Why did Shemp replace Curly?
Justin Wong
MANGLER19
John Spillane
comedian alive new the act better.Third of all.No one could ever replace
Curly except for one man in my mind.My favorite stooge of
all.Shemp. "Shemp Fever Catch-it."
John Spillane
Re: My apologies!!I misread the ques.I tought he was implying why not
someone else. Yes it was because Curly suffered a stroke in 1946.
D. Kirkpatrick
<ara...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> like the title says, why did Shemp replace Curly?
Shemp was the original third Stooge before the troupe had the now-famous
name. He left the group before their film career started back in the late
20s.
He was replaced in the act by brother Jerry (Shemp, Moe, and Curley-Jerry)
were brothers in real life. The group then became part of the act known
as Ted Healey and his Stooges. Several films were made under the Ted
Healey name.
In 1929 they had left Healey and were on their own and made a short called
"Women Haters" done completely in rhyme. It was not until the next short
that they were titled as the Three Stooges.
After 2 strokes left him incapacitated, Curly was forced to retire in 1948
or 49. Authoratative posters will correct me here but I'm in the
ballpark.
By then Shemp had already been featured in his own shorts and as a
character player in other films. One of note is his portrayal of the
bartender in the W.C. Fields movie, "The Bank Dick".
Shemp came in then in '49 and remained with the act until his passing away
in 1955 of a heart attack.
He was then replaced by Joe Besser who was with the Stooges from 55 to
about 57 or 58.
Besser left the act to remain at home with an ill wife and was replaced by
Joe (Wardell) DeRita who remained with the act through the 60s and 70s.
DMK
Gail
Ted Healy in 1934 the same year they signed with Colombia pictures.
After a major stroke in 1946, Curly was forced to retire and brother
Shemp replaced him ( but your right, Curly possibly suffered a series of
mini-strokes prior to then according to several sources ). Shemp died
suddenly in 1955 of a massive heart attack. Joe Besser was then selected
by Moe to replace Shemp in 1957 and lasted only a year due to his wife
falling health. Curly died in 1952. Larry suffered a debilitating stroke
while filming "Kooks Tour" in 1971 and was forced to retire as well as
Moe. But both made personal appeareances as singles, especially Moe.
Larry and Moe both passed away in 1975 due to a stroke induced coma and
lung cancer, respectively . Whew ! Hope this helps !
Gail aka Omay
James L. Neibaur
>After a major stroke in 1946, Curly was forced to retire and brother
>Shemp replaced him ( but your right, Curly possibly suffered a series of
>mini-strokes prior to then according to several sources ).
Absolutely. It shows in his work. Notice the lackluster performances he gives
in 1945-46 films like Monkey Businessmen and Three Loan Wolves. Even his
better performances during that year -- MicroPhonies and Three Little Pirates
-- are not up to the level of ten (or even five) years before.
>Shemp died suddenly in 1955 of a massive heart attack. Joe Besser was then
>selected by Moe to replace Shemp in 1957 and lasted only a year due to his
wife's
>falling health.
Not altogether true, though widely reported. The shorts ceased production in
1957 and were released to TV the following year. They were a huge success on
TV, so the boys decided to reform, tour and make features. Joe Besser told me
that the reason he did not go back with the Stooges at that time was because he
was committed to do the film Say One For Me. His wife was not ailing. But the
ailing-wife story is the one that has long been reported, even in the best of
sources. For what it's worth, his wife outlived him by a few years. Anyway,
that is how Joe DeRita came on board.
>Curly died in 1952. Larry suffered a debilitating stroke
>while filming "Kooks Tour" in 1971 and was forced to retire as well as
>Moe. But both made personal appeareances as singles, especially Moe.
>Larry and Moe both passed away in 1975 due to a stroke induced coma and
>lung cancer, respectively .
After the stroke that forced Larry into retirement, Moe thought about reforming
the act with Emil Sitka as Larry's brother Harry. The first project was
something in the Phillipines; a deal which fell through. The second film, The
Jet Set, was set to go, but Moe died before production began. The Stooges were
replaced by The Ritz Brothers, and the subesequent film was released as Blazing
Stewardesses. I have never seen it. Joe Besser died in 1988, DeRita died in
1993, Emil Sitka died in 1997.
Incidentally, the alleged circumstances surrounding Larry's final stroke are --
well -- interesting, but I sure as heck won't post them in here. You'll have
to Email me for that story.
JN
visit my Favorite Movies web page:
http://hometown.aol.com/jimneibr/myhomepage/movies.html
and my Favorite Performers web page:
http://hometown.aol.com/jimneibr/myhomepage/rant.html
D. Kirkpatrick
> Whew ! Hope this helps !
As was hoped - someone with a better handle on tiem lines came to the rescue.
Regards
DMK
Bobster123
of Shemp returning as the third Stooge because they felt he looked too much
like Moe.
THarri3779
>name. He left the group before their film career started back in the late
>20s.
>
Actually, he left the group before their film career started in the 30s.
(And Shemp did make one feature with Moe & Larry, SOUP TO NUTS, before the
Curly era started)
Salt of the Earth
Who else but look-like brothers could pull off the twin-pouting
scene in "Malice"? And probably plenty of other scenes to take
advantage of their similar looks.
--
Salt of the Earth
sse...@mindless.com
om...@bellsouth.net
Moe. But I guess the head stooge put his foot down: " No Shemp, no more
Stooges !! "
Gail
rt...@my-deja.com
Shemp replacing Curly left out one fact.
Curly had his massive stroke while filming "Half Wits Holiday (a remake
of the short "Hoi Polloi.") If you notice, only Moe and Larry are in
the final pie fight. That was officially Curly's last short.
However.... Curly *did* return in a cameo part in the short "Hold That
Lion." Larry, Shemp, and Moe come upon this man asleep on a train with
a hat over his face. The man's snoring sounds a *LOT* like Curly.
They pull the hat off the man's face, and sure enough, it's Curly.
(With a full head of hair, no less!) For trivia buffs, that was the
only short in which all 3 brothers, Curly, Shemp and Moe, appeared
together.
Please Email me with the story of Larry's last stroke. It sounds
intriguing. Thanks!!
Alan in Sacramento
In article <19991126202636...@ng-cn1.aol.com>,
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Lou Schneider
Neibaur) wrote:
>Incidentally, the alleged circumstances surrounding Larry's final stroke are --
>well -- interesting, but I sure as heck won't post them in here. You'll have
>to Email me for that story.
Many thanks...
Lou Schneider
lo...@compuserve.com
James L. Neibaur
Lion." Larry, Shemp, and Moe come upon this man asleep on a train with
a hat over his face.
And, interestingly enough, that scene was used via stock footage in Booty And
The Beast, a full year after Curly's death. But what the heck, footage of
Symona Boniface pops up in Pies and Guys (1957), after she had been gone nearly
8 years.