To Stooge Or Not To Stooge

[Zzzptm]

As for Curly Joe and Joe Besser, those were both the Stooges utilized when Shemp passed away and there weren't any more family members left.

Joe Besser was a real riot on his own or as a guest alongside other solo comics, so it was thought he'd work out with Larry and Moe. He did not. It was more like The Two Stooges and Joe.

Curly Joe was the one added to carry on with the act when everyone was getting on in years but still needed money. He knew how to hit softly and that was important when doing physical comedy at their age. But he wasn't for generating new material.

One name that had come up as a replacement for Shemp was Emil Sitka, who I think really should have gotten the call. He's a hilarious character actor and would have been great as a victim of Moe and Larry's incompetence.

[Typhon]

One name that had come up as a replacement for Shemp was Emil Sitka, who I think really should have gotten the call. He's a hilarious character actor and would have been great as a victim of Moe and Larry's incompetence.

When Larry became ill, Moe contacted Emil Sitka to replace him.  Just before the start of a real project, Moe died.

[Zzzptm]

Yeah, if he had been picked up instead of Besser in the 50s, I think the act would have been better off. I should look up why they went with Besser in the first place...

[Typhon]

Yeah, if he had been picked up instead of Besser in the 50s, I think the act would have been better off. I should look up why they went with Besser in the first place...

They probably wanted somebody rotund.

[Typhon]

Since it is football season, check out Three Little Pigskins.  You will see a very young Lucille Ball in this one.

[Billy Underdog]

Folks, Typhon and I just agreed.

 

[Zzzptm]

I know, Billy... and I agreed with him on a few other threads, I think I should see a doctor.

Yeah, if he had been picked up instead of Besser in the 50s, I think the act would have been better off. I should look up why they went with Besser in the first place...

They probably wanted somebody rotund.

So I had some time yesterday and looked this up. Moe and Larry wanted to go on as the Two Stooges and Columbia execs said no way. They picked Besser for three reasons:

1. He was signed to Columbia
2. He was a pretty popular comic
3. He was signed to Columbia

Besser himself was good friends with Shemp, they having done the character actor circuit at Columbia. His contract actually gave him more money than Larry or Moe and he also had a clause in it where he wouldn't be hit very hard or very often. Larry was a real trooper, though, and said that he'd take the slaps.

They were very professional together, even though their chemistry didn't work out.

[Typhon]

^^^^^^
At some point Larry actually developed a callous on part of his face from so many slaps.

[Zzzptm]

Yeah, imagine *that* as a work-related injury!

I think it beats almost getting roasted alive, which nearly happened to Curly.

[JSTHECONQUEROR]

When one is faced with a question like this, the answer is to Stooge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwmU343eBu0

[Vyn]

I've never been a Stooge fan, although I can remember laughing my head off at a few of their skits. Along the same lines of "comedians before my time", I never much got into Abbott and Costello either. But holy crap, Laurel and Hardy along with W.C. Fields seemed endlessly hilarious. The Marx Bros had some stellar moments for me as well.

Tangentially, I just received - today! - a 7" action figure of Iggy Pop in the mail. The caricature is not from his Stooges days, though. More modern. I don't collect such things, but there has been a running gag in my office the past two weeks concerning Iggy, so come Monday Iggy is going to work with me

[Zzzptm]

Lol...

Or, to be thread-appropriate:

Nyuk nyuk nyuk...