Facts About The Three Stooges That Hardcore Fans Don't Even Know

Nowadays, The Three Stooges are a household name. Back in the day, though, they weren't as widely regarded as they are now. Still, diehard fans will always remember them for their wacky adventures and bizarre antics, yet there's still a lot that people don't know about the Stooges...

Posthumous Walk of Fame

Despite having a huge following and claim to fame, it took The Three Stooges until 1983 to get their rightful star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Unfortunately, none of the original Stooges were alive to see their own star in Hollywood. At one point, they were so offended at their lack of acknowledgment that a running joke they had was about painting a star in the middle of Hollywood and Vine for themselves. 

The Fight for Their Star

Even though Moe and Curly Howard and Larry Fine all passed away without their recognition, that didn't mean that people weren't fighting for it anymore! Mo's daughter, Joan, wrote a letter to persuade officials that the Stooges deserved the spot on the walk. Steve Allen, Carl Reiner, Tim Conway, Arte Johnson, and Mel Brooks were also huge, notable advocates for the Stooge's star.

Making Smart Business Moves

Yes, The Stooges were successful, but it wasn't just because of their comedy. These guys were notably big earners back in the day, mainly because of their "cheap" ways. They were known to reuse sets, costumes, and props for their bits. 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! 

These guys were no holds barred when it came to reusing people's props and sets. In order for them to be such a high earning group, being able to reuse sets and props were a huge part in that. If anything, this should encourage more studios to reuse old props! Save some money and save the Earth!

The Great Depression

On a somewhat darker note, The Three Stooges rose to fame during the Great Depression. Americans needed a reason to smile, and the Stooges were the ones to rise to the occasion. They were able to relate to the ordinary person in a world that wasn’t made for them. 

Anti-Wealth, Anti-Rich

One reason they got so popular is that they weren’t afraid to make fun of the wealthy folks. In the Great Depression, that was a huge plus since the rich folks were the ones who weren’t affected. They were the average person's outlet, relatable and relieving at the same time.

I Love Lucy and The Three Stooges

Lucille Ball wasn’t a very big name until her feature in Three Little Pigskins back in 1934. They basically gave her a chance and ultimately gave her her big break! 

Larry’s Gambling

Despite being the “happiest” of the bunch, Larry didn’t avoid all of the hardships. He ended up having a horrific gambling addiction which forced him into bankruptcy after the Stooges had ended. 

Least Successful

Despite being a household name, they were definitely the least successful. Columbia severely underpaid them and didn’t support them as much as they could. If they had a studio that backed them, who knows what could have happened?

No Respect

After Moe was fired by Columbia, he wanted to go in and say goodbye to the executives, but he wasn’t even allowed into the building because he didn’t have a current pass. How depressing. 

The Three Stooges Cartoon

The Stooges even became cartoons at one point! The Three Stooges cartoon came out in 1965. Unfortunately, it didn’t take off as well as their other stuff, though.

Marriages

All of the Stooges had long and prosperous marriages (well, besides Curly.) Moe was married to his wife, Helen, for 50 years. Larry was married to his wife, Mabel, for 41 years. Shemp was married to his wife, Gertrude, for 30 years. 

A Whole New Genre

Fans of the "splatstick" horror genre that The Evil Dead falls into can be grateful for the Stooges, weirdly enough. The gore, horror, and comedy film turned into a cult classic, just like the Stooges! The entire franchise consists of three movies, video games, comic books, and a TV series.

Horror Influencers

A lot of comedians (well, back in the day) would credit the Stooges as influencers in their craft, but did you know that some horror genres were inspired by their work, too? Famous filmmaker Sam Raimi used his love for the Stooges to inspire The Evil Dead franchise. 

Milton Berle

Famous American comedian Milton Berle did a cameo on one of their skits. While they were filming, Milton slapped Moe so hard that his front tooth cracked! And no, that wasn't part of the act. 

The Stooges and Shakespeare 

Moe was actually doing Shakespeare at an early age! He dropped out of high school and joined an acting troupe on a riverboat called the Sunflower. Moe began his Shakespeare work while on the boat.

Dubbed Sounds

The Stooges absolutely did their own stunts, but sometimes, it just wasn't good enough. They definitely slapped each other silly, but the crazy sounds were actually dubbed over. Moe was the one to say that they didn't sound intense enough, so they opted to dub over the sounds. 

Matching The Sounds to the Pain

Sound effects were dubbed in after they filmed to add a dififerent feel to the gag. Sometimes, Moe would fake the slap, other times, he would do it for real. He did this just to keep them on their toes! 

A Real Estate Man

After The Stooges began to dry up, Moe didn't want his finances to do the same. So, he entered the real estate world just to keep his assets where he could see them. Can you imagine buying a house from Moe? 

Moe's Death

Moe ended up passing away at the age of 77 after his successful acting and real estate career. Even after the Stooges were pretty much done, he still picked up some acting bits here and there. He lost his battle with lung cancer and was in the middle of writing an autobiography called, "I Stooged to Conquer." 

The Hair Story

Obviously, the Stooges hair is probably the biggest indicator of who they are. This was simply part of the act, even tho it was their real hair. Moe even kept this famous haircut well into his retirement. 

Iconic Cuts

You can put these haircuts on any three men and people will know exactly who they are supposed to be. Nothing goes better together than crazy curly hair, a bowl cut, and a shaved (or bald!) head. That's probably why most adaptions of the Stooges work...the hair is instantly recognizable. 

When Improvisation Turns into a Gag

Most people would know Curly best for his "panicked" running around in circles gag. As it turns out, this was just Curly's go-to when he forgot his lines. Well, at first. The fans loved it so much that it turned into a reoccurring gag. 

Writing It In

In later films, the running around gag was actually written into the script and was made Curly's gag. A lot of the time, their gags were improvised! Sometimes, the script would just read, "The Stooges enter and do their thing." They already knew what to do—that's what made it so good.

Larry's Curly Hair

Another joke was that Larry's name probably should have been named Curly. But then again, what's the fun in that? Larry's hair was au naturale. Well, for the most part. There was a good amount of teasing involved! 

Curly Did What He Had to Do

In a funny twist, Curly actually shaved his head to prove himself to the creator of the Three Stooges about how dedicated he was to the franchise. It worked, and Ted Healy hired him on the spot. Curly even had tons of facial hair that he had to sacrifice for the role, too.

Larry's Death

Larry ended up getting a stroke just before they finished filming the comeback film. He ended up becoming paralyzed from the stroke and whatever he shot had to be worked into the film. He ended up passing away at 72 shortly after.

About Larry

Larry's real name is Louis Feinberg, but he went under the moniker Larry Fine since it was more "Hollywood friendly." In the 70s, Larry was a huge hand in putting together a comeback for the Stooges. Unfortunately, he would never see it come to fruition. 

Larry Was a Wonderful Violinist 

Larry wasn't a natural violinist, in fact, he actually fell into it totally by accident. When he was little, Larry accidentally spilled corrosive materials on his arm that ate away his flesh, down to the muscle...

That's What He's Known For!

Luckily, he was able to get a skin graft. In order to heal and strengthen the damaged muscle, his doctor instructed him to take up the violin since he would be using that specific muscle. Turns out that did the trick, and he ended up having a knack for the violin! 

Natural Dancers

Obviously, everyone was a wonderful performer, but everyone could agree that Larry was the best dancer of them all. In fact, he would usually be late to set because he was too busy dancing the day away at the closest ballroom. Larry loved to dance so much that even in his last days stuck in a wheelchair, he would still be dancing away to the music in the nursing home. 

Famous Family

Moe ended up marrying the cousin of Harry Houdini. At the time, they were both at the top of their careers, albeit in slightly different industries. It’s not known if Houdini and Moe actually met, but we like to think that they did! 

Pie Math

In order to get the most out of their materials and filming time, Moe took it upon himself to create a scientific method for the art of pie-throwing. He accounted for the weight of the pie and the distance of the one getting the pie in the face. Not only was this efficient for time, but it was efficient for their budget! 

Getting Poked in the Eyes

This was one of the most well-known gags from the Stooges. If you’re a millennial, you probably remember this gag from all of your cartoons growing up! This came to be because Moe watched Shemp poke Larry in the eyes during an argument over a game of cards. Moe laughed so hard that he fell through a glass door. They had to use it in a bit! 

Utilizing Stunt Doubles

The Stooges liked doing their own stunts…usually. When the writers pitched the idea of the Stooges getting run over by a gaggle of huge Football players, the guys knew that they wanted to let the stunt doubles for this one. Good thing they did, too, because the stunt doubles ended up getting broken bones and cracked ribs. Woof. 

Curly’s Physical Comedy

Curly was most known for his physical comedy, hilarious catchphrases, and funny faces. What most people don’t know is that his comedic limp was actually a real limp that he was trying to mask. When he was 12, he shot himself in the ankle while cleaning his rifle. He didn’t go to the doctor for it and ended up keeping the limp.

Fake Props, Real Injuries

A lot of the more dangerous props that they used were obviously fake. That was just so they could avoid injury, but that didn’t always work. Larry actually got a fountain pen stuck in the back of his head after a dartboard joke.

Critics Aren’t Always Right

Unsurprisingly, the critics hated the Stooges, but the fans loved them. The critics only gave up when the gang racked in that Oscar nomination. Let the people enjoy the goofy antics of The Three Stooges, won’t you?

Do It Till You Die

Back in the day, studios didn’t really care for the health and wellness of their actors. Naturally, the Stooges ended up getting hurt pretty frequently. One time, Curly ended up getting six stitches in his head after an on-set accident. He was back to work on the same day! 

Painful Pies

Even though Moe did his best to perfect his scientific method, it wasn’t always 100% accurate. The pies that missed their target were swept up and put back into the same pan, which meant that random objects could get into the pie as well, including rusty nails. Ouch! 

Shemp Howard

Shemp Howard, born Samuel Horwitz, was part of the original Stooges trio. He had a lot of health issues that made him take a hiatus every now and then from the group. After he passed away in 1955 at the young age of 60, his younger brother, Curly, took his spot permanently. 

The Famous Catchphrase

“Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk!” That famous catchphrase is just one of the other super-famous gags that Curly improvised. Even though all of the Stooges were extremely talented, Moe and Larry always commended Curly for being the most creative.

About Ted Healy

Ted Healy was largely responsible for the success of The Three Stooges. Healy was not the most well-liked. In fact, Healy's alcoholism brought him to the point of being generally unpleasant most of the time. No one really knows how he died, but many assume it was from a drunken fight. 

The Burger Joint

Once the Three Stooges sort of came to an end, Larry and Moe weren’t really sure what to do. They decided to go onto a business venture that led them to the Stoogeburgers. It was basically a flop and never took off, unfortunately. 

Splitting the Money

When they were first signed, they were told that they would earn $1000 per week. Unfortunately, they realized that meant $1000 for all of them. Once they were big wigs, they earned a heftier pay. 

All Three Howards: Together

The Three Stooges was, in fact, a family affair, but there’s only one scene with all three of them together! Curly was simply a sleepy train passenger in the background. 

Curly Was a Child Star

Apparently, acting is very important to the Horwitz! Curly began his career as a child actor in vaudeville when he was just seven years old. That certainly set him up for success! 

Hitler Wasn’t a Fan

In a short in 1940, the trio made fun of the German dictator. Naturally, Hitler didn’t take kindly to being made fun of and put them on his own personal “list.” That’s a bit scary, but I doubt the gang cared too much. 

A Possibly Third Stooge Was No Fun

After Shemp passed away and Curly left briefly, they tried to go as the Two Stooges. That didn’t work, so they wanted to recruit a third Stooge. One man, Joe Besser, was going to step in but he had a “no-violence clause.” Well, that defeats the purpose, doesn’t it? “I never was the type of comic to be hit by a pie,” he had said. 

Stooges Museum

In 2004, the Stoogeum was erected in the Philadelphia suburb, Ambler, Pennsylvania. Founder Gary Lassin married Larry Fine’s great-niece in 1981 and was a fan of the group. He ended up getting over 100,000 items that related to their time as the Stooges. 

Moe’s Mom Wanted a Girl

When Moe was younger, his mother wanted a girl. So, she (hopefully subconsciously?) let his hair grow long and curly. After a while, he started getting bullied at school so he formed his famous bowl cut. So, it wasn’t just for the show, it was a part of his personality as a whole. 

The Lifestyle Was Harming Curly 

Curly ended up getting a lot of horrible head injuries throughout his time with the Stooges. Every stunt was a factor in every cerebral hemorrhage that he suffered. His doctors advised him to take a break from filming, but Curly rarely stayed off of his feet for very long. This, eventually, was his demise. 

Overly Bitter Ex-Manager

When Healy was cast aside by the Stooges, he did not handle it well. They went on to make a deal with Fox without Healy, and he was not pleased. In fact, after their falling out, Healy promised to bomb any theaters where the Stooges were performing. 

The Grandchildren

Sadly, none of the grandchildren of the Stooges get along, even though some of them are blood-related. They’ve all filed lawsuits against each other over profit stealing. Yikes! 

Curly Was a Ladies Man

Curly was somewhat of a notorious ladies man who also got married a bunch of times. He was married and divorced three times and was married for a fourth time when he died in 1952. 

Columbia Was Sketchy

After they fired the Stooges, Columbia still had a whopping 18 months worth of footage that they could use… and they did. They profited off of the Stooges and pocketed the money. 

Harry Cohn 

Cohn was the head of Columbia Pictures at the time that the Stooges were in business. Curly had suffered several strokes, but Cohn forced him to continue working. He was famously a huge jerk and “ran the studio like a pimp.”

Larry Was Heartbroken

Larry was with his wife, Mabel, for many years before she passed away from a heart attack while the Stooges were on tour. Larry was so upset, heartbroken, and sick over the ordeal that he ended up suffering a stroke… The very stroke that left him wheelchair-bound until he passed away.

Curly’s Nickname

Curly’s nickname came to fruition when Moe overheard Healy call him “girlie.” Obviously, he thought he had called him Curly and jumped on the joke of a bald man being called curly. 

All of their Deaths