Joe Besser | The Forgotten Stooge | A Docu-Mini

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[@nicholasegg0284]

Joe Besser had the worst luck being under the shadow of both Curly and Shemp when he joined. At the very least he really liked working with Moe and Larry and allowed them to complete their contract.

[@williamshaw9047]

I found myself thinking it would be funny if Joe played into it and claimed that he was responsible for getting Curly and then Shemp fired because "they weren't funny enough, and I knew you wouldn't like them as much as you're going to love me." Even funnier, he could claim that their subsequent deaths were related to their firings and that he didn't care because it was no real loss to the world of comedy, like if he died.

[@MyNameIsChristBringsASword]

I think if they made Joe the spoiled brat that never grew up and pulled practical jokes on Larry and Moe for which they couldn't retaliate because he is the goose that lays the golden egg, I think you got magic in a bottle right there.

[@1956tojo]

I have strained my brain since I grew up in the 60s to come up with who could have successfully stepped into that position with the Stooges, because i genuinely despised the two that were put in there... to this day I believe there IS NO BODY and WAS NO BODY that could do that.

[@elijahvincent985]

Yeah. Knowing he was happy and they loved working with him is a nice element in *those* episodes. Still, lame episodes...

[@TheClutchCanuck]

One of my favorite stooge moments actually involves joe, but in a surreal way. When the stooges started remaking their old shorts, it was practically scene by scene with very little changes to the plot. There was one where it involved the stooges of moe larry and shemp all going out with the same woman, yet they didn’t know. The short ended with her walking away laughing at their misery and the stooges left beaten and bruised of one another. The Joe short followed the plot beat for beat, until the very end. Moe and Larry are beaten up, but Joe is nowhere to be seen, when the woman goes to leave, Joe appears with a dollar bill and “accidentally” drops it (there’s a whole gold digger subplot). When she goes to pick it up, he pulls out a fucking gun and starts blasting away on her, and I had tears in my eyes from laughter cause of all the stooges to get this violent, it was Joe. To be fair, it was a nail gun and there was a bit earlier that involved moe being shot up by one, so it’s not completely random for Joe to have it, but still hilarious to me

[@KairuHakubi]

top quality good to see youtube isn't censoring comments anymore.

[@Youll_Love_It_At_Levitz]

@@KairuHakubi Trust me, they still do.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@Youll_Love_It_At_Levitz okay let me put it a different way: it's a good thing youtube isn't censoring comments anymore, so I can see this one.

[@melissacooper8724]

That was my favorite Joe moment! I really ROFL when Joe gave the gold digger her connupence!😂

[@Thomasmemoryscentral]

I wish i knew that episode name of Joe using the nail gun

[@jshplock]

Honestly this video has legit made me go back and reassess my opinions on Joe Besser. This is one of the reasons I love this channel and its dedication to classic comedy

[@camdencoblentz3245]

Joe Besser really has grown on me a lot in recent years. While the final 16 shorts featuring him vary in quality, there certainly are entrees that I do really enjoy, such as A Merry Mix-Up, Space Ship Sappy, Outer Space Jitters, Sweet And Hot, Flying Saucer Daffy, and Oils Well That Ends Well. I get the criticisms that say he didn't fit with the team, but I really enjoyed his characterization. He's definitely not on the same level as Curly, Larry, Moe, or Shemp, but he's leagues ahead of Joe DeRita, who rarely was funny. I also found a lot to enjoy from Joe Besser's solo shorts at Columbia, even though those were mixed in quality as well.

[@henrymockingbird9645]

I feel both him and curly Joe derita got the short of the stick because they overshadowed by curly Howard and shemp Howard

[@williamdrum9899]

1:01 Poor Moe. It's one thing for your older brother to pass unexpectedly, but to have to pretend he's still there in the room with you... that must have been painful.

[@Nick-ty9us]

Especially if that’s new footage

[@N_DAnimationEnthusiast]

I’m glad there was no ill will between Joe and the rest of the Stooges. Sad that he got a bad rap due to the quality of the later shorts.

[@Nick-ty9us]

I mean, I think Joe simply explained, to moe and Larry that his wife had suffered a heart attack be with her when I think Moe and Larry understood

[@brad_hensil]

@@Nick-ty9usMoe lost his brother to a heart attack

[@Nick-ty9us]

@@brad_hensil that’s true. Larry’s wife died of a heart attack.

[@Nick-ty9us]

@@brad_hensil so when Joe Besser told the boys, he wanted to leave the act because his wife had a minor heart attack and he wanted to stay close to her I think Moe understood because he had lost a brother to a massive heart attack

[@ZenYogi55]

Joe Besser was the WORST stooge ever

[@Sam-lm8gi]

I never really disliked Joe Besser, but now I have a much greater appreciation for him.

[@favoritemustard3542]

💯 same, he was fine (haha) he just wasn't _____ .

[@Black_Patriot-Veteran-1970]

I personally liked Joe DeRita better

[@RobertGraziose]

He did not cut it.😊

[@Black_Patriot-Veteran-1970]

@@favoritemustard3542 He wasn't a good fit for the Stooges

[@cainealexander-mccord2805]

My earliest life memories are informed by The Three Stooges. When I was a kid in the 70s, my dad would come home from work in the morning and we would watch The Stooges and I became the only girl I ever knew who liked them. Hats off to the "sorry-he's-not-Curly" Joe Besser for stepping in when they needed him most. Long Live The Stooges. All of them.

[@justindenney-hall5875]

@calnealexander-mccord2805 It's refreshing to see a woman that likes the 3 stooges, I remember in middle school I once met a girl that hadn't even heard of them which I still can't believe😕

[@cainealexander-mccord2805]

@@justindenney-hall5875 As i was growing up, I was, and still am, utterly baffled by the general reaction by females. It was just one more thing I couldn't fathom about women, despite being in the ranks. By the time I was 9 I had all Curly's mannerisms and sound effects, and my Pop and I would mystify whatever lady he was dating at the time with our constant eye pokes and hand-waving silliness. Happily, the fellahs made me feel at home and now I'm a 60 year old with the box set, which I highly recommend, and proof that the Stooges led me to All in the Family, MASH, Monty Python, Mel Brooks and every other distinguished comedy since. Had I chlldren, particularly a daughter, I would have proudly carried on the tradition.

[@cainealexander-mccord2805]

@@justindenney-hall5875 Astonishing, isn't it? I can't imagine a life without the Stooges. That's just unacceptable.

[@bigduke5902]

Fake news. Women I read somewhere that women make up 60% of the Three Stooges fanbase community.

[@free2day1147]

My 9-year-old daughter loves the 3 stooges!

[@PaigeHankins28]

I always considered that part of the issue what that Besser's schtick worked best as an adversary. In the Abbott and Costello show, he was a mincing little brat who caused the duo endless headaches. He worked there as a little pest. The Stooges dynamic centers on the fact that, despite the drubbings they give each other, the three of them are always a unit against the world at large. In spite of their foolishness, you still root for the Stooges to succeed. Besser wasn't a bad comedian at all, but in my opinion he didn't work as well as a Stooge because the chemistry never totally matched. He was best in the roles where you WANTED him to get kicked around.

[@travismarshall3089]

My hot take... Shemp Howard all the way. My favorite stooge. Not in regard to replacing Curly Howard, I'm talking even over Curly. But my favorite dialogue/conversation involves Curly and Larry. Larry: I don't want to say yes, but I can't say no! Curly: Will you say, "Maybe"? Larry: I might...

[@markrobert205]

I love Shemp's fighting technique.

[@chewycenter]

Same here. Curly was always too much for me. As much as I liked the Stooges, Curly, as the kids say nowadays, 'triggered my anxiety'. Shemp was my favorite. I also liked Joe for some reason. I think they were better actors, but Curly was the best clown.

[@kingovharts]

Shemp was a deadpan comic but he could also do the physical comedy. The guy was originally part of the act before Curly.

[@nathangibbons9492]

Besser really was the Yoko Ono of the Three Stooges, in that he was a punching bag for fans blaming him on their decline

[@1956tojo]

I dunno, I despised joe derito just as much as a kid, because to this day (IMO) there isn't a person who could have successfully stepped in following Curly and Shemp....

[@beeenn649]

Joe Besser really wasn't cut out to be a Stooge, but he was funny as hell as Stinky on the Abbott and Costello show.

[@glenturney4750]

He just didn't have the same magic that Curly and Shemp had. He was too whiney and whimpy in my opinion. To refuse to take pies in the face, that was ridiculous. If he agreed to play a Stooge, then he should've put 100% into being one and not a prima donna.

[@MichaelBoyce-tm2vw]

​@@1956tojoDerita in turn hated the way he treated him.

[@RobewhO]

@@glenturney4750did you even watch this video before commenting? Or at all? He clearly says that rumor about Besser not wanting to take pies in the face is not true. Looks like you’re one of these people he mentioned out here blindly believing stuff without actually researching it first.

[@stardogbillionaire]

It was a miracle the act ever survived after losing Curly, Curly simply is one of the greatest comedic actors to ever grace this world. And post Shemp it was just so much harder to watch the Stooges I just find it impossible to ignore how Moe and Larry had aged and the spirit of the act really relied on the actors being young men, Thank you Joe for your strong defense of Joe Besser can't say I love his tenure with the Stooges but I have far more respect for him now and the impossible task he was given.

[@1956tojo]

Shemp was an original of the 3 original Stooges from 1922 to 1932 ... He ended up quitting because of ted healey, and that's when Curly ended up joining and their most successful run lasted 14 years till Curly could go no more in 1946 and Shemp came back until his death in 1955... 3 years after Curly died.... So Shemp was actually a Stooge for 19 years to Curly's 14.... Curly's years being the most successful....For me, anything post Shemp is not The 3 Stooges any more.... and when they went color it was even worse... I grew up in the 60s when colored televisions started making their ways into homes and all that post Shemp crap was shoveled at us.... It was just short of traumatic I guess.... I despised it as a kid...

[@stardogbillionaire]

@@1956tojo I'm a millennial, my parents got me into the Stooges and Marx Brothers. Don't get me wrong I love Shemp Howard, on youtube there's a few shorts with Shemp as a solo actor and they're great and they should be played alongside Stooges. Thankfully I only grew up with Columbia Shorts, when the occasional Joe Besser short came on it just felt like you were watching a band that was out of tune. But yeah as this video goes to show it wasn't Besser's fault Columbia slashed the budgets and cost cutting measures would have resulted in a lousier product even if Shemp and Curly had still been there. Anyway out of morbid curiosity I did watch some of 1964's "The Outlaws Is Coming", I'm not going to say it's a great comedy (definitely made for kids) but with its simpler western setting and honestly really creative opening credits it even made me warm up a bit to Curly Joe DeRita. If they hadn't named the character "Curly" it wouldn't have left such a bad taste in mouth of fans IMO. Nevertheless the Howard Brothers & Larry Fine are legends of comedy. Their antics will be enjoyed for generations to come. The older I get and the more I watch "Hats Off Entertainment" the more I'm just in love with the classic comedians.

[@williamdrum9899]

Personally I like Shemp better but that's just what I grew up on

[@heisensaul5538]

Joe Besser seemed like a really nice guy. I'm glad he was able to accept the star on the Walk of fame on behalf of his friends. I think it's just unfortunate luck that when he became a new stooge the quality dipped, which was no fault of his own, but more the studio running out of ideas. It's also unfortunate that the misinformation about him that he didn't want to be hit or do the typical stooge stuff has taken hold. I heard that Curley Joe was the one who didn't want to be hit, but I feel like that information is incorrect now too. But knowing what I know now about Joe Besser, I will be a little more kind to him when talking about the Stooges.

[@alejoparedes2388]

It's so cool to know that behind the scenes all the Stooges were kind and loyal to one another.

[@dennisdeleo74]

Great video and you are absolutely correct…The boys were getting older and even with Shemp, they were bringing the vitality down a bit, working on minuscule budgets,stock footage and entering their 60s. Jules White directed most of the later shorts and he seemed more concerned about the violent slapstick than plot development. Who wants to see three old men smacking each other around? So I think Besser came along at the right time, they could tweak the act a bit, and try some new ideas. Can’t wait to see what you have in store for DeRita.

[@stevenvaleriojr1177]

Besser's issue wasn't that he wasn't funny, it was that, overall, his act didn't really fit with the Stooges. I still enjoy his shorts more than their work with DeRita and, honestly, Hoofs and Goofs, despite not being from my favorite era, may just be my favorite Stooges short of all time.

[@1956tojo]

For me, anything after Shemp's second run in the Stooges is/was sacrilegious as far as The 3 STOOGES goes.... I cannot help but be a die hard originalist here.... Nothing against the two stand ins after Shemp, but a person does not exist that could have successfully stepped into that position after the originals... Shemp was a Stooge for 10 years (1922-32) before he quit and Curly joined.. Curly 14 yrs-Shemp 19 yrs)

[@stevenvaleriojr1177]

@1956tojo I don't disagree, per se, although I think sacrilege is a bit much. But there were to HUGE pairs of shoes to fill that couldn't be filled by just anyone- and Besser and DeRita were definitely not the right fit. I know he was considered to replace Larry for a bit but, honestly, I feel like Emil Sitka would have fit in the Howard brother spot better than the Fine position. He's actually the only actor of the era I can think of that would have been a proper. Plus, he had the bonus of already having good on-screen chemistry with the boys.

[@fredwerner1447]

I have always enjoyed Joe Besser's unique, childlike persona which I feel added a NEW dimension to the stooge works. It really is the movie studio who is to blame for the "cheapening" of the stooge shorts. I stilll laugh loudly at Joe's antics and on screen personality for being different, robust, and timeless in its own right !

[@joeblevins1061]

Thank you for making this video. I had no problem adjusting to Joe as the third Stooge, since I was familiar with him from cartoons and knew his comedy persona well. And, yeah, he does deserve credit for bringing his own style to the franchise. It's not his fault that the franchise was running out of gas by the time he got there.

[@teastrainer3604]

The scripts had been declining for a long time, even while Curly was still performing. Meanwhile television was making two-reelers obsolete. Besser was a bad fit for the Stooges, and Moe wanted Joe DeRita (who would have been marginally better), but Columbia forced Besser into the act to fulfill its remaining contractual obligations both to Besser and the Stooges. There's nobody to blame for this. It was what it was.

[@lucyfuir6386]

In 1958 my mother was 8 and she went to pleasure island where she met the 3 stooges. My grandfather went to get their autographs afterwards and he came back with all 3 autographs. We found out later that Joe besser signed everybody's name LOL.

[@calvinkatt662]

It's good to hear that the Stooges movie was too hard on Joe Besser. He certainly wasn't Curly or Shemp, but he did the part in his own way and didn't try to copy those two. He does deserve some credit for keeping the act going.

[@williamshaw9047]

At least he had a unique personality and wasn't just an imitation of Curly. You'd have a harder time defending Curly Joe.

[@MM-ud1xf]

Curley Joe was a disaster.

[@mattrodarte1138]

I heard from Joe Dante’s interview on the Video Archives podcast that Mantan Moreland was in fact offered the role of the third stooge impressing moe and Larry but Columbia declined.

[@MarklovesAngels]

This was a GREAT, well-edited video. I'm just going to say it: I liked them all, including Joe DeRita. Not just for nostalgic reasons but for the fact that this country once supported men making a living by being silly. Good for them for sticking with it!

[@Verge63]

Oil's Well That Ends Well was the last stooge short to feature Curly, although it was stock footage.

[@a.grimes4202]

Would be cool to see a biography of Emil Sitka, the “unofficial” Stooge, or even Ted Healy, the man who discovered them and put them in his Vaudeville act, if enough could be found for a video on him.

[@pappabunny]

Do a little research and you can find all kinds of things about Ted Healy.

[@a.grimes4202]

@@pappabunny Well yeah, but it would be nice to have all that info condensed into a neat little package called a KZbin video. *☺️*

[@matthewdekker6064]

I believe Joe Besser was like the great-uncle (or maybe just uncle) of Matt Besser, one of the best improvisers in the world and one of the founders of the Upright Citizens Brigade (along with Amy Poehler and Matt Walsh). He currently has a podcast called improv4humans that's pretty good. He's mentioned Joe Besser on a few occasions.

[@Phantomphan613]

I just looked it up. Joe was Matt's first cousin twice removed

[@ron.lightning.9065]

​@@Phantomphan613Yes, Matt's grandfather was Joe's cousin.

[@silyknow]

Babe wake up new Hats Off Stooge video dropped

[@chrisclermont456]

My favorite Stooge was Shemp Howard who was a phenomenal physical comedian and the prototype for modern comics like Michael Richards and Jim Carrey. Joe Besser brought a whole new dimension to The Three Stooges!! He could foil off Mo Howard like none of the other Stooges could which added new levels of comedy. He managed to do that against all odds and crazy pressure. I always thought he was hysterical in a completely different way. "Oh, Birdie!! No salt!! Genius!!

[@gabe_s_videos]

Joe Besser is one of those famous personalities I've seen a million parodies of but never the original. My favorite one is the elephant in Rabbit Fire, already one of the greatest animated short films ever. "YOU DO, I'LL GIVE YA SUCH A PINCH!!" *Punches Elmer into the ground and saunters off indignantly*

[@metaldams78]

To give an idea how cheap Columbia was with the shorts, out of Besser’s ten solo shorts, the last four were heavy stock footage remakes of the first four. It wasn’t only The Three Stooges getting this treatment and it was worse with Besser as he had a relatively small filmography to lift from. Thank you for this and all your other videos. You do a great service to classic comedy. While I will count the Besser era as my least favorite Stooge era, I will give props to “Oil’s Well That Ends Well.” A consistently funny short and the bunk bed scene proves Joe could do vintage style Stooge routines if given the chance.

[@KairuHakubi]

that is such an accelerated pace. that'd be like disney doing live action remakes of their recent live action remakes.

[@kingovharts]

By this time Short subjects were in decline. Everyone was starting to watch their shiny new tv.

[@williamdrum9899]

Even before Joe joined the cast, recycled footage was becoming a thing

[@drunkenbuddha4361]

In the short “Nutty but Nice”, the Three Stooges have to find a little girl dad, they just have a vague description of the guy, they go around measuring people, Curly stops and measures a horse, Moe ask him “what your trying to do? Curly responds “Don’t you believe in reincarnation?” Later use in “Hoofs and Goofs”

[@eddierascalhaskell4954]

Not for nothin, but anytime a Joe Besser short pops up in reruns, I keep changing thr channel.

[@EarthboundX]

Wow, Joe Besser himself explains quite a few of the jokes of early MST3K that I never fully understood were Joe Besser references.

[@MM-ud1xf]

Great video. I always thought Joe’s flamboyant “not so haaarrddd!” shtick was hilarious and fit in well with Moe and Larry. That character was the original Billy Eichner.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

I have to admit that when me and my brother were kids, when a Three Stooges short was about to play on TV as soon as it showed that this was going to be a Joe Besser short, we'd change the channel. It's really hard to beat Curly and Shemp.

[@KairuHakubi]

I remember there was a classic stooge block on some channel or other, and they would advertise like "every slap, every eye poke, every bonk on the head, every pie in the face. Moe, Larry, Curly, Shemp... but no Joe. Sorry, Joe."

[@williamshaw9047]

@@KairuHakubi I think the Besser Wikipedia page said one channel's host would apologize before putting Joe shorts on.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

@@KairuHakubiThat's interesting. And funny too!

[@fptrees937]

I was also harsh on Joe, and wasn't even the biggest Shemp fan as a kid. Of course, when you grow up and learn more about Joe's career and the circumstances behind the final shorts, you see things quite differently. I love this channel and appreciate Besser getting his due. I feel like Hats Off gets screwed by the algorithm. Sometimes I won't see the video show up on my feed.

[@ssjup81]

I’m guilty of that too. I didn’t care for Besser because he was so childish and wimpy to me. I always favored Shemp and Larry. I had nothing against him personally of course.

[@vozpit]

I loved Joe Besser. I remember going to a convention where they were promoting the VHS release of the Abbot & Costello show by having two actors dressed as A & C. I joined in doing my Besser imitation as Stinky & we had a little crowd gather around laughing. It was great!

[@same10red28]

Well this puts Joe Besser in a better light to me. Probably sit down and watch his shorts with the stooges on the box set I have. Awesome video man! 👍

[@rosskwolfe]

We need Stooges Avengers movie, with all of the Stooges together, not limiting themselves to just three at a time.

[@sophiehanssel2017]

YES! Three Stooges Infinity War!

[@Maniac536]

Ted H: “There was an idea….”

[@masterYoshimistsu]

Enter the Stoogieverse where all the versions of the Stooges meet.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

Yeah, but they're all dead now. They'd need to use some sort of Robonic Stooges or something.

[@shmikex]

If only...Add in Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, and the Marx Brothers for good measure!

[@bensneb360]

Joe is definitely underrated, his nervous and childlike energy is fun and fresh to the team

[@Maaaattologyyyy]

I always disliked that character. acted like a flamboyant homosexual.

[@markrobert205]

Yeah, but back then it was considered as being eccentric. He wasn't telling anyone to be gay.@@Maaaattologyyyy

[@BainesMkII]

It was the remakes that ruined Besser for me. When Three Stooges episodes were on TV every week, you couldn't watch a Besser remake without thinking of how the original was better. It wasn't Besser's fault, and it wasn't even entirely Besser either. Not only was Besser having to play parts that had originally been written (and performed) by rather different actors, these remakes also brought attention to just how much of a step Moe and Larry had lost to age.

[@DaveHadley]

All

[@RhettSzemplinki45]

Nice video! I never really watched the any of the Joe shorts, but always appreciated his effort, and how he did his own thing, and didn't copy shemp or curly.

[@billypolard]

As a kid, he always reminded me Sydney Lassick, who played Cheswick in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. And Franklin in Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead….hearing him now, he still does (to me)

[@Doobie1975]

My top 5 favorite stooge shorts are 1. Oil's Well That Ends Well 2. Flying Saucer Daffy 3. Quiz Whizz 4. A Merry Mix Up 5. Space Ship Sappy

[@joewiggins2905]

Thanks for setting the record straight concerning Joe Besser. I always believed he was a reluctant addition to the group but your video helped me see the truth.

[@bobesposito9384]

Joe Besser could hold his own in anything he was in. Nice video!!

[@merccadoosis8847]

Thank you for this illuminating video. All my long life I have loved the Stooges and felt that Joe Besser's work with them was terribly under rated. He was a great comedian in his own right and added much to their comedy.

[@ottagol1985]

Thanks for shedding some more light on Joe Besser's time with the Stooges. And thanks for mentioning his later career as a voice actor. He would be known for voicing Babu in the "I Love Jeannie" animated series, as well as Scare Bear in "The Galaxy Goof-Ups" and "Yogi's Space Race".

[@travellinmark2745]

Loved watching the stooges introduced by "Officer" Joe Bolton" in New York. I always looked forward to the Joe Besser shorts.

[@OsbornTramain]

I'm so glad you put this video up. As a kid in the 1960's growing up, I watched the Stooges as well as Abbott & Costello a nd was always a big fan of Joe Bessar. I loved him in both comedy teams and in his other guest roles in other comedy series. I had also as a kid seen some of Bessar's shorts in the real movie theaters which reran them before the movie feature started. He was one of a kind for sure. I've never ever ever understood the hating on him and his work with the Stooges? So again, thank you for this. I also am so glad to see you debunk this "No pie in the face rule".....when I first heard that, I thought, that's so not true and so not possible because I've seen so many of the episodes with Bessar getting hit or a pie in the face. Ironically, I NEVER like Joe DaRitta as Curly Joe, he just wasn't funny.

[@vidviewer23]

This is a great example of why KZbin is important. Learning things about something you mistakenly thought you were all caught up, for the most part. Then you watch this, and you realize you always have more to learn. Great video.

[@OnizukaSenseSay]

Hats off = thumbs up. Always glad to see your videos pop up in my feed

[@DGaryGrady]

My father saw Joe Besser live on stage in Connecticut (I think it was) while in submarine school during World War 2. I think this was in 1944. He remembered this because Besser was so funny, basically stealing the show. At one point he was standing next to a chorus girl and slapped her hand with the back of his. A moment later she smacked his hand in retaliation. A moment later he struck her again, but more gently. This continued, with each one striking the other less forcefully, as if trying to get in the last hit without the other realizing it. Of course, the comedy was in Besser's facial expressions and body language, and according to my father the whole audience was in hysterics. I suspect the headliners were a might miffed. I think I first saw Joe Besser when he was in the cast of The Joey Bishop Show in the early 1960s, playing as I recall the handyman at Bishop's apartment building. Gorgeous Abby Dalton (who looked a bit like a blond Mary Tyler Moore) played Bishop's wife. Besser was quite funny. His Stooges shorts suffered from mediocre writing and some other oddness, as noted in this video..

[@ApothecaryGrant]

Not everyone agrees but I noticed something …. The three that took the most slaps all had strokes . The slaps on film were light . They had that sound board working for them at the studio . It belonged to the studio though . It did not go out on the road with them and roadshows were The Stooges Bread and Butter . So that the people in the back seats could hear The Stooges slapped the piss out if each other . Now figure taking 15 to 20 slapps a show , two shows a night , 4-5 nights a week , for 9 months of the year for say 5 years ( Much more for Larry ) . Curly had several catastrophic strokes and died young , Shemp had a stroke that slowed him down a lot ( but he died of a heart attack ) . You could say its a family weakness they both inherited but later Larry had a series of strokes too . Its not concrete that the slaps accumulated a lot of damage but it does make sense .

[@foxwolf316]

I really liked this document about joe besser a lot, considering his career wasn't that bad, when you look at his other work he did in his career.

[@Ryusuta]

Definitely looking forward to the Curly Joe video. While as you said, a lot of the movies they did together were surreal to say the least, there was just something truly enjoyable about what he brought to the role. In contrast to Curly, Shemp, and Joe who were all loud and boisterous, I've grown to appreciate the quiet and soft-spoken Curly Joe coming across as more of a hapless and sheepish follower. I recently watched Around the World in a Daze, and it was genuinely an incredibly fun film from start to finish. And even when they recycled Curly gags like the "Pop Goes the Weasel" song in it, Joe DeRita did an excellent job putting his own spin on it. And in a way, I think it works even better for him, since it shows much more of a behavior contrast.

[@alvincash3230]

I've been watching the Stooges for most all my 65 years. And I still do every Saturday on MeTV. I always enjoyed Joe Besser by himself and as a Stooge. I'm pleased to see him get some recognition.

[@Maaaattologyyyy]

I always dislike that character

[@randallanderson1632]

I watched Stooges shorts on TV as a kid in the 1950s. For any true Stooge connoisseur, there were only three Stooges, Larry, Moe and Curly, not Shemp, not Joe, not Curly Joe. And just for the record, the same can be said for the Maverick TV series when the episode featured Jack Kelly's Bart Maverick rather than James Garner's Bret Maverick. Bret was the _real_ Maverick.

[@shldnfr]

Nah. Shemp is definitely worthy of inclusion with Larry, Moe, and Curly.

[@TheTruth-cy4le]

Very informative video. I was there that day in 1983 when Joe spoke to the crowd at the Hollywood Blvd Walk of Fame ceremony. Emil Sitka spoke, too. Huge crowd, with lots of "nyuk nyuks" and "soitenlies" heard. Wonderful memory.

[@JosehClark]

Joe Besser was another great stooge. Thank you Joe

[@grantorino2325]

FUN FACT: There was (almost) a 7th Stooge! Shortly after Larry Fine passed away, actor *Emil Sitka* was cast to play "Harry" alongside Moe and Curly Joe. But before they could start filming even one single short, Moe also died. 🥺 The 3 surviving Stooges then decided not to continue the act without *at least one* of the Howard Brothers still living.

[@KoopaMedia64]

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Larry had a stroke, not died, then Emil Sitka was sought to replace Larry. During this, Moe would have a stroke as well, not died. Moe and Larry lived on for several years after the Stooges act was formally retired.

[@kurtb8474]

@@KoopaMedia64 Yes. I remember when Larry died, then Moe shortly after. It choked me up. I was a teenager and wished that I had been alive during their formative years.

[@raphaelargus2984]

I'm confused as to who the 3 surviving stooges were after you take away Moe, Curly, and Shemp Howard and Larry Fine. I'm only counting 2.

[@grantorino2325]

@@raphaelargus2984 *Curly Joe (DeRita)* was the 6th stooge. He joined Larry and Moe after Joe Besser left the act to care for his sick wife.

[@raphaelargus2984]

@@grantorino2325 Right, I was counting DeRita and Besser as the two, the only Stooges I knew of other than the three Howard brothers plus Larry.

[@thegeek0017]

I love when these three stooges deep dives come out. Watching these bits for the first time is always great. The delivery of “wOW” at 1:50 and the cake in the face that comes out of nowhere at 6:30 just won’t have the same punch on a rewatch. Never stop with these and everything else you do!

[@UnclePaulsBeatlesPopPlayhouse]

Joe besser was beyond like no one else. He wasn't stooge like, to me he is perfection as stinky on the Abbott and Costello show and yes his great work on the Joey bishop show.

[@shmikex]

I never knew Joe Besser had his own solo shorts. You have to admit, its remarkable he was willing to share the spotlight, knowing he was basically filling a void.

[@calebmarmon1310]

It’s hard not to put Joe at the end of a ranked list, but all of the Stooges have been great performers. His shorts (especially the non-remakes) are absolutely enjoyable.

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

My dad is a massive Stooges fan and being from STL, Joe besser always had a soft spot in my eyes. He really was talented and was really just screwed to have to not only pick up for Curly and Shemp, but to have to redo some of Curly's bits too...yikes. Amazing retrospective as always and a happy new year. My dad and I still say "Not so hard" to this day.

[@MPcurtis6]

Mini-docs like this are the reason I subscribe. I love the Stooges, too. It's good to know that there are other people out there keeping the facts and memory alive.

[@michaelaurban4120]

What did I do to deserve a new Hats Off video?!? Happy Friday!

[@Sam-lm8gi]

Awesome. Perhaps in the future you would consider making a docu-mini about the "Fourth Stooge," Emil Sitka, who worked with all six "Three Stooges," and later with stooge super-fans Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Scott Spiegel in the films "Crimewave" and "Intruder."

[@davidhogan7020]

Joe Besser was a thorough pro. He put together many terrific moments with the Stooges, and if the shorts' budgets had been higher at the time, Joe's tenure would be much more highly regarded.

[@flmlvr]

Thank you for this wonderful tribute to Joe Besser. In the early 1970s when I watched The Three Stooges regularly on TV, well, yes, Besser was my least favorite - but there were gags here and there that I STILL think were amusing. But he just didn't seem like a Stooge. But then again, and I want to make clear here, I did not know the story behind the story. If only I knew. Here is a bit of very sad Besser trivia that STILL haunts me to this day. I remember when Joe Besser died. I was reading his obituary in the Los Angeles Times. They even said that the public was invited to attend his funeral giving the time and location. Well, guess what? Only something like TWELVE people showed up. That is all. And it just made me sad. Maybe I could have been there. But I just thought this was so unfair that he went out that unpopular (or forgotten, I'm not sure which). But I have noticed the resurgence is appreciation for his work not just with the stooges, but his other work with Abbott and Costello and his movie appearances. It's long overdue, but at least it's happening. Once again, great video.

[@hulotati]

A perfect summation of Besser the stooge. I personally enjoy all 6 Stooges, and the movies and TV appearances they made. Thanks for spotlighting him.

[@ivane5110]

I always loved his work in everything he's done and especially the old radio shows (an appearance as Jack Benny's bodyguard is still a highlightfor me).

[@mleicht1]

Thank you so much for posting this about good ol' vilified Joe. Other misinformed, yet self-proclaimed devotees of the Stooges perpetuated the unjust accusations that he was difficult to work with, etc. Thank you for debunking. (Would love to find that autobiography somewhere -- not seeing it on Amazon unfortunately.)

[@csmith1298]

So THAT'S where they got the name of the replacement drummer at the end of This Is Spinal Tap. Joe "Mama" Besser. If you learn something new that doesn't hurt or eat or end you, it's a good day. Thanks. Good little doc, by the way. Well done and Cheers.

[@john1701q]

I agree, when I was younger I detested the Besser shorts. But as I got older I realized that he was in an almost impossible situation. The studio was putting less effort into making the shorts, and the scripts were no where near what they had been in the past. And Joe and the others made the best with it. I also credit him for doing his own thing, instead of trying to mimic Curly or Shemp. He might not my my favorite Stooge, but he has all of my respect.

[@johndyson4109]

BESSER blew away DeRita! I thought Joe was awesome.. He made me laugh just as much as Shemp and Curly.. I'm a Shemp fan hands down.. Curly was predictable after awhile while Shemp you never really knew.. Same with Joe Besser.. I LOVE YOU JOE!! Thank you for turning my cloudy days into SUNNY ones! My cat passed away a few weeks ago and I watched, Oily Well That Ends Well. I had not laughed in weeks and was super depressed but you saved my sanity.. I laughed so hard.. Thank you so much for being you JOE!

[@camdencoblentz3245]

I quite appreciate Joe Besser as well. The Columbia shorts featuring him are a mixed bag, but I enjoy what he brought to the table. Also, as a cat lover myself, I sympathize with your loss.

[@melissacooper8724]

I hated that the Stooges 2000 biopic painted Joe Besser differently than he really was! What I liked about Joe was that he didn't try to do Curly or Shemp. He had his own style and I respect him for that. The short that really made Joe shine was the one where he gave this gold digger her comeuppance after she took advantage of he and his friends!

[@kniferaffe]

These Stooge retrospectives are so good. Can't wait for what's next!

[@eggsalad007]

This changed my perspective of Joe Besser. Nicely done Joe. Keep up the great work

[@georgecoleman4300]

Loved all the iterations of the Stooges! I think I’ve seen every one ever aired on TV in the Bay Area growing up.

[@raulzavala9061]

In the 80's I would record every episode off syndication when they aired in Los Angeles off trusty local channel KTLA.

[@sailordude2094]

Thanks for the critique of Joe Besser! I loved Besser's Stinky character on Abbott and Costello and much later MST3K's TV Frank used the Stinky phrase, I'll harm you! I enjoy watching the Besser shorts because I've never watched them much before, they were rarely shown on broadcast TV when I watched it as a kid in the 1970s. When Besser was doing those shorts the Curly episodes were first being shown on TV and kids loved it but Moms were concerned about the violence, so Besser's time marks the period the Stooges used less violence for laughs, that's why the feature films are less violent too. As a Larry fan, it also meant more lines from Larry as he was involved more in the slaps, if that's possible, lol. Times changed and the Stooges replaced the violence with more sight gags and more mature humor like extramarital affairs, etc etc etc.

[@ACARDtvMusic]

“That’s bad for me”… made me laugh like the Laurel and Hardy films

[@christopherulichney]

Joe always felt like a hired gun to me. They needed a third stooge and hired him to fill the spot. I always liked him more as a solo performer. His time as Stinky with Abbot and Costello is a better fit for his personal comedy. It's probably just because of his short tenure working with Moe and Larry that he never really felt like a part of the team. They never gelled together. Moe and Larry were so polished, and they were dancing around Joe instead of dancing with him. But I did love those reincarnated sister as a horse shorts.

[@bryonhogg485]

Wow ! - I thought I was a stooges historian - You've really done your homework on this topic - Uncovering a lot of hidden gems 💎 I didn't know about . . .

[@ApothecaryGrant]

The odd thing is Television killed the shorts industry , which killed The Stooges . But then TV revived their flatlined careers . They got another 15 years of work from kids discovering them .

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

I think it's a testament to how long the Stooges lasted when Larry brought up Elvis.

[@Mibbitmaker]

Having been so used to seeing the shorts from the Depression and WWII, it's definitely weird (in a good way) to hear them refer to Elvis and Rock & Roll.

[@timothytraigle9905]

Yeah

[@Nick-ty9us]

@@Mibbitmaker I think that short came out in 1957 so that was topical at the time

[@Nick-ty9us]

@@Mibbitmaker I mean the three stooges have been making those shorts for nearly 30 years by that point so they reference stuff that was current at the time

[@davidbaise5137]

Thanks for this! Joe’s character as a sensitive “sissy” is a classic!

[@excellentestevan4488]

To be fair, he was the more like the hated stooge but you gotta admit the actors sportsmans ship to try his best in the shorts

[@MoonMonkeyMCM]

I don’t think he’s as hated as DeRita. Definitely not popular. To me it’s always been that he’s so out of place.

[@nick56677]

DeRita is the most disliked and for good reason. Just a blatant Curly rip off. At least Joe was his own character, albeit it very mediocre, but unique

[@MoonMonkeyMCM]

@@nick56677 Yeah. Besser at least seems like a sweet man who’s happy to be there and is trying. It’s hard to “hate” Joe. DeRita seems more… opportunistic? Cynical? I don’t know. I just never liked DeRita.

[@nicholasegg0284]

​​@@MoonMonkeyMCMI think it's cause whereas Besser actually liked working with the Stooges and only backed out because he had to care for his sick wife, DeRita saw it more as work and although he liked working with Moe and Larry, he never found the actual routines funny. He himself commented on the humor.

[@jasong7373]

This channel makes such good content

[@hjalmar.poelzig]

I love his "bratty child" persona, often parodied in Warner Bros. cartoons. His shoets with the Stooges were often involved weird fantasy.

[@olddogmaster6643]

I think Joe got way too much hate. Sure if we compared all The Stooges he was the one of the weaker of the trio combinations but the fact is he kept the legacy alive. Even though he didn't have the train he still was willing to try it out. but what hurt them overall was it was the later years of The Stooges shorts were declined and TV was on the rise.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

Brilliant documentary. I love Joe as Stinky. His solo shorts are dynamite. Your assessment of his 16 stooges shorts are spot on - I've always gotten a kick out of them. I didn't know they were still doing recycled footage at that time. More love for Joe.

[@eriknelson7077]

Joe was not a bad stooge. He was just different. Funny but different

[@derekfuiten204]

Thank you for this. Haven't even watched yet, but happy to see Joe get some time in the limelight.

[@jonathanstubbs8158]

Man I feel 2 inches tall. I’ve perpetuated my own share of negative Joe info over the years. I’m glad to have been corrected on some aspects of his time with the stooges. Great work as usual. I absolutely cannot wait for the Moe doc.

[@RabbiKolakowski]

thank you for a great video - this brought tears to my eyes

[@kevinbutler1955NYC]

According to one "Three Stooges"history book..Mr.Besser began his career as a song plugger for a St.Louis,Mo music publishing co.

[@jackslater8595]

I just got done watching this and your Sanford and son video and I gotta say you have a real knack when it comes to these documinis. Very clear and always can get the viewer hooked. I'd love it if you were to do one on Beavis and Butthead, as I feel that even though they are pop culture icons, there's just more to them in terms of their history, and the impact that they had on adult animation,as well as their creator and one of these types of videos would be ideal for exploring into all of that.

[@walkerpantera]

this was great Joe, thanks for giving Besser his props. I like your objective viewpoints. 👍

[@michaelwelter9509]

Joe Besser was fabulous as stinky on the Abbott and Costello show. Absolutely hilarious.

[@salinium]

I’ll admit to never watching the Besser or Dorita shorts, simply because I know the sad reason they were brought in, bit I do respect the courage it takes to step into Curly’s shoes!

[@ATINKERER]

He was a very impressive man. When his wife was an invalid, he took care of her night and day. To me that makes him more of a man than any soldier that ever lived.

[@brandonpage7087]

Can't wait for your video on the Stooge movies!