The Three Stooges
by Chuck
I want to share my thoughts with you of a comedy act that began in the 30s and continued making shorts and movies for over 40 years. Its universal popularity continues to this day.
The reason why I think this act is so popular, especially with men is that this act communicated on multiple levels. The kids loved it for the slapstick but I submit that there was another message on a deeper level directed toward men.
The 3 Stooges, a serial of 3 morons presenting their answer to living in an insane world, dare I suggest it, reflects a man’s ideal world; a world without a second thought for the propriety, role modeling, social positioning or political manuvering under which every working male must labor to earn his daily bread, find a mate and set examples for his children.
If such a burden were not placed on our shoulders we would all be free from the binds of logical thought, propriety and our efforts of maintaining sanity in an insane world. Just like the Three Stooges.
Two of the characters of The Three Stooges are a microsim of what we all desire as men, deep down, from which we wish to escape. The third an example of the freedom we really wish for in life.
Theirs is a world of serious graphical violence but with hammers that didn’t hurt, harmless whackings with rubber 2 x 4s, ladders, and iron pipes. They hit one another with just about everything imaginable over the 437 shorts and movies they made. Excitement without damage. Theirs is a man’s world.
Moe: Moses Horowitz The intolerant authority figure and group disciplinarian who takes himself and everything else way too seriously. Moe did all the hitting on purpose, the others by accident. In real life he was a gentle man who disliked the role. "Whyyy Youuuu!!" . Despite his being the boss, he was just as big an idiot as the rest of them.
Larry: Louis Feinberg The compliant and ever trying to please employee slash companion. Another testimony to why we look forward to the joys of early retirement.
And then there's Curly: Jerome Horowitz The imaginative, expressive, self-confident and superbly individualistic rebel. Merrily skipping along his path in life with out a care in the world, leaving a chaotic trail of leaking water pipes, flooded basements, wrecked mansions, water spouting electrical outlets who takes nothing seriously, and when conforonted by Moe replies “Your brain is too tense. Two tenths the size of what it oughta be, Nyuck Nyuck” Curly, our hero.
Without the rules society places on us who among us wouldn't want to be Curly. We men, who must do everything right or pretend that we can.
However destructive they were in the main plot they were always heros in the sub plot, just before being chased out of town in the last scene.
These guys live in a world without sin, only chaos. They innocently sleep together in the same bed. Despite their universal incompetence they’re always employed, well fed and well dressed. They have lots of girlfriends in uncomplicated relationships who are lovingly unaware of the fact that they are total morons. What more could a man want in life?
Before Curly showed up indeed it was only a kids act. Curly’s repitoir of antics was classic and yet one only has to watch very young children to realize the source of his material. Curly, not unlike our own children, takes us to another level.
Duty bound fathers being dragged to the Saturday matinee by their 5 year old to suffer through uni-dimensional plots presented by Lash , Roy, Wild Bill, Tom Steele, Tim Holt, bang bang shoot'emup, discovered Curly. With Curly the act made sense. Curly made the matinee worthwhile. Uuggggghhhhhh..weeebbeebebeee
Who can forget the Curly Shuffel, Nyuck Nyuck, wheeeeeee , the two handed face self slap .
Of the Thousands cast in Stooges episodes see if any of these ring a bell..and I never got past the Cs: Bud Abbot, Lou Costello, Backus, Bogart, Allyson, Edie Adams, Fatty Arbuckle, Max Baer, Lucile Ball, Wallace Beery, Dan Blocker, Ben Blue, Brennan, Bridges, Sid Caesar, Hume Croynan, to name a few. The Three Stooges act was actually nominated for an Academy Award. Larry Feinberg was an accomplished violinist and a money-winning prize fighter.
I suggest that the popularity of the 3 Stooges erupted from the level beneath slapstick. They represent the world as it is and how men would like to see themselves in it.
by Chuck
I want to share my thoughts with you of a comedy act that began in the 30s and continued making shorts and movies for over 40 years. Its universal popularity continues to this day.
The reason why I think this act is so popular, especially with men is that this act communicated on multiple levels. The kids loved it for the slapstick but I submit that there was another message on a deeper level directed toward men.
The 3 Stooges, a serial of 3 morons presenting their answer to living in an insane world, dare I suggest it, reflects a man’s ideal world; a world without a second thought for the propriety, role modeling, social positioning or political manuvering under which every working male must labor to earn his daily bread, find a mate and set examples for his children.
If such a burden were not placed on our shoulders we would all be free from the binds of logical thought, propriety and our efforts of maintaining sanity in an insane world. Just like the Three Stooges.
Two of the characters of The Three Stooges are a microsim of what we all desire as men, deep down, from which we wish to escape. The third an example of the freedom we really wish for in life.
Theirs is a world of serious graphical violence but with hammers that didn’t hurt, harmless whackings with rubber 2 x 4s, ladders, and iron pipes. They hit one another with just about everything imaginable over the 437 shorts and movies they made. Excitement without damage. Theirs is a man’s world.
Moe: Moses Horowitz The intolerant authority figure and group disciplinarian who takes himself and everything else way too seriously. Moe did all the hitting on purpose, the others by accident. In real life he was a gentle man who disliked the role. "Whyyy Youuuu!!" . Despite his being the boss, he was just as big an idiot as the rest of them.
Larry: Louis Feinberg The compliant and ever trying to please employee slash companion. Another testimony to why we look forward to the joys of early retirement.
And then there's Curly: Jerome Horowitz The imaginative, expressive, self-confident and superbly individualistic rebel. Merrily skipping along his path in life with out a care in the world, leaving a chaotic trail of leaking water pipes, flooded basements, wrecked mansions, water spouting electrical outlets who takes nothing seriously, and when conforonted by Moe replies “Your brain is too tense. Two tenths the size of what it oughta be, Nyuck Nyuck” Curly, our hero.
Without the rules society places on us who among us wouldn't want to be Curly. We men, who must do everything right or pretend that we can.
However destructive they were in the main plot they were always heros in the sub plot, just before being chased out of town in the last scene.
These guys live in a world without sin, only chaos. They innocently sleep together in the same bed. Despite their universal incompetence they’re always employed, well fed and well dressed. They have lots of girlfriends in uncomplicated relationships who are lovingly unaware of the fact that they are total morons. What more could a man want in life?
Before Curly showed up indeed it was only a kids act. Curly’s repitoir of antics was classic and yet one only has to watch very young children to realize the source of his material. Curly, not unlike our own children, takes us to another level.
Duty bound fathers being dragged to the Saturday matinee by their 5 year old to suffer through uni-dimensional plots presented by Lash , Roy, Wild Bill, Tom Steele, Tim Holt, bang bang shoot'emup, discovered Curly. With Curly the act made sense. Curly made the matinee worthwhile. Uuggggghhhhhh..weeebbeebebeee
Who can forget the Curly Shuffel, Nyuck Nyuck, wheeeeeee , the two handed face self slap .
Of the Thousands cast in Stooges episodes see if any of these ring a bell..and I never got past the Cs: Bud Abbot, Lou Costello, Backus, Bogart, Allyson, Edie Adams, Fatty Arbuckle, Max Baer, Lucile Ball, Wallace Beery, Dan Blocker, Ben Blue, Brennan, Bridges, Sid Caesar, Hume Croynan, to name a few. The Three Stooges act was actually nominated for an Academy Award. Larry Feinberg was an accomplished violinist and a money-winning prize fighter.
I suggest that the popularity of the 3 Stooges erupted from the level beneath slapstick. They represent the world as it is and how men would like to see themselves in it.
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