Customer Reviews

Larry: The Stooge in the Middle

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
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In this second biography of Larry Fine(The first book to recall Mr.Fine's life was:"A Stroke Of Luck!".Larry's memiors.Which are sadly out of print.)"Stooge In The Middle"looks at the life and career of one member of "The Three Stooges"from the viewpoint of Larry's brother former druggist:Dr.Morris Feinberg.The book looks at his childhood in Philadelphia,Pa.to the accident in his father's jewelry store that introduced him to violin playing lessions(an early form of physical thearpy).Which became his introduction to show business.First as a Charlie Chaplin imitator at local amusement Parks , as a member of a Duplicate version of Gus Edwards' vaudeville kiddie act:"Fun In Hi Skool!"and as a member of several comedy teams:EG:"Fine And Dandy"and "The Haney Sisters & Fine!".Before he married one of the Haney Sisters(Mabel Haney) and he was accepted a job as a performer and MC at The Rainbow Gardens Nightclub in Chicago,Ill in 1925.Where Larry first met:Ted Healy,Moe And Shemp Howard and he was invitied to join "Ted Healy And His Gang!"(The original name of Mr.Healy's act).The book goes onto to look at the boys'difficult relationship with Mr.Healy(Whose drinking,obnoxious pranks and his pay inequity forced the team to part company with Healy.Following some turbulent years working in vaudeville,burlesque,nightclubs,Broadway musicals and some work in the movies).The book relates how Larry almost signed the trio to a contract with Universal Pictures for some feature length comedies.But Moe's deal with Columbia Pictures was signed first.Making Larry's Pact with Universal invalid and The boys began their 24 years with The Studio that featured Hollywood's Stature Of Liberty like symbol.And their other projects that kept the team in the public eye after the unfair dismissal from Columbia Pictures and Larry's years of retirement,following the stroke that forced him to leave the group.For those..who want to read a pleasant and engaging biography of a truly funny and nice man.That has no hint of scathology in it? This is the one book to have.Kevin S.Butler.

Moe Howard often said that Larry was probably the best actor out of all the Stooges. Few can deny Larry was the unsung Stooge who never got much of the spotlight from Moe, Curly, et al. This book, written by Larry's younger brother, traces the natural born entertainer's life from birth until his tragic death. I wouldn't call this hard hitting, as the author was not a professinal writer but a loving brother, thus many of Larry's financial problems due to gambling are glossed over. But I can forgive that. In an era of trashy, tell all celebrity books, this is a breath of fresh air. It's a quick read and loaded with photographs spanning the entire Stooges' career. This is a must have for any Stooge fan.

Written by Larry's slightly younger brother, this book traces the middle stooge from birth, to his passing in 1974. By his late teens, Larry Fine never earned a living as anything but an entertainer. Naturally, the history of the act is covered along the way. Mr. Fineberg is not a professional writer, but can turn a phrase or two. The book serves as an excellent history lesson on the age of vaudeville as well, where the stooges got their start. Mr. Fineberg was very close to his famous brother and therefore has many anecdotes not heard elsewhere. First published in 1984, it's a quick and entertaining read.

I have been watching the stooges since the late 50's, and have always liked Larry. I enjoyed watching his reactions to different situations. This book is enjoyable and pretty informative to boot. Larrys little brother Morris gives an insiders view of Larry, from early childhood to his untimely death in 74. If you are a stooges fan, then definately get this book, you will not be sorry you did. It is a welcome addition to my stooges library. Quick reading and lots of pictures, plenty of information . A must read for all stooges fans.

This was an excellent book for any fan of the three stooges. It was a very informative and insightful look into the life of Larry Fine, the stooge that made the Three Stooges. It was written by a person who knows a lot about Larry(his brother), and provided some things that I didn't know about the stooges. It is a book that you should definately look into buying. It's very enjoyable.

Larry Fineberg, known as Larry of the Three Stooges, is an iconic figure in motion picture history. For those who grew up in the television era, the stooges were a TV staple, a group who you were warned never to immitate. While all of the stooges have their niche; Moe was the businessman, Curly was the ladies man, and Shemp was the character actor; Larry is often ignored as filler. Here, Moe Fineberg, Larry's brother, attempts to shed light on the most ignored stooge.

The typeface changes periodically throughout for not apparant reason, and one of the pages is flipped around, so reading gets confusing at one point. This shoddy composition reflects its mediocre status.

Although the book is written by Larry's brother, it is written like the author is trying to immitate a professional biographer. Therefore, there is very little sentiment or personal stories. True, this is mostly about the Stooges' careers on a whole and not about their films, but it reads almost like a children's book would, where the minor details are left out and we are given only the big picture.

Also, it begins discussing only Larry's life, but the middle seems more like a Three Stooges biography than a book about Larry. There is a point where Moe beings discussing directors who believe that Larry was the most important stooge, but this is never discussed in depth and leaves the reader with many questions.

The true treasure here are all of the personal photographs. There are rare, early photos of the group, many without their signature haircuts. Toward the end, we see Larry in old age after his multiple strokes, appearing as an ordinary man. This is a unique way to view the stooge with the fuzzy hair and makes him seem all the more human.

I am going to paint myself as a bit of a geek when I say this, but I have been actively looking for this book for more than 15 years. When it was out of print, I had been quoted 1500 dollars on a couple of occasions, so needless to say I was quite excited when I grabbed it here for 6 bucks a couple of weeks ago.
It was well worth the wait... very detailed, loving look at a famous older brother by Larry's slightly younger brother. I loved the emphasis on Larry's pre-Stooge early career, his relationship with Mabel Haney, his early solo act that caught the attention of Ted Healy, Moe Howard and Shemp Howard.
There is also some great photos in the book, and as a native Chicagoan I enjoyed reading about his time spent in the Windy City.
I highly recommend this book, Larry is as cool in "real life" as he is playing the straight man as the Man in the Middle... Curly got all the credit with my friends when I was a kid, but I always admired the wild-haired enthusiasim of Larry Fine.
PS Check out his birthplace in Philly next time you're there, have a Philly Cheese Steak a couple of doors down and look for the HUGE billboard of he and his violin... priceless!
Joey D.

an excellent book. Moe Feinberg has a wonderful sense of humor and has presented an endearing portrait of his famous brother. lots of pictures that I had never seen before and just very enjoyable, from the first page to the last. highly recommended!

An endearing biography of Larry Fine by his "little" brother Moe Feinberg -- loaded with anecdotes about their childhood and early days in Vaudeville together -- with a number of otherwise unpublished family snapshots & photos. An excellent read.

I was disappointed in this book. Have been a Three Stooges fan for many years but don't claim to be a expert on the subject. Found the book lacked any depth or insight on the person of Larry Fine (Feinberg). What was Larry really like? Did he simply enjoy a wager now and then or did he have a serious gambling addition? What was Moe Feinburg's relationship with his brother like? Toward the end of the book, Moe Feinberg flies out to Califorina to see his brother. He tells us that he hadn't seen Larry for 4 or 5 years. Why wait so long to visit your brother who is disabled with a stroke and in a nursing home (Motion Picture House adn Hospital in Woodlawn Hills)?

At best the book give us an outline of the history of the Three Stooges. I always wondered where Shemp entered and left the group. However, the book fails to critique the Three Stooges after the loss of Shemp. Neither Joe Besser or Joe DeRita fit the bill for a third stooge, though I'll admit that I think DeRita was definately the better of the two. Why they ever selected Besser as a third stooge would have been interesting to learn.

At the end of the book is a script of the Howard, Fine, and Howard evidently doing some early material. The written out text isn't remotely funny and does not do the Stooges justice. You have to see the Stooges in action to appreciate them. The last item in the book entitled "Cody & The Three Stooges by Jack Kerouac" adds no additional understanding Larry or the Stooges. Why this was added to the book makes no sense.