Fascinating Facts About The Three Stooges That Will Make You Want To Revisit The Show
For nearly 50 years, The Three Stooges delighted audiences with their bumptious bonhomie. The trio of funnymen is an icon of American humor, with their much-loved brand of knockabout laughs. But how much do you know about the slapstick kings? Here are ten things about The Three Stooges that you might find surprising.
The famed Stooges eye-poke had a real-life origin
Of all the ways the rib-tickling three gained fame for abusing one another, perhaps the most famous is the eye-poke. To the twang of a violin string, two digits would end up jammed into a Stooge’s orbits. It was a staple used in all the films, but it had a curious beginning.
A genuine reaction
Stooge Moe Howard explained that the eye-poke had actually been born during a raucous game of cards. His brother Shemp had a notion that the third of the trio, Larry Fine, wasn’t playing fair and square. And his reaction to that was the classic two fingers in the peepers. Moe said, “Larry had tears coming from his eyes for a week. It struck me so funny I leaned backward in a chair and went right through a glass door.”
The boys sacrificed their hair for their art
Think Stooges and you think terrible haircuts – the funsters are as known for their bad ’dos as they are for their jokes. But it wasn’t always the case. For instance, Curly was renowned for his shaved head, but before he was ordered to apply the buzzcut, he had had a lovely set of locks and even a slick mustache.
Moe had long curly hair
And Curly wasn’t alone in giving up his mane for his art. Moe, who was known for hair that was surely cut with the pudding bowl, had once sported delightful, wavy tresses. They especially pleased his mom, who had always fancied raising a daughter. But Moe faced some serious ribbing over his curls, so much so that one day he hacked them off, leaving behind the style for which he would become renowned.
