horses Collars (1935)
Uncivil Warriors (1935) CIVIL WAR
Whoops I'm an Indian (1936)
Goofs and Saddles (1937)
Yes, We Have No Bonanza (1939)
Rockin' Through the Rockies (1940)
Other Film Appearances: There are 22 instances of The Three Stooges being in films that aren't very "Stooge-y". They were either supporting parts, cameos, or roles that were un-Stoogelike. These might interest Stooge historians, but shouldn't be confused with the more well-known Three Stooges shorts and features.
Soup to Nuts (1930, Fox)
The Stooges first-ever film appearance. Basically a Ted Healy film, and we see the Stooges (Moe, Larry, and Shemp) as firemen near the end. The movie bombed, but people liked the Stooges.
Turn Back the Clock (1933, MGM)
The Stooges (Moe, Larry, Curly) appear in an uncredited straight role as wedding singers in this comedy-drama.
Meet the Baron (1933, MGM)
A comedy with a large ensemble cast. The Stooges again appear with Ted Healy. This movie was filmed shortly before they signed their contract with Columbia, and they practically stole the show with their appearance in this film.
Dancing Lady (1933, MGM)
Ted Healy, with a much bigger part than the Stooges, appear together as bit players in this musical.
Broadway to Hollywood (1933, MGM)
Another ensemble cast comedy that featured many of MGM's stars. Moe and Curly appeared with Ted Healy or Larry. They are almost unrecognizable as clowns.
Myrt and Marge (1933, MGM)
Comedy film adaptation of the radio show by the same name. Ted Healy & His Stooges are shown as stagehands. Once again, the Stooges are supporting players.
Fugitive Lovers (1934, MGM)
This is an action-drama movie. Ted Healy & His Stooges make an appearance as stage performers traveling on a bus. Again...supporting players.
Hollywood Party (1934, MGM)
A comedy musical. This film wasn't a big success by any means, but it's best-known for showcasing so many big stars of the period. Ted Healy & His Stooges have a small part. It's the Stooges last movie with MGM.
The Captain Hates the Sea (1934, Columbia)
This is a feature film, not a short, that featured The Three Stooges as part of a big ensemble cast. It's a comedy film and the first Columbia feature for the Three Stooges, who were already making their more popular shorts.
Start Cheering (1938, Columbia)
A musical feature film. The Three Stooges have a cameo as Campus Firemen. By this time, The Three Stooges were Columbia's hottest property in the comedy short realm. Their appearances outside of the shorts were touted as big deals.
Time Out for Rhythm (1941, Columbia)
A comedy musical. The Three Stooges appear throughout the film and give us most of the laughs, although they are not meant to be the main stars. They do their famous "Maharaja" routine for the first time, which was later used in the 1946 short, "Three Little Pirates". In this movie, they played out-of-work actors.
My Sister Eileen (1942, Columbia)
A comedy-drama film. Although not well-known today, and soon forgotten after its release, "My Sister Eileen" was Columbia's biggest feature hit for the 1942-43 season. The Three Stooges again play a small part.
Good Luck, Mr. Yates (1943, Columbia)
Rockin' in the Rockies (1945, Columbia)
A Western musical. This is the first feature film with the Three Stooges in a starring role. It's not to be confused with the earlier short, "Rockin' Thru the Rockies" (1940). It is the only Stooges feature with the most popular line-up of Moe, Larry, and Curly. That being said, this is little like a Three Stooges show. Moe is a straight man. Larry and Curly are the only true Stooges. Larry is the leader of the duo and abuses Curly. The movie was a flop. Curly suffered a minor stroke only a few weeks after filming for this movie wrapped. It was the beginning of the end for the Curly period of the Stooges.
Swing Parade of 1946 (1946, Columbia)
The Three Stooges were again supporting players (as dishwashers), but at least it was the real act again. Their role in this movie is pretty substantial behind Gale Storm and Phil Regan. Curly had suffered several strokes in the months prior to filming this movie. He didn't look well. It was hard for Curly to carry on, but he did the best he could. Sadly, Curly's work in this movie couldn't hold a match to his earlier work. The movie was not a great hit and it's now in the public domain. This was pretty close to the end of Curly's acting career.
Gold Raiders (1951, Columbia)
This was a Western movie made to star George O'Brien, but the plot was fairly divided between him and the Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, and Shemp).
Columbia Laff Hour (1956, Columbia)
Three Stooges Fun-O-Rama (1959, Columbia)
With Moe, Larry, and Joe Besser, this feature film was actually a compilation film of ten possible Three Stooges shorts featuring Joe Besser as the third Stooge. There were actually 16 shorts made of this line-up, but only 10 were used. Each theatre created its own feature program, consisting of anywhere from four to six shorts. An odd Stooges experiment, indeed.
Stop, Look, and Laugh (1960, Columbia)
This is another Stooges oddity. It was released AFTER the first "real" Stooges feature with Curly Joe DeRita called, "Have Rocket, Will Travel' (1959). However, this feature film was a clip show using footage from the Curly shorts, with new comedy segments of ventriloquist Paul Winchell thrown into the mix.
The Paul Winchell stuff was great, but it had no relationship to the Stooges clips. 11 different Curly shorts were sampled. When this came out, the Three Stooges were TICKED! This compilation film was done behind their backs, and they sued Columbia Pictures. On top of that, people didn't like the movie.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963, United Artists)
This was a huge ensemble cast comedy film where the Three Stooges were one of many participating acts. This movie was a huge success!
4 For Texas (1963, Warner Bros.)
This is a Western comedy with a cameo appearance by the Three Stooges.
Kook's Tour (1970)
This was the pilot episode to what was going to be a comedy travelogue series starring the Three Stooges as retirees who travel the world. It was Larry's last appearance and effectively the end of The Three Stooges film/TV career. After Larry's stroke, which occurred during the time this show was filmed, this pilot was shelved and plans for a TV series were cancelled.
The New 3 Stooges Cartoon Series: For one season (1965-1966), 156 TV cartoons were produced of "The New 3 Stooges" series and shown in syndication. At this time, the Stooges were trying to reinvent themselves for television audiences, primarily children. The idea was good, the end product? Not so much. Before and after each cartoon, there were live-action segments, in color, with Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe doing routines like the classic shorts. This was good. However, there were only 41 live-action segments made! When they went through the whole 41, the segments were simply put on the new cartoons! The only live-action segment that wasn't reused was the one for "That Little Old Bomb Maker". The reuse of live-action segments was misleading at the time. Many people who had watched the earlier episodes would see the same opening live-action segment, think the cartoon was a rerun, and switch it off! The slapstick in the live-action segments was toned down due to pressure from parent groups. Watching these bits is kind of like a snake without its bite, but they still have a certain charm.
The cartoons themselves were rather "crappily" done with poor animation and uninteresting stories. At least the Stooges did their own voices in these cartoons, which is about their only redeeming quality. That, and the cool titles. The titles were more interesting than the cartoons themselves! The title ideas were most likely all Edward Bernds' ideas. Bernds was the director of Stooges shorts from 1945-1953, and he was hired to write and direct the series. The titles of the Stooges shorts, directed by Bernds, also showed great, witty wordplay. Four cartoons with four live-action bumpers were shown in each half-hour episode.
Emil Sitka was the foil most often seen in the live-action segments. Sitka had been in Stooges shorts for years. After Larry's stroke in 1970, Emil Sitka was set to be the new middle Stooge, but the plan never materialized.
Cambria Studios produced the cartoons. Cambria was notorious for making very bad cartoons with little animation and the Syncro-Vox technology. This is one of the few Cambria cartoons that didn't use the Syncro-Vox. What is Syncro-Vox? Syncro-Vox is, quite simply, the practice of having an actual human mouth seen in place of the cartoon character's mouth while talking. That way, the animators wouldn't have the work of animating the mouth movements of the cartoon character. The best-known cartoon of this sort is Cambria's "Clutch Cargo". Thank goodness this cartoon series avoided that!
This cartoon series, thought of widely as disappointing to fans of the Stooges and the Stooges themselves, was also a big legal headache that lasted forever! To make a long story short, Cambria screwed over the Stooges on royalty checks from the show's profits. Even though the show made episodes for one season, it was rerun in syndication for years. By a strange twist of fate, when the Stooges took Cambria to court, the judge ruled in Cambria's favor! In 1975, the Stooges appealed the decision and won. Cambria was now bound to pay the Stooges the money owed them. However, the Stooges' Normandy Productions company never did see the money they were owed. The majority of this TV series is now in the public domain.
Animals-
Mutts to You (1938)
Calling All Curs (1939)
Artists-
Pop Goes the Easel (1935)
Wee Wee Monsieur (1938)
Colonial-
Back to the Woods (1937)
Doctors-
Men in Black (1934)
Dizzy Doctors (1937) MEDICINE MEN
From Nurse to Worse (1940)
Explorers-
We Want Our Mummy (1939)
Firemen-
False Alarms (1936)
Flat Foot Stooges (1938)
Handymen-
Slippery Silks (1936) CARPENTERS
Tassels in the Air (1938) INTERIOR DECORATORS
A Plumbing We Will Go (1940) PLUMBERS
How High is Up (1940) CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
High Society-
Pardon my Scotch (1935)
Hoi Polloi (1935)
Ants in the Pantry (1936)
Termites of 1938 (1938)
Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb (1938)
Three Sappy People (1939)
Hunters-
A Ducking They Did Go (1939)
International-
Saved by the Belle (1939) VALESKA
You Natzy Spy (1940) MORONICA
Cuckoo Cavaliers (1940) MEXICO
Medieval-
Restless Knights (1935)
Police/Law & Order-
Three Dumb Clucks (1937) FIGHTING GANGSTERS
Show Business-
Movie Maniacs (1936) ASPIRING MOVIE STARS
Disorder in the Court (1936) MUSICIANS
A Pain in the Pullman (1936) SMALL TIME ACTORS
Three Missing Links (1938) MOVIE ACTORS
Nutty But Nice (1940) SINGING WAITERS
Sports-
Punch Drunks (1934) BOXING
Three Little Pigskins (1934) FOOTBALL
Three Little Beers (1935) GOLF
Grips, Grunts, and Groans (1937) WRESTLING
Playing the Ponies (1937) HORSE RACING
No Census, No Feeling (1940) FOOTBALL
Teachers-
Violent is the Word for Curly (1938)
Tramps-
Cash and Carry (1937)
Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise (1939)
War-
Half-Shot Shooters (1936) WWI
Boobs in Arms (1940)
Three Little Sew and Sews (1938) SAILORS
Westerns-
Horses Collars (1935)
Uncivil Warriors (1935) CIVIL WAR
Whoops I'm an Indian (1936)
Goofs and Saddles (1937)
Yes, We Have No Bonanza (1939)
Rockin' Through the Rockies (1940)
Other Film Appearances: There are 22 instances of The Three Stooges being in films that aren't very "Stooge-y". They were either supporting parts, cameos, or roles that were un-Stoogelike. These might interest Stooge historians, but shouldn't be confused with the more well-known Three Stooges shorts and features.
Soup to Nuts (1930, Fox)
The Stooges first-ever film appearance. Basically a Ted Healy film, and we see the Stooges (Moe, Larry, and Shemp) as firemen near the end. The movie bombed, but people liked the Stooges.
Turn Back the Clock (1933, MGM)
The Stooges (Moe, Larry, Curly) appear in an uncredited straight role as wedding singers in this comedy-drama.
Meet the Baron (1933, MGM)
A comedy with a large ensemble cast. The Stooges again appear with Ted Healy. This movie was filmed shortly before they signed their contract with Columbia, and they practically stole the show with their appearance in this film.
Dancing Lady (1933, MGM)
Ted Healy, with a much bigger part than the Stooges, appear together as bit players in this musical.
Broadway to Hollywood (1933, MGM)
Another ensemble cast comedy that featured many of MGM's stars. Moe and Curly appeared with Ted Healy or Larry. They are almost unrecognizable as clowns.
Myrt and Marge (1933, MGM)
Comedy film adaptation of the radio show by the same name. Ted Healy & His Stooges are shown as stagehands. Once again, the Stooges are supporting players.
Fugitive Lovers (1934, MGM)
This is an action-drama movie. Ted Healy & His Stooges make an appearance as stage performers traveling on a bus. Again...supporting players.
Hollywood Party (1934, MGM)
A comedy musical. This film wasn't a big success by any means, but it's best-known for showcasing so many big stars of the period. Ted Healy & His Stooges have a small part. It's the Stooges last movie with MGM.
The Captain Hates the Sea (1934, Columbia)
This is a feature film, not a short, that featured The Three Stooges as part of a big ensemble cast. It's a comedy film and the first Columbia feature for the Three Stooges, who were already making their more popular shorts.
Start Cheering (1938, Columbia)
A musical feature film. The Three Stooges have a cameo as Campus Firemen. By this time, The Three Stooges were Columbia's hottest property in the comedy short realm. Their appearances outside of the shorts were touted as big deals.
Time Out for Rhythm (1941, Columbia)
A comedy musical. The Three Stooges appear throughout the film and give us most of the laughs, although they are not meant to be the main stars. They do their famous "Maharaja" routine for the first time, which was later used in the 1946 short, "Three Little Pirates". In this movie, they played out-of-work actors.
My Sister Eileen (1942, Columbia)
A comedy-drama film. Although not well-known today, and soon forgotten after its release, "My Sister Eileen" was Columbia's biggest feature hit for the 1942-43 season. The Three Stooges again play a small part.
Good Luck, Mr. Yates (1943, Columbia)
Rockin' in the Rockies (1945, Columbia)
A Western musical. This is the first feature film with the Three Stooges in a starring role. It's not to be confused with the earlier short, "Rockin' Thru the Rockies" (1940). It is the only Stooges feature with the most popular line-up of Moe, Larry, and Curly. That being said, this is little like a Three Stooges show. Moe is a straight man. Larry and Curly are the only true Stooges. Larry is the leader of the duo and abuses Curly. The movie was a flop. Curly suffered a minor stroke only a few weeks after filming for this movie wrapped. It was the beginning of the end for the Curly period of the Stooges.
Swing Parade of 1946 (1946, Columbia)
The Three Stooges were again supporting players (as dishwashers), but at least it was the real act again. Their role in this movie is pretty substantial behind Gale Storm and Phil Regan. Curly had suffered several strokes in the months prior to filming this movie. He didn't look well. It was hard for Curly to carry on, but he did the best he could. Sadly, Curly's work in this movie couldn't hold a match to his earlier work. The movie was not a great hit and it's now in the public domain. This was pretty close to the end of Curly's acting career.
Gold Raiders (1951, Columbia)
This was a Western movie made to star George O'Brien, but the plot was fairly divided between him and the Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, and Shemp).
Columbia Laff Hour (1956, Columbia)
Three Stooges Fun-O-Rama (1959, Columbia)
With Moe, Larry, and Joe Besser, this feature film was actually a compilation film of ten possible Three Stooges shorts featuring Joe Besser as the third Stooge. There were actually 16 shorts made of this line-up, but only 10 were used. Each theatre created its own feature program, consisting of anywhere from four to six shorts. An odd Stooges experiment, indeed.
Stop, Look, and Laugh (1960, Columbia)
This is another Stooges oddity. It was released AFTER the first "real" Stooges feature with Curly Joe DeRita called, "Have Rocket, Will Travel' (1959). However, this feature film was a clip show using footage from the Curly shorts, with new comedy segments of ventriloquist Paul Winchell thrown into the mix.
The Paul Winchell stuff was great, but it had no relationship to the Stooges clips. 11 different Curly shorts were sampled. When this came out, the Three Stooges were TICKED! This compilation film was done behind their backs, and they sued Columbia Pictures. On top of that, people didn't like the movie.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963, United Artists)
This was a huge ensemble cast comedy film where the Three Stooges were one of many participating acts. This movie was a huge success!
4 For Texas (1963, Warner Bros.)
This is a Western comedy with a cameo appearance by the Three Stooges.
Kook's Tour (1970)
This was the pilot episode to what was going to be a comedy travelogue series starring the Three Stooges as retirees who travel the world. It was Larry's last appearance and effectively the end of The Three Stooges film/TV career. After Larry's stroke, which occurred during the time this show was filmed, this pilot was shelved and plans for a TV series were cancelled.
The New 3 Stooges Cartoon Series: For one season (1965-1966), 156 TV cartoons were produced of "The New 3 Stooges" series and shown in syndication. At this time, the Stooges were trying to reinvent themselves for television audiences, primarily children. The idea was good, the end product? Not so much. Before and after each cartoon, there were live-action segments, in color, with Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe doing routines like the classic shorts. This was good. However, there were only 41 live-action segments made! When they went through the whole 41, the segments were simply put on the new cartoons! The only live-action segment that wasn't reused was the one for "That Little Old Bomb Maker". The reuse of live-action segments was misleading at the time. Many people who had watched the earlier episodes would see the same opening live-action segment, think the cartoon was a rerun, and switch it off! The slapstick in the live-action segments was toned down due to pressure from parent groups. Watching these bits is kind of like a snake without its bite, but they still have a certain charm.
The cartoons themselves were rather "crappily" done with poor animation and uninteresting stories. At least the Stooges did their own voices in these cartoons, which is about their only redeeming quality. That, and the cool titles. The titles were more interesting than the cartoons themselves! The title ideas were most likely all Edward Bernds' ideas. Bernds was the director of Stooges shorts from 1945-1953, and he was hired to write and direct the series. The titles of the Stooges shorts, directed by Bernds, also showed great, witty wordplay. Four cartoons with four live-action bumpers were shown in each half-hour episode.
Emil Sitka was the foil most often seen in the live-action segments. Sitka had been in Stooges shorts for years. After Larry's stroke in 1970, Emil Sitka was set to be the new middle Stooge, but the plan never materialized.
Cambria Studios produced the cartoons. Cambria was notorious for making very bad cartoons with little animation and the Syncro-Vox technology. This is one of the few Cambria cartoons that didn't use the Syncro-Vox. What is Syncro-Vox? Syncro-Vox is, quite simply, the practice of having an actual human mouth seen in place of the cartoon character's mouth while talking. That way, the animators wouldn't have the work of animating the mouth movements of the cartoon character. The best-known cartoon of this sort is Cambria's "Clutch Cargo". Thank goodness this cartoon series avoided that!
This cartoon series, thought of widely as disappointing to fans of the Stooges and the Stooges themselves, was also a big legal headache that lasted forever! To make a long story short, Cambria screwed over the Stooges on royalty checks from the show's profits. Even though the show made episodes for one season, it was rerun in syndication for years. By a strange twist of fate, when the Stooges took Cambria to court, the judge ruled in Cambria's favor! In 1975, the Stooges appealed the decision and won. Cambria was now bound to pay the Stooges the money owed them. However, the Stooges' Normandy Productions company never did see the money they were owed. The majority of this TV series is now in the public domain.
- That Little Old Bomb Maker
- Woodsman Bear That Tree
- Let's Shoot the Piano Player
- Dentist the Menace
- Safari So Good
- Think or Thwim
- There Auto be a Law
- That Old Shell Game
- Hold That Line
- Flycycle Built For Two
- Dizzy Doodlers
- The Classical Clinker
- Movie Scars
- A Bull for Andamo
- The Tree Nuts
- Tin Horn Dude
- Thru Rain, Sleet and Snow
- Goldriggers of '49
- Ready, Jetset, Go
- Behind the 8-Ball Express
- Stop Dragon Around
- To Kill a Clockingbird
- Who's Lion
- Fowl Weather Friend
- Wash My Line
- Little Cheese Chaser
- The Big Windbag
- Baby Sitters
- Clarence of Arabia
- Three Jacks and a Beanstalk
- That Was the Wreck That Was
- The Three Astronutz
- Peter Panic
- When You Wish Upon a Fish
- Little Past Noon
- Hair of the Bear
- Three Lumps in a Lamp
- Who's For Dessert?
- Watt's My Lion?
- Which is Witch
- Suture Self
- The Yolks on You
- Tally Moe With Larry & Curly Joe
- The First in Lion
- The Transylvania Railroad
- What's Mew Pussycat?
- It's a Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World
- Bridge on the River Cry
- Hot Shots
- Mel's Angels
- Bee my Honey
- That Dirty Bird
- Stone Age Stooges
- Smoke Gets in Your Skies
- Queen Quong
- Campsight Fright
- Goldibear and the Three Stooges
- The Lyin' Tamer
- The Pen Game
- It's a Small World
- Late for Launch
- Forgot in Space
- Noisy Silent Movie
- Get Out of Town by Sundown Brown
- Table Tennis Tussle
- Phony Express
- Best Test Pilots
- Litter Bear
- A Fishy Tale
- The Unhaunted House
- Aloha Ha Ha
- The Rise and Fall of the Roman Umpire
- Deadbeat Street
- Cotton Pickin' Chicken
- Larry and the Pirates
- Tree's a Crowd
- Feud for Thought
- Bat and Brawl
- Knight Without End
- Up a Tree
- Turnabout is Bearplay
- Pow Wow Row
- Flat Heads
- No News is Good News
- Bully for You, Curly Joe
- Tee for Three
- Goofy Gondoliers
- Bearfoot Fisherman
- Washout Below
- The Three Marketeers
- Follo the White Lion
- One Good Burn Deserves Another
- Curly Joe's Bear
- Land Ho, Ho, Ho
- Surfs You Right
- Seven Faces of Timbear
- Bearfoot Bandit
- Nuttin' but the Brave
- Three Good Knights
- Call of the Wile
- Snowbrawl
- Rob 'n' Good
- There's no Mule Like an Old Mule
- Squawk Valley
- Mummy's Boys
- The Plumber's Friend
- Rub-a-Dub Tub
- Under the Bad-Bad Tree
- Hairbrained Barbers
- Waiter Minute
- Souperman
- Abominable Snowman
- Curly Joe in Wonderland
- Boobs in the Woods
- Chimney Sweeps
- The Mad Mail Mission
- Out of Space
- Wizards of Odd
- Three for the Road
- Feudin', Fussin, and
Hillbully
- Don't Misbehave Indian Brave
- You Ain't Lion
- Muscle on Your Mind
- Badman in the Briny
- Furry Fugitive
- How the West Was Once
- The Bowling Pinheads
- The Mountain Ear
- Norse West Passage
- Lastest Gun in the West
- Toys Will be Toys
- First Class Service
- Strictly for the Birds
- Le' Stooginaires
- The Bear Who Came Out of the Cold
- The Bigger They Are, the Harder They Hit
- Little Red Riding Wolf
- Bell Hop Flops
- Dig That Gopher
- Gagster Dragster
- Just Plane Crazy
- From Bad to Verse
- Droll Weevil
- The Littlest Martian
- The Bear Showoff
- No Money, No Honey
- Get That Snack Shack Off the Track
- Curly's Birthday-a-Go-Go
- The Men from UCLA
- Super Everybody
- Kangaroo Catchers
- No Smoking Aloud
- The Chicken Delivery Boys
- Sno Ball
- Rug-a-Bye Baby
- Dinopoodi
Comic Books
of the Three Stooges: Comic books of the Three Stooges
have been done, but not as much as we might have hoped. It's
surprising that it took until 1949 before a Three Stooges comic book
was produced!
St. John Publications Era- St. John published the first-ever Three Stooges comic books. 1949 saw two issues released. From 1953-1954, seven more issues were released (a total of nine issues). Keep in mind this is when Curly was long out of the group, and late in Shemp's time with Stooges.
Dell Comics Era- Dell published five issues of their "Four Color Comics" anthology series with the Three Stooges as the headliners. "The Three Stooges" were then given their own title, and numbering continued from #6 to #9. The series did continue, but with the Gold Key publisher.
Gold Key Era- Gold Key continued the existing series of "The Three Stooges" starting with #10. It lasted through #55 (1972). This was a pretty good run. By 1972, the Stooges themselves were completely done with everything. Larry, then Moe, both died in 1975.
Gold Key Era: The Little Stooges- Norman Maurer, son-in-law of Moe Howard, was the writer and artist for "The Little Stooges" comic book series. This was a good series, but ran for only seven issues from 1972-1974. Each of the Three Stooges had one teenage son that was a hipper, 1970s carbon copy. The younger Stooges, with appearances from their famous folks, had all kinds of wacky adventures. The idea was very cool. Too bad it wasn't made into a cartoon series.
Eclipse Comics Era- Eclipse sort of continued the Three Stooges comics. They had a series called "Three-D Three Stooges" which ran for three issues (1986-1987). The comics were reprints of stories from the old St. John era.
Malibu Comics Era- Malibu (before they were bought out by Marvel) published two one-shot comics of "The Three Stooges". One was done in 1989, the other in 1991. Both were reprints of comics from the Gold Key era.
St. John Publications Era- St. John published the first-ever Three Stooges comic books. 1949 saw two issues released. From 1953-1954, seven more issues were released (a total of nine issues). Keep in mind this is when Curly was long out of the group, and late in Shemp's time with Stooges.
Dell Comics Era- Dell published five issues of their "Four Color Comics" anthology series with the Three Stooges as the headliners. "The Three Stooges" were then given their own title, and numbering continued from #6 to #9. The series did continue, but with the Gold Key publisher.
Gold Key Era- Gold Key continued the existing series of "The Three Stooges" starting with #10. It lasted through #55 (1972). This was a pretty good run. By 1972, the Stooges themselves were completely done with everything. Larry, then Moe, both died in 1975.
Gold Key Era: The Little Stooges- Norman Maurer, son-in-law of Moe Howard, was the writer and artist for "The Little Stooges" comic book series. This was a good series, but ran for only seven issues from 1972-1974. Each of the Three Stooges had one teenage son that was a hipper, 1970s carbon copy. The younger Stooges, with appearances from their famous folks, had all kinds of wacky adventures. The idea was very cool. Too bad it wasn't made into a cartoon series.
Eclipse Comics Era- Eclipse sort of continued the Three Stooges comics. They had a series called "Three-D Three Stooges" which ran for three issues (1986-1987). The comics were reprints of stories from the old St. John era.
Malibu Comics Era- Malibu (before they were bought out by Marvel) published two one-shot comics of "The Three Stooges". One was done in 1989, the other in 1991. Both were reprints of comics from the Gold Key era.