Make 'Em Laugh (The Funny Business of America)
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Featuring Miscellaneous Appearances
50 min. (TV Special)
An excellent overview of the career of all members of The Three Stooges, and Ted Healy, mixing archival photos from personal collections, some public domain film footage, personal recollections from Larry's sister and brother-in-law, Curly's younger daughter, Ted Healy's son, Healy stooge Mousie Garner, costars Julie Gibson, Lola Jensen and Adam West, co-workers Ed Bernds and Elwood Ullman, comedian Billy West, and Fan Club President Gary Lassin. Film footage is from HOLLYWOOD ON PARADE # B-9 (1934), DISORDER IN THE COURT (1936), BRIDELESS GROOM (1947), SING A SONG OF SIX PANTS (1947), MALICE IN THE PALACE (1949), CAMEL COMEDY CARAVAN: THE ED WYNN SHOW (1950), and behind-the-scenes footage and home movies from THE OUTLAWS IS COMING (1965).
Produced in 1992 by Paul Gierucki and Bill Hunt of Laughsmith Entertainment, much of the interview footage was taped at the April 1992 Three Stooges Convention in Lewiston ME, and the July 1992 Three Stooges Convention in Trevose PA. It premiered as an installment of A&E Channel's BIOGRAPHY series, and consistently won high ratings in numerous A&E and Biography Channel repeats over several years. In the early 2000s, Laughsmith reacquired distribution rights to their own production, and expanded the running time for a 2004 DVD release.
Adam "Batman" West refers to the Stooges as "three restless knights" during his interview; Restless Knights and Crazy Daze was the theme of the April 1992 Convention in Lewiston ME, which welcomed Mr. West as a guest, and where his interview was conducted.
The 50-minute running time noted in this filmography refers to the 1995 A&E home VHS; the cable TV airing ran slightly shorter at 46 minutes. The 2004 DVD re-release was increased to 63 minutes, primarily due to expanding interview segments, as well as some minor content re-edits and substitutions. A&E host Jack Perkins hosted and narrated the original A&E program; the narration script was relatively unchanged for the 2004 version, but producer Paul Gierucki provided a new voiceover; Perkins' prologue/epilogue hosting segments were also dropped. In addition, fan Dave "Curly" Knight's appearance does not appear in the 2004 recut.
Jack Perkins
Host and Narrator, 1994
Paul E. Gierucki
Narrator, 2004
Moe Howard
Himself / archive footage
Joe Besser
Himself / archive footage
Larry Fine
archive footage
Shemp Howard
archive footage
Jerry Howard
archive footage
Joe DeRita
archive footage
Ted Healy
archive footage
Bonnie Bonnell
archive footage
Gary Lassin
Himself
Lyla Budnick
Herself
Ted Healy Jr.
Himself
Paul 'Mousie' Garner
Himself
Billy West
Himself
Janie Howard Hanky
Herself
Julie Gibson
Herself
Lola Jensen
Herself
Nate Budnick
Himself
Edward Bernds
Himself
Elwood Ullman
Himself
Adam West
Himself
Emil Sitka
Himself
Dave Knight
Himself
Cy Schindell
archive footage
James C. Morton
archive footage
Bud Jamison
archive footage
Bud Abbott
archive footage
Suzanne Kaaren
archive footage
Ben Turpin
archive footage
Edward LeSaint
archive footage
Nick Baskovitch
archive footage
Eddie Laughton
archive footage
Hank Bell
archive footage
Alice Belcher
archive footage
Al Thompson
archive footage
Dan Brady
archive footage
Tiny Jones
archive footage
Jack Duffy
archive footage
George Gray
archive footage
William J. O'Brien
archive footage
Harry Semels
archive footage
Sammy Wolfe
archive footage
Dick Hakins
archive footage
Ed Wynn
archive footage
Jerome Cowan
archive footage
Robert Colbert
archive footage
Anna-Lisa Ruud
archive footage
Joe Bolton
archive footage
Bill Camfield
archive footage
Hal Fryar
archive footage
Johnny Ginger
archive footage
Sally Starr
archive footage
Wayne Mack
archive footage
Ed T. McDonnell
archive footage
Bruce Sedley
archive footage
Paul Shannon
archive footage
Norman Maurer
archive footage
Nancy Kovack
archive footage
Paul E. Gierucki
Director
Paul E. Gierucki
Producer
William Hunt
Executive Producer
Brittany Valente
Associate Producer
Jerry Taylor
Associate Producer
William Hunt
Screenplay
Paul E. Gierucki
Screenplay
Bill Kubota
Camera
Joseph Shaw
Editor
Ernie Zinger
Editor
Chuck Cieslinski
Editor
Jack Scott
Editor
Kevin Stewart
Editor
Jim Karnes
Assistant Editor
David Mustonen
Assistant Editor
Rob Randall
Assistant Editor
John Andrew Coryell
Videotape Editor
Dennis Atkinson
Videotape Editor
KDN Videoworks
Sound and Lighting
Elizza Anzano
Audio Post
Greg Ward
Audio Post
Dan Yessian
Music Supervisor
Martin Liebman
Original Score
Kurt Schreitmueller
Composer
Chris Plansker
Composer
Lori Gidley
Music
Jon Liebman
Music
Scotty Gatteno
Score Mixer
Mike Cesarz
Computer Support
Mike Wooley
Illustrator
Mike Pieronek
Graphics
Bob Cusmano
Graphics
Steve Kovalcik
Graphics
Henry Borrasso
Graphics
Pat Mathews
Colorist
John Andrew Coryell
Research Consultant
Jim Shemansky
Research Consultant
Robert Arkus
Production Consultant
Ginger Crider
Production Secretary
Spanky Sikes
Production Assistant
Matt Christopher
Production Assistant
Michelle Roy
Production Assistant
Jennifer Eggenberger
Production Assistant
Maureen Gierucki
Production Assistant
Joyce Wolka
Production Assistant
Rebecca Staats
Production Assistant
Alice Christopher
Production Assistant
John Eggenberger
Production Assistant
Chris Hunt
Production Assistant
Richard D. Rattner
Legal Counsel
William R. Felosak
Accountant
Jeffrey Sadowski
Copyright Attorney
Joe DeRita
Special Thanks
Joe Besser
Special Thanks
Phyllis Goldbloom
Special Thanks
Lyla Budnick
Special Thanks
Robert N. Benjamin
Special Thanks
Gary Lassin
Special Thanks
Jean DeRita
Special Thanks
Jill Howard Marcus
Special Thanks
Nate Budnick
Special Thanks
Kris Lamond Cutler
Special Thanks
Robin Lassin
Special Thanks
Sandie Howard-Isaac
Special Thanks
Janie Howard Hanky
Special Thanks
Ted Healy Jr.
Special Thanks
Paul 'Mousie' Garner
Special Thanks
Adam West
Special Thanks
Billy West
Special Thanks
Edward Bernds
Special Thanks
Lola Jensen
Special Thanks
Sally Starr
Special Thanks
Jerry Ohlinger
Special Thanks
Steve Cox
Special Thanks
Dan Walsh
Special Thanks
Frank Reighter
Special Thanks
Bob Bernet
Special Thanks
Rob Swerdlow
Special Thanks
Mark S. Gilman
Special Thanks
Jim Shemansky
Special Thanks
Kenny Heath
Special Thanks
Richard Baron Cohen
Special Thanks
Dave Knight
Special Thanks
Neil Sumstad
Special Thanks
V. West
Special Thanks
Andre Blay
Special Thanks
Sandy Solomon
Special Thanks
Chris Hanson
Special Thanks
Dennis Atkinson
Special Thanks
Herb Taylor
Special Thanks
Betty Gierucki
Special Thanks
Jim Makin
Special Thanks
Ken Allison
Special Thanks
Bob Ross
Special Thanks
Lori Gidley
Special Thanks
Irene Chunn
Special Thanks
Larry Harper
Special Thanks
Susan Hunt
Special Thanks
Eileen Dogon
Special Thanks
Craig Gierucki
Special Thanks
Vicki Taylor
Special Thanks
Jack Makin
Special Thanks
Mic Stankiewicz
Special Thanks
Maureen Gierucki
Special Thanks
Michael Friend
Special Thanks
Donald Rottenbucher
Special Thanks
Bob Frongillo Jr.
Special Thanks
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