The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, from Amalgamated Morons to American Icons (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Three Stooges are admittedly an acquired taste. To fully appreciate them, as with NASCAR racing, practical jokes, and Steely Dan, it helps to be a guy. But there's no denying the durability of the Stooges' fearless physical performances. Every eye poke, noggin crack, face slap, and nyuk-nyuk-nyuk feels as edgy today as it did in their earliest two-reelers, and it's safe to say that their routines, for better or worse, helped pave the way for the Farrelly brothers, the Zucker brothers, Adam Sandler, and Jim Carrey.

Michael Fleming, a columnist for Daily Variety, has diligently compiled the history of the Stooges, from their vaudeville days through the height of their fame in the '30s to the '50s and beyond. What An Illustrated History lacks in clear organization it more than makes up for in attention to detail, about the lives of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard (plus the other "third Stooges," Shemp Howard, Joe Besser, and Curly Joe DeRita); the genesis of their routines; and the heavy-handed business deals that left them, the most successful comedians of their day, with virtually no residual income. The book's best segment dissects each two-reeler and film (including Men in Black, the only Stooge short to be nominated for an Oscar), with a wealth of publicity photos and a tally of slaps, eye pokes, and head conks. Might Fleming make even non-Stooge fans appreciate their humor? Why, soitenly. --Anne Hurley

From Booklist

Love 'em or hate 'em, the Three Stooges are Hollywood icons. Fleming definitely loves 'em and presents a vital chronicle of their career. The classic Stooge lineup of Moe, Larry, and Curly dominates the book, but Shemp, producer-director Jules White, various family members (notably Moe's daughter Joan, a Stooge scholar in her own right), and the lesser Stooges of the post-Shemp era aren't neglected. Fleming sets down dates and references in a highly readable chronology that sets the Stooge saga straight and deflates such misconceptions as the myth that the Stooges never got a raise. Salaries cited in pertinent documents attest that the Stooges, though exploited by legendary Columbia studio boss Harry Cohn, did get regular raises. Fleming summarizes all 190 Stooges shorts and tallies slaps, eye pokes, head conks, and pies thrown for each. The Stooges' Oscar nomination, their send-up of Hitler that preceded Chaplin's, and their career assist to Frank Capra are all mentioned, too. Every self-respecting movie-book collection has to have this gem. Mike Tribby

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday (November 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385488807
• ISBN-13: 978-0385488808
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #334,334 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I laughed, I cried, December 7, 1999

By A Customer

My boyfriend was laughing out loud as he read this book so after he finished it, I decided to see what was so funny. I was dubious because I've never been a Three Stooges fan, something my boyfriend has always considered a flaw. However, I've always considered his love of the Three Stooges one his flaws. He now feels triumphant because I couldn't put the book down. I've pointed out that I still don't get the Stooges humor - but the story of their development as an act, their vaudeville years, and the relationships between the brothers is fascinating. It's an extremely well written book and I did laugh but what really struck me was how hard The Stooges worked, the amount of physical abuse they suffered while performing, and how much they're still a part of our culture. I'm very glad I read it, I highly recommend it; and much to my boyfriend's amazement, I want to rent a Stooges tape.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good of kind, January 30, 2000

By	F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I recall reading in my youth Parent magazine movie reviews in which one of the ratings was "Good of kind"; by which I understood that a film could be (say) of the horror genre and not quite up to a Greer Garson or Bette Davis glitzy soaper, but could still be a very good horror film.

Now the Three Stooges were certainly "good of kind." They never could have done Oscar Wilde (or perhaps they could have?)or even rise to the level of Laurel and Hardy (again, perhaps...). But what they did, they did for the most part well. The original theater company that did "Lysistrata" would have welcomed them, as would some medieval troupes that toured the provences with less than high-tone routines.

Mr. Fleming's book was given to me as a Christmas gift from my daughter on New Year's Eve, just in time for me to start taping AMC's Three Stooges marathon. Since a good percent of this book is a series of resumes of each Stooge short from the very first "Woman Haters" to the 190th "Sappy Bullfighters," this gift could not have been more opportune. (Would you believe that each episode has appended to it a count of how many slaps, head conks, and pie throwing took place in each film?) This section provides me with a wonderful checklist to see which ones I am still missing.

But even before that, we have the wonderful account of how these three/four got to be the mainstay of the Columbia lot and how they kept that position without ever knowing about it, since their bosses kept their value a secret from them.

The saddest part is certainly the section about Curley's growing deterioration leading up to his collapse in the film #97 and Shemp's replacing him in film #98.

The only error I can find (other than a disputed number of pies thrown in an episode here and there) is misnaming "Mutts to You" as "Nuts to You."

So if this topic is for you, this book certainly is. As much fun to read as to use as a reference tool for all Stoogephiles.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Middling, January 25, 2003

By	William B. Seguine (Flanders, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons (Paperback)

A nicely packaged book. If you're new to Stooge fandom, then this is a good book for you. But, if you're a longtime fan who wants to read and learn...

MOE HOWARD AND THE THREE STOOGES (by Moe Howard himself) *
THE THREE STOOGES SCRAPBOOK (co-authored by Moe's daughter) *
CURLY (again, co-authored by Moe's daughter) *
THE COMPLETE THREE STOOGES (by Dr. Jon Solomon)...

Those are the books you should buy!

If you decide otherwise, this book is a nice simple read, with nothing new to offer. There are better ways to learn about the Three Stooges.