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why did shemp replace curly

by Myrtice Schinner Published 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago

Shemp left the act to pursue a solo career because he was fed up with Healy. Moe suggested his younger brother, Jerry, could fill the spot. Jerry shaved his long red hair, adopted the name Curly and helped take the Stooges to a new level.Mar 10, 2020

Why did Curly get replaced in the Three Stooges?

In January 1970, Larry Fine suffered a debilitating stroke, ending his career. Longtime Stooge co-star Emil Sitka was contracted to replace him, but no footage was ever shot with Sitka as a Stooge. In December 1974, Larry suffered another stroke and, the following month, he died at the age of 72.

Why did Joe replace Shemp?

Film actor Joe Palma was used as a stand-in to complete four Shemp-era shorts under contract. This procedure – disguising one actor for another outside of stunt shots – became known as the "fake Shemp".

What did Shemp Howard died of?

Heart attackShemp Howard / Cause of deathWhile returning home in a taxi that evening, Howard died of a massive heart attack, at the age of 60. He had just told a joke and was leaning back, lighting a cigar, when he suddenly slumped over on Winston's lap, burning him with the cigar.

What was wrong with Curly in the Three Stooges?

Curly Howard suffered a stroke in 1946 that forced him to retire, and he died six years later. He was replaced in 1946 by Shemp Howard, who was with the Stooges until 1955, when he died.

Was Shemp Howard married?

Gertrude FrankShemp Howard / Spouse (m. 1925–1955)

Did Moe really hit Curly?

Curly got his signature walk after accidentally shooting himself in the foot.

Who is Shemp Howard's wife?

Gertrude FrankShemp Howard / Wife (m. 1925–1955)

What is Shemp short for?

SHEMPAcronymDefinitionSHEMPSmallholder Enterprise and Marketing Programme (Zambia)

How old is Joe Besser?

80 years (1907–1988)Joe Besser / Age at death

Why did Curley shave his head?

With Shemp gone, Moe suggested that Curly fill the role of the third stooge, but Healy felt that with his thick, chestnut hair and elegant waxed mustache, he looked too good for the part. Howard left the room and returned minutes later with his head shaven (the mustache remained very briefly).

Did Curly save dogs?

And when the Stooges were on tour, Curly made it a point to rehome, at least, 1 stray in each town they visited. It is estimated that Curly saved and re-homed more than 5000 dogs in his lifetime – making him a man before his time with his humane concern for man's best friend.”

How many Curley's were in the Three Stooges?

Though officially a trio, six actors served as members of the comedy team throughout its five-decade history, with two Stooges, Moe Howard (born Moses Harry Horwitz, June 19, 1897 - May 4, 1975) and Larry Fine (born Louis Feinberg, October 5, 1902 - January 24, 1975) remaining constant members, and several others—most ...

What happened to Curly after he had a stroke?

After his second stroke, Curly was confined to a wheelchair, but soon recovered enough to move around.

When did Curly break the camel's back?

Curly's appearance grew worse until finally, while filming his 97th Three Stooges short, "Half Wit's Holiday," on May 6, 1946 , the straw finally broke the camel's back. Curly was supposed to participate in the film's final, climactic pie fight, but Moe spotted Curly sitting in his chair on the set. "Come on, Babe," he said.

What is the final cameo of Curly in Three Stooges?

Incidentally, there is a final cameo of Curly in one Three Stooges short. Moe and Larry are on a train looking for someone. They come across a man sleeping with his hat over his face. Larry picks up the hat and it’s Curly. Although you wouldn’t recognize him.

How long did Curly and Marion stay together?

Always a sucker for a pretty face, Curly married Marion after only two weeks. Curly was soon to discover that Marion was not a very nice person and was only after his money. The marriage proved a disaster, and the unhappy couple divorced after only three months together.

When did Curly Howard make his shorts?

From 1934 to 1944 , Curly Howard and the other Stooges made 80-odd of the funniest shorts in the history of movie comedy, but by 1945 something was obviously wrong with the brilliant Curly.

Who was Curly on the Three Stooges?

Answered 1 year ago · Author has 272 answers and 671.8K answer views. In 1932, Jerome Howard (soon to be universally known as "Curly") joined The Three Stooges comedy team. He was replacing his older brother, Shemp, as the third Stooge, joining his older brother Moe and frizzly haired Larry Fine. In 1934, the team signed with Columbia Pictures ...

When did Curly have his first stroke?

Curly, always a free spender, had spent a fortune buying gifts for Marion, and the divorce really shook him up. He had his first stroke soon thereafter, in early 1946 . The aftermath following that stroke was that Curly's great vigor and boyish vitality, his comedy trademarks, sank lower and lower.

Why did Shemp leave the Stooges?

Three days later, tired of what he considered Healy's domineering handling of the Stooges' career, Shemp left Healy's act to remain with "Passing Show," which closed in September during roadshow performances and after pan reviews in Detroit and Cincinnati.

Who is the fake shemp in Stooge?

To fulfill the contract, producer Jules White manufactured four more shorts by reusing old footage of Howard and filming new connecting scenes with a double, longtime Stooge supporting actor Joe Palma, who is seen mostly from the back. Palma came to be known by Stooge fans as the " Fake Shemp ".

How many shorts did Shemp appear in?

Shemp appeared with Moe and Larry in 73 short subjects—or 77, counting four that were made after Shemp's death by incorporating stock footage. The trio also made the feature film Gold Raiders (1951). Shemp suffered a mild stroke in November 1952, but recovered within weeks.

Where did Shemp Howard work?

Shemp Howard, like many New York-based performers, found work at the Vitaphone studio in Brooklyn. Originally playing bit roles in Vitaphone's Roscoe Arbuckle comedies, showing off his comical appearance, he was given speaking roles and supporting parts almost immediately. He was featured with Vitaphone comics Jack Haley, Ben Blue and Gus Shy, then co-starred with Harry Gribbon, Daphne Pollard, and Johnnie Berkes, and finally starred in his own two-reel comedies. A Gribbon-Howard short, Art Trouble (1934), also features then-unknown James Stewart in his first film role. The independently produced Convention Girl (1935) featured Shemp in a very rare straight role as a blackmailer and would-be murderer.

Who played Shemp Howard in The Three Stooges?

In Mel Gibson 's television biopic film, The Three Stooges (2000), Shemp Howard was portrayed by 'fake Shemp' John Kassir, who donned a floppy, straight-haired wig.

Who is Shemp Howard?

ThreeStooges.com. Samuel Horwitz (March 17, 1895 – November 22, 1955),known professionally as Shemp Ho ward, was an American actor and comedian. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Litvak accent. He is best known as the third Stooge in the Three Stooges, a role he played when the act began in the early 1920s ...

Who was Shemp married to?

Gertrude Frank Howard outlived her husband and son, and was living when her first cousin Barney Frank (born 1940, the son of her father's brother) became a US Congressman.

Who replaced Shemp in the Stooges?

In 1946, there was a Howard crisis, both familial and professional. Shemp had been replaced in the Stooges by youngest Horwitz brother Jerome — Curly. In 1946, while waiting to film the last scene of the day for Half Wits Holiday, Curly suffered the first of a series of devastating strokes. He was hospitalized and, except for a couple ...

When did Moe and Shemp get married?

Moe and Shemp both married in 1925 (though to different women, of course) and Moe left performing to sell real estate. It didn't last long. He teamed up with straight man Ted Healy, a friend from their growing-up years, as a comic foil. Soon Shemp joined the act as well, with both Howard brothers serving as knockabout comics — "stooges" — to ...

Why did Healy try to sue the people?

He tried to sue them for using "his" material in their new act; and attempted to lure them away as individuals with exclusive contracts. At least part of Healy's problems were a result of his growing dependence on alcohol; his ego and temper were rampant, causing friction and hard feelings.

Who replaced Shemp in Moe Howard?

Moe tried to hire burlesque comedian Joe DeRita to replace Shemp. In his autobiography, Moe Howard and The Three Stooges, Moe wrote that DeRita "was fat and chubby with a round, jovial face, and, with his hair clipped close, he would look a great deal like my brother Curly.". Unfortunately, DeRita was already under contract.

How did Shemp die?

The "Shemp Era" also ended in tragedy: Shemp died of a sudden massive heart attack at the age of 60. The four remaining films in their contract were completed by cutting in old footage of Shemp and using actor Joe Palma as Shemp's body double, shot from behind or with something obscuring his face. Moe tried to hire burlesque comedian Joe DeRita to replace Shemp. In his autobiography, Moe Howard and The Three Stooges, Moe wrote that DeRita "was fat and chubby with a round, jovial face, and, with his hair clipped close, he would look a great deal like my brother Curly." Unfortunately, DeRita was already under contract. Joe Besser, "another chubby burlesque comic," got out of his own contract to join Moe and Larry, but only lasted two years before dropping out to care for his sick wife. DeRita was available this time, dubbed Curly Joe. DeRita performed with the act for 12 years, in short films and on stage.

Who is Curly Joe?

Joe Besser, "another chubby burlesque comic," got out of his own contract to join Moe and Larry, but only lasted two years before dropping out to care for his sick wife. DeRita was available this time, dubbed Curly Joe. DeRita performed with the act for 12 years, in short films and on stage.

Who was Moe's friend?

They worked with a performer of some star power, Ted Healy, a childhood friend of Moe's. Healy's popularity apparently went to his head, along with a growing dependence on alcohol, per Empire Online. The excessive drinking combined with a vicious temper drove Shemp to quit and strike out on his own solo career.

The Reason Why Curly was Replaced by Shemp in the Three Stooges

At this point it’s interesting to see just who remembers that Curly, Mo, and Shemp were all brothers in real life, with Jerome Howard, aka Curly, being the youngest among them.

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Overview

Career

Shemp's brother Moe Howard started in show business as a youngster, on stage and in films. Moe and Shemp eventually tried their hands as minstrel-show-style "blackface" comedians with an act they called "Howard and Howard—A Study in Black". At the same time, they worked for a rival vaudeville circuit, without makeup.

Early life

Howard was born Samuel Horwitz in Manhattan, New York on March 11, 1895, and raised in Brooklyn. He was the third-born of the five Horwitz brothers born to Lithuanian Jewish parents Solomon Horwitz (1872–1943) and Jennie Horwitz (1870–1939). Irving (1891-1939) and Benjamin (Jack) (1893-1976) were his older brothers; Moses (Moe) (1897-1975) and Jerome (Curly) (1903-1952) were his younger brothers.

Personal life

In September 1925, Shemp married Gertrude Frank (March 12, 1905 - May 17, 1982), a fellow New Yorker. They had one child, Morton (February 26, 1927 – January 13, 1972). Gertrude Frank Howard outlived her husband and son, and was living when her first cousin Barney Frank (born 1940, the son of her father's brother) became a US Congressman.
Shemp used his somewhat homely appearance for comic effect, often mugging grotesquely or a…

Death

On November 22, 1955, Shemp went out with associates Al Winston and Bobby Silverman to a boxing match (one of Shemp's favorite pastimes) at the Hollywood Legion Stadium at North El Centro and Selma Avenues, one block above the Hollywood Palladium. While returning home in a taxi that evening, Howard died of a massive heart attack, at the age of 60. He had just told a jok…

Tributes

The Three Stooges earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street on August 30, 1983.

The "Fake Shemps" and legacy

Columbia had promised exhibitors eight Three Stooges comedies for 1956, but only four were completed at the time of Howard's death. To fulfill the contract, producer Jules White manufactured four more shorts by reusing old footage of Howard and filming new connecting scenes with a double, longtime Stooge supporting actor, Joe Palma, who is seen mostly from the back.

Filmography (Non-Stooge)

• Soup to Nuts (1930)
• Convention Girl (1935)
• Hollywood Round-Up (1937)
• Headin' East (1937)
• Behind Prison Gates (1939)

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