My dad introduced me to the Three Stooges at a very young age.  Over the years I have read quite a few books about them.  I read Moe’s autobiography, which was completed after his death by the family.  I read Curly’s biography written by his niece. Larry wrote an “autobiography,” but there is controversy about who wrote a lot of it.  Then Steve Cox put out the definitive Larry biography a few years back.

Each of those books were good reads for Stooge fans, but what about Shemp?  Even the Joe’s got books.  So where was the biography of the Stooge who was once named “The Ugliest Man in Hollywood?” Well, it has finally arrived.

Actually, two books have been published recently about him.  Geoff Dale’s “Much More Than a Stooge: Shemp Howard” hit shelves just a few weeks before “Shemp!” By Burt Kearns.  I just finished the latter, and it was eye-opening.  Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

Shemp Howard not only had one of the most distinctive faces of the twentieth century. He was also one of the most influential comic actors of Old Hollywood. An original member of the Three Stooges, Shemp—along with his brother Moe and actor-violinist Larry Fine—perfected a brand of raucous, lowbrow, slapstick comedy that had audiences rolling in the aisles of vaudeville houses, Broadway theaters, and movie palaces, and left an indelible imprint on the face of popular entertainment. Then he walked away… and the new Three Stooges—Moe, Larry, and brother Curly—made history.

But Shemp didn’t disappear. He made Hollywood history on his own, in a successful and until now unexplored career in more than a hundred movie shorts and features. He appeared in comedies, dramas, mysteries, Westerns, and musicals alongside the biggest stars of the Golden Age, including W.C. Fields, John Wayne, James Stewart, William Powell, Lon Chaney, Jr., Myrna Loy, and Marlene Dietrich.

SHEMP! is the first book to challenge the “official” version of Three Stooges history that’s been repeated for decades, shattering myths as it uncovers the surprising and often unsettling facts behind the man’s unlikely how the child of Jewish immigrants, racked with severe anxiety and phobias could conquer vaudeville, Broadway, and Hollywood. And it’s more than a author Burt Kearns digs into the shorts and feature films Shemp did on his own—more than a hundred of them—and, through interviews with fans, family members, scholars, experts, filmmakers, and celebrities, examines the “cult of Shemp” that thrives today.

For years, Moe Howard’s biography was the “official” version of Stooges history.  However, when it was written, Moe was in his mid 70’s and his memory may not recall things exactly or over exaggerate stories.  That is where Kearn’s book is unique.

Kearns uses theater advertisements, programs, deeds, and other information to set the record straight on what has been passed down through history as truth.  He takes on the role of private investigator and discovers many contradictions to the “official” story.

There were quite a few nuggets of info I had never heard before.  For example, I had no idea that Moe’s wife Helen had a famous cousin in show business.  That cousin was the great Harry Houdini!

Going into this book, I wondered if it was going to rehash the stories that Stooge fans had already heard.  I have to say that there was plenty of new information to devour.

Kearns does a great job of letting the reader know exactly where you are on the Stooge timeline.  He references what was going on with Moe, Larry and Curly while he was making an Abbott and Costello picture, etc… He also divulges the terms that were agreed upon when he was to “temporarily” step in for Curly while he was recovering from a stroke.

This is a must read for Stooge fans and a great read for someone who loves old comedy. 

5 out of 5 stars!