Seinfeld question: Who's Curly?

[YogSothoth]

In the episode The Heart Attack, George thinks he has a heart attack from watching a news special and goes to a holistic healer instead of a hospital to save money. The guy, Tor Akman, gives George some weird stuff to drink that turns him purple and he ends up back in the hospital he tried to avoid in the first place.

During the scene at Tor’s place, Jerry has some quips about his operation, including this line talking about the drink he’s giving to George:

TOR: (Pouring tea) Your tea is ready now. This will solve your so-called tonsil problem. It’s a special concoction. It contains crampbark.

JERRY: I love crampbark.

TOR: Cleavers.

JERRY: Cleaver, I once had cleaver as a kid. I was able to lift a car.

TOR: And some couchgrass.

JERRY: Couchgrass and crampbark? You know, I think that’s what killed Curly.

I’ve always wondered which Curly he was talking about. The only Curly I know is from the Three Stooges. There’s no other contextual clues in the dialogue at all and the stooges are not ever mentioned again except in another episode where Jerry dates his neighbor’s girlfriend when the neighbor falls into a coma and I’m not sure if that episode was before or after this one. Curly’s Wiki also mentions little about his illness, except that it was a stroke probably, so its not like he famously died after drinking something.

Any other Curly’s I’m missing? Famous comedian? Someone who died after drinking juice, or had a heart attack like George? Or was it just because “Curly” is a funny name?

[joebuck20]

I’m an eggplant!!!

Anyway, I assume Curly from the Three Stooges is who he was talking about. That’s really the only famous Curly I can think of that they would reference here. Also I seem to recall there was a big revival in interest in the Three Stooges in the late 80s/early 90s, around the time this episode aired.

[leahcim]

@joebuck20

That’s really the only famous Curly I can think of that they would reference here.

Not to mention that he was noticeably sickly, having had a stroke during the run of the stooges and being replaced by Shemp.

Also I seem to recall there was a big revival in interest in the Three Stooges in the late 80s/early 90s, around the time this episode aired.

I remember some Three Stooges references in “Cheers”, too. Like Sam having a personal break through in realizing that he liked the Three Stooges for its own sake, even though women thought it was dumb, so therefore he could do things that didn’t have sex as an end.

[Justin_Bailey]

Jerry loves the Stooges. Remember, he later tells a woman (who broke up with the landlord after he fell into a coma) that he will show her the Stooges when she says she’s never heard of them.

Seinfeld "Who Are These Stooges You Speak Of"

[standingwave]

@Justin_Bailey

Jerry loves the Stooges. Remember, he later tells a woman (who broke up with the landlord after he fell into a coma) that he will show her the Stooges when she says she’s never heard of them.

Seinfeld "Who Are These Stooges You Speak Of" - YouTube

Besides The Suicide, there’s also The Trip where Kramer runs into an old woman in LA who claimed that she had a part in a Three Stooges short.

[Chefguy]

That whole scene with Tor is probably the funniest bit in the entire series. The guy pretty much made up all the gestures, and the cast had a very hard time not laughing during taping.

[Sherrerd]

@Chefguy

That whole scene with Tor is probably the funniest bit in the entire series. The guy pretty much made up all the gestures, and the cast had a very hard time not laughing during taping.

Stephen Tobolowsky is one of the great unsung heroes of comedy (you may recall his Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day).

And on the thread-topic: yeah, I’d assume that the “Curly” Jerry mentions is Jerome Howard.^_~