Topic: Emil Sitka

[JazzBill]

Theres nothing to bury the hatchet about, I was just goofing around. ( Good Buddy )

[Dog Hambone]

That's a big 10-4, Pile Driver.
Keep the shiny side up & the pedal to the metal.

[kinderscenen]

I corresponded a few times with Emil, and exchanged Christmas cards for several years. I met him once, unfortunately a sad occasion (http://threestooges.net/journal.php?action=view&id=83).

Not to bring up any bad memories, but did he seem fine before the stroke? I always got the feeling that he was perhaps acting out a scene or telling a particularly animated story before he fell ill.

Ah, the regrets you have later on--I was in college at the time, and a friend and I were joking around saying that we should try and visit.  She stated that he probably wouldn't want to be bothered, I basically said, so what? We could say that we were cussed out by EMIL SITKA! This was around 1994 or 1995.

[Stoogephilia]

I would like to choose Mousie Garner as the next "middle stooge" rather than Emil...

[ThunderStooge]

I have wondered this, as I've heard that Emil wanted to be a Stooge.  I think he would have made a pretty good Stooge.  I also wonder why Columbia didn't give him a chance to try out the role of the third Stooge after the last Shemp short.  Though there might be an answer that this newbie is unaware of.

[Stoogephilia]

I have wondered this, as I've heard that Emil wanted to be a Stooge.  I think he would have made a pretty good Stooge.  I also wonder why Columbia didn't give him a chance to try out the role of the third Stooge after the last Shemp short.  Though there might be an answer that this newbie is unaware of.

I agree, because I very, very uncomfortable every time I watching Besser era short. Emil even can take a more (and I mean more) slaps and hits from Moe, than the sissy prissy little snot Joe Besser.

[xraffle]

Not sure if Sitka would have made a good stooge, but he probably would've done a much better job than Besser and DeRita.

[ThunderStooge]

I agree, because I very, very uncomfortable every time I watching Besser era short. Emil even can take a more (and I mean more) slaps and hits from Moe, than the sissy prissy little snot Joe Besser.

Although Besser's comic style couldn't quite adapt very well to that of the Three Stooges, he has his moments.  Contrary to rumors, Joe actually did take a few hits and a pie to the face.  It's just that by the late 50's Columbia just stopped caring about short subjects, which I think might have led up to the poor quality of most of the shorts from that era.  The writers and directors didn't have much to work with due to low budgets.  Joe Besser was great comic, but his Stooge persona was not worked in very well.

[middlenamewayne]

I'm surprised I haven't spotted any mentions of this in the thread, but I'm fairly certain that Emil was slated to play the "middle Stooge" role under the name "Harry". I forget what source I read that in.

And yep, I'm a huge Sitkamaniac; I even managed to spot his unbilled appearance in the (highly recommended) 1966 Norman Maurer flick "Who's Minding The Mint?" I'm glad to say that I managed to get a card to him declaring my appreciation of his work right before he suffered his final stroke.

My fave Emil Sitka trivia Q: Emil appeared twice in the role of "Mr. Abernathy". Can you name both of the films?

  - mnw