The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid--20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. 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. The act started as Ted Healy and his Southern Gentlemen, consisting of Moe Howard, his brother Shemp, and Larry Fine. This threesome did one feature film entitled Soup to Nuts before Shemp left to pursue a solo career. He was replaced by his brother Curly and the trio became The Three Stooges. When Curly suffered a debilitating stroke in May 1946, Shemp returned, reinstating the original lineup until Shemp's death in November, 1955. Film actor Joe Palma was used as a temporary stand-in to complete four Shemp-era shorts before Joe Besser joined as the third Stooge. Joe DeRita ("Curly Joe") replaced Besser by 1958. The act regained momentum throughout the 1960s as popular kiddie fare until Larry Fine's paralyzing stroke in January 1970 doomed its resurgence. Larry died from a series of strokes in January 1975. Moe tried one final time to revive the Stooges with longtime supporting actor Emil Sitka in Larry's role, but this attempt was cut short with Moe's passing in May 1975. Stop! Look! and Laugh! is a 1960 feature-length Three Stooges compilation featuring Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard Eleven of the Stooges shorts were shown and bridged together with segments featuring Paul Winchell and his dummies, Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff. New York Stooges TV host Officer Joe Bolton (a staple of WPIX-TV through the early '70s) has a cameo as a customer in a cafe. The film provoked controversy due to a lawsuit filed by the Three Stooges, who claimed producer Harry A. Romm, who had produced their previous film Have Rocket, Will Travel, created the film without their knowledge or permission. Columbia Pictures, which would eventually distribute the film, apologized and admitted that it had made an error by putting together a compilation of Three Stooges shorts behind their backs. Both parties agreed to have the film released on July 4, 1960, and to provide the funding for the Three Stooges' then-newly-formed production company, Normandy Production. The repair scenes from Higher Than a Kite were utilized in Stop! Look! and Laugh!. The movie also aired on WCIU's Saturday night program Stooge-a-palooza, which was met with criticism and angry emails to the station according to host Rich Koz.

• published: 03 Feb 2014
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