Topic: Stooges Hollywood Walk of Fame Star circa 1983

[benjilbum]

Hey guys. Remember when the boys finally got their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? I posted the video documentation of it today. Joe Besser and Emil Sitka were there. Joe DeRita was asked and wanted to attend, but couldn't because of his failing eyesight. It's hard to believe that DeRita and Besser never met in person. Fans offered to introduce them, but neither was interested.

[youtube=425,350]PCetjTP57kE[/youtube]

[falsealarms]

Great to see that. Never did and always wanted to. Too bad its just 2 minutes.

[2reelers]

I have the full hour of amateur home video of this event. It's pretty interesting (I still have NO IDEA who videotaped this).

Anyways, I love Emil's bit about questioning Shemp not having a star...the stars weren't even on the sidewalk at the time of Shemp's death...but who cares! It's Emil and it's a fun story!

[curlysdame]

Great footage!  I gotta say, even though Joe didn't exactly fit in as a Stooge, and he was only with them for 2 years, you gotta give him props (I always have, at least) for stepping up and being a big part of the Star unveiling.  He seemed like a real sweet-heart of a guy. 

...After really giving it some thought, I figured out that I'd rather watch Joe B. instead of Joe D.  Joe Besser had a defined 'personality' as far as the comedy went.

[Hammond Eggar]

It was great to see the footage.  My only wish is that all the Stooges could have been in attendance, especially Moe Howard.  I've always read that the Stooges not having a star was a bone-of-contention with him.  Well, better late than never, I always say.

[curlysdame]

My only wish is that all the Stooges could have been in attendance, especially Moe Howard.  I've always read that the Stooges not having a star was a bone-of-contention with him.

I've read that, too:

" 'It's just a shame that my dad couldn't have seen it (the Star) happen, because he did feel bad about it... Moe told Chicago radio personality Eddie Schwartz, 'They can keep their Star, and I'll tell them where to put it - one point at a time.' "  from Stoogemania pgs. 48-49.

[stoogeophile]

Besser and DeRita DID meet. It was in a fortuitous way, they bumped into each other in a supermarket. Exchanged a few words, complimented on each other's work, and they moved away to continue with their shopping. I think this anecdote appeared on the book Stoogemania.

[Hammond Eggar]

It's unfortunate that most of the Stooges missed out on seeing themselves receive this honor.  That said, there's a lot of things Moe, Larry, Curly and Shemp missed.  They missed seeing themselve be immortalized in the song "The Curly Shuffle" by the Jump 'n' the Saddle Band.  The song went all the way to the Billboard Top 20.  They missed seeing thousands upon thousands of fans attend various Stooge conventions and fan club meetings.  Most of all, they missed seeing Gary Lassin open the Stoogeum, a museum which preserves the Stooges' legacy.  It's a shame, really.  For the most part, these four comic giants died not knowing just how popular and beloved they really are.  Moe and Larry did get some indication.  They saw their films reach a whole new generation through television.  That said, they never knew about the home video market.  Imagine their delight if they knew how well these new Sony sets are selling in 2008.  Curly and Shemp, though, died in the 1950s, never knowing just how big they, and the entire act, truely was, and would soon be through TV.  I believe that since most of the Stooges' career was spent making two-reel shorts, the boys never fully got the recognition they so deserved.  The star was a big step in correcting that.  Now, the next step would be to invite various family members to an Academy Awards ceremony and present the boys with a posthumous achievement award.  It would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath in anticipation of it, though.

[FineBari3]

Isn't having a star on the Walk of Fame just a lot of bullshit? All it takes is money.

[benjilbum]

Thanks for the correction and information. I never heard that story. It's good to know they at least met on one occasion. They were both very nice guys and I'm sure they were friendly and polite to each other.