The Three Stooges: A Series of Unfortunate Events

 Well, considering the fact that I've been talking about comedies all week, I think on today's post I'll talk about one of the most influential comedic trios of all time. That's right, the Marx brothers! No, wait, the three stooges! I wanted to cover movies exclusively on Fridays, but most three stooges shorts had a theatrical release, so it counts. 

Top left to bottom right: Larry, Moe, Curly, Bonny and Healy
Healy: "When you're good, your fairy godmother watches over you,"
Larry: "My what?"
Bonny: "Well, I got an uncle I'm not sure of!"

Anyway, here's what you ought to know. The three stooges was originally a vaudeville act conceptualized by Moe Howard, Shemp Howard and a man by the name of Ted Healy. If you know the three stooges, you know Moe, and Shemp probably, too, but Healy always gets left out of popular sources. Originally, it was "Healy and his stooges,". Before, it was only Moe and Shemp, interrupting his show as part of a sort of heckler routine,  but Larry, Curly and a woman by the name of Bonny Bonnell eventually joined when they needed to freshen and change up the act. Healy then played the sort of straight man starving performer with the three stooges and Bonny following behind, interrupting and being general nuisances. Healy was a great comedian, and was cited as a formative comedic star of the time. However, he was a terrible human being off stage, and the three stooges ditched him and took a contract with Columbia in 1934. Healy died three years later under "Mysterious Circumstances" (Look it up. You can find 50 articles that will tell the story better than I ever could.)

The Three Stooges in "Dizzy Pilots" 1943, a favorite short of mine.

Moe: "Where's the vice?"

Curly: "Vice? I have no vice, I'm as pure as the driven snow,"

Now, on to the actual stooges we know today. The original trio is Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Jerome "Curly" Howard. What followed for the next 13 years is the stepping stones of comedy being paved. The dynamic between these three is perhaps the foundation for any comedic duo or trio or even more from now until the end of time. That might sound hyperbolic, but the characters of Moe, Larry and Curly really are the grandfathers of modern comedy. From the slapstick, to the jokes, to the other characters' reactions to them, every kid show and cartoon owes their jokes to this nearly 100 year old trio. However, sad times were on the horizon more than a decade later, as Curly would suffer a series of strokes in 1945, before almost fully succumbing to one in '46. It's evident in that time, that his normally vivacious and child-like performance was surely fading. His final short, "Half-Wits Holiday" Was completed in his absence, after suffering a near-fatal stroke on set. 

After Curly left, he made a brief cameo in
 "Hold That Lion" 1947.
This would be the only time all three Howard brothers and Larry shared the screen.

After Curly, Moe's brother Shemp, who had left to form a solo act in light of Healy's abrasiveness, rejoined the group in '47.Shemp had the potential to bring a different flavor to the group, since Shemp as a comedian was known to ad-lib and favor jokes above all else. Columbia didn't want to alter the format that strongly, so they mostly just turned him into a fast-talking Curly. On one plus side, the Shemp era prompted Larry to get more jokes and more lines, even being the highlight of some shorts. the Shemp era lasted for 8 more years until his death in 1955, the circumstances of which always creep me out. Apparently, he was in a car with a friend, told a joke, chuckled to himself and just slumped over with a lit cigar in his mouth. He was DOA. Jarring as this was, Columbia was adamant that the four Shemp shorts in the contract be made without any changes, leading to Joe Palma's "Fake Shemp" era of shorts.

Mantan (left) and Ben Carter (Right) in Charlie Chan and the Scarlet Clue
Moreland: " I haven't seen you since-"
Carter: "Longer than that!"

After this, Moe and Larry asked Columbia to consider comedian Mantan Moreland as replacement. Mantan had proven himself a worthy comedian through his famous "Incomplete Speech," vaudeville act, and his appearances in the Charlie Chan series. However, Columbia refused, as Moe himself put it, opting for "That damned Joe Besser," In my opinion, Mantan would not only have brought in a new racial demographic due to being black (Though black actor Dudley Dickerson made many appearances in stooge shorts), he would have freshened up the dynamic. He had a signature wide-eyed expression that would have been amazing to see juxtaposed to Moe's short temper or Larry's empathetic nature.

Wanna test my theory? Compare the short this still is from,
"Pies and Guys" With the original "Half-Wits Holiday,"
It's night and day.

 When Joe Besser came along, he brought nothing new to the role. There are even shorts redone from years ago with him replacing the role of Curly. There you could see for yourself how useless he was. Joe Besser left (Not the earth, just the shorts) and he was replaced with Joe DeRita, or "Curly Joe" in 1960. By this time, the studio which was releasing these shorts, syndicated them to television, where their popularity skyrocketed. They were well-known before, but being able to see them from the comfort of your home really brought them into the limelight. Sadly, it was about 30 years too late, as the crew were old and much of their finesse and timing for slapstick was fading. However, they were popular up until Larry suffered a stroke which paralyzed him on one side in 1970. This was the final nail in the coffin to coin an unfortunate phrase, as the group henceforth disbanded, despite attempts. Larry died, and then Moe, and all that remained were films. Films and shorts that did not reflect the melancholy story of these great performers.

The final iteration of stooges. The bowler hats
remind me of simpler times.

So now, all we can do is look back and laugh. Laugh at a group for which nothing seemed to ever go right. They were overworked, underpaid, had no say in their own team, and had the threat of being canned looming over their heads constantly. The stooges were a controversial group back then, and one strongly worded letter from the wrong person would have sent them all into the soup. So, while they may not have been laughing, we can. Like Pagliacci, I suppose. Laughing at tragedy. 

Perhaps Back There isn't all smiles. 

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