... during a 1939 trip to Ireland, the group changed their name to the Three “Hooges” because in the vernacular of the day, to “stooge” meant to have sexual intercourse. My source is the 1998 Three Stooges Calendar sold at three Stooges.com.
Not true. Norman Langton spent months researching the Stooges' June 4 - July 9, 1939 tour of the UK, in London, Blackpool, Dublin and Glasgow. Highlights of his research were published in
The Three Stooges Journal # 105 (Spring 2003) and
# 106 (Summer 2003). His research compiled scores of lobby and print posters/advertisments and newspaper reviews... there's not a single "hooge" in the lot.
The word "stooge" did take on that slang connotation in the early '60s. As a result, 20th-Century Fox retitled SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE STOOGES as SNOW WHITE AND THE THREE
CLOWNS for UK distribution; however, Moe, Larry and Curly Joe were still cast-credited as "The Three Stooges."
Not just in this case, but in general, any citations to C3's website or their products will be looked at very closely. They may own the trademark, but as a source of reliable information... well, the less said the better. Consider this... a couple years ago, their newsletter published a feature story on Marjorie White. It was accompanied by a picture of Moe, Larry, Curly and Eva McKenzie from OILY TO BED, OILY TO RISE (1939)... Ms. McKenzie was identified as Marjorie White.