Shemp-centric?

falsealarms · **on:** November 15, 2009, 07:18:43 PM

Has anyone noticed that of the 15 highest rated shorts on this site... 11 are Shemp efforts? That kind of surprises me. I've always liked Shemp but that seems surprisingly unbalanced.

http://threestooges.net/filmography.php?team=COL&sort=avgrating&sdir=DESC&page=1&maxrecs=190

metaldams · **Reply #1 on:** November 15, 2009, 07:26:52 PM

Quote from: falsealarms on November 15, 2009, 07:18:43 PM

Has anyone noticed that of the 15 highest rated shorts on this site... 11 are Shemp efforts? That kind of surprises me. I've always liked Shemp but that seems surprisingly unbalanced.

http://threestooges.net/filmography.php?team=COL&sort=avgrating&sdir=DESC&page=1&maxrecs=190

The Internet is the only place on the planet where Shemp is the most popular Stooge. Always has been that way, always will be. To the rest of the world, he's not even a legitimate Stooge.

IFleecem · **Reply #2 on:** November 15, 2009, 07:49:59 PM

To me and my brothers in my family we have ALWAYS been Shemp fans, I think with the wider audience of the internet and availability of the shorts now, A lot of people see the genius that is Shemp and just look at the quality of his work and how he puts everything into his role as an comedic actor. Curly is always generally going to be the most popular stooge, (look at all the t-shirts and new stuff with his image on it) and is embraced by pop culture in general more than Shemp (although he has that grunge look of the 90's going lol) and Curly has the shaved head image of the new millenium (amazing how the Stooges still fit in todays society).

Shemp is seen (mostly again cause of the internet and the new volumes of Stooge shorts available, at a decent price to boot) as less seen than Curly (look how often when shorts were shown on television how the MLC shorts dominated most of the time) Shemp shorts are therefore less played and can be enjoyed due to this (again only my valueless opinion, and I'm sure I'll hear yours as well, which I want to of course)

Robin

Seamus · **Reply #3 on:** November 15, 2009, 08:01:14 PM

Interesting stat. As you say, only on the internet - where contrarianism rules.

The large number of well-regarded Shemp shorts bodes well for me. I'm still trawling through the shorts in order, and just finished up Three Little Pirates from Volume 5 (at last, something good from 1946 - man, that year was rough going). Gives me high hopes for the Shemp-fest I'm about to embark on...

metaldams · **Reply #4 on:** November 15, 2009, 08:03:09 PM

Quote from: IFleecem on November 15, 2009, 07:49:59 PM

To me and my brothers in my family we have ALWAYS been Shemp fans, I think with the wider audience of the internet and availability of the shorts now, A lot of people see the genius that is Shemp and just look at the quality of his work and how he puts everything into his role as an comedic actor. Curly is always generally going to be the most popular stooge, (look at all the t-shirts and new stuff with his image on it) and is embraced by pop culture in general more than Shemp (although he has that grunge look of the 90's going lol) and Curly has the shaved head image of the new millenium (amazing how the Stooges still fit in todays society).

Shemp is seen (mostly again cause of the internet and the new volumes of Stooge shorts available, at a decent price to boot) as less seen than Curly (look how often when shorts were shown on television how the MLC shorts dominated most of the time) Shemp shorts are therefore less played and can be enjoyed due to this (again only my valueless opinion, and I'm sure I'll hear yours as well, which I want to of course)

Robin

Hey, personally, I love Shemp, and thinking comparing him to Curly is apples and oranges. It just seems like on the Internet, there is much more Shemp love than in the "real world," like say, the office of any building I've ever worked at. To the average, casual person, The Three Stooges is Moe, Larry, and Curly, period. Unfair? Yes.

By the way, the exact same Internet/real world phenomenom happens concerning the opinion of Ronnie James Dio in Black Sabbath vs. Ozzy Osbourne.

Larry Fine Fan · **Reply #5 on:** November 26, 2009, 03:58:00 PM

I know everybody's favorite third Stooge is Curly, but my favorite Stooge is Shemp. The way he does his "skip-a-rope" dance, his sound effects and his almost constant mugging is what places him #1 in my book. He is always ridiculed because he took Curly's place. People even say he acted like Curly, which isn't true at all.

Okay. I'll quit babbling now.

Larry Fine Fan

FineBari3 · **Reply #6 on:** November 27, 2009, 08:43:44 AM

Once again, I will put forth my theory that Shemp is the most favorite among women. When I meet a female Stooge fan, I always ask them which is their favorite, and I'd say 80% say Shemp!

Shemp has always been my favorite since the first short I ever saw, which was Squareheads of the Round Table.

I hope you can get to see the 'Wall of Shemp' at the Stoogeum!

Larry Fine Fan · **Reply #7 on:** November 27, 2009, 11:02:25 AM

I hope I'll be able to see the "Stoogeum" someday, too. I'll definitely look at the 'Wall of Shemp' when (and if I ever) get there.

By the way, I'm a female Stooge fan, too. Whoever said women hate the stooges is screwy!

Larry Fine Fan

Sadistic Stooge · **Reply #8 on:** November 27, 2009, 02:27:33 PM

Well good to know that some women love the stooges

FineBari3 · **Reply #9 on:** November 27, 2009, 07:47:20 PM

I think that more teenage and college-age women are into the Stooges now. It must be a hip thing, or maybe just what the strange girls like me were into.

I think that the 'all women hate the Stooges' thing is about 10 years out-of-date, yet the media always manages to say that women don't like the Stooges in any kind of article or interview. Pisses me off..

Desmond Of The Outer Sanctorum · **Reply #10 on:** November 30, 2009, 08:22:19 AM

Speaking of Shemp, I recently came across an interesting article here.

Shemp the least popular stooge? Not in my house, where he's the favorite among all six. And there's no way he's less popular than the Joes.

He does count as an oddball third stooge, though, not being fat & bald...

falsealarms · **Reply #11 on:** November 30, 2009, 10:36:32 AM

Casual fans generally dismiss Shemp while more hardcore fans seem to have a better appreciation for him.

Dog Hambone · **Reply #12 on:** November 30, 2009, 07:12:13 PM

Quote from: FineBari3 on November 27, 2009, 07:47:20 PM

I think that the 'all women hate the Stooges' thing is about 10 years out-of-date, yet the media always manages to say that women don't like the Stooges in any kind of article or interview. Pisses me off..

Chalk up another female Stooge fan in my house. I don't think my wife cared much one way or the other about the Stooges until she hooked up with me. Now, she'll watch them with me, quote lines from the shorts, etc. She even put on her 3D glasses the other night to watch SPOOKS and PARDON MY BACKFIRE with me. And she watched OILY TO BED, OILY TO RISE on her own yesterday morning while I was asleep (one of her favorite lines is from that short - "Hey, don't look now, but I think we're about to be killed!").

kinderscenen · **Reply #13 on:** December 02, 2009, 05:56:54 PM

As usual, I arrive late, but this is a great party, so...

I've always, always, always preferred Shemp over Curly. While I can soitenly appreciate Curly's role in making them into what we know today, I also say that was part of the problem. Of course, Curly couldn't maintain a childlike wonderment during his stroke (notice the couple of films before A Bird in the Head--Curly isn't nearly as childlike as he was). It makes me wonder what he would've been like as he aged. Would he have been able to tone that down, or would it have morphed into something else?

But with Shemp, watching his solo stuff in the 30's, that character was pretty well set. No worries about childlike wonderment here! Pure comedy gold, which may or may not have worked well with audiences then (if he, instead of Curly, was in Woman Haters.) Personally, taking Curly out and putting Shemp in (via computer magic in my head), makes that film even funnier! Imagine him crooning to Marjorie White!

As for the "all women hate the Stooges," I thought that died out--personally, I can't see why women would. If you don't like them, fine, but to dismiss them? Uh-uh. Besides, what comedy WOULD "women like"? What DO women find funny? If someone can tell me, perhaps I won't have to burn my wimmin's card.

Dolemite · **Reply #14 on:** January 04, 2010, 03:02:58 PM

I always felt that if there had been no Curly, Shemp would've gotten the recognition he deserved. Of all of them, he was really the only actor, and had many roles in feature films, including the classic The Bank Dick.

Desmond Of The Outer Sanctorum · **Reply #15 on:** August 02, 2010, 07:59:20 AM

Have been introducing my significant other to the Stooges, and she laughs at them harder than I do!

Anyway, guess who her favorite Stooge turns out to be? Shemp, of course! She says she doesn't like Curly so much. Her reasoning (similar to mine, actually) is that Curly seems like kind of a forced, artificial character while Shemp seems much more natural and likeable.

So once again... Shemp is #1 in my house!

FineBari3 · **Reply #16 on:** August 02, 2010, 08:21:49 AM

Quote from: Desmond Of The Outer Sanctorum on August 02, 2010, 07:59:20 AM

Have been introducing my significant other to the Stooges, and she laughs at them harder than I do!

Anyway, guess who her favorite Stooge turns out to be? Shemp, of course! She says she doesn't like Curly so much. Her reasoning (similar to mine, actually) is that Curly seems like kind of a forced, artificial character while Shemp seems much more natural and likeable.

So once again... Shemp is #1 in my house!

I'm going to say it again, that most women prefer Shemp as their favorite Stooge! This has been an on-going personal survey of mine; a question I always ask if a woman enjoys the Stooges.

falsealarms · **Reply #17 on:** August 02, 2010, 11:59:11 AM

We have a "curlysdame" on here but no shempsdame. Not yet anyway.

strubachinkoscow · **Reply #18 on:** August 20, 2010, 11:59:35 PM

Hi All,

Since my first exposure to the Stooges at the age of 5 ( I'm 53 now ), I always just liked Shemp.
His humor just hit my funnybone. I love Curly and at his peak ( e.g. False Alarms, Sitter-Downers, Uncivil Warriors )
he is masterful. But Shemp is, well, Shemp! I can say Curly and smile in a bittersweet way as we had
to watch his decline. Shemp - however - started and ended pretty much the same. So his name
always brings a smile with no melancholy.

Hey, I have a question. I could swear that I ran across a statement - can't remember where - that said
that Shemp would have the whole production crew laughing on shoots so much that the cameraman
couldn't hold the camera still during filiming. Am I hallucinating this? If anyone knows where this
'quote' comes from and can point me to it I would appreciate it.

Also, my daughter and son ( ages 30 and 27 ) both HUGE Shemp fans.

FineBari3 · **Reply #19 on:** August 21, 2010, 08:50:58 AM

Quote from: strubachinkoscow on August 20, 2010, 11:59:35 PM

Hi All,

Since my first exposure to the Stooges at the age of 5 ( I'm 53 now ), I always just liked Shemp.
His humor just hit my funnybone. I love Curly and at his peak ( e.g. False Alarms, Sitter-Downers, Uncivil Warriors )
he is masterful. But Shemp is, well, Shemp! I can say Curly and smile in a bittersweet way as we had
to watch his decline. Shemp - however - started and ended pretty much the same. So his name
always brings a smile with no melancholy.

Hey, I have a question. I could swear that I ran across a statement - can't remember where - that said
that Shemp would have the whole production crew laughing on shoots so much that the cameraman
couldn't hold the camera still during filiming. Am I hallucinating this? If anyone knows where this
'quote' comes from and can point me to it I would appreciate it.

Also, my daughter and son ( ages 30 and 27 ) both HUGE Shemp fans.

I have always been a Shemp fan, too! I first saw the Stooges in 1978, when I was 8, and the first short I saw was a Shemp. Something about him resonated with me!

Have you been to ^{www.shempcompany.com} That's his great-grandaughter's company (Sandie and Jill). They are very nice people! It was so great to meet them and hear stories about their 'Papa Shemp'! He really seemed like a sweetheart of a guy, and must have been a great and funny man to be around.

Sorry I can't remember what book that came from, but I want to say Moe's biography. It is fun to try to pick out Shemp's ad-lib stuff.

Stooge-Adam · **Reply #20 on:** August 21, 2010, 04:41:16 PM

As a kid, I always preferred Curly (and I loved Joe, just because it was so rare to see one of his shorts). Shemp shorts always seemed boring to me. He was my dad's favorite, however. Now I'm 28 and Shemp is my favorite. I appreciate the genius of Curly and I tend to like his shorts over Shemp's. But as far as the characters go, I like Shemp more.

strubachinkoscow · **Reply #21 on:** August 21, 2010, 09:05:28 PM

Hi FineBari3
I had the wonderful priviledge to meet Shemp's grand-daughters and Moe's daughter (Joan)
at the annual Three Stooges Film Festival held at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, Calif.
I go every year, and it was so cool to see Shemp's family there.

It's very cool to see so many Shemp fans ain't it?

Strub

Moron4392 · **Reply #22 on:** August 22, 2010, 10:42:19 AM

Hello:

Have to agree with you on this, Shemp is the only Stooge that is good. I have only been a Stooges fan for 12 years, but the minute I saw Shemp that is all she wrote. Quick notation, my office at home is done entirely in Shemp, Shemp murals painted on the walls, with pictures. As with my bedroom quarters. Have all his solo shorts; {but three}: and everyone of his solo features,dishware with Shemp, tee-shirts, sweatshirts. Do agree that Curly was boring because he was forced to play the role he did. Not with Shemp, he was just being himself. Let's keep Shemp alive! Shemp is the only GOOD STOOGE!

Thompson
Moron4392

BenStooge9 · **Reply #23 on:** August 22, 2010, 01:34:15 PM

I appreciate Shemp and his comedy, but some of these posts are beyond me. How can you be on .net and say negative things about Curly? His character was forced? Curly Howard is one of the most original and underrated comics of all time! Larry and Moe even admitted that Curly was their favorite Stooge. I understand everyone has a right to their own opinion, but come on, the Stooges wouldn't be where they are without Curly.

curlysdame · **Reply #24 on:** August 22, 2010, 03:31:28 PM

Quote from: Moron4392 on August 22, 2010, 10:42:19 AM

Do agree that Curly was boring because he was forced to play the role he did. Not with Shemp, he was just being himself. Let's keep Shemp alive! Shemp is the only GOOD STOOGE!

Forced? Hardly. Curly dreamed of joining Healy's act, and studied their antics closely. Nobody held a gun (or a razor) to his head and said, "you're gonna be a Stooge, goddammit." Of course, you're entitled to your opinion, "Shemp is the best Stooge, he's the funniest, etc..." I definitely think Shemp is funny, and was a natural. But to say that 'Curly is boring,' I think more than a few people would disagree with you.

And, if he really was the only 'good Stooge,' why wasn't the act called "Shemp Howard and Two Other Guys'?

Shemp-centric?

Dog Hambone

Dolemite