The Three Stooges

[SFH]

Anyone else have a lifetime of Stooge marathons in their back pocket? It's the 100th anniversary of those lovable slapstick knuckleheads. All of my grandparents used to let Larry, Curly, Moe, Shemp, Joe, and Curly Joe babysit me on holidays. It's hard for me to narrow down a "favorite" episode. I've seen the public domain offerings more than the rest because every time I get a Stooge related gift, those four episodes are always involved.

My favorite Stooge is Curly, which seems to be a theme for most people. I don't have a "least" favorite Stooge because every time there was a replacement it was due to a death in the family up until Joe Besser didn't renew. So I can't fault Shemp and Joe for not being Curly (yes I know Shemp predated Curly). Do I think them running with "Curly Joe" Derita was a little cheap? Maybe so, but he was entertaining too.

Curly's grandson (through his daughter) has a fun youtube channel and he definitely does a heart warming tribute to his Grand-stooge. Even the "misses" are with the sweetest intent.

Any other knuckleheads in here?



Aside: Last month I accidentally bought a bootleg wrestling t-shirt. This week I get an email from ebay, "Dear SFH an item you ordered is no longer available..." and long story short my 100th anniversary tribute shirt to the Stooges was made by a counterfeiter and ebay caught it after I had paid. I did get my refund, thankfully.

 

[snuffbox]

Me!

I haven't watched a marathon in a few years. But I watched every one of them I could when I was a kid. I still try to watch an episode here & there whenever I get a chance.

And I have a Ted Healy autograph.

 

[Valeyard]

I liked Shemp a lot as a kid. Probably just thought Shemp was a funny name. Stooges were scarce growing up because my mother, like all mothers, hated them. Always got stuck with the 60s cartoon instead.

Curly was a really interesting guy.

 

[Brocklock]

Big Stooges fan here. Around a month ago I was randomly watching some shorts on Youtube. Ache In Every Stake is a classic.

I know it's the mainstream opinion and a lot of the cool Stooge fans love Shemp or Larry the most, but Curly is still my favorite. Before his illness, he still could just make me laugh with a facial expression or a reaction or a noise. One of the best physical comedians ever. I think Moe is super underrated too. Sometimes the bits where him and Curly go back in forth will make me rewind multiple times. All four of the main stooges regardless have impeccable comic timing and delivery. Each of the four have something that makes them stand out.

I've seen Joe Besser be funny in other things, but his style didn't work with Moe and Larry. Curly Joe DeRita was just bland to me and Moe and Larry were starting to get too old by that point and their timing was starting to be off.

 

[snuffbox]

I don't know if there's ever been a better physical comedian than Curly. And I'm not sure if there's any equals other than, maybe, Harold Lloyd and Chris Farley. I'm probably forgetting someone but it's a rare class. I'd put Buster Keaton, Rowan Atkinson and a few others a step below.

 

[Brocklock]

I'd throw Jim Carrey and Michael Richards in there with Curly, Keaton, Rowan, Lloyd, and Farley.

For females Lucy is probably tops. Carol Burnett is up there as well. Kaitlin Olson from Always Sunny is a great modern physical comedian and does most of her own stunts while displaying a Michael Richards type quality where she is always flailing her long limbs in a funny way. The Broad City ladies are pretty good at it too for more recent people. There's really not a lot of modern comedians male or female doing physical comedy and it's a shame because it can be so funny when done properly. When not done properly it can be hard to watch.

It's hard to argue with Curly though as the best. Some of his routines are almost mesmerizing while being really funny cause he moves with such a grace.

 

[snuffbox]

Yeah, Carrey and Richards are in the pantheon. A small step below Curly, imo. And I think Lucy is on that level as well.

I was so into the Stooges as a kid that I'd get up at like 4am to watch episodes on TBS.

 

[Brocklock]

My dad loved them but I specifically remember TBS doing a long Stooges marathon around 1993 when I was five that my dad taped. And I remember watching some live and then just rewatching the tape over and over again.

Bah gawd the Los Angeles Times still have the preview for it from 93

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-10-17-tv-46592-story.html

 

[King Kamala]

Channel 38 (which was like the New England equivalent of WGN or the original WTBS) used to air Three Stooges marathons on New Year's Eve in the '80s and '90s and my dad would tape it and we'd watch them occasionally. I was mostly stoked watching them in the '00s for the vintage ads.

Also Three Stooges have to be up there with Rush for most heavily male fanbase. I haven't met a single female that didn't think the Three Stooges were stupid.

 

[King Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1419783935567962114

 

[snuffbox]

I remember seeing that ad in a Stooges history book.

 

[King Kamala]

I learned on an old episode of Gilbert Gottfried's podcast that was just reposted, of all places, that Hollywood legend said Ted Healy was beaten to death in a barfight by a young Cubby Broccoli, Wallace Beery, and mobster Pat DiCicco. What an weird old Hollywood story.

 

[King Kamala]