# The Enduring popularity of Three Stooges



## BAYLOR (Dec 25, 2014)

When I was a kid I used to watch the stooges religiously.  Their stock in trade, slapstick and sight gags combined with exaggerated sound  effects and props . Much of their of their work was done at Columbia pictures  There was  Moe . Larry, Curly  in the earlier incarnation of the trio  Shemp  had been with the act in the earliest days when they were managed by Ted Healy but he left  left and came back in 1946 when Curly took a stroke . When Shemp died in 1955 he was replaced by Joe Besser who while a good comedian, never quite meshed with the group. Later he was replaced by Joe Derita when they started  doing feature films. He stayed with group until the end.

More recently there was the 2012 Three Stooges film which which was a fun film.

Why do you think The stooges  remain so popular . Any stooge fans here ?


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## Brian G Turner (Dec 25, 2014)

I think I may have seen some when I was very young, but I really can't remember any impression of them.

How would you rate the 2012 film as an introduction to them? I could be tempted to hire that out for the family.


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## AnyaKimlin (Dec 25, 2014)

I have to confess to not being a massive fan.  My daughter's not hugely interested either because she loves Laurel and Hardy also when asked can reel off a long list of silent film stars.  (I only know Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton)


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## J Riff (Dec 26, 2014)

I know far too much about these guys. Since the fifties they have never left. There are moments, buried in their shorts, that are absolutely brilliant.
Of course, they were short-changed like almost nobody in the history of show biz. For ex. they never once had their own set, in 25 years, and were denied feature films repeatedly.
 The timing is so good it's invisible. You have to understand the cheapness of the studio - how the Stooges had to write their own stuff, redo old skits, and risk serious injury. They were injured badly a few times, all still viewable in the actual shorts. Moe falling off that table when the wire broke... he smashed his ribs in, yet got up, delivered his line, slapped Curly and Larry, and passed out.
 I was following them closely waaaaay back in the day and they were wonderful giving people in person. They tried to change their act when TV came along, so as to not scare children. They were an adult vaudeville act that made the transition to the modern world. The list of guest stars is impressive, and they all gave stellar performances. The Curly episodes are the most popular, but anything up until Shemp died is considered vintage Stooges.


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## Michael Colton (Dec 27, 2014)

Do they have enduring popularity? They are considered classics, but I wouldn't say they would qualify as 'popular' any longer. We probably have at least three generations over thirteen that have never seen and probably never will see any of them.


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## BAYLOR (Dec 27, 2014)

Michael Colton said:


> Do they have enduring popularity? They are considered classics, but I wouldn't say they would qualify as 'popular' any longer. We probably have at least three generations over thirteen that have never seen and probably never will see any of them.



I think their comedy antics do have a timeless quality .


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## Venusian Broon (Dec 27, 2014)

I can't remember them being shown much in the UK to tell you the truth. Even in the 70s when the telly needed all that 30's and 40's stuff to fill in even the tiny schedules that they had. Ones that were regularly screened were Laurel and Hardy, Charley Chaplin (helped I suppose that Stan and Mr Chaplin were both British) and going a bit further back I seem to remember the Beeb showing a great amount of Harold Lloyd. 

The Marx brothers, Abbot and Costello, Flash Gordon I remember being on a lot too, but the Stooges...no distinct memories of them unfortunately.


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## AnyaKimlin (Dec 27, 2014)

I'm far more likely to reference Laurel and Hardy in my comedy career than the Three Stooges or Tommy Cooper.   My daughter is eleven and goes for most of the others but shrugged at the Three Stooges.  Did they do some black and whites?  Think we used to get them in the afternoon on either Channel Four or the Welsh Channels.


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## J Riff (Dec 28, 2014)

They will be around forever and evah, NyukNyuk Nyaaaah!!!!
There's lots of documentaries, take one in. Like I said, they were ripped off, like most people in showbiz in them days. (ahem) Ripped off and abused but dey was troupers. Without the big$ backing that Marxes and others got, they outlasted and outdid them all. You have to dig a bit, into the 250 odd shorts, but the gold is there. I will post a list of suggested viewing, so's you can yuk it up without searching youTube for weeks on end.


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## BAYLOR (Dec 28, 2014)

Early on the stooges were oblivious to their own popularity, Harry Cohn at Columbia  kept them that way. He keep them on yearly yearly contracts and consequently was able to get away with paying them little money . The stooges helped boast the box office of columbia films .  In this era  with internet he, wouldn't been able to get away with any of that.

The short subject format extended their careers far longer. If they had done feature films instead , It's likely their popularity probably would have fizzled completely . Harry Cohn rightly figured out that their type of slapstick worked best in the short format . *Soup to Nuts*  a feature film they did for 20th Century Fox in 1930  wasn't very good.  Their type of comedy didn't work well in the longer format.


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## BAYLOR (Jan 4, 2015)

And who could forget the insanity of such Stooge Shorts as *Disorder in The Court    *which is a wonderful send up of court room dramas


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## J Riff (Jan 15, 2015)

I tried, but it is nigh impossible to categorize the Stooges episodes. Some of them have obscure titles, and use perhaps 3 sets, whatever films were on at Columbia at the time.
 Still, there are lots of things for people who have never seen them (is that really possible?) -to look for. The guest stars and regular crew are just as good as the boys. Maybe try _Punchy Cowpunchers_ 1950 w/Shemp, a typical western, in which Jock OMaHoney and Christine MacIntyre steal the show.




 Then leap back to 1934 and Curly, for_ Men in Black_, a hospital romp. (Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard!)
 Impossible to avoid Moe as Hitler (Moronica for Morons!) _You Nazty Spy_ 1940.
_Cash and Carry_ 1937, _Mutts to You_ 1938....
Hopeless. There's too many. Once you are 'on' to the Stooges, watch for the variations in multiple slap, eye-poke, etc. which get more inventive as the years go by. Another thing is animals, some of the best episodes guest star dogs, cats, parrots, monkeys, horses, lions.
Any show that ends with a monkey running amok with a machine-gun will always be okay in my book.


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## BAYLOR (Jun 28, 2015)

We could be getting a sequel to the 2012 FILM.


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## J Riff (Jun 29, 2015)

To start with, Stooges comedy is not 'slapstick' which is like the clown at the circus bit. They were an adult nightclub act, a farce, later a studio act with scripts, stunt doubles and the lot. The physical clobbering was no different than Chaplin, Fields, Marxes, anybody - they were just better at it.
 Realistically, The 3 Stooges brand of 'violence' was about as far as it should have gone - it was obviously in fun. The stuff kids watch today is much
much worse, some of it. Kids are inured, they see graphic stuff alla time, if I had brats around I would keep a sharp eye on their viewing habits.
 Mind, the Stooges were this way back in the day, they always told live audiences that they should never try their stunts at home. Derspite this, I'm aware of a few dimbulbs who imitated, went around clobbering people or kicking them, and Curly got belted a few times by idjit fans, which is the main reason he wanted out.
 I don't see a need for another film, it's too difficult to set Stooges into modern culture, without attaching them to blatant idiot fare like Jersey Shore.


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## BAYLOR (Jun 29, 2015)

J Riff said:


> To start with, Stooges comedy is not 'slapstick' which is like the clown at the circus bit. They were an adult nightclub act, a farce, later a studio act with scripts, stunt doubles and the lot. The physical clobbering was no different than Chaplin, Fields, Marxes, anybody - they were just better at it.
> Realistically, The 3 Stooges brand of 'violence' was about as far as it should have gone - it was obviously in fun. The stuff kids watch today is much
> much worse, some of it. Kids are inured, they see graphic stuff alla time, if I had brats around I would keep a sharp eye on their viewing habits.
> Mind, the Stooges were this way back in the day, they always told live audiences that they should never try their stunts at home. Derspite this, I'm aware of a few dimbulbs who imitated, went around clobbering people or kicking them, and Curly got belted a few times by idjit fans, which is the main reason he wanted out.
> I don't see a need for another film, it's too difficult to set Stooges into modern culture, without attaching them to blatant idiot fare like Jersey Shore.




People are still going to be watching them 100 years from now.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 20, 2022)

*A Plumbing  We Will Go   *that one really cracks me up and it never gets old.


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## AllanR (Nov 20, 2022)

*You Natzi Spy* is full of atrociously great puns.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 20, 2022)

AllanR said:


> *You Natzi Spy* is full of atrociously great puns.



And * I,ll Never Heil Again.  . *The Stooges were the first to spoof and make fun of Hitler and the Nazis. Its wonderful satire.


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## nixie (Nov 20, 2022)

I don't remember ever seeing the three stooges, Laurel and Hardy, Norman Wisdom, Harold Lyodd and Charlie Chaplin are the ones I remember most. Albert and Costello, Marx brothers I have vague recollection of.


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## AllanR (Nov 20, 2022)

nixie said:


> Albert and Costello


Their "Who's on first" routine is certainly well known.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 20, 2022)

AllanR said:


> Their "Who's on first" routine is certainly well known.



Yes it is and,  when they touring the UK , they adapted  there using Soccer instead of baseball .


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## BAYLOR (Nov 20, 2022)

nixie said:


> I don't remember ever seeing the three stooges, Laurel and Hardy, Norman Wisdom, Harold Lyodd and Charlie Chaplin are the ones I remember most. Albert and Costello, Marx brothers I have vague recollection of.



The Stooges existed as act  in some form or other from about late 1920's to about the Late 1960's Early 1970's .  The best  loved Store Combo is is Moe, Larry and Curry( Moe's younger brother Jerry ) .


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## AllanR (Nov 20, 2022)

The Stooges formed in 1967 --yuk yuk yuk


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## BAYLOR (Nov 20, 2022)

AllanR said:


> The Stooges formed in 1967 --yuk yuk yuk



I don't recall ever see Iggy Pop in any Three Stooges Short .  Hm, must have missed it .  Must make note to self to rewatch Stooge shorts to see if  he's in any of them.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 21, 2022)

Then there the  1960  Stooge related film *Stop Look and Laugh.  *


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## paranoid marvin (Nov 21, 2022)

I haven't seen too much of their stuff (mainly a Laurel and Hardy fan) but the epsiode ' I Can Hardly Wait' has me crying with laughter, especially the doorknob/tooth gag.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 21, 2022)

paranoid marvin said:


> I haven't seen too much of their stuff (mainly a Laurel and Hardy fan) but the epsiode ' I Can Hardly Wait' has me crying with laughter, especially the doorknob/tooth gag.



A Classic. 

Have you ever seen T*he Three Stooges mets Hercules* ? Its a terrific send up of the Sword and Sandals movie. And Beware the terrible Siamese Cyclops. 

The 2012 Stooge movie is worth checking out, its got some funny bits  and the actors did marvelous impression of Stooges. My favorite bit Moe Howard on the reality tension series  *The Jersey Shore* .


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## JunkMonkey (Nov 21, 2022)

Okay.  I'm always up to have my boundaries expanded*.  I have the idea that I find the idea of watching The Three Stooges about as funny and as appealing as watching my toenails growing (or being extracted).   But reading this thread I realised I have never actually _seen _a whole Stooges movie.  I've seen plenty of clips of three sad faced men hitting each other about the face and squealing with pretend indignation but never a whole movie.

If any fans could point me at THE film that they think would convince me I am wrong I will happily go watch it with an open mind as possible.

EDIT: To be upfront I find Laurel and Hardy and Abbot and Costello incomprehensibly unfunny too.  Buster Keaton and the Marx Bros on the other hand walk on water.



*“Try everything once, except folk dancing and incest.” ― Sir Thomas Beecham


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## AllanR (Nov 21, 2022)

The one I commented on earlier is only 18 minutes long, shorted than the missing Nixon tape!








						You Nazty Spy! - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


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## BAYLOR (Nov 21, 2022)

AllanR said:


> The one I commented on earlier is only 18 minutes long, shorted than the missing Nixon tape!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



This is a great comedy and  satire with sight gags galore.


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## BAYLOR (Nov 21, 2022)

JunkMonkey said:


> Okay.  I'm always up to have my boundaries expanded*.  I have the idea that I find the idea of watching The Three Stooges about as funny and as appealing as watching my toenails growing (or being extracted).   But reading this thread I realised I have never actually _seen _a whole Stooges movie.  I've seen plenty of clips of three sad faced men hitting each other about the face and squealing with pretend indignation but never a whole movie.
> 
> If any fans could point me at THE film that they think would convince me I am wrong I will happily go watch it with an open mind as possible.
> 
> ...



In the case of About and Costello , I recommend their comedy skit * Who's On First.*


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## JunkMonkey (Nov 22, 2022)

BAYLOR said:


> This is a great comedy and  satire with sight gags galore.



I suspect I would find the missing Nixon Tape funnier.  Sorry.  I tried.  The girl was a knockout but the rest was a laboured, plodding miserable waste of film.  The only visual gag that I liked was the medals on the back of the uniform.  That was a nice touch.  Other than that? Tumbleweed.


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## paranoid marvin (Nov 22, 2022)

One Laurel & Hardy short you might like to try is 'The Live Ghost'; for me this is them at their absolute peak, with Laurel in particular at his hysterical best. 


I do think though that humour is one of the defining things that make us human, and what makes us laugh (and what doesn't) is one of the mysteries of life. I like a lot of slapstick/visual comedy, which 3 Stooges, Laurel & Hardy and (what little I've seen) of Abbot and Costello. As much as the visual gags are funny, the expressions on their faces are priceless. Whereas the 'silent era' of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd - whilst I can appreciate just how much skill (and often personal risk) went into their work, I just can't find funny at all. I do find Groucho funny, especially when he gets into one of his routines with waggling eyebrows and cigar, but the other Marx brothers I don't find humorous at all.


I've also never been a fan of Peter Kay; just couldn't see what the fuss was about. I had a couple of friends who got me to watch a few episodes of Phoenix Nights; whilst they rolled in laughter, I could barely raise a smile. Some comedians we find funny, others we don't - often without any particular reason we can define.

But life would be boring if we all liked/disliked the same things.


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## BAYLOR (Dec 11, 2022)

paranoid marvin said:


> One Laurel & Hardy short you might like to try is 'The Live Ghost'; for me this is them at their absolute peak, with Laurel in particular at his hysterical best.
> 
> 
> I do think though that humour is one of the defining things that make us human, and what makes us laugh (and what doesn't) is one of the mysteries of life. I like a lot of slapstick/visual comedy, which 3 Stooges, Laurel & Hardy and (what little I've seen) of Abbot and Costello. As much as the visual gags are funny, the expressions on their faces are priceless. Whereas the 'silent era' of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd - whilst I can appreciate just how much skill (and often personal risk) went into their work, I just can't find funny at all. I do find Groucho funny, especially when he gets into one of his routines with waggling eyebrows and cigar, but the other Marx brothers I don't find humorous at all.
> ...



*The Live Ghost* , is classic 

I loved them in *Babes in Toy Land   *That film is absolutely psychotic


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## Harpo (Dec 11, 2022)

I much prefer Hellzapoppin


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## J Riff (Dec 11, 2022)

still funny if u leave out later versions, while Marx Bros. seem quite dated, you just can't beat a ...hey! NyaaAAAAAHHH!!!!


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## JimC (Dec 11, 2022)

I'm a lifelong fan.  Been watching them since the 1940s.


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## BAYLOR (Dec 11, 2022)

JimC said:


> I'm a lifelong fan.  Been watching them since the 1940s.


The head of Columbia studio Harry Coen was both the best and worst thing to happen to the Stooges . On the plus side , he kept them employed for many years because  kept doing Stooge shorts  long after other studies  ceased making short subject films . On the minus side , he paid them very little for their hard work.


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## BAYLOR (Dec 18, 2022)

My favor Moe Howard   quote    

" Every time you think , ya  weaken the nation. "


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## BAYLOR (Jan 1, 2023)

Leslie  Neilsen once hosted   a Three Stooges  television marathon.


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