#Rumpus in the harem series

Healy tried to save his act by hiring replacement stooges, but they were inexperienced and not as well-received as their predecessors. There are accounts of Healy threatening to bomb theaters if Howard, Fine and Howard ever performed there, which worried Shemp so much that he almost left the act reportedly, only a pay raise kept him on board. Healy attempted to stop the new act with legal action, claiming they were using his copyrighted material. The offer was withdrawn, and after Howard, Fine and Howard learned of the reason, they left Healy to form their own act, which quickly took off with a tour of the theatre circuit. This enraged the prickly Healy, who told studio executives that the Stooges were his employees. The film was not a critical success, but the Stooges' performances were singled out as memorable, leading Fox to offer the trio a contract minus Healy. In 1930, Ted Healy and His Stooges (including Sanborn) appeared in their first Hollywood feature film, Soup to Nuts, released by Fox Film Corporation. Brothers Moe and Shemp were joined later that year by violinist-comedian Larry Fine, and Fred Sanborn joined the group as well. Healy would respond by verbally and physically abusing his stooges. In the act, lead comedian Healy would attempt to sing or tell jokes while his noisy assistants would keep 'interrupting' him. 'Ted Healy and His Southern Gentlemen', 'Ted Healy and His Three Lost Souls' and 'Ted Healy and His Racketeers'-the moniker 'Three Stooges' was never used during their tenure with Healy). The Three Stooges started in 1925 as part of a raucous vaudeville act called 'Ted Healy and His Stooges' (a.k.a. 5 Home video release and public reception.1.5 The return: Larry, Moe and Curly Joe.1.2 The Columbia years: Moe, Larry and Curly.

#Rumpus in the harem series

Larry ultimately succumbed to a series of additional strokes in January 1975, followed by Moe, who died of lung cancer in May 1975.

Moe tried unsuccessfully one final time to revive the Stooges with longtime supporting actor Emil Sitka filling in for Larry. The act regained momentum throughout the 1960s as popular kiddie fare until Larry Fine's paralyzing stroke in January 1970 effectively marked the end of the act proper.

Ultimately, Joe DeRita (nicknamed 'Curly Joe') replaced Joe Besser by 1958. Shemp Howard replaced brother Curly, when Curly suffered a debilitating stroke in May 1946.Р”Р„fter Shemp's death from a heart attack in November 1955, he was replaced by comedian Joe Besser, after the use of film actor Joe Palma to film four Shemp-era shorts. 'The Three Stooges' film trio was originally composed of Moe Howard, brother Curly Howard and their life-long friend Larry Fine. They first started as ' Ted Healy and his Stooges' which contained Moe, Larry and Shemp. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: 'Moe, Larry, and Curly' and 'Moe, Larry, and Shemp,' among other lineups. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to midРІР‚вЂњ20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. L to R: Moe Howard, Curly Howard and Larry Fine