# When did "The Three Stooges" jump the shark?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-three-stooges-jump-the-shark/245821>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 18, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-three-stooges-jump-the-shark/245821 "2004-05-18T18:44:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SallyStar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SallyStar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SallyStar)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-three-stooges-jump-the-shark/245821/1 "2004-05-18T18:44:39Z")

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Followed by Shemp, Joe and Curly Joe :eek: , I think after the original Curly …

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-three-stooges-jump-the-shark/245821/2 "2004-05-18T18:53:18Z")

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Not entirely off-topic (since if the answer is yes, I’d know where you were first exposed to the Stooges) – love your username, **SallyStar** – are you, by any chance, a Philly native of a certain age?

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-three-stooges-jump-the-shark/245821/3 "2004-05-18T20:50:54Z")

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They definitely went downhill after Curly died and Shemp came back.

When their shorts became a fav. of cheap 1950s TV and brought back their careers, pretty much all the features they did from then on were bad. So that’s a “low point of note.”

Note: I _don’t_ use A Certain Overused and Trite Expression.

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**Author:** ![The\_Long\_Road](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@The\_Long\_Road](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Long_Road)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-three-stooges-jump-the-shark/245821/4 "2004-05-18T21:11:32Z")

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> [@SallyStar](#):
>
> Followed by Shemp, Joe and Curly Joe :eek: , I think after the original Curly …

This thing is really pounded into the ground. When did so and so “jump the shark”?

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**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-three-stooges-jump-the-shark/245821/5 "2004-05-19T03:20:48Z")

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For me, it was when Joe Besser replaced Shemp.

Granted, Shemp was not as funny as Curley. But who is? I think you can make a strong argument that Curley was the funniest human who has ever lived. Shemp did some good work and had his own persona.

Joe Besser, on the other hand, was just obnoxious. He sets my teeth on edge. He makes me cringe. Even Curly Joe DeRita kicked Joe Besser’s ass in the funny department.