Joe Besser became a member of the Three Stooges from 1956 to 1958, replacing Shemp Howard, following his passing in 1955. Born on August 12, 1907 in St. Louis, Missouri, Besser is the son of Fannie and. Morris Besser, both Orthodox Jewish, first generation Polish immigrants. Long before his career as a Stooge, in 1928 Besser’s career as a solo comedian was already in full swing. While on tour, Besser met his future wife, Erna Dora Kretschmer (Erna Kay)—who was most known for her choreography on the Marx Brothers’ 1929 Paramount film “The Coconuts”.
The two would tie the knot on November 18, 1932. Around 1940, Besser would take Columbia Pictures contractee Jimmy Little along with him on his tour. Soon after, Besser went on to become a headline act on the Orpheum, RKO, Paramount, and Loew’s theater circuits. When not headlining, Besser also performed on Broadway. In addition to his role as a Stooge, this St. Louis native is also best known for his role as Mr. Jillson on “The Joey Bishop Show,” and for his voice roles in “Shirt Tales,” “Yogi’s Space Race,” and “The Houndcats.” Besser later suffered from heart failure, and passed away at 80, in 1988.
Samuel Horwitz
Born Samuel Horwitz, Shemp Howard is the brother of Moe Howard and five other brothers. Know as a troublesome kid, throughout his childhood Shemp took pleasure in everything from playing hooky, to clogging toilets; stuffing most everything down them, until the stuffed toilet reached the “clogged-up” point he desired. One time, a young Shemp even grabbed a bowl of tomatoes, and threw them at an unlucky man at a family picnic. Known as one of the first members of The Three Stooges, Shemp was a part of the original vaudeville comedy trio from 1930, up until 1932: the year he decided to leave the group to sign a deal with Vitaphone. Here, he created a series of shorts titled, “Shemp Howard Series”. Additionally, Shemp also starred in Vitaphone studio’s “Joe Palooka” series, appearing as Knobby Walsh, a boxing manager.
At the same time, he also had a contract with Columbia Pictures, the same company that managed The Three Stooges. Here, Shemp was cast in a number of shorts, one of which included the Andy Clyde series, which was produced and directed by Jules White and Del Lord, who were also responsible for the making of many Stooge shorts. When not acting in short series, Shemp also managed to maintain a successful career in features, appearing in films for a majority of the major studios in Hollywood at that time, starring alongside legendary actors like Abbott & Costello, as well as Jimmy Stewart. In 1946, after Curly’s crippling stroke, Shemp went back to his original Stooge roots, and returned as a recurring member of The Three Stooges. With Larry and Moe by his side, Shemp would appear in 73 Stooge shorts, in addition to a number of guest appearances. Shemp would remain a Stooge up until his death in 1955.
Jerome Lester Horwitz
The most popular of the Three Stooges, Jerome Lester Horwitz, otherwise known as Curly Howard, was a member of the popular comedy group from 1932 to 1946. To many, this Stooge was considered the most stand out of all the comedians in the group.
Sadly, like Larry Fine, while filming the movie Half-Wits Holiday, Curly also suffered a stroke: an event which would prematurely end his role as one of the Stooges. The first of the Stooges to pass away, Horwitz would suffer from a cerebral hemorrhage, and passed away at the young age of 48. Though the death of Curly certainly didn’t mean the death of the Stooges, the group was never the same without him. Both Moe and Larry both agreed he was was without a doubt the pivotal key to the Stooges’ success.
Joe DeRita
Joe “Curly Joe” DeRita was a member of the Stooges from 1958, up until 1969. Prior to his iconic role on The Three Stooges, DeRita, a Philadelphia native, was actually widely known as a child star, starting out in the Vaudeville performance scene when he was just seven years old.
Additionally, DeRita also appeared on the big screen, in movies including “The Sailor Takes a Wife” (1945), “People Are Funny” (1946), and “High School Hero” (1946). Sadly, the last surviving of the Stooges, DeRita came down with a fatal case of pneumonia, and passed away at 83.
The Three Stooges: Origins & Tragedies
Moe’s Bowl Cut
For the Three Stooges, one of their most memorable features was, without a doubt, their infamously strange and unusual haircuts. Considered an extension of their unique kind of comedy, Moe, who rocked his trademark bow haircut even after his retirement from the Stooges, had a very different, almost unrecognizable haircut as a child.
Interestingly enough, Moe’s infamous bowl cut hairstyle originated from a bad haircut. As the story goes, because his mother never let him cut his hair, as she always wanted a daughter, Moe’s hair as a child was long and curly. Consequently, he was incessantly taunted by his classmates, who teased him for his unusually long, shoulder-length hair. Eventually, Moe’s constant bullying would lead him to hide in a shed in the back of his house, and give himself the haircut his mother never allowed.