AllMovie

This edition of Biography, the long running documentary series from A&E, explores the lives of the comedy group known as The Three Stooges. Originally the Horwitz (later Howard) brothers, Samuel, Moses, and Jerome, they were known by their respective nicknames of Shemp, Moe, and Curly. They first played with comedy star Ted Healy, who called them The Southern Gentlemen. Shemp then left for a career of his own, and was replaced by Larry Fine (originally Feinberg). They then parted from Healy, and as The Three Stooges, they made 191 short films and 13 feature films for Columbia, all characterized by anarchic knockabout humor, with sound effects perfectly synchronized with their blows. There were further personnel changes: Shemp returned, replacing Jerry, and in turn was replaced by Joe Besser. There was less interest in the act during the early 1950s, but when several of their films were released for television, they become media icons. The video chronicles their legacy as pioneers in slap-stick humor and how their timeless popularity continues today.