I keep my iPad on my nightstand next to my bed, and each night I put on something to fall asleep to. Usually it’s a television show (I don’t stay awake long enough to watch an entire movie), but a couple of months ago I started watching the original Three Stooges shorts, and as of last night, I’ve officially watched them all.
There were 190 Three Stooges “two-reelers” (shorts) in all, that range from 16 to 18 minutes in length. The first 97 shorts feature Moe, Larry, and Curly. After Curly’s stroke, Shemp joined the group for shorts 98 through 174. When Shemp died of a heart attack, Moe and Larry brought on Joe Besser for shorts 175 to 190.
At some point in time, four of the Stooge shorts fell into public domain. If you ever bought a cheap VHS tape or DVD that contained three or four Stooge shorts, it probably had Disorder in the Court, Sing a Song of Six Pants, Malice in the Palace, and Brideless Groom. I bought a VHS tape with those four shorts on it in high school and must have watched each one of them a hundred times. They, along with some of the earliest episodes (Punch Drunks, Men in Black, and Three little Pigskins) are some of my favorites.
A few of my other favorite episodes are Spooks! and Pardon My Backfire, the only two shorts which were filmed in 3D. I also like If A Body Meets A Body, A Bird in The Head, The Ghost Talks, and all the other episodes that take place in haunted houses. Those guys in gorilla suits used to really scare me as a kid!
When you watch so many Stooge shorts in a row you notice all the little things that changed, like how Curly’s name was spelled “Curley” in the opening of the first 14 episodes, and all the different intros and opening songs that were used. I also noticed other oddities, like the four shorts featuring a Fake Shemp, and all the later films that recycled footage from earlier shorts. It’s very strange to watch two almost identical shorts with different endings. In some of those recycled episodes, Moe and Larry abruptly age 20 years between shots.
As kids, my friends and I could never agree as to whether Curly or Shemp was the better third Stooge. As a kid I definitely belonged to Camp Curly, but after watching them all, I may have changed my vote. Curly is childlike and silly, and perhaps the most iconic Stooge, but there’s something endearing about Shemp and his every man problems. Like most Stooge fans I’m not a huge fan of the Joe Besser episodes, but after watching them all I think I discovered a piece of trivia that I’m still trying to verify. In episode 188, Oil’s Well that Ends Well, Joe literally says those words at the end of the short. It’s the only time in all 190 shorts that I noticed someone actually speaking the title of the short.
Over the past 40 years it’s probable I had already seen every (or at least most) Three Stooges short, but now I can say it without a doubt.
Oil’s well that ends well!
