Moe Howard and the 3 Stooges: The Pictorial Biography of the Wildest Trio in the History of American Entertainment [Paperback]

Moe Howard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1960

Former England library copy. Has the library stickers and pouch, otherwise in very nice shape. All pages in tact and clean.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Citadel; 1st Edition. edition (January 1, 1960)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806507233
• ISBN-13: 978-0806507231
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Moe Howard's Life Story Dished Up With Class And Great Humor April 16, 2003

By First Things First

Moe Howard's book is a great quick read if you can find a copy. In it he tells us of his roots in Brooklyn New York, having been born with the decidedly non-show-biz name Moses Harry Horwitz following older brother Sam (Shemp) into the world. Later on, the baby of the family Jerome (Curly) came into being. The book is laced with great photos and funny anecdotes. For instance, Moe recalls noticing an ad in Billboard Magazine when he was a teenager, seeking a handsome actor with a nice wardrobe for some shows in Mississippi. Moe, lacking photos and nice clothes sent in a photo of his good-looking friend from down the block and to his amazement, received a train ticket in the mail. Never doubting his ability to sell himself, Moe ignored Shemp's hysterical warnings about being loony and setting himself up for criminal prosecution, and took the train ride down there. After the initial shock of the theater owner wore off, Moe swept floors for a few weeks and later became an actor in the troupe garnering some valuable early theater experience there. Later with Shemp, Moe became a vaudeville performer. One day Moe noticed a strange-looking entertainer playing violin while doing a kooky Russian dance as his act. This turned out to be Moe's first encounter with Larry Fine. Moe, Shemp, and Larry later hooked up with a star of the vaudeville circuit Ted Healy, playing his background foils. When Shemp decided to pursue some solo film work Curly was sent for to replace him, and when the three of them decided they'd had enough of Healy's drinking and uninspiring pay, they quit and The Three Stooges were born...(the name was Moe's idea) and the rest was history!... When the Stooges signed with Columbia Pictures where they created their many famous film shorts (called "two-reelers"), their contract contained a clause which signed away their rights "in perpetuity in mediums existing now or to be invented." Unfortunately for the Stooges, one of the new mediums which was soon to be invented was television. When the Stooges's two-reelers were released on television they were an instant success. And while the Stooges did earn very respectable salaries from Columbia for their acting work, the mind boggles at the amount that would have flooded into their bank accounts from T.V. royalties. To me, this finally explains the long-lingering question I've had in the back of my mind as to why the Stooges kept on going with the far inferior replacements Joe Besser and Joe DeRita after the deaths of Curly and Shemp. The answer is that after the explosive success of the Stooges on television, they were able to command large personal appearance fees and endorsements to compensate for their being shut out from royalties by their contract. Furthermore, they were able to produce some lucrative feature-length films during this period. Throughout the book, Moe comes across as a classy and positive man, rolling with life's punches and enjoying "clean living", and always honoring his wife, children, brothers, parents, grandchildren and friends with an unflagging loyalty, pride and a deep and sincere love. Humble in the face of his iconic status, he allows himself to beam with pride at moments of great adulation and honor, and we beam right along with him. My only wish for this book is that Moe would have included some more glimpses into Curly's life, because we are left to wonder what he was up to as a child, adolescent and adult with only a few tantalizing tidbits offered here. But Moe's great love and respect for his brother Jerome/Curly does shines through. At one point he calls Curly a "genius in his field", an assessment validated by his secure place in the patheon of comedic legends, right alongside Moe, Larry and Shemp. We are richer people for Moe's memoirs. Highly recommended. Read more ›

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of anecdotes and incredibly entertaining January 14, 2000

By "rjgrib"

This is easily one of the most entertaining books you will ever read. Not only for Stooge fans but anyone who likes classic comedy. Once you start reading, it will be hard to put down. Moe Howard was a born author! He relays funny and interesting stories about the "boys" and throughout the book you will find yourself laughing, amazed, and even wiping a tear from your eyes. Great black and white photos are spread about capturing some of the Stooges funniest moments. A wonderful book guaranteed to delight you.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book by a great man August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This book gives as a good look at the life and times of the Three Stooges. Not only from a Proffesional standpoint, but from a personal one as well. I can now see why the Stooges left Ted Healy, and how hard Moe worked.

Overall, it tells you a lot about what their lives were really like.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A stooge-a-rama! January 31, 2000

By A Customer

I found this book a very interesting book as it gives us a glimpse into the personal lives of all, but primarily the primary stooges Moe, Shemp, Larry and Curley. For the most part it gives you warts and all, both human strengths and frailties. All in all a wonderful book for those of us who grew up watching "the Three Stooges" shorts on TV. The only criticism I have, and that is very little, is that in a couple of places the story was a bit contradictory. But that may be a result of it being a work in progress at the time of Moe's death. I highly recommend.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A tribute to one of the world's greatest comedians March 26, 2004

By andy8047

Moe Howard began writing this book several months before he died in 1975. This book was posthumously published in 1977. I bought my paperback copy of this book from Funny Side Up,a mail order catalog in 1985. This book is not only the biography of Moe. It also is about the legacy of his comedy team,The Three Stooges. He also told everything he knew about his 5 fellow Stooges,Larry Fine,Joe Besser,Joseph Wardell aka Curly Joe DeRita,and his brothers Curly and Shemp. Being a longtime Three Stooges fan is what motivated me to buy this book. There is also a listing of all Three Stooges movies. The 190 short subject comedies,the feature films,the cameo appearances and the Stooges' separate appearances. Besser and Wardell were still alive when this book went to press. Five years after this book was released,THE THREE STOOGES SCRAPBOOK came out,co-written by Moe's daughter,Joan Howard Maurer. Joan's husband Norman later would become the Stooges' manager. This book is packed with photos of Moe,with and without his fellow Stooges. I dedicate this book to the memory of Moe(June 19,1897-May 4,1975) and his five fellow Stooges.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for Any Big Stooge Fan - Only One Complaint... July 16, 2011

By William S. Joyner III

Amazon Verified Purchase

I really couldn't agree more or add to the majority of the reviews here, it's a charming and endearing book and Moe's love for his family, fellow stooges and entertaining in general shines through. There's so many interesting, hilarious and sometimes embarrassing stories that I frequently found myself laughing out loud.

My only complaint is that the years spent making shorts with Shemp were completely left out (and I mean COMPLETELY). There's a paragraph about how they decided to add Shemp after Curly's stroke, one sentence about the name of the first short with Shemp (Fright Night) and two sentences about "Hold That Lion" (in which Curly last appeared and is the only film with all four original stooges together). Then there's a paragraph about Shemp's death and that's that. Incredibly, despite 9 years and 77 films together, Moe never shares even one story, anecdote or comment about this period of Stooge history. Being a big fan of Shemp, this glaring omission left me very disappointed.

Likewise, it's the same with Joe Besser. Admittedly, they only filmed 16 shorts with Joe spanning two years but it's still a very important part of the Stooge's story, and I'm left with absolutely no idea of what it was like working with Besser, what kind of person he was, behind the scenes stories, nothing. Just two (short) paragraphs.

Regardless of how you feel about Joe or even Shemp, they are a big part of the story and not having told those parts leaves a huge hole right in the middle. My only conclusion is that since Moe died before the book was published that he never got around to finishing the details about these particular periods.

Despite these gaps, any true Stooges fan simply cannot do without this book. Great stuff. So don't just stand there, do somethin'!