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The Three Stooges, Shemp Howard

I just picked up Sonys, The Three Stooges Vol. 6 DVD which covers 1949-1951. I forgot just how funny Shemp Howard is. Curly is awesome, but I think Shemp has not gotten the accolades he deserves. Anyone agree?
 
King of the Hill:
COTTON (watching Charlie's Angels): Damn, it's a Shelley Hack! That's like gettin' a Shemp!

He's better than Curly Joe Derita or Joe Besser.
 
I've got Volume 5, where Shemp becomes part of the trio when Curly is forced to retire due to strokes.

Shemp was a funny man in his own right. Excellent physical comedian, he could take a lot of punishment, and he was the original Stooge before Curly. I'm reluctant to get Volume 6, because nothing is more disheartening than seeing the later Shemp episodes when he doesn't appear due to poor health. You get bits and pieces of edited shorts, with occasional views of the back of a head of an obvious stand-in. It's as sad as watching Curly perform after his strokes.

Don
 
Shemp was funny. I think the biggest thing that goes against him in a lot of people's opinion is that he wasn't Curly. And he wasn't, but it doesn't mean he wasn't any good.
 
Yep, poor old Shemp. One of the funniest shorts the guys ever did was the farce about winning a big radio contest. Of course it was a Curly re-do like many of them were but in this case, the Shemp version was actually better. The scene in the hotel when they thought the canopy bed was a bunk bed was classic. Shemp jumps on Moe's back to get up there. Of course it collapses on Moe's head and Shemp then endure's one of the Stooge's classic beat downs. Probably a full minute of mayhem. I laughed so hard I could barely see straight. Another of his best was Brideless Groom. The scene at he beginning when he smacked Larry around for sleeping at the piano is great.

Regards, Todd
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
Samuel, Moses, and Jerome Horwitz had to be one of the funniest families ever.

My favorite scene with Shemp is when they're on a ship pretending to rock side to side. Shemp is eating a huge salami with a pocket knife, and turns a pasty white. To this date, almost fifty years after seeing it, I cannot eat a hunk of salami. Sliced- fine. Chunk- no way.

Did they ever refuse a script?
 
Samuel, Moses, and Jerome Horwitz had to be one of the funniest families ever.

My favorite scene with Shemp is when they're on a ship pretending to rock side to side. Shemp is eating a huge salami with a pocket knife, and turns a pasty white. To this date, almost fifty years after seeing it, I cannot eat a hunk of salami. Sliced- fine. Chunk- no way.

Did they ever refuse a script?

Gimme that melon!
 
Samuel, Moses, and Jerome Horwitz had to be one of the funniest families ever.

My favorite scene with Shemp is when they're on a ship pretending to rock side to side. Shemp is eating a huge salami with a pocket knife, and turns a pasty white. To this date, almost fifty years after seeing it, I cannot eat a hunk of salami. Sliced- fine. Chunk- no way.

Did they ever refuse a script?

A true classic scene. Moe and Larry are already seasick while Shemp happily munches down...until it catches up to him, drops the salami in the water bucket which splashes Moe (or was it Larry or both). Hadn't seen that episode in 30 or 40 years and I still remember it.

Good memories. The Three Stooges came to us via local programming on KTVT-11. The show was Slam Bang Theatre hosted by Icky Twerp. The Three Stooges and other cartoon classics along with in studio skits were the order of the day, every day.

Oh yeah, Shemp was greatness. :biggrin:
 
I always liked Shemp just as much as Curly as well.

Now I have to pull out the episodes I have and watch them (definitely a good thing :001_smile)! But I still have to find the rest to complete my Stooges set. Mine are on VHS.

Not to hijack the thread, but...is the Sony set the definitive collection that is out there? And is that on DVD?
 
I always liked Shemp just as much as Curly as well.

Now I have to pull out the episodes I have and watch them (definitely a good thing :001_smile)! But I still have to find the rest to complete my Stooges set. Mine are on VHS.

Not to hijack the thread, but...is the Sony set the definitive collection that is out there? And is that on DVD?

In my opinion, it is the definitive collection. They're released chronologically. A good value, and on DVD. I have Volume 1 to 5 in my collection. 5 can be hard to take because it includes the Curly "post stroke" episodes; the poor guy moves real slow and he simply doesn't have the energy.

I am a great fan of the Stooges. I wouldn't want to be related to the characters, and I definitely wouldn't want to work with them on a daily basis, but they never fail to keep me in stitches.

Don
 
Thanks for the info (and a Black Adder fan to boot!:wink2:). I will definitely go looking for those! Even better that they organized it chronologically.

Thanks,

Sean
 
Shemp is my favorite stooge. He was a comedic genius, and an unsung one at that.

+1 and I am a huge Larry fan, as well. When you watch the Stooges, pay attention to Larry's facial expressions and body language. See if you don't laugh your face off.
 
+1 and I am a huge Larry fan, as well. When you watch the Stooges, pay attention to Larry's facial expressions and body language. See if you don't laugh your face off.

Same here, Larry's my second favorite. He and Shemp perfected the use of facial expressions in the Stooges act. Sometimes, I freeze frame odd bits of the series where Shemp or Larry are just standing there or reacting to Moe, and they crack me up just looking at the weird expressions they make.
 
+1 and I am a huge Larry fan, as well. When you watch the Stooges, pay attention to Larry's facial expressions and body language. See if you don't laugh your face off.

I always liked Larry. Somehow I could identify with him as a real person. It made the movies more involving, seeing everything from Larry's perspective.

Attached is a present I got from my kids one Christmas. I used to have them on the mantle but they got boxed up in the last move.
 
I just picked up Sonys, The Three Stooges Vol. 6 DVD which covers 1949-1951. I forgot just how funny Shemp Howard is. Curly is awesome, but I think Shemp has not gotten the accolades he deserves. Anyone agree?

Shemp is awesome. Much, much better stooge than Curly, IMHO.


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