What's a "fake shemp"?

[Pushkin]

They’re in the credits for “The Evil Dead” and its sequel, what are they?

[Otto]

If someone else gets this typed in before me I’m gonna be pissed.

From Bruce Campbell’s memoir, If Chins Could Kill, discussing the Three Stooges short films:

@Bruce Campbell

One day Shemp…had a heart attack and the rest of the Stooges, distraught as they were, had to finish off scenes from several shorts.

To do this, a “fake Shemp” was brought in. The double, Joe Palma, was the wrong height and weight and lacked the true Shemp mannerisms. Even as teenagers watching the Stooges after school, we could tell whenever the fake Shemp made his appearances…and it amused us no end.

We then began to use the term “Fake Shemp” for any actor in our Super-8 flicks who didn’t have any lines, or was doubling for someone else…With Evil Dead, we decided to elevate “Shemping” to an official, on-screen credit category mainly because they soon constituted the bulk of our cast.

[E-Sabbath]

Briefly, it’s a Sam Rami-ism. I know about it because I read Bruce Campbell’s autobiography. But it was two years ago.
Basically, ‘shemping’ is doing things in the background. I think. Will check later when I remember where the book is. It’s generally stooging around, anyhow. There is one Real Shemp, but he wasn’t around for this movie, so they hired some Fake Shemps.

[Pushkin]

@E-Sabbath

Briefly, it’s a Sam Rami-ism. I know about it because I read Bruce Campbell’s autobiography. But it was two years ago.
Basically, ‘shemping’ is doing things in the background. I think. Will check later when I remember where the book is. It’s generally stooging around, anyhow. There is one Real Shemp, but he wasn’t around for this movie, so they hired some Fake Shemps.

So who are the Fake Shemps in Evil Dead? The people operating the strings and puppetry in the house? IMDB lists several aside from the cast and I can’t remember where they may have appeared

[CalMeacham]

So who are the Fake Shemps in Evil Dead? The people operating the strings and puppetry in the house? IMDB lists several aside from the cast and I can’t remember where they may have appeared

No – the point of a “fake Shemp” is that they’re someone you see, albeit far off, fleetingly, or blurrily, just as the “real” “fake Shemp” was someone who was supposed to be Shemp, but he wasn’t available. It wouldn’t be some hidden puppeteer.

[Bryan_Ekers]

Similarly, Campbell is credited as “Final Shemp” for his five-second appearance at the very end of Darkman.

[Pushkin]

@CalMeacham

No – the point of a “fake Shemp” is that they’re someone you see, albeit far off, fleetingly, or blurrily, just as the “real” “fake Shemp” was someone who was supposed to be Shemp

Ah, so no deer heads and the like. I can’t remember, was there an airport scene in Evil Dead as in Evil Dead II? Was the driver of the lorry credited (was he in Evil Dead as well?)

[CalMeacham]

From This site, who evidently got it from the one they name:

http://p208.ezboard.com/fxwpvsfrm4.showMessage?topicID=107.topic

www.bruce-campbell.com

Q: WHAT IS THE MEANING BEHIND “SHEMP?”

A: We were all big fans of The Three Stooges growing up (Sam Raimi, filmmaker friend Scott Spiegel and myself).

In learning more about the Stooges, we found that when they made their films (or “shorts” – 20 minutes in length), they not only made one at a time, but two or three – thereby capitalizing on standing sets from the big, Columbia “A” pictures, currently in production. This allowed them, for example, to use a large Castle set (and shoot a pie fight or something) before it was torn down. As a result, they were always shooting pieces of shorts as well as complete ones.

Well, one fateful day, Shemp (the really ugly one with the long, stringy black hair) was incapacitated by a heart attack, and the rest of the Stooges, distraught as they were, had to finish a number of Shorts. So, they brought in a “Fake Shemp.” The double(s) they used were often the wrong height/weight and lacked in the true Shemp mannerisms. Even in high school (in the mid-70’s), distracted by commercials, eating bowls of Captain Crunch, we could tell whenever the obviously fake Shemp made his appearances – which is in about 3 or 4 shorts – and we were amused to no end.

We then began to use the term “Fake Shemp” for a any actor (in our early Super-8 flicks) who didn’t have any lines, or was doubling for another actor or who was just way in the background doing ridiculous things. This happened a lot when you couldn’t pay an actor to stay around.

So, in the first “Evil Dead” film, we decided to designate Fake Shemps as an official credit category. The names listed were people who we shot “parts” of – a hand, a foot, someone under heavy make-up, etc. It seemed to be handy, since films (particularly low-budget ones) are usually pieced together in many different ways over a long period of time.