Customer Reviews

The Three Stooges: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Some say there were funnier comedy teams than The Three Stooges but the comedy team many women love to hate is undisputedly the most successful comedy team in movie
history. Their films STILL pack `em in at revivals, Stooge conventions brim with Curly imitators and each year yet more books are published on America's favorite knuckleheads (American's LEAST favorite knuckleheads can be found in Congress).

But the question is: with ALL of the countless hours on t.v. devoted to the Stooges, ALL of the videos and DVDs on them, ALL of the books and documentaries can you learn anything NEW from a book -- especially if the book was penned by writers who
wrote four other books on Stooges?

The answer is a RESOUNDING YES.

This is the DEFINITIVE The Three Stooges book, chock full of fascinating NEW INFORMATION on their lives, personalities, and even the "unknown" stage Stooges who performed into the 70s. As if that isn't enough, the authors convincingly suggest that rough-stuff comedy contributed to at least three of the Stooges' strokes, and that the Stooges' vaudevillian creator Ted Healy may have been beaten to death by a Hollywood star and a gangland bigwig.

Stooges fans will go nuts (as if they aren't already) over the superb collection of photos and illustrations, many of them never before published. Plus, this account brims with great new candid quotes from the Stooges and their associates.

And, unlike some other Stooges books, this one is a ABSOLUTE MUST addition to the library of ANYONE interested comedy and comedy history -- since gives the best account yet of the step-by-step evolution of the Stooges' comedy.

There are countless new facts, twists, and explanations in this book. Here are just a few of the new revelations I learned. I read how:

--Stooges founder Ted Healy was the FIRST comedian to play comedy off someone else (now a staple of comedy). Healy, one of the show biz's greatest performers, was on the verge of becoming a major movie star when he died (the authors suggest he was murdered and it may have been covered up). When Healy died, his wise-guy, smart aleck movie persona was taken over by a young comedian named Bob Hope.

--Curly, Shemp, Larry, Joe Besser (the most unloved Stooge) all suffered strokes...and being on the receiving end of the Stooges rough brand of comedy may be a key reason why.

--Shemp was one of the first Stooges, but even when he stepped out of the act and Curly took his place he played a key behind the scenes role (read what he did).

--Replacing Curly was always difficult since Curly was pure-vaudeville....and by the time he left the act, after a stroke while filming a Stooges comedy, vaudeville was dead. The book wonderfully accounts the searches for Curly replacements -- and the other stage versions of the Stooges, based on the Health vaudeville act.

--Moe believed that SEVERAL comedy teams (the book names them) lifted parts of Curley's stage persona to propel themselves to fame and fortune.

When an author writes too much about a subject, it's said he is "written out." There's no sign the Forrester brothers are written out on The Three Stooges -- but it's hard to see how they (or anyone) will EVER top this superbly written, illustrated and researched book.

I have read every book available about The Three Stooges, and this is by far the best ever written on the subject. Fascinating, captivating, sometimes-shocking, and extremely well-researched text describes not only what it was like to be in on the inception of the team with Ted Healy in vaudeville, but also addresses Healy's untimely death/murder, the team's rocky road to solo success in radio and film, and eventual meteoric rise to super stardom in television and contemporary home entertainment. I was also amazed to discover that there were 18 different men to play the role of one of the "Three" Stooges throughout the team's lengthy career in showbusiness (most fans think there were only 6). This is also the most lavishly illustrated Stooge book ever, jammed-packed with rare photos of the Stooges both in and out of character, as well as posters, programs and newspaper clippings from throughout the team's entire career. I ordered my copy at stoogebook.com, where the book comes autographed by the authors (Stooge historians Jeff Forrester and Tom Forrester), editor Joe Wallison, and 92-year-old surviving vaudeville Stooge, Mousie Garner. If you're a Stooge fan, you can also visit the stoogebook.com website and get your name printed in the book's Fandom Honor Roll section like I did. This is the fifth Stooge book by the Forrester Brothers, and it is by far the best in the series. I strongly recommend this book to any Stooge fan, as well as anyone interested in Hollywood history and comedy in general.

Cheap homage is paid to the Three Stooges in this book, attention to accuracy and detail are not. This book contains multitudes of errors and desperately requires a competent editor with some integrity. From Page One the authors take grandiose liberties with detail, spreading embellishments thickly like a spicey (and spoiled) condiment. For instance, the book opens describing the day the Three Stooges were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It begins: "It was one of the hottest days in recorded history of Hollywood..." In reality the National Weather Service lists the temperature in Hollywood that day of August 30, 1983 as reaching a high of 93 fahrenheit. There is no record there, not even close. The text is insulting to anyone knowledgeable in the career of the comedians, and anyone labeling it "definitive" or "best" needs to actually read the book rather than just skim through its pictures and mouth off. For gosh sakes, one of the Stooges' names is misspelled throughout the entire book. In another of many fantastic exaggerations within the book, the authors describe the U.S. Government approaching the Three Stooges with an offer to appear in a promotional film in the 1960's for Savings Bonds. The government didn't approach them, the team's producer Mr. Norman Maurer (Moe Howard's son-in-law) hired them because he was making the film. There was nothing official or governmental about that. There is no reliable research to support the claim here that the Stooges landed on Adolph Hitler's "death list." To purport the actors died from Moe's slaps is laughable. Unfortunately, such is emblematic of the overall unscrupulous high school reporting in this book. As far as an attempt at being historically accurate, this book painfully stumbles and wildly exaggerates, sometimes manufacturing details for effect. Film titles go unfinished and misspelled throughout (see "You Nazty Spy!", "The Outlaws IS Coming!", "4 for Texas" as examples). The ancillary photography in this book proceeds beyond mere perspective purposes and enters the territory of absolute confusion and waste of space, or just filler. What are Jackie Gleason, Danny Kaye, Red Skelton, Charlie Chaplin, Louis Armstrong, Laurel and Hardy, The Ritz Brothers, Wally Vernon, Thelma Todd (laying dead in a car accident), and Harold Lloyd doing pictured in this book? While there are some worthwile photographs present, the book's overall design is like a maddening labyrinth. I could continue but where would I stop?

I wrote this years ago when it came out. I haven't changed a word.
I grew up with the Stooges; they made some difficult times in my life much easier. Laughter is truly a gift and Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp, Joe, and Curly Joe have been making people laugh for over 80 years. Yet, they are falling victim to a media that is sensationalized. The Three Stooges were certainly not infallible human beings, but as all who met or corresponded with them know, they were truly a group of six nice people. Now many years after they are dead new biographies and TV movies claim inaccurate, exaggerated and often false views of the boy's private lives. The latest offender is Jeff and Tom Forrester's new book "The Three Stooges". Let's look at this book in detail.

First I will say that I think the book has one merit, I feel it helps clear up how many Stooges Ted Healy had and what year they worked with him. It may also have the most detail on his odd death, and for once has testimony to back it up. It also shows that Larry, Moe and Shemp (probably) did not work together until 1929. Another thing that should be good are the photos, and they are. However, with approximately four pictures of corpses in this book you can sense that the book is in bad taste. Another problem about the pictures are the captions often making sensationalized claims that are not proved by one testimony or shred of evidence.

The Stooges have never had a book (with the exception of Besser and Larry's respective autobiographies) that is heavy on text as opposed to pictures. Thus, no book has had much of an index or had chapter notes. However, until now, no claims were made that seemed hard to prove or out of character. The Forrester's have written five books on the boys, that often seemed second rung to other more detailed or attractive works by the Lenburgs or the Stooges themselves. Occasionally they would get a little tabloid like but not anything near the level of this book. Forrester makes many bizarre claims that are not plausible without listing, in detail, exactly what their sources are. As I said above, some of these claims have no text supporting the claim, just a line of caption stating it as a fact.

Let's look at the mistakes in detail. The first sign that the book is rather poor is the fact that it gets Curly's first marriage wrong by a decade. This in spite of fan club member Bill Cappello finding the name of whom he married, and the exact date, some five years ago. The book also states dubiously, that Curly was going to join Healy in 1922 and that he made at least one live appearance with him that year. I never heard anyone state this before; where is the documentation to prove it?

We read about Curly's strokes but Forrester has them beginning far too early. As we all know Curly did not get ill until late 1944 or early 1945. He certainly never sought medical help until then as proven by Moe's daughter in her meticulously research book on her uncle Curly. Yet this book claims Shemp was filling in as early as 1942 in live performance, and that Curly and Moe begged for vacations due to Curly's health. We can be almost certain that Moe or Larry would have mentioned these pivotal two facts in their autobiographies or in the extensive interviews they gave in the 1970's. There is no documentation to back Forrester's claims.

Moving on to Shemp, it says he hated being a Stooge, and repeatedly wanted to leave after he came back in 1946. This was never mentioned before by anyone and goes against logic. The book implies Shemp had a solo career that rivaled the Stooges fame, thus he wanted out. This is simply not true. While a popular actor, Shemp certainly gained more fame after rejoining the team. It makes further claim that Moe forced an ailing Shemp to remain in the group, certainly not the Moe we all know whose brothers meant the world to him.

Many of the more sensationalized comments are said to be by Ed Bernds, he is now dead and cannot prove he said it. Most of the words attributed to him, do not sound like they came out of the mouth of the kindly Bernds we have seen in interviews. Among the things Bernds is alleged to say is that Christine McIntyre got her prominent role in "Micro Phonies" due to sleeping with Hugh McCollum. The talented singer and actress did not need to do that to get jobs. Ed also supposedly states that Besser's act was a cruel parody of homosexuals. It is a rather nasty and uneducated remark regarding Joe's onscreen persona. Bernds supposedly says that Jules White hired women in his shorts only if they slept with him, calling them no-talent "bimbos". Gee when did Jules find time to direct? If Ed did make these comments I would be surprised, and I think it's an exaggeration or fabrication of Ed's feelings.

Most horrible is Forrester's assessment of Joe Besser. Always rather short sited in his writing about Besser (like saying he never was hit, did he ever watch his films?) Forrester practically slanders Joe. He says Joe hated being a Stooge and Moe and Larry hated having him as one. This goes against everything Joe, Moe and Larry ever said. Joe did not quit because of any other reason then his wife's health. Joe said many times that he wished he could have stayed, as it was the highlight of his career. Larry, Moe and Jules White also expressed kind words about Joe and his work with them. It says that Besser was money hungry (having a dubious quote by Joe stating he would have never quit if he knew about their future earnings) and quit due to making more money outside the group afterwards. In fact Joe was struggling for the next five years of his career. He did not find steady work until landing a role on " The Joey Bishop Show" in 1962. While Joe may have felt his other work was unfairly ignored, he never let that affect his feeling for Moe, Larry or Shemp (who was close friends with Joe) or his work with them.

The book makes other stupid claims; like that, Larry had severe depression throughout his life, without giving one example. For little reason, it offers two stomach-turning pictures of Ted Healy's corpse as well as two of Thelma Todd's. The book ineffectively tries to draw a connection between Healy and her death. Most ridiculous is the claim that all the Stooges had strokes due to being hit by Moe. Even a child knows Moe was not really beating the other Stooges, and while accidents happened rarely, how could this conclusion be drawn? Except for a dubious flyer sent with mail order copies, nothing is shown medically to prove this. Even simple listing of the movies is rendered unreadable in the books back section due to many supposed reissue films and Ted Healy solo films. I don't know about you but I have never heard of the alleged reissue of Stooge films in theatres except for one-time showings in isolated locations since 1974's "Three Stooges Follies" Once again there is no proof.


The movie reviews are even way off as "Snow White" gets a great review and something like say "Around The World In A Daze" or "Men In Black" are called poor. In the back there is a registry of either famous or loyal fans. I think every fan club member is a true Stooge fan, and yet our club registry is not in the book. Fans who have done so much for the Stooges like Gary Lassin, or Bill Cappello get no mention what so ever (this in spite of Bill helping Forrester research his first book). Even celebrities who have stated love for the boys like Michael Jackson or David Letterman are nowhere to be found. Forrester also does us all a disservice by merely copying verbatim entire paragraphs from earlier works. For a $30 book, I want all new text.

I think all of us love the Stooges, and we know better then to believe the claims in the book. Yet many future fans may not have access to the many superior works on the boys. The danger in books like these are the false impression new fans will get of the boys. When someone is dead and famous this is bound to happen, but let's never forget the truth about how the Stooges really were. We are lucky to admire six people who were actually nice to each other and to others. Let's say the book is true and all the boys were greedy and unkind, does it matter? The Stooges legacy will make people laugh long after this book and all others are long gone. However if we can, let's speak the truth and not speak falsehoods about people that made all our lives better.

I am not a particularly devoted fan of the Three Stooges, but I am a big collector of Hollywood histories and Broadway biographies in general. I recently received this book as a gift, and admittedly was somewhat underwhelmed. But once I started reading it, I literally could not put this book down!

Surprisingly, The Three Stooges: The Triumphs and Tragedies of The Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time (Donaldson Books) is one of the best entertainment biographies I have ever read. In their fifth and latest release about what could be this country's all-time favorite comedy team, the Forrester brothers have successfully integrated their in-depth research skills, captivating photographic image collection and "just-the-facts-ma'am" journalistic writing style into a topnotch expose on Curly, Moe and Larry -- as well as the 15 other men who made up the Three Stooges. The birth and the death of a comedy team (and everything else in between) is carefully outlined and
painstakingly detailed by the authors in this fact-filled, fun and intimate look at the rather complicated story of all 18 men who became a Stooge for the act's creator, and long-forgotten funnyman, Ted Healy. The Three Stooges are the only classic comedians who have successfully moved from the early days of vaudeville to virtual reality and beyond while becoming more popular with each passing year.

Undoubtedly the Three Stooges were comedic geniuses and are finally being recognized as America's Sultans of Slapstick, and this book documents every step of their triumphant, and sometimes tragic, rise to superstardom. Beside being a compelling read, the huge collection of hundreds of vintage visuals and candid Stooge photos included throughout the text makes this book well worth the purchase price.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys entertainment and to everyone who could use a good laugh or even a good cry. Stooge fan or not you'd have to be some kind of Knucklehead to pass up your chance to read this great new book!

Whew! I was thisclose to spending a gift card on this book that is outrageoulsy expensive, even by Amazon's measures. I read the One Star review and was so glad I did! I love reading AUTObiographies for that very reason...they are words from the person themselves, not someone who is getting their facts 3rd hand and beyond or worse, making it all up for a good read. These blessed men are long gone now and we still enjoy their great comic acts. I would be sick to read lies about them and assume they were true. I'll pass on this and just continue watching them in reruns. RIP Stooges. We love ya! I'll only purchase AUTObiographies, thank you.

What a treat!! We love this book! So much so we've ordered the DVD. I've been a big fan of the Stooges since childhood, and my parents before me. We have an entire section in our fine China cabinet dedicated to Stooges Memorabilia. Our dear grandfather's most prized possession, in fact, was a signed picture of the Three Stooges, dedicated to him.

When a friend directed me to Stoogebook.com, we bought all the previous books to add to our collection, and have never been disappointed. I must say, I speak for a LOT of serious fans when I say this is the FINEST work yet on the life and times of the phenomenon that was The Three Stooges. Their influence on modern comedy and truly performing cannot be underestimated.
In this wonderful, comprehensive and well written biography, we see a complete portrait, replete with intimate details, of the people that created this magic. The rare photos and behind-the-scenes info only serves to show what hardship and struggle these people sacrificed to create entertainment for millions. It lives on today. Laughter is their legacy, and we see it live on today in the likes of Michael Richards' "Kraemer" on Seinfeld, or in the physical comedy of Jim Carrey.

A parting thought in this readers review. Whoever thought they were insulting by referring to this lovely, accurate and intriguing portrait as a "coffee table book" has clearly misunderstood the place of literature, photography, and comedy in our lives. I have proudly placed "Three Stooges: The Triumpsh and Tragedies of the Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time" on my coffee table, right next to Jon Stewart's America. And you know what? Everyone loves them both! Congratulations, and I'm happy to see Amazon.com making this book available to the world.

Hunting for THE book definitive biography of the Three Stooges? Well, the Forrester Brother's book is 'fine for hunting'. Packed with outstanding photos and written with a lively style, "Triumphs and Tragedies" is a must have for all fans of the Three Stooges.

This turns out to be the most accurate story of the 3 Stooges saga ever printed. A behind the scenes biography of the greatest comedy team of all time. Of particular interest is the fascinating story of how the Stooges were created by the great Ted Healy. For years other books have dismissed Healy as a footnote in Stooge history but here we find the real story of how Healy invented Stooge comedy and gave Moe, Larry, Curly and Shemp their big break in show business. Without Ted Healy there would be no Stooges. Just as fascinating is how the Stooges were developed at Columbia Pictures, by the likes of Jules White, Del Lord, Charley Chase and Edward Bernds, into Comedy Legends. The 3 Stooges are the only old time comedians that keep getting more popular as time goes on.

Parts of this book will be familiar to readers of the Forresters' early-1980s book "The Stooge Chronicles" - call it "stock verbiage" if you will. However, there's plenty of new material. The Forresters again remain in the thrall of the late Mousie Garner, a vaudeville comedian who hung with the Three Stooges and obviously desperately wanted to say he'd been in the troupe, though he never really was. A genial man, he remained alive and sentient far longer than any of the actual Three Stooges (passing away only last year at 95), giving him plenty of time to reminisce with anyone who'd listen. In "The Stooge Chronicles," the authors were a bit taken in by Garner's tendency to embellish his involvement with the Stooges. This time, they're more even-handed, but are still sympathetic to him, giving his side of the story as to why he and two other obscure comedians would think it justified to tour as "3 Stooges" in the late 1930s when Curly, Moe and Larry were already household names.

Sometimes the authors lose sight of the narrative as they get caught up in the comings and goings of these peripheral characters. They also occasionally give short shrift to the actual content of the Stooges' work, and skim over context that would contrast vaudeville and early Hollywood's gag-writing methods with today's. Perhaps with their vast knowledge of their subject, the authors overestimate what the typical reader knows? However, one has to applaud all the research they've done - perhaps they could use it for a book on vaudeville in general. (Free idea.) In fact, their arduous fact-finding leads to something of a three-degrees of separation connection between the Stooges and Gloria Vanderbilt (aka Anderson Cooper's mom). There's a remarkable early-1940s picture of Ms. Vanderbilt - what's amazing about it is that, unlike just about everyone else from the FDR era whom you see pictures of, she could have walked down the street with the same hairdo and outfit probably as recently as the early 1980s and looked completely up-to-date.

While Gloria Vanderbilt has nothing to do with the Three Stooges, she makes a cameo in the book anyway, which is indicative of the authors' alternately interesting and annoying way of sometimes going down rabbit trails.

Some other annoying traits of this book are the use of captions rather than narrative to tell important pieces of the story; photos blown up so large that they're grainy, and generic chapter names ("1" "2" "3"...) better suited to novels. Remember, the authors have had over 20 years to polish their work, so there's no excuse for this amateurism.

Perhaps the worst example is an internal contradiction, in which they uncritically report (quoting Shemp's wife) that Shemp was paid the same as Moe or Larry (p. 123), and then (in one of those captions) saying his salary was double that of Moe's or Larry's (p. 131)!

Still, this book is packed with good pictures and provides a solid, fact-filled overview of the Stooges. But in another 10 years or so, the authors should really try tackling their subject again, and making their work even better.