Behind the Slaps: Secrets the Stooges Hid

Everyone knows The Three Stooges as the slap-happy trio who lived for pies to the face and pratfalls. What most people do not see is the mess behind the makeup: childhood bullying, addiction, broken health, and family losses that haunted the men off camera. Their road to legend was paved with pain and tough choices, not just gags.

More Than Three: Six Stooges Total

Despite the name, six men filled the roles over the act's long run. Moe and Larry were the constants, but the third spot rotated: Shemp, Curly, Joe Besser, and later Curly Joe all took turns. At any one time you saw three on screen, but the group’s full story includes a wider cast of players. That lineup shuffle shaped the act and its legacy.

Moe's Brooklyn Roots and Famous Bowl Cut

Moe Howard was born Moses Horwitz on the edge of Brooklyn and grew up in a tight Jewish neighborhood with four brothers. He dropped out of high school after two months to chase theater and started in films as a kid doing errands at Vitagraph Studios. Those early days led to small roles with comedy stars of the era and set him on stage and screen. His trademark bowl haircut came from a childhood snip job when he was bullied and his friends used a bowl as a guide.

Larry Fine: Violinist Turned Boxer Turned Stooge

Larry Fine did not start out as a comic; he learned violin as a child and later sang on the side. In his teens he boxed for money, which oddly helped when slaps and pratfalls became his job. By 18 he was focused on vaudeville, and in 1925 he stepped into Moe and Ted Healy’s act, filling a stooge role that would become permanent. That mix of music, toughness, and stage savvy made him the perfect middleman in the trio.

Curly's Fame, Health Fight, and Studio Pay

Curly became the breakout stooge with his shaved head, wild voice, and catchphrases like nyuk-nyuk-nyuk. Off camera he struggled with drinking, compulsive spending, and overeating, and suffered a major stroke on the set of Half-Wits Holiday in 1946. Columbia Pictures also treated the team poorly, giving them no raises during 24 years of shorts, though Moe did secure the right to the profits from their personal appearances. Curly recovered enough to appear once more in 1947, but he never regained full health and died in 1952.

Meeting Ted Healy

The whole “Three Stooges” gimmick came to be only years later, but it was the result of Moe meeting one significant person that helped get the ball rolling–the one and only Ted Healy. The two had met in 1909, and a few years later, they landed a role together as diving girls in Annette Kellerman’s aquatic act. As soon as they met, they became close friends, and the two joined forces again in 1922 to form The Three Stooges, with Moe’s brother, Shemp.

Larry Fine Trained in Boxing

“The Three Stooges” act is a timeless comedy style, based around one “Boss Stooge” (Moe) giving orders to the other two stooges with a comedic twist of insults, slap fights, pie-to-the-face pranks, and all sorts of other hilarious childlike gags. And the long-lasting “Middle Stooge”, Larry Fine, could definitely handle his own! In his youth, he trained in boxing and even made a living off of it in his teen years. Little did he know, that this would come in handy in his adult life as a comedian, when he needed to throw some clumsy punches or get knocked to the face himself during many of his Three Stooges acts. But how exactly did he become one of the original stooges?

Larry Fine Gets into Acting

At a very young age, the east-coast bound Larry Fine had sharpened his performance skills by playing the violin. As he grew up and entered his teenage years, though, he got more interested in singing, and would earn money from that, on top of his boxing gigs. Once he reached the sweet age of 18, though, he transitioned his focus to performing on stage, specifically with vaudeville. About five years later in 1925, he crossed paths with Moe and Ted, where he replaced Moe temporarily as his “stooge” role in one of their acts.

“Ted Healy and His Stooges”

The concept for the Stooges started out in the 1920s, with Ted Healy, Moe, Larry, and Shemp acting in a theatrical comedy act, titled Ted Healy and His Stooges. At the time, Ted Healy was quite a famous vaudeville comedian, and this act was going to be a great push forward in the stooges’ careers in comedy. The four of them toured around performing their vaudeville comedy performance together for about a decade, until they were featured in the famous film, Soup to Nuts in the ‘30s. After that, the group seemed to split off to their own separate ways for a few juicy reasons.

The Split in the ‘30s

Ted Healy’s character in the Ted Healy and His Stooges act was similar to Moe’s role in The Three Stooges act, where he basically berates and haggles his stooges left and right. But come the 1930s, it turned out that whatever was happening on-stage was spilling over into his behind-the-scenes behavior. Due to the fact that Healy started to show signs of a substance problem, the Stooges felt like it was best to part ways. Not only did they feel like Healy was too much to handle off-set, but he also severely underpaid them.

Changes in the Early Years

If it wasn’t clear before, Shemp was also interested in chasing a career in the entertainment industry, just like his brother Moe. He was the first to step away from Ted Healy and His Stooges in 1933, in order to purse a solo career. While he ended up being quite successful and was featured in multiple films, he eventually found his way back to The Three Stooges–but unfortunately, it wasn’t under the best circumstances. Yet, while Shemp ventured on his own majestic movie journey in the ‘30s and '40s, Moe brought on his other brother, Jerome “Curly” Howard, as a replacement.

From “Ted Healy and His Stooges” to “The Three Stooges”

About two years after the crew walked away from working with Ted Healy, Columbia Pictures signed Moe, Larry, and Curly on for a short-comedies deal which would later be the famously known The Three Stooges. From there, the three of them would produce over 200 short films of all sorts of silly shenanigans that would change the entire comedic industry. And it was all because all three of them were completely unique in their own way–especially their newest addition, Curly Howard.

Curly’s Signature Look

If you’re wondering why Jerome “Curly” Howard is named Curly, even though he’s got a shaved head, rumor has it that it’s supposed to be a play on his “curly” personality. While each stooge has his own signature look, Curly was overall a one-of-kind type of a guy, and got his look in an interesting way. Curly rocked a waxed mustache and a wavy chestnut-brown fro before joining the ensemble, but apparently Ted Healy would only hire him if he shaved off his head – in hopes that he would chicken out. Little did Ted know, Curly was up for the challenge, and was ready to commit to the part and own this funny signature look.

Curly’s Signature Sayings

Even though he was the fourth stooge to join, there’s no doubt that Curly’s contribution to act was one of the most significant ones. Because what he lacked for in hair, he made up for in personality and pizzazz! Let’s face it, as annoying as it is endearing, who could forget his iconic "Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk!" and "Woo-woo-woo!" calls? Classic! That’s what gave those old-timey black-and-white shorts the extra clumsy spice that we all love today. From Curly’s high-pitched voice, to his distinctive expressions, he quickly became the most popular stooge of them all.

They Did Their Own Stunts

Nowadays, there are stunt doubles to take care of all those falls, jumps, and other physical stunts that happen in movies and shows. But back in the day, it was The Three Stooges themselves that would perform their own stunts. And as funny as it was for everyone to watch them getting poked, slapped, or hit with props, we have to give them an extra round of applause and salute of respect for the fact that they were so dedicated and powered through them all. Especially since a lot of the time, they got injured on set from it all!

Stiffing the Stooges

Unfortunately, Ted Healy wasn’t the only one to stiff the stooges when it came to payment. Apparently, in the 24 years that they were under contract with Columbia Pictures, not even one of the Three Stooges ever got a raise. Not just that, but they were completely unaware of how big they actually were. While they were under the impression that short films were losing popularity–which at one point they did–it wasn’t until years later that they actually realized how famous their act was. Talk about a need for Google and social media, right?

Keeping Their Personal Appearance Profits

The admired and ignorantly famous actors might’ve gotten stiffed while they were working with Columbia Pictures, but it turns out that the head honcho Moe had a sneaky trick up his sleeves. In their contracts, Moe made sure that there was a statement that gave them the rights to receive all of the profits for their personal appearances–which ended up providing them a whole lot more money than they would’ve ever made from the over 200 short films they filmed. How clever!

Curly’s Heartbreaking Ending

Jerome Lester Horwitz, the man we all remember and love as “Curly”, was six years younger than his older brother Moe. And as lovable and clumsy as Moe’s little brother was on set, his behavior behind-the-scenes was far from innocent. Unfortunately, Curly fell down a rabbit hole and found himself with substance issues, compulsive spending problems, and even overeating. While Moe tried to help him get his life back together, Curly wasn’t able to take the steps needed to get better. And on his final day of shooting Half-Wits Holiday, in May of 1946, Curly suffered a severe stroke, leading to the heart-breaking end to his career.

Historically Classic Comedy

Thankfully, Curly was able to recover from his stroke, but the 43-year-old comedian was certainly not in a condition to continue performing. That is, asides from one final film appearance in 1947. Not only was this film, Hold That Lion!, the last for Curly to appear in, but this was the only film that all three Howard brothers (Curly, Moe, and Shemp) were featured in together–making it a historically classic comedy. While Curly was hoping that this gig would open the doors for him to return to the ensemble, something even more heartbreaking was about to happen.

Bringing Back an Original

The three-man-band was currently down a stooge, and Moe felt that instead of bringing on someone new, the best option would be to bring back one of the trio’s originals–Shemp. Curly might’ve been the All-American favorite, but Shemp had his own special characteristics too. Like the fact that he was the tallest stooge out of all six of them, standing at 5’7” tall. Plus, who could forget his well-known signature quirky reaction of yelping out "Gee-gee-gee-gee-gee!" in many of his works?

Stepping Back into the Three Stooges Spotlight

In the decade and a half since he had stepped away from the Stooges, Shemp had truly worked hard to make it big in showbiz–honorably earning the title of “Ugliest Man in Hollywood.” In fact, in the ‘40s, he even had his own funny series of shorts produced by Columbia Pictures, at the same time that The Three Stooges were signed on with them. But even though Shemp was hesitant at first to transition from his successful solo career back to the entertaining ensemble, he came to the rescue and stepped back into the Three Stooges spotlight to replace dear Curly.

Curly’s Health Decline

Unfortunately, towards the late ‘40s, Curly’s health was still not in good shape. After shooting Hold That Lion! with his brothers, he suffered another series of strokes, which caused his health to decline even more, and faster. On January 18, 1952, at the young age of 48, Curly had passed away due to his health and medical issues. It came with a heavy heart for both family, friends, and fans to devastatingly lose their favorite stooge in such a sad way, but this wasn’t the last loss that the Three Stooges would endure during this time.

The Show Must Go On

Even with the saddened loss of their brother, the ensemble felt like the show must go on—especially as they were still in contract with Columbia Films. Shemp continued on in place of Curly, but that wasn’t the only change that was made once he had passed. The ‘50s rolled around, and rumors that had been flying around for years about Columbia Pictures cutting down their short film department, had finally come true. But what did this mean for the hysterical trio under contract?

The Change in the ‘50s

Did you ever notice that there was a significant difference between the episodes in the '50s compared to the '30s and '40s? How about any similarities? And no, we don’t mean with the casting, we’re talking about the quality of the episodes themselves. The new decade brought changes in the TV and film industries. The production team had to make all sorts of important cuts to stay on budget, after the department downsized. In order to compensate, they changed up the way the episodes were written since they had different writers and directors and spent less time shooting and more time editing old footage to recycle. And later in the decade, it seemed that their act will have to be retired, but not before a few major changes in cast.

Recasting Throughout the ‘50s

It’s amazing how one of history’s most influential comedians who have brought joy and laughter to so many people for so many years, have all suffered so much. And unfortunately, the sad news just kept coming in the ‘50s. Throughout the decade there were actually multiple casting changes–all for devastating reasons. After Curly’s passing in 1952, Shemp took over, however, just a mere 3 years later, Shemp would be the one who needed to be replaced. Come Fall of 1955, the one and only Shemp also passed away quite suddenly, in a completely unexpected way, that left everyone around in shock.

An Unexpected Loss

Shemp had gone out for a fun guy’s night to watch a boxing match with some friends. But alas, on his way back home from the match, the 60-year-old Shemp endured a massive heart attack, and unfortunately didn’t survive. Can you imagine just how the family must’ve felt to have lost two members in such a short amount of time? And of course, there’s no doubt that their fans took these losses to heart, as well. In fact, at this point, Moe was ready to step away from the spotlight and put an end to The Three Stooges.

Bringing on the Fifth Stooge

Moe was absolutely stunned and shattered about his brother’s sudden passing. Yet, they were still under contract with Columbia Pictures, just like with the passing of Curly. Which meant the show still needed to go on. That’s when they introduced the fifth stooge into the crew, Joe Besser. While Besser had quite a successful solo career in comedy—starring in Hour Glass and later in The Abbott and Costello Show and The Joey Bishop Show—because he was already signed to Columbia Pictures, the production company felt like he would be a great fit. But how did the actors themselves feel about it all?

Joe, the Fifth Stooge

Surprisingly enough, Moe and Larry wanted to actually continue their act as The Two Stooges instead of bringing on a replacement. However, since they still needed to shoot 4 more films, the production company made it clear that they were in need of a third stooge. Funny enough, though, at first Joe was quite cautious and nervous about getting hurt on the job–which is basically a requirement for their jesting storylines and clumsy scenes. So, Larry offered to step in his place when the slap stunts needed to be shot. What a guy! But as time went on, Joe started to feel more comfortable with the crew and concept, and agreed to participate and engage in the physical parts.

No Good at Saying Goodbyes

No good at goodbyes would be an understatement for Columbia Pictures. The Three Stooges had finished their contract with Columbia, filming their last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters, in 1957 but would continue to have their films released over the next year and a half. Yet, even after over two decades under contract, they were short to receive a proper and formal goodbye, or any form of celebration, from the production company itself. How disheartening. In fact, since they were no longer employed by Columbia, rumor has it that when Moe tried to go back to say goodbye to some of the executives he worked with, they actually refused to let him inside the premise since he didn’t have a studio pass!

Saying Goodbye to the Fifth Stooge

After saying their goodbyes to Columbia in the late ‘50s, the trio was left to come up with their own way to keep the act alive and active. They were still making a profit and stayed relevant since their films continued to release over upcoming months, but they still needed another way to keep the show going. That’s when they decided to take the show on the road and launch a personal appearance tour. And as excited as Joe was to be a part of it all, he opted out of the opportunity. Unfortunately, his wife’s health condition wasn’t stable, and he wanted to work gigs that were local so that he could continue to care for her in her time of need.

Bringing Back the Ultimate Original

The dynamic duo was back at square one, and Larry and Moe needed to find another replacement for the third stooge in their act. The two considered to bring back the ultimate original, Ted Healy, but surprisingly enough, he botched the audition. What can we say? The act might’ve felt the same, but there’s no doubt that Larry and Moe had come a long way in the past couple of decades. The search continued on for the next couple of weeks, until they finally felt they found the right fit.

Welcoming the Sixth Stooge

In 1958, Larry stumbled upon Joe DeRita, a funny burlesque entertainer that seemed to fit the bill just right. Not only did DeRita’s style and sense of humor fit the part, but the 5’4” comedian even resembled Curly, which is how he landed his character’s name “Curly Joe”. Apparently, Joe DeRita was someone that the dynamic duo wanted to work with when they searched for Shemp’s replacement, but he was already under contract elsewhere. Luckily enough, that same contract had one week left when Larry approached him with this new offer years later. Talk about perfect timing!

Making a Successful Comeback

The ‘50s were clearly a hard and tragic years, but thankfully the ‘60s were about to turn all of their luck around. The Stooges started to gain more popularity and were able to make a big comeback with their feature films, and had landed all sorts of new opportunities in TV, with an offer to make an animated cartoon series, live-action colored films, and live traveling tours. They worked hard during those years and in fact, ‘til today, the trio is sometimes referred to as “Larry, Moe, and Curly Joe”, alongside the original reference as The Three Stooges.

Visiting Schools

The ensemble had been through all sorts of ups and down, both in their professional careers in the entertainment industry, and within their own individual and personal lives. The ‘60s were a strong decade for The Three Stooges, but come the ‘70s, they would be faced with a couple more hard losses for the entire team. Larry had also suffered a series of strokes, causing severe physical consequences, like partial paralysis. But even though he was immobilized and confined to a wheelchair, that didn’t stop him from making an appearance on stage whenever he could. He continued to visit schools, showing his work in film, and staying in contact with the public.

Another Big Opportunity in the ‘70s

Larry Fine was there through it all, and his receding hairline and bushy, hot mess, unkempt hair is his signature look that is distinctive, and vividly remains in fans memories decades later. but in January 1975, the beloved and highly-admired Larry Fine had passed away from his health condition after suffering a series of strokes. However, shortly before this devastating loss, The Stooges had actually signed a deal for a big opportunity, to co-star in an R-rated movie Blazing Stewardesses. But alas, their involvement in the 1975 movie was actually withdrawn for a different heart-breaking reason.

The Last Left of the Original Crew

At age 73, the long-lasting stooge and loving Larry Fine had passed away, and Moe was the last one left of the original crew. A week before filming was supposed to commence for Blazing Stewardesses was supposed to start, head honcho Moe had received some rough news about his own personal health. The long-time hysterical comedian was diagnosed with lung cancer, forcing him to pass on the opportunity to star in the film, and focus on his health condition and diagnosis.

The End to the Legendary Three Stooges Act

A few months later, the world and Howard family would experience another disheartening loss–the loss of the magnificent Moe. In May of 1975, at age 77, the one and only Moe had passed away, which also put an end to the legendary Three Stooges act. However, they are far from forgotten, and on August 30, 1983, a star for The Three Stooges was honorably added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 1560 Vine Street. Their glorious and notorious legacy strongly lives on even half a century later, as they’ve helped shaped comedy over the 20th century and were part of such a historical time in the film industry.

They Were Shortchanged by Columbia

Turns out Columbia Pictures did more than just keep them on short films. The studio locked the trio into flat contracts, paid the same wages for years, and declined to give them a share of the bigger profits their shorts generated. The Stooges kept making the gags while the studio kept the cash. That exploitation helps explain why Moe fought to keep personal appearance earnings in their own contracts.

Stunts Left Real Damage

Those slaps and pratfalls were funny, yes, but often painful and real. Low budgets and rapid shooting schedules left little room for safety, so bruises, black eyes, and lingering injuries were common. Some of the harm stuck with them long after the cameras stopped rolling, a physical price paid for decades of laughs. The comedy sold tickets, their bodies paid the tab.

Fame Did Not Mean Financial Security

Behind the fame there was real hardship, especially for Larry Fine. He battled gambling and money troubles, coped with family losses, and later suffered a stroke that ended his career. Despite his long run with the act, Larry spent his final years with little to show financially. Their public success did not protect them from private instability.

Curly’s Health and Personal Struggles

Curly’s on-screen energy masked a downward spiral off-camera. Alcohol, compulsive spending, and poor health habits worsened as his career went on, and he was pushed back into work even as his body failed him. His strokes ended the part of him that brought so much joy to audiences, and the toll was both personal and professional. The laughs came at a heavy cost.

Studio Tricks to Meet Contracts

When Shemp died, Columbia still had shorts to deliver and budgets to protect. The studio used recycled footage and a stand-in shot from behind, reportedly Joe Palma, to finish films without a full new cast. Those edits kept the product coming, but they underline how the Stooges were treated as content to be mined. The business side often trumped loyalty to the performers themselves.