Shemp Howard Movies
Brooklyn-born comedian Shemp Howard was the oldest of five sons of a Lithuanian immigrant couple. Shemp was a prankish kid who used humor to obscure the fact that he lived in mortal fear of practically everything, from automobiles to oceans. It is fortunate that he chose show business as profession, since he proved time and again to be utterly incapable of succeeding in any other line of work. Following the lead of his younger brother Moe, Shemp went into vaudeville with a blackface act. In 1922, Shemp and Moe were hired as stooges for comedian Ted Healy; three years later, Larry Fine joined the act, which graduated from vaudeville to Broadway. Since Healy liked his stooges to look as ridiculous as possible, he insisted that they each adopt an eccentric hairstyle. Shemp chose to part his hair down the middle and slick it into place with vaseline, a style he'd retain for the rest of his career. Shemp struck out on his own in 1932. Throughout the '30s, he was starred or featured in dozens of Vitaphone 2-reel comedies, where his growly delivery of lines, his incessant adlibbing and his homely "kisser" never failed to elicit loud laughter. In 1940, he signed a contract with Universal pictures, appearing in such films as Hellzapoppin' (1941), Pittsburgh (1942) and Arabian Nights (1942). Shemp was invariably hilarious in these films -- too hilarious for the tastes of such comedians as W.C. Fields and Lou Costello, who insisted that many of Shemp's best bits be consigned to the cutting room floor. While headlining his own series of Columbia 2-reelers in 1946, Shemp was asked by his brother Moe and Larry Fine to rejoin their old act, which by now had gained fame as The Three Stooges. Shemp's replacement in the act, his kid brother Curly, had suffered a stroke, and a new "patsy" was required to act as the target of Moe's physical assaults. Shemp remained with the Three Stooges from 1946 thorugh 1955, appearing in two-reelers, stage presentations, TV guest spots, and one feature film (Gold Raiders [1951]). Shemp Howard died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 60; even after his death, Shemp "starred" in four Three Stooges comedies, courtesy of stock footage from earlier films and a stand-in by the name of Joe Palma. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
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
- 1985
- PG
This comedy fuses Three Stooges clips with a storyline about a "Stooge Maniac" who is so obsessed with the comedians his sanity comes into question. Josh Mostel plays Stooge devotee Howard F. Howard, and Melanie Chartoff is Beverly, the woman of his dreams. Howard's condition is analyzed by Dr. Fixyer Minder (Sid Caesar) and for awhile the Stooge fanatic spends some time in a mental institution. Will this damage his love affair with Beverly? And will he know it if it does? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Mostel, Melanie Chartoff, (more)
- 1956
This was the last Three Stooges film in which Shemp Howard appears. The only catch is that Shemp died almost a year before appearing in this comic short (the footage was lifted from previous Three Stooges films). At least Columbia used one of the trio's funnier shorts, Dunked in the Deep, for most of the scenes. The boys play janitors who work at a newspaper office. They're begging the managing editor to be given a chance to become reporters. He promises to think about it over dinner. The phone rings while he is out and Moe answers -- it's one of the boss's men, giving him a scoop that some important documents have been stolen by foreign spies. It turns out that the spy with the microfilmed documents (Gene Roth) lives next door to the Stooges. He and the boys wind up as stowaways on an ocean liner. There's one apparently new scene in which Moe and Larry steal a fish off a diner's plate. The fish turns out to be fake, but that doesn't stop the two of them, or the spy, from eating it. After some funny moments lifted whole from Dunked in the Deep, the boys discover the microfilm and the spy is knocked out cold. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Ostensibly a remake, this Three Stooges comedy was basically stock footage from the earlier Who Done It? (1949) with a few new scenes added for good measure. Emil Sitka, Christine McIntyre (who had retired in 1954), and Duke York all appear in the old footage only. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1956
A remake with stock footage of the earlier Hokus Pokus (1949), this Three Stooges comedy once again featured Vernon Dent as the Great Svengarlic, a crook who hypnotizes the three dumbbells into helping him commit bank robbery. Filmed for this version were a couple of scenes featuring Columbia starlets Barbara Bartay, Beverly Thomas, and Bonnie Menjum. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Containing a wealth of stock footage from the earlier Malice in the Palace (1949), this Three Stooges two-reel comedy featured the boys attempting to save their girlfriends (Harriette Tarler, Diana Darrin, and Suzanne Ridgeway) from the evil Sultan of Pish Posh (Vernon Dent). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1956
A remake -- with plenty of stock footage -- of Brideless Groom (1947), Husbands Beware once again asks the burning question: Can Shemp of the Three Stooges find himself a wife in a matter of hours and qualify for a 50,000-dollar inheritance? Columbia stretched the plot rather thin this time, hiring Lu Leonard and Maxine Gates as Shemp's ferocious sisters who marry Larry and Moe. Christine McIntyre, appearing in a delightful slugfest with Shemp, and Emil Sitka appear courtesy of the stock footage. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1956
The Three Stooges play plumbers searching for a diamond ring in this two-reel comedy which added footage from the earlier A Plumbing We Will Go (1940), Vagabond Loafers (1948), and Half Wits Holiday (1948) to a few newly filmed scenes. In a desperate effort to keep the series alive, Shemp Howard, who had died of a heart attack in November of 1955, was doubled by veteran Stooges player Joe Palma. Christine McIntyre, Kenneth MacDonald, Dudley Dickerson, Symona Boniface (who had died in 1950), and Emil Sitka all appeared in the stock footage. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Containing a wealth of stock footage from the earlier Fuelin' Around (1949), this Three Stooges two-reeler features a gang of spies who mistake Larry for the inventor of a top secret rocket fuel. Christine McIntyre, who had retired from films in 1954, Philip Van Zandt, and Jock Mahoney all appeared in the stock footage, while new scenes were filmed featuring Gene Roth, Connie Cezan, Evelyn Lovequist, and Andre Pola. Producer/director Jules White should have stuck with the comedy's working title: "They Gassed Wrong." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1955
The final Three Stooges two-reel comedy of 1955 was only the second of the year to feature mostly new scenes. The boys play crime school graduates who recount their first -- and last -- case, Dragnet-style. Joining the police force, they are assigned to track down a master criminal, "The Eel" (Stooges regular Kenneth MacDonald), who is fond of disguising himself as a woman. They lose their slippery prey in a hotel, are booted off the force for incompetence, and obtain jobs as ditch diggers. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1955
As had become their habit, the Three Stooges revamped their old comedy shorts -- in this case 1948's Shivering Sherlocks -- by adding a couple of new scenes featuring the boys only, thus saving on almost everything including the supporting cast. As in the original comedy, the boys run amuck in Christine McIntyre's haunted house. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1955
In their first original comedy of 1955 (their first two releases had been revamped stock footage), the Three Stooges are members of a woman-haters club who fall in love with the same girl, a brassy gold digger (Jean Willes). Moe is conned into marrying the dame and the trio take their revenge, Stooges style. One of the best of the team's later comedies, Gypped in the Penthouse benefited from a vigorous performance from the redoubtable Miss Willes, a blonde actress who excelled in playing tough broads. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1955
For their first release of 1955, the Three Stooges dug out their old Fright Night (1947), filmed a couple of new scenes, and released it as a brand-new comedy short. Edward Bernds, who had helmed Fright Night, sued Columbia for director credit, a suit that was eventually settled out of court for paltry 2,500 dollars. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1955
With only a couple of new scenes added, this Three Stooges short comedy was actually 1948's I'm a Monkey's Uncle in disguise. The last purveyor of screen slapstick, Columbia's short subject department was feeling the competition from television by 1955. But the Stooges remained at the box office, especially if costs were cut to the bone. The results, unfortunately, were creaky, often disjointed efforts such as Stone Age Romeos. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Shemp is suffering from a case of bad nerves in this Three Stooges two-reel comedy, and Moe and Larry invite him on a disastrous camping trip. Except for a couple of added scenes, this was simply 1948's Pardon My Clutch under a new title. Matt McHugh and starlets Alyn Lockwood, Doris Revier, and Wanda Perry all appeared courtesy of the stock footage. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1955
In this two-reel comedy, released as a remake of Crime on Their Hands (1948), the Three Stooges are novice Scotland Yard detectives searching for a valuable diamond. In reality, Hot Ice actually is Crime on Their Hands, with added scenes from The Hot Scots (1948). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Following Gypped in the Penthouse, a rare original comedy short, the battle-fatigued Three Stooges returned to revamping one of their old shorts, Heavenly Daze (1948), by adding a few new scenes without going to the expense of hiring a supporting cast. The audience, according to producer/director Jules White, was none the wiser. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1954
For their final two-reel comedy of 1954, the Three Stooges remade their earlier The Hot Scots (1948), playing detective school graduates shipped of to Scotland's Glenheather Castle to guard a treasure. Christine McIntyre, Theodore Lorch (who had died in 1947), Herbert Evans, and Charles Knight all appeared courtesy of stock footage. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1954
A remake of the Three Stooges' earlier Squareheads of the Round Table, this two-reel comedy features the boys as troubadours attempting to save Princess Elaine (Christine McIntyre) from a fate worse than death. Miss McIntyre, who had retired by 1954, and Jock Mahoney as the romantic leads appeared courtesy of stock footage. New footage featured Ruth Godfrey. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1954
This was a particularly witty short for the Three Stooges during the latter part of their Shemp Howard era. Three young lovelies -- Ella, Bella and Stella -- are waiting anxiously for the arrival of their sweethearts, who come lumbering in on the back of a placid burro. They're none other than Larry, Moe, and Shemp, and they quickly hustle the girls off to be married. But only moments after the ceremony, the girl inform the Stooges that the notorious Noonan boys are gunning for them. The Stooges would just as soon leave town, but their new wives won't countenance their cowardice. They're stuck having to face the Noonans if they want to stay married. The resulting shoot-out (in satirical High Noon fashion) begins with the Stooges seeking cover behind some tombstones displayed in front of an undertaker's storefront (the place is named with the usual bad puns -- Diggs, Graves and Berry Undertakers, M. Balmer, Manager). In spite of this ominous sign, the bad guys are no match for Stooges-type mayhem and are soon defeated. The girls congratulate them while an annoying old codger -- who's been singing and playing guitar throughout the whole picture -- emerges to serenade them once again. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
- 1954
In this, their first comedy short of 1954, the Three Stooges make income tax cheating a cottage industry -- until caught and thrown in jail by revenue agents. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1954
A remake, with stock footage, of the earlier Fiddlers Three (1948), this Three Stooges comedy short features the boys as court musicians attempting to prevent an evil potentate (Vernon Dent via stock footage) from marrying a lovely princess (Virginia Hunter, again via stock footage). Added cast members for this augmented release include Theila Darin (aka Diana Darrin), Norma Randall, and Joe Palma. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1954
This two-reel Western spoof is a remake with plenty of stock footage of The Three Stooges earlier Out West (1947) and Goofs and Saddles (1937). The Stooges journey West and rescue three gals from the notorious Barker gang. Norma Randall and Ruth Godfrey appear in added 1954 footage. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
