Curly Howard Movies

Perhaps the most thorough (and least hokey) of the many TV Three Stooges retrospectives, this NBC special not only concentrates on the most popular members of the comic trio -- Jerry "Curly" Howard, Moe Howard, and Larry Fine -- but also provides generous and laudatory screen time to Curly's successors, Shemp Howard, Joe Besser, and Curly Joe DeRita. As the title indicates, the special covers the years from the Stooges' apprenticeship with comedian Ted Healy, their 25-year tenure with the Columbia Pictures short-subject department, their spectacular comeback in the late '50s thanks to TV exposure of their old films, and their "first love," performing before live audiences all over the world. The film clips shown herein are in pristine condition, and many have not been shown publicly for decades, notably the Stooges' guest appearance on the 1955 syndicated TV series The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre and Jack Linkletter's interview with Moe Howard and his family on a 1960 episode of the CBS early-morning program On the Go. Also included are interviews with such dyed-in-the-wool Stooge fans as the Farrelly brothers, Saturday Night Live's Tracy Morgan, and Michael Chiklis, who played Curly Howard in 2000 TV biopic. Narrated by Woody Harrelson, The Three Stooges' 75 Anniversary Special was originally slated to air in November 2002, but for obscure reasons was withheld from view for nearly six months; rest assured, however, that it was well worth waiting for. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This compilation film includes clips of the Three Stooges from musicals and comedies such as Beer and Pretzels, Dancing Lady, Nertsery Rhymes, and Plane Nuts, all filmed in 1933, and the Big Idea (1934), and others. Included along with excerpts of the Stooges' slapstick acts are musical numbers featuring chorus lines and typical Busby Berkeley-style choreography. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Filmed in 1946 but held over until January of 1947, Half-Wits Holiday proved a rather sad occasion for the Three Stooges. A remake of the earlier Hoi Polloi, in which a professor wages that he can turn the three dimwits into perfect gentlemen. Sadly, Curly Howard, who had been ailing all year, suffered a stroke on the last day of filming. Supporting actor Emil Sitka, who made his debut with the team in this film, remembered: "No one -- including Moe, Larry, and Jules White -- ever told us how serious his condition was. It was only after the picture had been completed that I found out he took ill." Producer/director White managed to finish the last scene -- the inevitable pie-fight featuring the Stooges' main victim Symona Boniface (as Mrs. Smythe-Smythe) -- by dividing the action between Moe Howard and Larry Fine and inserting reaction shots of the various bystanders. Curly Howard never returned to the series as a member of the team -- he later agreed to a couple of cameos while visiting his former workplace -- and was replaced by brother Shemp. Perhaps the most beloved Stooge, Jerome "Curly" Howard died at the young age of 48 in 1952. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The Three Stooges are inept electricians in this comic short. That's no surprise since their last jobs were as peanut brittle breakers. After everyone, including the boss, gets shocked at least once, the boys are finally fired. This trying experience inspires them to take a vacation and they wind up at Mallard's Rest Home. But Dr. Mallard (Kenneth MacDonald, a frequent Stooges' villain) is a quack and only wants to take money from his rich patients. He assigns two nurses to the Stooges, which sends them into paroxysms of ecstasy until the nurses enter -- they're men. The next morning, in the gym, the Stooges promptly knock their male nurses silly with some weights, and then discover that the place is a sham and have to escape Mallard and his henchmen. Curly cures a wealthy man's bad foot when he collides with his wheelchair, and the grateful man gives him a thousand-dollar reward. When Curly suggests using the money to take a nice, long rest, his pals bean him. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

In their first released two-reel comedy of 1946, the Three Stooges are jailed for bootlegging. Their combined efforts to escape makes up the bulk of the comedy, which was heavily augmented with stock footage from So Long Mr. Chumps and In the Sweet Pie and Pie, old footage becoming an increasing occurrence in the series. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The Three Stooges -- Moe, Larry, and Curly -- become suicidal when thrown out of the 26th vaudeville theater in a row in this average two-reel farce from Columbia Pictures. Deciding to "off" themselves from the roof of a high-rise building, they encounter a trio of chorus girls (Gloria Patrice, Ruth Godfrey, and Nita Bieber) who have reached the same conclusion. While discussing how and when to jump, the sextet is rescued by Mr. Walsh (Jack Norton), a gentleman "afflicted with millions," who auditions them for his upcoming musical show. Unfortunately, the theatrical backer is as "nutty as a nest of cuckoos" and is summarily taken away to the loony bin. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

This was Curly Howard's next to last film as a member of the Three Stooges. He would collapse from a stroke while filming Half-Wits Holiday, and his illness would end his career. Even though he wasn't well during his last few shorts, Curly's comic timing was usually flawless, and he's especially hilarious here disguised as a Rajah. The time is supposedly 1642, but when the Stooges are washed up onto Dead Man's Island from a wrecked garbage scow, they are dressed as sailors circa 1946 (when the film was made). Curly immediately displeases the governor (Vernon Dent) by flirting with his fiancée, Rita (Christine McIntyre), and he sentences all three of them to death. Rita doesn't want to marry the governor, so she gives the boys tools (including an electric drill) so they can escape from their cell. Unfortunately, they choose the wrong wall and wind up right back in their cell. So Rita disguises them as "wayfarers from a strange land" -- apparently somewhere around India. They talk in gibberish and offer the governor a raspberry lollipop, which he mistakes as a ruby (he's delighted because he's never been given the raspberry before). Only after they're gone does he discover that they are the sailors he wants dead. He enlists the help of Black Louie the pirate, and the boys wind up in a tense situation at a saloon. But they battle it out, and with Rita's help they emerge victorious. Moe, however, has decided he wants to stay; he proclaims himself emperor and a mallet immediately comes down and smashes him on the head. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

In this musical, a struggling young singer falls in love with a nightclub owner whose father mistakes her for someone else and tries to convince her to serve a summons at the club. Fortunately, the love between the youngsters prevails. Music and happiness ensues. Songs include: Stormy Weather" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) and "Just a Little Fond Affection" (Elton Box, Desmond Cox, Lewis Ilda), Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five with "Don't Worry About the Mule" (William Davis, Duke Groner, Charles Stewart), "A Tender Word Will Mend It All" (Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts) "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh), "Oh, Brother" (Matt Melneck, Allie Wrubel), "After All This Time" (Paul DeFur, Ken Thompson), and "Caledonia" (Fleecie Moore). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A little over a year after this Three Stooges short was made, Curly Howard would suffer a stroke and go into retirement. But even though he was often ill during this period, he still did some of the best work of his career. He's in top form for this comedy, a favorite among Stooge fanatics. The Stooges are not-very-handy handymen who decide they'd rather play around in a recording studio than fix a radiator. An aspiring singer (Christine McIntyre) has just recorded "The Voices of Spring," and Curly does a fine job of lip synching to the record. He's overheard by a society matron who is looking for a singer for her "Krispy Krunchy" program; after the Stooges dub Curly "Señorita Cucaracha," he gets the job. He goes over to the matron's home that night to perform with his accompanists -- "Señor Mucho" (Larry Fine) and "Señor Gusto" (Moe Howard). When one of the performers from the radio station tries to sing, the boys shoot cherries into his mouth so that he chokes. The performer gets back at them by unplugging the record player during Curly's performance. However, the "Voices of Spring" singer is at the party and she helps them out. The ruse is discovered and the young singer's talent wins the approval of her father. The Stooges, meanwhile, are chased off in a shower of records. This was the second Stooges short to be directed by Edward Bernds, but the first to be released -- Curly was ill and performed poorly in A Bird in the Head, the initial short. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

The Three Stooges co-star with a bear for much of this short. It begins in a courtroom where Moe is on trial for assaulting Curly and Larry (one wonders why this premise didn't occur earlier to any of the Columbia shorts writers). "I'm a sick man," Moe insists, and he tells his story -- his nerves are shot and he has been on any number of medications and elixirs in an attempt to calm them. Unfortunately, he's living with Larry and Curly, who are "The Original Two-Man Quartet," and their rehearsals are nothing less than jarring. After Moe wraps the slide to the trombone around Curly's neck, they all decide to find peace and quiet by going hunting in the forest. According to Larry, they've found the perfect spot -- there's a sign that says it's "fine for hunting." But their attempts to commune with nature mostly involve just one bear, who eats the food off their table when Moe's not looking, and then scares the bejeezus out of all of them. When they jump in their car to escape the beast, it's in the back seat. Everyone bails from the car, except the bear, who takes about 50 yards to wreck it. Back in the courtroom, Moe has finished this sorry tale and the sympathetic judge lets him off. Moe is given back "Exhibit A" -- his ax -- and he chases Larry and Curly out of the courtroom with it. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

In this patriotic two-reel comedy, the Three Stooges are labeled 4-F by the draft board, aiding the war effort instead by becoming farmers. Operating a run down ostrich ranch, the Stooges manage to catch a group of Japanese escapees. Rustic comedians Bob McKenzie and Emmett Lynn joined the Stooges in one of the team's lesser efforts. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Although this isn't one of the better Three Stooges shorts, it still has its moments. The boys play bellhops at "Hotel Snazzy Plaza," and fight with each other to get an opportunity to give special service to an attractive woman. Unfortunately, she has a mean-tempered husband who happens to be a knife thrower. He is also secretly importing a wolf man -- he assures his wife that the monster is not dangerous unless he hears music. Later on, when the Stooges are cleaning up the room, they turn on the radio, which enrages the wolf man who breaks free from his cage. The creature disturbs a couple of sleeping women, and one of them reports him as a burglar. The Stooges cause quite a bit of wreckage either pursuing or being pursued by the creature, and there is one really great moment where the wolf man mirrors Curly's actions from the other side of a frame which has lost its mirror. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide