The Three Stooges Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

The slapstick comedy shorts and features of 'The Three Stooges' began in 1932 with Larry, Moe, and Curly,
and with various personnel replacements the Stooges team continued on film and stage until 1975.

"The characters in this picture are all fictitious. Anyone resembling them is better off dead."
—opening scene caption in "I'll Never Heil Again" [1941]

"We're not ordinary people... we're morons."
— Curly, in "Three Smart Saps" [1942]

          Ted Healy [1896-1937] led a vaudeville act billed variously as 'Ted Healy & His Stooges', 'Ted Healy & His Southern Gentlemen', 'Ted Healy & His Three Lost Souls' and 'Ted Healy & His Racketeers'. The members of the troupe in 1925 were brothers Moe & Shemp Howard, their friend violinist-comedian Larry Fine, and Fred Sanborn.
          In 1930, the five men appeared in the Hollywood feature film "Soup To Nuts", released by Fox Studios, also starring Stanley Smith & Lucile Browne. The Stooges were a hit, and the studio offered Moe & Shemp & Larry a contract – and not Healy – which set off a rights war that lasted until 1932. Upset over Healy's arrogance, Shemp left the act to work in comedy films for Vitagraph.
          Moe suggested his younger brother Jerry as replacement for Shemp; stories vary as to how he got the nickname 'Curly'. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer offered Ted and the Stooges a contract, and they began making short films (many in 2-strip color) as well as several M.G.M. feature films. When the contract expired in 1933, the three Stooge actors broke all ties with Healy; he was successful on his own for a while, then died 'under mysterious circumstances' in 1937.

          Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures offered the Stooges team a contract, and they appeared in 190 shorts and five features for that studio. Cohn's strategy was to wait to the last minute to offer a contract renewal, so the Stooges (generally managed by Moe), never asked for a raise in 24 years.
          The Stooges' personal appearances were very popular, and took their toll; added to other lifestyle issues, Jerry/Curly's health began to worsen in 1945, and he suffered a stroke in May 1946 (at age 43) that ended his career. Moe convinced brother Shemp to return to the Stooges (leaving his own successful film career), but Shemp agreed only on a temporary basis. Curly's health kept getting worse, and he died in January 1952. During this 'temporary' period, Shemp made 73 shorts and the Western comedy feature "Gold Raiders" [1951].
          Columbia downsized its short features division in 1952, and quality suffered. Jules White was producer and director and often sole writer, and he recycled old scenes and eventually reduced new footage to a one-day shoot per film. Shemp died suddenly in November 1955, and corpulent Joe Besser was brought in; he filmed 16 shorts. But the heyday of the short subject film was over, and Columbia was the last studio to make them; Cohn did not renew the Stooges' contract in December 1957. (But Columbia had enough completed films 'in the can' to continue releases until June 1959.)

          In 1958, Columbia released the Stooges library to television syndication thru its Screen Gems division. The Stooges became popular with 'baby boomers', and were in demand for personal appearances. Joe Besser's wife was ill, so he opted out of touring; Moe brought in Joe DeRita, who shaved his head and adopted the name Curly-Joe. The new complement of Stooges made a series of successful feature films from 1959 to 1965, and also filmed 41 'wraparound' skits for the animated TV series of 1965-66. Throughout the 1960s, The Three Stooges were one of the most popular and highest-paid live acts in America.
          In January 1970, while filming the TV series pilot "Kook's Tour", Larry suffered a paralyzing stroke, then several more; he died in January 1975. During this time, Moe vowed to keep the Three Stooges going, and hired Emil Sitka (with Larry's blessing) as the 'Middle Stooge'. They made movie plans, but Moe fell ill from lung cancer and died in May 1975. Without a Howard as member, the Three Stooges team was essentially dissolved.
           Curly-Joe appeared in live performances as "The New 3 Stooges", with Mousie Garner and Frank Mitchell in the mid-1970s. Joe Besser died in March 1988; Curly-Joe died in July 1993; Emil Sitka became 'The Last Stooge' (though he appeared in no films as a Stooge), and died in January 1998. Performer Mousie Garner also used the term 'The Last Stooge'; he died in 2004.

          Moe, Larry and Curly-Joe formed Comedy III Productions, Inc. in 1959; it is the owner of all Three Stooges trademarks and merchandising. Sony-Columbia owns the film library; the shorts are licensed & shown on many local cable outlets, rather than broadcast stations (except for long-held contracts in Chicago & Boston). Sony Pictures (corporate parent of Columbia) started releasing remastered, high definition versions of the shorts, in order of release, in October 2007; the first DVD was hugely successful, and the next volumes were released in May, August & October 2008.
          The Three Stooges team received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983. The Stoogeum curated by Gary Lassin opened in 2004 in Ambler (Spring House), Pennsylvania with 10,000 square feet of exhibits and an 85-seat movie theater (open by appointment).
          And after trying for five years to get their Stooges feature film made at Warner Bros., Bobby & Peter Farrelly have gotten a green-light from M.G.M. for production, and the new Stooges film is scheduled for release in late 2009 {more details below}.

	"The Three Stooges Book of Scripts" [1984 & 1987] by Joan Howard Maurer & Norman Maurer Volume 1: Citadel Press hardcover [10/84] out of print/used includes "Gents Without Cents" ,"Men In Black", "Punch Drunks", "Three Little Pigskins" & "You Nazty Spy!"; Norman Maurer's cartoon of the 'Niagara Falls' skit from "Gents Without Cents"; plus studio & family pictures Volume 2: Citadel Press 11x8½ hardcover [4/87] out of print/used includes "Restless Knights", "We Want Our Mummy" & "Yes, We Have No Bonanza", plus a chapter about the 1962 Columbia feature, "The Three Stooges Meet Hercules"
	"The Columbia Comedy Shorts: Two-Reel Hollywood Film Comedies, 1933-1958" [1986] by Ted Okuda & Edward Watz McFarland & Co. 9x6 pb [10/98] for $35.00 McFarland & Co. 9½x6½ hardcover [9/86] for $45.00
	"The Films of The Stooges: The Columbia Shorts, 1934-1947" [1988] by Daniel Volk self-publd pb [1988] out of print/scarce In-depth look at the 97 short films made with Larry, Curly, and Moe at Columbia Studios from 1934 to 1947

"The Three Stooges Collection" on DVD

	"Volume One: 1934-1936" [2007] 19 digitally-remastered shorts in order of release Starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine & Curly Howard Sony b&w DVD [10/2007] 2 disks for $19.99
	"Volume Two: 1937-1939" [2008] 24 digitally-remastered shorts in order of release Starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine & Curly Howard Sony b&w DVD [5/2008] 2 disks for $15.99
	"Volume Three: 1940-1942" [2008] 22 digitally-remastered shorts in order of release Starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine & Curly Howard Sony b&w DVD [8/2008] 2 disks for $16.49
	"Volume Four: 1943-1945" [2008] 20 digitally-remastered shorts in order of release Starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine & Curly Howard Sony b&w DVD [10/2008] 2 disks for $18.49
	"Volume Five: 1946-1948" [2009] 24 digitally-remastered shorts in order of release Starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard & Shemp Howard Sony b&w DVD [3/2009] 2 disks for $15.99
	"Volume Six: 1949-1951" [2009] 24 digitally-remastered shorts in order of release Starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine & Shemp Howard Sony b&w DVD [6/2009] 2 disks for $19.99
	"Three Stooges Collection Bundle, Volumes 1 - 6" [2009] Sony b&w DVD set [6/2009] 12 disks for $104.99
	"Volume Seven: 1952-1954" [2009] 22 digitally-remastered shorts in order of release, two in original 3-D! Starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine & Shemp Howard Sony b&w DVD [11/2009] 2 disks for $19.99 "Volume Eight: 1955-59" [2010] 32! digitally-remastered shorts in order of release Starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard – and Joe Besser Sony b&w DVD [6/2010] 3 disks - pre-order for $16.99

	"The Three Stooges Collection: The Early Years" [2000] B.F.S. Ent. color/b&w DVD [7/2000] out of prodn/used contains the Steve Allen special and twelve shorts: the four public domain Columbia shorts and eight M.G.M. & Vitagraph two-reelers, including "Beer and Pretzels" [Aug 1933], "The Big Idea" [May 1934], "Nertsery Rhymes" [July 1933] in b&w, "Plane Nuts" [Oct 1933], and "Roast-Beef & Movies" [Feb 1934] in b&w
	"The Three Stooges: Lost Comedy Treasures" [2001] Good Times Video b&w pan&scan DVD [5/2001] for $4.98 includes the first appearance of Curly on film in "Hollywood On Parade" [1932] with Ted, Moe & Larry; Curly's only appearance with the Three Stooges in color, "Nertsery Rhymes" [1933] from a recently-discovered print; the TV pilot "Jerks of All Trades" [1949], with Moe, Shemp & Larry; the TV special "Danny Thomas Presents The Comics" [1965] with Martha Raye; plus vintage commercials & movie trailers
	"The Three Stooges Chronicles" [2001] Timeless Media Group color/b&w DVD [5/2001] for $6.98 includes the four b&w public domain Columbia shorts; three rare color M.G.M. shorts: "Beer and Pretzels" [Aug 1933], "Nertsery Rhymes" [July 1933] & "Plane Nuts" [Oct 1933]; and clips from the Ted Healy Stooges b&w short "The Big Idea" [May 1934]
	"Famous Comedy Legends" [2002] Volume 1: National Film Museum b&w DVD set [7/2002] 3 disks for $24.99 Starring Charlie Chaplin {3 shorts), Charley Chase (1 short), W.C. Fields (2 shorts), Buster Keaton (2 shorts, 2 silent features) & The Three Stooges ("Disorder In The Court" [1936 short] & "Sing A Song of Six Pants" [1947 short]) Volume 2: National Film Museum b&w DVD set [7/2002] 3 disks for $24.99 Starring Charlie Chaplin {2 shorts), Charley Chase (2 shorts), W.C. Fields (1 short), Buster Keaton (2 shorts, 2 features) & The Three Stooges ("Knife of The Party" [rare 1934 short], "Brideless Groom" [1947 short] & "Malice in the Palace" [1949 short])
	"The Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Collector's Edition" DVD box set [2002] Madacy b&w/color DVD set [11/2002] 3 disks for $12.99 Amazon reviewers describe great packaging and low quality product from Madacy; included here for completists; contains four public domain Columbia shorts – "Disorder In The Court" [1936], "Sing A Song of Six Pants" [1947], "Brideless Groom" [1947], and "Malice In The Palace" [1949]; an episode from "The New Three Stooges" animated TV series; "Jerks of All Trades" [1949 TV pilot]; and "Kook's Tour" [1969 TV pilot]; extras include ten minutes of convention video, cartoons, clips, photo gallery, bios
	"The Three Stooges DVD 12-Pack" box set [2003] Columbia Tri-Star DVD set [12/2003] 12 disks - out of prodn/used Each disk is/was available seperately, a few inclusions are duplicates: Disk 1: "All The World's A Stooge" (7 shorts); Disk 2: "Cops and Robbers" (6 shorts); Disk 3: "Curly Classics" (6 shorts); Disk 4: "Dizzy Doctors" (6 shorts); Disk 5: "G.I. Stooge" (6 shorts); Disk 6: "Healthy, Wealthy and Dumb" (6 shorts); Disk 7: "Merry Mavericks" (6 shorts); Disk 8: "Nutty But Nice" (6 shorts); Disk 9: "The Outlaws Is Coming" [1965] feature film, and bonus short "Goofs and Saddles" [1937]; Disk 10: "Spook Louder" (6 shorts); Disk 11: compilation feature film "Stop! Look! and Laugh!" [1961], and bonus short "A Bird In The Head" [1946]; and Disk 12: "Three Smart Saps" (5 shorts)
	"The Three Stooges: Extreme Rarities" [2007] Legend Films Video b&w/color DVD [3/2007] out of prodn/used contains 77 minutes of shorts, live appearances on talk/variety shows, interviews, movie trailers, home movies, commercials and many other clips that defy categorization, with two versions of "Heavenly Daze" [1948 short]
	"The Three Stooges Triple Whammy! - in color" DVD box set [2007] Legend Films Video color/b&w DVD set [3/2007] 3 disks - out of prodn/used includes three DVD compilations: "Three Stooges: Extreme Rarities" (above); "Three Stooges: Greatest Routines" with 3 cartoons; and "Three Stooges: Live & Hilarious"
	"The Three Stooges Collection: 40 Features! on 3 DVDs" [2007] St. Clair Vision color/b&w DVD set [7/2007] 3 disks for $9.98 includes 35 cartoons from the 1965-66 tv series; musical feature "Swing Parade of 1946" starring Moe & Larry & Curly, Gale Storm & Phil Regan; TV pilot "Jerks of All Trades" [1949]; shorts "Brideless Groom", "Disorder In The Court", "Malice In The Palace" & "Sing A Song of Six Pants"; plus extras including trailers & a photo gallery

· ·

"Soup To Nuts" feature film [Fox/Mentone Sept 1930]

Soup To Nuts short film starring The Three Stooges

The Three Stooges' movie debut: A creditor of a failing costume shop woos the owner's daughter, with the help of friends; customers include a dictator and some firemen (Stooges); the store catches fire ... Starring Stanley Smith, Lucile Browne, Ted Healy, Shemp & Moe & Larry, Fred Sanborn & Charles Winninger
Fox colorized DVD [4/2005] for $6.99
full credits from IMDb

"Hollywood On Parade" documentary short
[Paramount June 1933]
all-star cast, with Ted & Moe & Curly {first film appearance} & Larry
available only on DVD sets above; full credits from IMDb

"Meet The Baron" [M.G.M. Oct 1933 short]
Radio star Jack Pearl (as his Baron Munchausen character) and sidekick Jimmy Durante work a con on a girls college
also starring Zasu Pitts & Edna May Oliver, with Ted & Moe & Larry & Curly; available on several DVD sets
full credits from IMDb

"The Big Idea" [M.G.M. May 1934 short]

The Big Idea 1936 short film starring Ted Healy and The Three Stooges

The proprietor of the Big Idea Scenario Company is interrupted by a stream of crazy people. Directed by William Beaudine; starring Ted Healy and Moe & Larry & Curly, with Muriel Evans & Bonnie Bonnell
available on DVD as part of box sets above; full credits from IMDb
18"x24" poster from Amazon for $12.99

"Woman Haters" [Columbia May 1934 short]
Performed entirely in rhyme, recited (not sung) in rhythm with a jazz underscore. Though sworn to have nothing
to do with women, Larry marries anyway and tries to conceal the fact from Moe & Curly during a train trip
their first Columbia short; starring Moe & Larry & Curly, Marjorie White & Walter Brennan
available on several DVD sets; full credits from IMDb

"Knife of The Party"
[Van Beuren Studios / RKO Radio Pictures Feb 1934 short]

A rarity, available on "Shemp Cocktail" (below) & other DVD sets; Shemp reverses roles and slaps around his two 'stooges'. The plot involves a penniless traveling theater company trying to get work, with lots of singing & dancing. (Amazon reviewers suggest that the film is pretty lame, but the actors do try their best.) Directed by Leigh Jason; starring Lillian Miles, Jack Good, Shemp Howard & two anonymous stooges
full credits at IMDb

"Disorder In The Court" [Columbia May 1936 short]
Testifying at the trial of a nightclub dancer accused of murder, the Stooges commit mayhem and also uncover the real killer.
film is public domain; starring Moe & Larry & Curly; available on several DVD sets; full credits from IMDb

"Flat Foot Stooges" [Columbia Dec 1938 short]

Flat Foot Stooges 1938 comedy short directed by Charley Chase

The stooges are firemen at a station that still uses horses to pull the engines; a salesman wanting to sell them newer firetrucks sabotages the engines, an alarm sends them chasing the emergency, only to discover that what's ablaze is their own firehouse. Co-produced, written & directed by Charley Chase; starring Moe & Larry & Curly, with Dick Curtis, Chester Conklin & Lola Jensen
available on "Three Stooges Collection 2" DVD set
Sony b&w DVD [5/2008] 2 disks for $15.99
full credits from IMDb

"What's The Matador?"
[Columbia April 1942 short]

What's The Matador? 1942 short film starring The Three Stooges

The Stooges are hired to perform a comedy bullfight at a fiesta in Mexico; they have a suitcase mixup with a beautiful señora, and her jealous husband turns a real bull loose into the ring during their act. Produced & directed by Jules White; starring Moe & Larry & Curly, with Suzanne Kaaren & Harry Burns
available on DVD as part of box sets above; full credits from IMDb
11"x17" poster available for $14.99 at AllPosters.com

"Dizzy Pilots" [Columbia Sept 1943 short]

Dizzy Pilots 1943 short film starring The Three Stooges

The three Wrong Brothers try to invent an airplane to sell to the Army so that they can avoid the draft. {Cobbled from footage of the 1940 short "Boobs In Arms"}
Produced & directed by Jules White; starring Moe & Larry & Curly
available on DVD as part of "G.I. Stooge" and other sets; full credits from IMDb

"Three Pests In A Mess"
[Columbia Jan 1945 short]

Three Pests in a Mess 1945 short film starring The Three Stooges

Three inventors trying to a get a patent on a preposterous fly catching invention are pursued by crooks, hide in a sporting goods store, shoot & decide to bury a mannikin, and are scared by a bunch of partygoers dressed as ghosts. Written & directed by Del Lord; starring Moe & Larry & Curly, with Christine McIntyre, Brian O'Hara, Vernon Dent, Heinie Conklin & 'Snub' Pollard
full credits from IMDb

"Hold That Lion!" [Columbia July 1947 short]
The only film with all 3 Howard brothers and Larry. After a crooked lawyer steals their inheritence, the Stooges
corner him on a train, where they also accidentally let a lion loose. starring Shemp & Larry & Moe, with Curly,
Kenneth MacDonald, Emil Sitka & Dudley Dickerson full credits from IMDb

"Sing A Song of Six Pants" [Columbia Oct 1947 short]
Three tailors who are deeply in debt realize that a customer is a wanted bank robber and they can turn him in for the reward.
film is public domain; starring Moe & Larry & Shemp, Tiny Brauer & Virginia Hunter; available on several DVD sets
full credits from IMDb

"Brideless Groom" [Columbia Sept 1947 short]
Shemp receives an inheritance on the condition that he marry before six o'clock.
film is public domain; starring Moe & Larry & Shemp, with Emil Sitka; available on several DVD sets
full credits from IMDb

"Malice In The Palace" [Columbia Sept 1949 short]
The Stooges set out to recover a stolen diamond. film is public domain; starring Moe & Larry & Shemp,
with Vernon Dent & Joe Palma; available on several DVD sets; full credits from IMDb

"Jerks of All Trades" [ABC-TV Oct 1949]
pilot for a Three Stooges television show; starring Moe & Larry & Shemp, with Emil Sitka
& Symona Boniface; available on several DVD sets; full credits from IMDb

"Gold Raiders" [United Artists Sept 1951]

poster for Gold Raiders movie starring The Three Stooges

comedy Western feature: Three traveling salesmen rescue an insurance man trying to protect gold shipments from a gang of bandits. Directed by Edward Bernds; starring Moe & Larry & Shemp, George O'Brien, Monte Blue, Fuzzy Knight, Sheila Ryan, Clem Bevans & Lyle Talbot
available on several DVD sets; full credits from IMDb

"Cuckoo On A Choo-Choo"
[Columbia Dec 1952 short]

poster for Cuckoo On A Choo-Choo short film starring The Three Stooges

Larry is living in a stolen railroad car with Shemp, who is in love with an imaginary giant canary; the railroad sends Moe to investigate. Produced & directed by Jules White; starring Moe & Larry & Shemp, Patricia Wright & Victoria Horne
not yet available on DVD; full credits from IMDb

"Spooks!" short in 3-D! [Columbia June 1953]

exhibitor ad for 3-D short "Spooks!" [1953] starring The Three Stooges

Three private detectives are hired to find a missing girl; the trail leads to a mad scientist's creepy old house and a gorilla, who helps rescue the girl. Produced & directed by Jules White; starring Moe & Larry & Shemp, with Philip Van Zandt, Tom Kennedy & Norma Randall
full credits from IMDb
finally available: "Three Stooges Collection, Volume Seven: 1952-1954" [2009]

22 digitally-remastered shorts with two in original 3-D! (glasses included)
Sony b&w DVD [DUE November 2009] 2 disks for $19.99

"Pardon My Backfire" short in 3-D!
[Columbia Aug 1953]

Pardon My Backfire 1953 short film in 3-D starring The Three Stooges {retail source not found}

Three auto mechanics capture a gang of escaped convicts and use the reward money to marry their sweethearts. Produced & directed by Jules White; starring Moe & Larry & Shemp
full credits from IMDb
finally available: "Three Stooges Collection, Volume Seven: 1952-1954" [2009]

22 digitally-remastered shorts with two in original 3-D! (glasses included)
Sony b&w DVD [DUE November 2009] 2 disks for $19.99

"Shot In The Frontier"
[Columbia Oct 1954 short]

Shot In The Frontier 1954 short film starring The Three Stooges

Set in the Old West; three hapless cowboys are forced into a gunfight with
the nasty Noonan brothers over the affections of their three sweethearts.
Produced & directed by Jules White; starring Moe & Larry & Shemp
not yet available on DVD; full credits from IMDb

"Sappy Bull Fighters" [Columbia June 1959]
The last Columbia Stooges short to be released; stranded in Mexico, the Stooges get a job - at the local bullring!
Starring Larry & Moe & Curly-Joe, Greta Thyssen & George J. Lewis; not yet available on DVD; full credits from IMDb

"Have Rocket, Will Travel" feature film
[Columbia Aug 1959]

poster for Have Rocket, Will Travel movie starring The Three Stooges

The first feature film to star the Three Stooges, a sci-fi comedy. Three knucklehead janitors accidentally rocket themselves to Venus and encounter a talking unicorn, a futuristic car, a giant fire-breathing tarantula, and three evil Venusian Stooge look-a-likes who follow them back to Earth. Directed by David Lowell Rich; starring Larry & Moe & Curly-Joe, Anna-Lisa, Jerome Cowan & Robert Colbert
DVD not available; Sony b&w VHS [5/95] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"Three Stooges Fun-O-Rama"
[Columbia Sept 1959]

poster for Three Stooges Fun-O-Rama compilation movie

A compilation of six unedited b&w Stooges shorts featuring Joe Besser: "Hoofs and Goofs" [1957], "Guns A Poppin!" [1957], "Outer Space Jitters" [1957], "Sweet and Hot" [1958], "Oils Well That Ends Well" [1958], and "Triple Crossed" [1959]
Produced & directed by Jules White; also starring Larry & Moe
video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb
27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99

"Stop! Look! and Laugh!" [Columbia July 1960]

A compilation of eleven unedited Stooges shorts, framed as bedtime tales told by {ventriloquist} Paul Winchell to his 'kids' Jerry Mahoney & Knucklehead Smiff. The b&w shorts star Larry & Moe & Curly & Shemp, and are "Goofs and Saddles" [1937], "Violent Is The Word For Curly" [1938], "Calling All Curs" [1939], "Oily To Bed, Oily To Rise" [1939], "A Plumbing We Will Go" [1940], "How High Is Up?" [1940], "What's The Matador?" [1942], "Sock-A-Bye Baby" [1942], "Higher Than A Kite"
[1943], "Micro-Phonies" [1945] & "Half-Wits Holiday" [1947]
Produced by Harry A. Romm; new material directed by Don Appell & Louis Brandt; the final 'Cinderella' sequence features The Marquis Chimps
Sony widescreen b&w DVD [2/2003] for $9.99
Sony b&w VHS [5/95] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"Snow White and The Three Stooges"
[Fox May 1961]

Snow White and The Three Stooges feature film starring The Three Stooges

An ice-skating princess escapes assassination by her jealous stepmother, the queen. The princess seeks refuge at the home of the seven dwarfs, where the Stooges are house-sitting. Their amnesiac ward is in reality Prince Charming; he and the princess fall in love. The evil queen disguises herself as a witch and gets the princess to bite the poisoned apple; the prince recovers his memory and leads a revolt and rescues the princess in the nick of time. The evil queen rides her broom into a mountain peak and is killed, and the prince & princess marry and live happily ever after. Filmed in color & widescreen; directed by Walter Lang; starring Larry & Moe & Curly-Joe, Olympic figure skating champion Carol Heiss, Edson Stroll, Patricia Medina & Guy Rolfe; W.G.A. nomination for Best Musical Screenplay
Fox widescreen color DVD [4/2005] for $6.99
Fox color VHS [1/98] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"The Three Stooges Meet Hercules"
[Normandy/Columbia Jan 1962]

The Three Stooges Meet Hercules feature film starring The Three Stooges

A box-office hit; three drug store clerks befriend the meek inventor in the shop next door (and his girlfriend); a time machine invention tranports them back to Ancient Greece, where the king banishes the men to the galleys. The meek inventor builds muscle from rowing and they return to rescue his girlfriend, then all five return to modern times. Produced & co-written by Norman Maurer; directed by Edward Bernds; starring Larry & Moe & Curly-Joe, Vicki Trickett, Quinn K. Redeker, George N. Neise, Samson Burke, John Cliff & Emil Sitka
Sony widescreen b&w DVD [6/2005] for $9.99
Sony b&w VHS [5/95] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"The Three Stooges In Orbit"
[Normandy/Columbia July 1962]

The Three Stooges In Orbit feature film starring The Three Stooges

The Stooges agree to help a goofy inventor in exchange for room & board; the new invention is an all-terrain, submersible space ship that is so good that the Martians want to steal it and take over Planet Earth. Produced & co-written by Norman Maurer; directed by Edward Bernds; starring Larry & Moe & Curly-Joe, Carol Christensen, Edson Stroll, Emil Sitka, George N. Neise & Rayford Barnes
Sony widescreen b&w DVD [11/2003] for $9.99
Sony b&w VHS [5/95] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"The Three Stooges Go Around The World In A Daze"
[Normandy/Columbia Aug 1963]

The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze feature film starring The Three Stooges

The great-grandson of adventurer Phileas Fogg accepts a bet to duplicate the around-the-world trek of his forebear, unaware that the challenger is a con-man intending to blame Fogg for robbing the Bank of England. Fogg takes his three servants with him, and rescues a comely damsel on the way to the desperate finish. Produced & directed by Norman Maurer; starring Larry & Moe & Curly-Joe, Jay Sheffield, Joan Freeman, Walter Burke, Peter Forster, Maurice Dallimore, Richard Devon & Emil Sitka
Sony widescreen b&w DVD [5/2003] for $9.99
Sony b&w VHS [5/95] out of prodn/used
27"x40" poster from Amazon for $19.99
full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"The Outlaws IS Coming"
[Normandy/Columbia Jan 1965]

The Outlaws Is Coming feature film starring The Three Stooges

The Stooges make such a mess of the pressroom at a Boston wildlife conservation magazine that their boss gets rid of them by sending them Out West to stop the slaughter of buffalo, where they get challenged by one famous gunslinger after another. Luckily, pistol-packing Annie Oakley falls for their handsome editor and agrees to protect them against the bad guys. Produced, co-written & directed by Norman Maurer; starring Larry & Moe & Curly-Joe, Adam West, Nancy Kovack, Emil Sitka, Henry Gibson, Don Lamond & Tiny Brauer, with Bill Camfield {as Wyatt Earp}, Hal Fryar {as Johnny Ringo}, Johnny Ginger {as Billy The Kid}, Wayne Mack {as Jesse James}, Ed T. McDonnell {as Bat Masterson}, Bruce Sedley {as Cole Younger}, Paul Shannon {as Wild Bill Hickok} & Sally Starr {as Belle Starr}
Sony widescreen b&w DVD [12/2002] for $9.99
Sony b&w VHS [5/95] out of prodn/used
full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia

"The New Three Stooges"
half-hour cartoon series [Cambria Studios 1965-66]

New Three Stooges live & animated TV series

each of the 156 episodes had four cartoons, with live action wraparounds
live-action skits & voices by Larry & Moe & Curly-Joe, Tiny Brauer, Emil Sitka & Paul Frees; series credits from IMDb
Volume 1: 16 cartoons Rhino color DVD [1/2002] for $12.99
Volume 2: 16 cartoons Rhino color DVD [4/2002] for $12.99
"The Three Stooges Collection on 3 DVDs" [2007]
includes 35 cartoons from the 1965-66 tv series, plus 1946 musical feature, 1949 TV pilot, 4 public domain shorts, and extras
St. Clair Vision color/b&w DVD set [7/2007] 3 disks for $9.98

"Kook's Tour" [1969 TV pilot]

Kook's Tour TV pilot starring The Three Stooges

The Three Stooges filmed this comic travelogue – the Stooges decide to retire and tour the world with their dog, Moose – in the fall of 1969 as a pilot for a potential TV series, but Larry Fine suffered a severe stroke in January 1970, and the project was cancelled.
— This is the last appearance of The Three Stooges on film together.
Written & directed by Norman Maurer; starring Larry & Moe & Curly-Joe
full credits from IMDb
available on "The Three Stooges: Extreme Rarities" DVD [2007]
Legend b&w/color DVD [3/2007] out of prodn/used

"The Three Stooges Follies" [Columbia Nov 1974]

A compilation of seven b&w Columbia shorts: three Stooges shorts – "Yes, We Have No Bonanza"
[1939]; "Violent Is The Word For Curly" [1938]; and "You Nazty Spy!" [1940] {replaced by "Men In Black" [1934] on some prints}; – and four non-Stooges shorts: "Nothing But Pleasure" [1940] starring Buster Keaton; "Strife of The Party" [1944] starring Vera Vague; Chapter 1 of the 1943 "Batman" serial; and "America Sings With Kate Smith" [1942] Produced by Jack White; starring Larry & Moe & Curly; video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb

"The Three Stooges" [M.G.M./First Look for 2010 release]

The Farrelly Brothers tried for five years to get a green light for their new Three Stooges feature film at Warner Bros.; M.G.M. is now taking over the project, which is not going to be a biopic or remake, but instead new Three Stooges episodes set in the present day; actors 'attached' are Sean Penn {as Larry}, Benicio Del Toro {as Moe}, and Jim Carrey {as Curly}
confirmation at C3 Entertainment (11/2008) • latest movie info at IMDb

"The Three Stooges" [Comedy III Prodns/ABC-TV April 2000]

Slapstick comedian Moe Howard is faced with a career dilemma: He is offered work touring the Three Stooges vaudeville act on stages across America, while pushed aside by studio Columbia Pictures (no residuals for the recent syndication of their 190 short films to television), so Moe reminisces about his long career and the many triumphs and losses over the last thirty years Co-produced by Mel Gibson in Australia; directed by James Frawley; co-written by Janet Roach & Kirk Ellis, based on Michael Fleming's book; starring Paul Ben-Victor {as Moe}, Evan Handler {as Larry}, John Kassir {as Shemp}, Michael Chiklis {as Curly}, Marton Csokas {as Ted Healy}, Peter Callan {as Curly-Joe} & Laurence Coy {as Joe Besser}; video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb

"The Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Special"
[Comedy III Ent. April 2003 TV special]

Two-hour-plus documentary celebrating The Three Stooges, with movie clips, solo & TV appearances, rare home movies, and interviews with family members & others Directed by Dennis Rosenblatt; hosted by Woody Harrelson; featuring clips of Joe Besser, Joe DeRita, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Moe Howard & Shemp Howard; video/DVD not available; full credits from IMDb

The Three Stooges Sing For Kids record album

"The Nonsense Songbook" record albums [1959-2007]
originally titled "The Nonsense Songbook" [Coral 1959]; re-issued in 1967 by Vocalion Records as "The Three Stooges Sing For Kids"; re-issued on audio cassette in 1992 and on audio CD in 1995 & 2007
audio CD [12/2007] out of prodn/scarce

Shemp Cocktail / Original Stooge compilation DVD starring Shemp Howard

"Shemp Cocktail: A Toast To The Original Stooge" [2008]
Passport Video b&w DVD [3/2008] 2 disks for $14.99
includes "Henry The Ache" [1934 short] starring Bert Lahr; "Knife of The Party" [1934 short] with Shemp as leader of four {different} Stooges at a hotel; ten minutes of clips from "Convention Girl" [1935 feature] with Shemp as a small-time hood; "Private Buckaroo" [1942 feature] starring Shemp, Dick Foran & The Andrews Sisters; three shorts starring Moe & Larry & Shemp: "The Brideless Groom" [1947], "Sing A Song of Six Pants" [1947] & "Malice In The Palace" [1949]; "Africa Screams" [1949 feature] starring Abbott & Costello, with Shemp & Joe Besser (plus outtakes); a rare, live kinescope of 1950 "Camel Comedy Caravan" episode with Moe & Larry & Shemp and Ed Wynn; and the 50-minute documentary feature "Remembering Shemp"
[2008] featuring exclusive interviews with Shemp’s daughter-in-law, her sister & Shemp’s granddaughter
DVD credits at IMDb

	"Stroke of Luck" [1973] by James Carone, as told by Larry Fine Larry Fine's 'autobiography', transcribed from interviews toward the end of his life; Larry was upset with the many errors in the published book, and never received a dime from the author Hollywood Siena Publishing hardcover [1973] out of print/RARE
	"Larry: The Stooge In The Middle" [1984] by Morris Fineburg, with G.P. Skratz; Foreword by Steve Allen, illustrations by Drew Friedman; Appendix includes a novel excerpt by Jack Kerouac Last Gasp 8¾x6 pb [1/2001] for $17.95
	"One Fine Stooge: Larry Fine's Frizzy Life In Pictures" [2006] by Stephen Cox & Jim Terry partly based on the manuscript of Larry Fine's second attempt at autobiography Cumberland House Publng 10x8 hardcover [3/2006] for $19.11

Curly-Joe DeRita
Joseph Wardell [1909-93] Stooge years: 1958-1975
IMDb listing • Wikipedia

Joe Palma [1905-94]
after appearing in small parts in many Columbia shorts and a few Stooge films, he was chosen as
stand-in/double after Shemp's death in 1955, to complete Shemp's last four films; IMDb listing • Wikipedia

straight man Emil Sitka [1914-98] Stooge years: 1947-1975
appeared in some 40 Stooge films; hired in 1975 as the Middle Stooge and made publicity photos,
but Moe died soon after so Sitka made no films as a Stooge; IMDb listing • Wikipedia

Paul 'Mousie' Garner [1909-2004]
part of "The New Stooges" stage tour in the 70s; IMDb listing • Wikipedia

	"The Stooge Chronicles" [1981] by Jeffrey Forrester Contemporary Books pb [3/82] out of print/used Triumvirate Prodns pb [1981] out of print/scarce
	"The Three Stooges Scrapbook" [1982] by Joan Howard-Maurer, Jeff Lenburg & Greg Lenburg Citadel 11x9 pb [6/2000] for $14.93 Citadel hardcover [10/82] out of print/used
	"The Columbia Comedy Shorts: Two-Reel Hollywood Film Comedies, 1933-1958" [1986] by Ted Okuda & Edward Watz McFarland & Co. 9x6 pb [10/98] for $35.00 McFarland & Co. 9½x6½ hardcover [9/86] for $45.00
	"The Stooges' Lost Episodes: The Fifty Never-Before-Released Stooge Adventures" [1988] by Tom & Jeff Forrester Contemporary Books pb [4/88] out of print/used Covers obscure appearances of the Stooges team, including solo films by individual members
	"Behind The Three Stooges: The White Brothers" [1990] by David N. Bruskin In-depth interviews with producer-directors Jules White. Jack White, and Sam White, whose careers spanned the entire life of the two-reel comedy short in America Directors Guild of America pb [5/93] out of print/scarce Scarecrow Press 9x6½ hardcover [5/90] for $69.50
	"The Official Three Stooges Encyclopedia: The Ultimate Knucklehead's Guide To Stoogedom - From Amalgamated Association of Morons To Ziller, Zeller & Zoller" [1998] by Robert Kurson McGraw-Hill 10x8 pb [5/99] for $12.89 McGraw-Hill/N.T.C. 10½x8½ hardcover [6/98] out of print/used
	"The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons To American Icons" [1999] by Michael Fleming Broadway Books 9x8 pb [8/2002] out of print/used Doubleday 9½x8¼ hardcover [11/99] out of print/used
	"The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography & Three Stooges Companion" [2002] by Jon Solomon Comedy III 11x8¾ pb [1/2002] for $39.95
	"The Three Stooges: The Triumphs & Tragedies of The Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time" [2004] by Jeff & Tom Forrester; edited by Joe Wallison Donaldson Books 11¼x8¾ pb [11/2004] out of print/used
	"Stooges Among Us" [2008] Edited by Lon & Debra Davis, Foreword by Leonard Maltin BearManor Media 8¾x6 pb [7/2008] for $17.95

	"StoogeMania" [Atlantic Releasing/Paramount June 1986] A casual fan of the The Three Stooges begins to see Stooges everywhere. He seeks the help of a psychiatrist and learns that such events are becoming epidemic; the many victims are committed to Stooge Hills sanitarium and a 'rigorous program' started to cure them. The low-budget film was not approved by Comedy III, and used clips from the four public domain shorts; the release was near-invisible and the film made no money. Co-produced, written & directed by Chuck Workman; starring Josh Mostel, Melanie Chartoff, Sid Caesar & Paul Garner Paramount VHS [6/97] out of prodn/used Kartes Video VHS [8/89] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia
	"The Three Stooges 60th Anniversary Special" [1990 TV special] TV special hosted by Steve Allen in color, with b&w footage featuring clips of Joe Besser, Joe DeRita, Larry Fine, Paul 'Mousie' Garner, Ted Healy, Curly Howard, Moe Howard & Shemp Howard; the second tape contains the four public domain shorts Superior Promotions color/b&w VHS [8/2001] 2 tapes - out of prodn/used partial credits from IMDb
	"The Lost Stooges" [ABC-TV special 1990] TV special with color and b&w footage; narrated by Leonard Maltin; featuring clips of Larry Fine, Ted Healy, Curly Howard, Moe Howard & Shemp Howard Turner Home Video color/b&w VHS [11/98] out of prodn/used Turner Home Video color/b&w VHS [6/97] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb
	"Stooges: The Men Behind The Mayhem" [A&E Biography/Laughsmith 1994] Co-produced, written, directed & narrated by Paul E. Gierucki Mackinac Media color DVD [4/2005] out of prodn/scarce A&E Home Video color VHS [11/98] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • producers' website

	"Moe Howard & The 3 Stooges: The Pictorial Biography of The Wildest Trio In The History of American Entertainment" [1979] by Moe Howard, with Joan Howard Maurer Citadel 11x8½ pb [10/79] out of print/used
	"My Friend Moe: Memories of A Stoogeboomer" [2006] by Richard P Sanner iUniverse 9x5¾ pb [4/2006] for $10.95

	"Curly: An Illustrated Biography of The Superstooge" [1985] by Joan Howard Maurer Citadel Press 10¾x8¼ pb [4/88] out of print/used Citadel Press 11¼x8¾ hardcover [10/85] out of print/used
	"Beyond The Laughter: A Daughter's Story of Curly's Post Three Stooges Years" [2001] by Grace Garland AuthorHouse 8¾x6 pb [12/2001] for $11.65

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