The Three Stooges: Frequently Asked Questions
Dave Bushong
From: spam...@yahoo.com (Dave Bushong)
Newsgroups: alt.comedy.slapstick.3-stooges,alt.binaries.multimedia.3-stooges,news.answers,alt.answers
Subject: Welcome - Stooges please read this first
Followup-To: alt.comedy.slapstick.3-stooges
Summary: This posting describes the newsgroup
alt.comedy.slapstick.3-stooges, including where to find more
information. It should be read by anyone who wishes to post
to the Three Stooges newsgroups.
Expires: Fri, 1 May 1999 00:00:00 GMT
Supersedes: none
Archive-name: celebrities/3-stooges/welcome
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 1998/01/26
Version: 2.7
Copyright: (c) 1995-1998 Dave Bushong, all rights reserved
Maintainer: Dave Bushong (spam...@yahoo.com)
This list is maintained by Dave Bushong ( mailto: spam...@yahoo.com )
and is available on-line at
http://www.3-stooges.com/text/faq.html
alt.comedy.slapstick.3-stooges Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Which episode is it...?
This has to be the most frequently-asked question in all of its forms.
In particular, people want to know which episode is the "B I Bickey
Bye" episode (did you know that this song was not a Stooge original?),
or the "Slowly I turned" episode (neither was this bit a Stooge
original).
There is a summary of all 190 episodes in a five part series
beginning in
http://www.3-stooges.com/text/shorts1.html
These were compiled by Mitchell D. Shapiro ( msha...@crl.com ) who
graciously put them in the public domain.
The five parts contain:
Part 1 Introduction
Part 2 1934 - 1940 (Moe, Larry, Curly)
Part 3 1941 - 1947 (Moe, Larry, Curly)
Part 4 1947 - 1952 (Moe, Larry, Shemp)
Part 5 1953 - 1959 (Moe, Larry, Shemp), (Moe, Larry, Joe)
2. Weren't the Stooges related?
Yes, some were. Moe, Shemp, and Curly were brothers of a family
of five brothers. Neither of the other two brothers got into show
business.
3. Where can I find WAV files, images, or more info about the
Three Stooges?
You can check the Three Stooges Collectors Showcase at
http://www.3-stooges.com which maintains a comprehensive and
up-to-date link page to many other Stooge resources, as does
http://www.2xtreme.net/roberta/html/stooge.html . Another one to try
is http://dave83.simplenet.com/stooges .
You can read "The Stooge Chronicles" (out of print, originally by
Jeffery Forrester, now edited and updated by Dave Bushong) which
details the lives of the six Stooges and Ted Healy by browsing:
http://www.3-stooges.com/text/tsc1.html
4. How many Stooges were there?
Short answer: Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp, Joe, Curly Joe (6 total).
Moe and Larry were there for the Stooges' entire film career, but the
position of the "third Stooge" was filled by several people. After
Curly left the act, Shemp played the part, and after Shemp, there was
Joe, and finally Curly Joe. That makes six. In fact, there were
plans at one time for a seventh player, Emil Sitka (1915-1998), to
play the part of the man in the middle. This never was to be.
However, in vaudeville there was more than one act calling themselves
"Stooges" or even "The Three Stooges". Furthermore, our Stooges were
once part of an act called "Ted Healy and his Three Southern
Gentlemen" that consisted of Ted Healy, Moe, Larry, and Shemp. That's
right: Shemp. Soon Shemp moved on to other things, and Curly took his
place in 1932, before they ever made their first Columbia short.
The long answer? Even more complicated. The name "Three
Stooges" was in dispute in the 30's, and there were no less than
twenty so-called 'Stooges' groups doing vaudeville and other
engagements, enough such that Columbia (actually, Columbia's
lawyers) placed ads in several papers at the time announcing that
the name "The Three Stooges" and "Stooges" were trademarks.
Violators were subject to civil suits.
5. What were their real names?
Moe was born Moses Horwitz, and his brothers were Samuel (Shemp)
and Jerome (Curly). Larry was born Louis Feinberg. Joe "Not So
Haaaaard" Besser used his given name; Joe DeRita's real name was
Joseph Wardell. Moe was called "Harry" while he was growing up.
6. Are they still alive?
No. Joe DeRita was the last living Stooge, and he passed away in
1993. Emil Sitka, mentioned earlier, passed away on January 16, 1998.
Emil's passing brought an end of an age the The Three Stooges, as he
is the last living actor who worked with the (Columbia) Three Stooges.
7. How many episodes did they make?
The Stooges made a total of 190 "short subject" episodes with
Columbia - 97 with Curly, 77 with Shemp, and 16 with Joe. In
addition to these, there were feature-length films (at least 20),
and cartoons (156 as "The New Three Stooges"). They had
short parts in other movies and TV shows, ranging from a
five-second non-speaking part in "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World",
to semi regular appearances on the Ed Wynn show and the Frank
Sinatra show. They tried a TV series (Moe, Larry, Shemp), but
the pilot was the only episode that ever aired.
8. Why don't women like the Stooges?
That's not completely true. Women, in general, aren't into
physical humor, such as slapstick, the way men are. "There are
times that the Stooges have some funny lines, and I laugh at
that, but I just don't think that getting hit in the head with a
hammer is funny," says a borderline female Stooge fan friend of mine.
At the most recent Three Stooges Fan Club Convention, in Trevose PA,
roughly 20% of the crowd was female. In this newsgroup there are
frequent postings by female Stooge fans, and we have no idea how many
are silently watching from the sidelines.
9. There is a Three Stooges fan club?
Yes. The president is Gary Lassin and was recently interviewed by A&E
during a "Biography" episode about the Stooges. The Three Stooges Fan
Club Inc., P.O. Box 747, Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437.
You can contact Paul Gierucki, laugh...@aol.com , who made the
Biography special, for more information about the special.
Stooge Memorabilia and souvenirs can be purchased from Soitenly
Stooges! Call 1-800-3STOOGES for a catalog of Three Stooges
merchandise. If that number doesn't work, try (708) 432-9270.
Another place is the StoogeStore, 10220 Calera Road, Phila, PA
19114.
A list of other Stooge memorabilia sources can be found at:
http://www.3-stooges.com/sources/sources.html
Also try
http://www.advotec.com/stooges
10. Where can I buy videos of the Stooges?
Try VideoFinders (1-800-343-4727), or "Critics' Choice Video"
(1-800-367-7765).
If any store wants to be added to this list, send me email, and
some email addresses of some satisfied customers. I'd like the
list to be more than just two.
11. What books can I get about the Three Stooges?
Several books have been released by Maurer, until recently the
copyright owner of the Stooges. "The Three Stooges Scrapbook" lists a
short history and biographies of the Stooges, along with a
filmography. "Moe Howard and the Three Stooges" is an autobiography of
Moe, with some information not contained in other books. "Curly - An
Illustrated Biography of the Superstooge" is a biography of Curly (and
is one of the saddest books I've ever read).
12. What are the words to the "B-A-Bay" song?
This song, sung in "Violent is the Word for Curly", was called
"Swingin' the Alphabet". It happens to be, officially, the
first "music video", in that the sound track was recorded in a
studio, and the actors would lipsync to the playback during
filming. The words to the song, here spelled somewhat
phonetically, are:
B A Bay, B E Bee, B I Bicky By, B O Bo, Bicky By Bo B U Bu, Bicky
By Bo Bu.
Then it repeats for successive consonants,
C A Say, C E See, C I Sicky Sy, C O So, Sicky Sy So C U Su Sicky
Sy So Su
and so on. The rule is that you put each consonant in the
position of being joined with each vowel.
13. Who was Ted Healy?
Ted Healy was the comedian who gave the Stooges their start in
vaudeville. Ted had the rare gift of perfect comedic timing, and
many vaudeville comedians tried to imitate Healy's style. After
some years together, the act broke up and The Three Stooges went
out on their own.
There is disagreement as to the cause of his untimely death in
1937 -- some attribute it to complications arising from injuries
sustained in a brawl. Beth Healy tells us that "my grandfather's
death was ultimately attributed to kidney failure and not to the
injuries he sustained in the now-infamous celebration of my dad's
birth."
Turner Home Video has released a video of "The Lost Stooges" that
chronicles this period of time, mainly with MGM.
14. Is it OK to post binaries to the newsgroup
alt.comedy.slapstick.3-stooges?
As of February, 1997, there is a newsgroup that is better suited for
binary postings.
For all binary postings, use alt.binaries.multimedia.3-stooges
Please limit postings in alt.comedy.slapstick.3-stooges to text
postings related to the Three Stooges. In addition, it is entirely
appropriate to post a text message here saying that you just posted a
binary to a.b.m.3-s. In some cases, binary messages that are posted to
alt.comedy.slapstick.3-stooges will be cancelled.
15. What about flames (attacks or derogatory comments to others
who post)?
Believe it or not, flames are discouraged, except for those which
quote famous (or not-so-famous) Stooge lines. For example, it would
be acceptable to threaten to "tear out your tonsils" or to "gouge your
eyes out". Calling someone an "asshole" because he or she doesn't
know the name of the "Dr. Howard! Dr. Fine! Dr Howard!" episode is
considered bad manners. You will probably get your adam's apple torn
out if you do this. Use a different term, such as "mallet head",
"porcupine", "ignoramus", "puddinhead", "lamebrain", or "moron".
On the other hand, it is considered fair game to flame someone
who spams the newsgroup (see below).
16. What happens if you post a "Make Money Fast" or some kind
of commercial post to this newsgroup? What about non-commercial,
but obviously off-topic, or "spam" postings?
I'll tear your tonsils out. I'll gouge your eyes out. I'll MOIDER
you. Look, I'll explain it so even YOU can understand it: don't do
it. If you see such a posting, feel free to send a copy of this list
of questions and answers to them. Maybe several copies, if that's
appropriate.
Just to clarify this again: this newsgroup exists for the express
purpose of discussion about the Three Stooges, their episodes, their
supporting cast, and Three Stooges merchandise (including "for sale"),
whether licensed or not, public or private. Commercial postings are
only allowed if they directly relate to the Three Stooges. Off-topic
postings, such as "Make Money Fast", "XXX Web site addresses, and even
discussion about other comedy groups, are not wanted here. Postings
that are not consistent with the intent of this meaning will be
cancelled world-wide without explanation. This is not "thought
control" or "censorship"; to the contrary, you are free to post
anything you want, but if you do it here, it must be about the Three
Stooges somehow. As of the time of this writing, there are over
17,000 newsgroups available for your postings. Always pick the
newsgroup that is appropriate, and trust your newsgroup audience to
select the group that they want to read.
17. Which is your favorite Stooge?
Leslie Haire conducted a not-so-scientific poll on the newsgroup
during June, 1995, and came up with the following numbers:
Results of the Three Stooges poll:
First Place: Curley - 11 votes
Second Place: Larry - 5 votes
Third Place (tie): Shemp and Moe - 4 votes each
Tie for Fourth Place: Joe Besser - 0 votes, Joe DeRita - 0 votes
Total number of votes: 24
18. Does anyone like Joe Besser episodes?
No.
=============
Thanks to
Adam Schultz ( asch...@iu.net ), Beth Healy ( pene...@waga.net ),
Bob Patterson ( b...@impaccusa.com ), Bruce Laliberte
( bru...@3-stooges.com ), Carol Bowen ( cbo...@kodak.com ), Jack Harris
( rha...@iadfw.net ), Leslie Haire ( au...@FreeNet.Carleton.CA ),
Mark Mudgett ( mud...@bose.com ), Mitchell Shapiro ( msha...@crl.com
), Roberta Quadro ( rob...@2xtreme.net )
and others for providing the information in this FAQ.
Contact: Dave Bushong ( spam...@yahoo.com )
--
Dave Bushong
bushong at bigger dot com