Which Third Stooge Is It? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Curly Howard

Curly Howard (1903-1952) was named Jerome (Jerry) as a child. His nickname "Babe" came from being the youngest child in his family. When his brother Shemp married a woman who was also known as Babe, Jerry began using the stage name Curly. As part of his commitment to the name, he also shaved off his thick, chestnut-colored hair and mustache. He was not a good student in school, but was a skilled member of the basketball team. This physicality continued in his work with the Stooges.

Curly Howard was associated with "The Three Stooges" from 1933-1947.

Answer: Shemp Howard

A few more shorts that included Shemp Howard (1895-1955) were created after his death. Actor Joe Palma (1905-1994) stood in for Shemp in four 1956 shorts - "Rumpus in the Harem", "Hot Stuff", "Scheming Schemers", and "Commotion on the Ocean". The shorts used a combination of recycled footage, shots from the rear, and shots where the characters face was obscured. This in combination with relatively larger parts for Moe and Larry helped to create the illusion that Shemp was still alive.

Shemp was associated with "The Three Stooges" from 1923-1932 and 1947-1956. Shemp's first stint with the group involved much of the group's time on the stage, though it included the group's first short, "Soupnto Nuts" (1930).

Answer: Joe Besser

Joe Besser (1907-1988) portrayed Oswald "Stinky" Davis during the first season of the two season show (1952-1954). Stinky was an overgrown man-child who usually wore a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit. Like many of Besser's characters, the child was a wimpy and whiny character.

Joe was associated with "The Three Stooges" from 1956-1958. He actually had a contract with Columbia previous to his time with the show.

Answer: Curly Joe DeRita

Saying that "Kook's Tour" was released in 1970 would have made this question too easy. This 58 minute feature was intended as the pilot for a proposed Stooges television series. Larry Fine's disabling stroke led to this attempt eventually being sold as a stand-alone production rather than part of the series. "Kook's Tour" was both the last production with Curly Joe DeRita (1909-1993) and the last Stooges film overall with Larry and Moe.

Curly Joe was associated with "The Three Stooges" from 1958-1970. He had been in show business for decades before joining the group.

Answer: Curly Howard

"Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk" was not the only sound effect (you can barely refer to them as lines) that Curly performed on camera. A high pitched "woo, woo, woo" or the "ruff, ruff" of a barking dog were other regular contributions. The nonsense phrases may have been meant to give him a few extra seconds to recall a line he may have forgotten.

Answer: Shemp Howard

Shemp was a relatively nervous man and had phobias about a number of things, including automobiles and airplanes. He had been involved in an automobile accident as a teenager, according to Moe, and never got a license. In filmed scenes when Shemp had to pretend to drive a car, offstage prop men would tow the car.

In between his two stints with the Stooges, Shemp had had a successful film career, focusing on character parts.

Answer: Joe Besser

Joe had often been criticized for avoiding some of the physical comedy like hits to the face of the other Stooges. Famously, he related a story of Larry Fine offering to take the hits in his place. The general opinion is that Larry had built up callusing on one side of his face through being frequently struck over the years. Later, Joe would praise Larry and Moe for protecting him.

Answer: Curly Joe DeRita

The other three Stooges, plus Moe Howard (1897-1975) and Larry Fine (1902-1975), were all of Jewish descent. Joe DeRita was born with the name Joseph Wardell (1909-1993). He was a Christian and of English and French-Canadian ancestry.

Answer: Curly Howard

Curly was known for his love of dogs. He had it written into his studio contract that he could bring dogs onto the set. Over the years he rescued thousands of strays. Dedicated viewers of the Stooge shorts can find Curly's animal friends sometimes making unplanned cameos onscreen. When on tour with the Stooges, he had a personal goal to find a home for a stray.

Answer: Shemp Howard

Shemp appeared in "Soup to Nuts" (1930) in the role of a fireman. At the time, the Stooges worked with a comic named Ted Healy (1896-1937) who was Moe's childhood friend. Shemp became part of the group when he was unexpectedly called on stage during a performance in 1923. He became an instant hit and joined soon after. Shemp left the team because he grew uncomfortable working with Ted Healy.

Shemp's given name was Samuel. The name Shemp came from how his mother would mispronounce his name.

Answer: Joe Besser

The voices roles include parts in a number of television cartoons, including several programs where he voiced the Hanna-Barbera character of "Babu". Joe's last roles came in the early 1980s. His focus on voice roles may have a connection to the poor health his wife suffered in later life. This had contributed to his leaving "The Three Stooges" after 1958.

Answer: Curly Joe DeRita

Curly Joe thought "The Three Stooges" emphasized physical punishment over actual humor. His preference was actually for the humor of Laurel and Hardy. Despite this, he had generally positive memories of working with Larry and Moe enough so that after Larry's retirement he briefly tried to create and lead a new group of three Stooges, but was unsuccessful.