# Curly or Shemp? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 18, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576 "2014-02-18T01:26:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/21 "2014-02-18T04:39:35Z")
Shemp, but just by a hair. I saw a documentary about the Stooges years ago where a number of people who had worked on their films said that all of them were great performers, but Shemp was hands down the funniest when clowning around without a script. ETA: Why did autocorrect want to change Shemp to sheep? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/22 "2014-02-18T05:38:53Z")
Shemp was good but Curly was great. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/23 "2014-02-18T05:44:53Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Yep. Beware false Stooges. By this you mean? ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/24 "2014-02-18T06:05:23Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > By this you mean? That he doesn’t realize Shemp was one of the original Stooges and Curly was his replacement when he left the group. There was only one false Stooge, the afore mentioned Joe Besser. And even he was a good in a sea of greats. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/25 "2014-02-18T06:38:45Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > That he doesn’t realize Shemp was one of the original Stooges and Curly was his replacement when he left the group. > > There was only one false Stooge, the afore mentioned Joe Besser. And even he was a good in a sea of greats. I think you’re confusing Joe Besser with Curly Joe DeRita … or something. There’s a documentary about the Stooges on YouTube; I think it’s about forty-five minutes long, and is definitely worth watching. The correct order of the third stooges is: Shemp, Curly, Shemp again, Joe Besser, and Curly Joe DeRita. And yeah, the original Curly was by far the best of the bunch! Before joining the troupe, he actually did have flowing locks of red hair, but he got the crewcut for its comedic effect. His real name was Jerome, and he was known as Jerry. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/26 "2014-02-18T07:05:29Z")
Curly in the Stooges by a hair, but Shemp was far better than the later fake Curlys. And Shemp was great as the projectionist in Olsen and Johnson’s Hellzapoppin’. He was also in the followup, Crazy Street, but I only remember that from childhood. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/27 "2014-02-18T09:43:51Z")
Moving over to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/28 "2014-02-18T09:55:20Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Curly, if you mean with Moe and Larry. > > Shemp, if you mean with Bud and Lou. > > (Both Shemp and Joe have worked with Abbott and Costello - Shemp in the movies, and Joe on their TV series.) Not to pick nits, but the original Curly’s last name was Howard, not Joe…which is the one I’m assuming you’re talking about in this post (and although you just say “Joe”, I assume you’re not talking about Joe Besser at all). He was Moe’s (and Shemp’s) brother. Curly Joe was the fatter, older Curly whose full name was Curly Joe Derita. > [@bup](#): > > Joe Besser. Huh. I know, right? He certainly got the shit end of the stick. I mean, everyone knows about Curly, and I’d think most would know about Shemp and Curly Joe… …but If you bust out with the “Larry, Moe, and Joe”, people look at you like “Wha?”. But anyway, out of the four different people who played the “third stooge” over time (Curly, Shemp, Joe, and Curly Joe), I do have to give the nod to the first Curly. Useless trivia: In fact, the last incarnation of the Three Stooges was Moe, Curly Joe and someone named Emil, although he wasn’t in any shorts or movies and only filled in (for Larry) for a short time until the Three Stooges broke up entirely. And thus ends a post where Idle Thoughts shows off his Three Stooges knowledge, which is…something I’m not sure if I’m proud of or not. :S ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/29 "2014-02-18T10:00:37Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > (and although you just say “Joe”, I assume you’re not talking about Joe Besser at all) No, he means Joe Besser. DeRita didn’t work with Abbot and Costello, Besser did regularly. > [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > (Both Shemp and Joe have worked with Abbott and Costello - Shemp in the movies, and Joe on their TV series.) They actually BOTH worked with them in at least one movie - [Africa Screams](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_Screams) - Besser played the villain’s butler (as a typical Joe Besser character\*) and Shemp as an absurdly nearsighted hunter who was in the party with the boys and the villain. - One particular bit that comes to mind immediately is Bud and Lou’s character’s are talking about something next to the water supply, and Besser’s keeps running in, getting a glass of water, and running out. Finally, Bud stops him and asks ‘what’s with the water?’ ‘My tent is on fi-er!’ (A lousy attempt to recreate the delivery, but if you’re familiar with Besser, you read it properly, anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/30 "2014-02-18T10:21:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Gatopescado View Post > Yep. Beware false Stooges. > [@DChord568](#): > > By this you mean? He could be referring to the phenomenon known as the [Fake Shemp](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FakeShemp) where your actor dies and you try to work around it by using an unconvincing double and hope noone notices. ---
**Author:** ![Bellhorn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@Bellhorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bellhorn)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/31 "2014-02-18T11:38:23Z")
Curly. But as mentioned earlier in the thread, by the time Shemp came along, the Stooges’ shorts had deteriorated to a collection of reworked scripts and footage, and Moe and Larry were well past their prime. Shemp was by far the best part of the “Shemp Era.” “Brideless Groom” (1947) is one of my favorites of all time, and Shemp excels. (Oh Moe, I cut off my head!) It’s the one where Shemp has 6 hours to get married in order to come into an inheritance: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoaiC8u\_Hx8](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoaiC8u_Hx8) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/32 "2014-02-18T13:12:53Z")
Curly, without a doubt. There was something unique about him. And nobody places notices at Three Stooges showings saying “All Shemp”, the way they boast of “All Curly” programs. That said, Shemp was extremely talented, and had the biggest success outside the Stooges of any of them, with multiple movie roles (while the others had only one or two solo efforts). He reportedly went unwillingly to fill Jerome “Curly’s” shoes after his stroke, but went nonetheless\*. There’s one Stooges short that has all three brothers in it, along with Larry, although the recuperating Curly only has a very small part. I was never that fond of Joe Besser, to tell the truth. Moe in his autobiography said that “Curly Joe” de Rita was their first choice, both for compatibility and for his resemblance to Jerome. He’s the Stooge I was most familiar with in that role when I was a kid, because he was still performing with the others, and appearing in their new feature-length films. \*And I suspect it’s a good thing. I think he got more work and exposure than he would have otherwise. Other character actors and bit players from the forties mostly disappeared pretty quickly with the arrival of the fifties. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/33 "2014-02-18T13:21:39Z")
Shemp was first, but Curly was the best. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/34 "2014-02-18T14:34:10Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Useless trivia: In fact, the last incarnation of the Three Stooges was Moe, Curly Joe and someone named Emil, although he wasn’t in any shorts or movies and only filled in (for Larry) for a short time until the Three Stooges broke up entirely. > And thus ends a post where Idle Thoughts shows off his Three Stooges knowledge, which is…something I’m not sure if I’m proud of or not. :S [Emil Sitka](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Sitka) was in lots of the shorts, just not as a Stooge. He was the hapless scientist, butler, photographer, etc. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/35 "2014-02-18T14:39:02Z")
Is there any question? Curly. Shemp had a career outside the Stooges and may have been the better actor, but Curly was a better Stooge, and was far funnier. It didn’t help that the series was growing tired by the time Shemp took over: the story options were limited and the budget kept getting cut. Many of his stories were remakes of ones that Curly had starred in. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/36 "2014-02-18T14:39:24Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > [Emil Sitka](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emil_Sitka) was in lots of the shorts, just not as a Stooge. He was the hapless scientist, butler, photographer, etc. They were considering having Emil Sitka (“Hold Hands, you Lovebirds” – [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNoE1iBkC2s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNoE1iBkC2s) ) fill in for Larry Fine after his debilitating stroke. He even apparently filled that role in live performance. But there was some problem – he wanted too much money, or his ego got in the way, or something – and he never made any movies or TV performances as a proper Stooge. They simply discontinued the act. Actually, Joe de Rita tried to put together a New Three Stooges act afterwards, but I think he was more a guiding mentor than a performer. It didn’t work out. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/37 "2014-02-18T14:57:29Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > That he doesn’t realize Shemp was one of the original Stooges and Curly was his replacement when he left the group. That was my thought, too, but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and an opportunity to explain himself. > [@](#): > > There was only one false Stooge, the afore mentioned Joe Besser. And even he was a good in a sea of greats. Now it’s your turn to 'splain. Not sure what you mean by “false Stooge” here. Joe was better as a solo comic with short bits than he was as a Stooge, where he was mostly annoying. He also had it written into his contract that Moe couldn’t hit him, so that changed the dynamic of the Stooges somewhat, to say the least. Nevertheless, he was certainly an “official” Stooge. But by the time he joined the act for the final shorts, everyone was getting older, and there was still more recycling of old ideas. Still, The Stooges have to be given some credit for having the longest-running continuing short subject series in movie history (1933-1958). ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/38 "2014-02-18T15:27:19Z")
Curly. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/39 "2014-02-18T17:38:15Z")
Curly, hands down. I even liked Joe Besser better than Shemp. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576/40 "2014-02-18T19:38:57Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > There’s one Stooges short that has all three brothers in it, along with Larry, although the recuperating Curly only has a very small part. That was _Hold That Lion!_ Curly also filmed a scene as the cook in [Malice in the Palace](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malice_in_the_Palace), another short that starred Larry, Moe, and Shemp, but his scene was cut due to his illness. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > They were considering having Emil Sitka (“Hold Hands, you Lovebirds” – [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNoE1iBkC2s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNoE1iBkC2s) ) fill in for Larry Fine after his debilitating stroke. He even apparently filled that role in live performance. But there was some problem – he wanted too much money, or his ego got in the way, or something – and he never made any movies or TV performances as a proper Stooge. They simply discontinued the act. Here’s a promotional picture of [Emil Sitka](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Emilstooge.jpg) as a Stooge along with Moe Howard and Joe DeRita. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curly-or-shemp/681576.md?page=3)