Why Shemp Howard ‘Was Considered Second-Rate’ During His Time With The Three Stooges

In a 1929 newsreel from Coney Island, New York, future Three Stooges star Shemp Howard wrestles a grizzly bear, jumps into a pool of water and leads the crowd in a sing-along. The little guy jumping around behind him is his younger brother Moe Howard.

A new biography, Shemp! by Burt Kearns, takes an in-depth look at the life of the Three Stooges’ most underrated member.

“The classic lineup that lasted was Moe, Larry [Fine] and Curly [Howard], so Shemp didn’t really have a chance,” Burt exclusively explains to Closer. “Everything he did was considered second-rate, although he was a better actor than any of them.”

In fact, had it not been for Curly’s 1946 stroke, it’s unlikely he would have ever rejoined the comedy trio. Shemp was having so much success as a character actor in movies, he didn’t need to.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Shemp and Moe began working in vaudeville as young men. They found success on the circuit and on Broadway as an act informally called Ted Healy and His Stooges.

“Shemp was the star of the act from the beginning,” says Burt. “He left because he wanted more money and Healy wouldn’t give him more.”

Starting with uncredited parts in 1933, Shemp gradually made a name for himself as a character actor in films. Over time, he acted with everyone from Fatty Arbuckle to Abbott and Costello and even shared scenes with John Wayne and Marlene Dietrich.

“Sometimes he was a comic gangster. Other days he’d play exotic and dress up as a man from India,” says Burt. “Shemp was the only one who was a good enough actor and performer to stand on his own.”

Married to Gertrude Frank, a girl from his Brooklyn neighborhood, Shemp became a family man and father.

“They moved to Toluca Lake, which wasn’t far from Universal,” says Burt. “People came over for parties, playing cards and listening to music. His wife was a great hostess.”

Shemp’s days as a solo act were put on a back burner in 1946 when his younger brother Curly became too ill to continue performing with the Three Stooges.

“Moe convinced Shemp to fill in for Curly to finish the tour,” says Burt. “Shemp did it because it’s his brothers and he wanted to help them. But Curly never got better and Shemp stayed with the act.”

He remained with the Stooges until his death from a massive heart attack at age 60 in 1955. But despite the career sacrifice Shemp made to keep the Stooges alive, Moe would always downplay Shemp’s importance to the group.

“Moe told it like Shemp was this whining, crying, stupid older brother who was always following him around,” says Burt. “The reason we get that is Moe is the one who survived them all, and he is the one who told the history.”