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{{short description|American actor and comedian}}
{{Short description|American comedian and actor (1895–1955)}}
{{multiple issues|
{{original research |date=June 2023}}
{{more citations needed |date=June 2023}}
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Shemp Howard
| name = Shemp Howard
| image = Shemp Howard in Brideless Groom 1947.png
| image = Shemp Howard in Brideless Groom 1947.png
| caption = Howard in ''[[Brideless Groom]]'' (1947)
| caption = Howard in ''[[Brideless Groom]]'' in 1947
| birth_name = Samuel Horwitz
| birth_name = Samuel Horwitz
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1895|03|11}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1895|3|11}}
| birth_place = [[Manhattan]], [[New York (state)|New York]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Brooklyn]], New York, U.S.<!-- NOT NYC; born pre-NYC consolidation in 1898 -->
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1955|11|22|1895|3|11}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1955|11|22|1895|3|11}}
| death_place = [[Hollywood, California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| resting_place = [[Home of Peace Cemetery (East Los Angeles)|Home of Peace Cemetery]], Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| resting_place = {{ubl|[[Home of Peace Cemetery (East Los Angeles)|Home of Peace Cemetery]]|[[East Los Angeles, California]]}}
| occupation = Actor, comedian
| occupation = {{hlist|Comedian|actor}}
| years_active = 1923–1955
| years_active = 1923–1955
| known_for = ''[[The Three Stooges]]''
| known_for = [[The Three Stooges]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Gertrude Frank|1925}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Gertrude Frank|1925}}
| other_names =
| other_names =
| children = 1
| children = 1
| relatives = [[Moe Howard]] (brother)<br>[[Curly Howard]] (brother)<br>[[Joan Howard Maurer]] (niece)
| relatives = {{ubl|[[Moe Howard]] (brother)|[[Curly Howard]] (brother)|[[Joan Howard Maurer]] (niece)}}
| website = {{url|https://www.threestooges.com/category/bios/shemp-howard/|ThreeStooges.com}}
| website = {{URL|www.threestooges.com/shemp-howard/|www.threestooges.com}}
}}
}}
'''Shemp Howard''' (born '''Samuel Horwitz'''; March 11, 1895<ref name="Mar11">{{cite web|url=http://threestooges.net/forums/gallery/9_11_03_11_8_19_15.jpg|title=Shemp's Birth Certificate|publisher=Threestooges.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215055306/http://threestooges.net/forums/gallery/9_11_03_11_8_19_15.jpg|archive-date=December 15, 2013|access-date=February 2, 2014}}</ref> – November 22, 1955) was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the third Stooge in [[The Three Stooges]], a role he played when the act began in the early 1920s (1923–1932), while it was still associated with [[Ted Healy]] and known as "Ted Healy and his Stooges"; and again from 1946 until his death in 1955. During the fourteen years between his times with the Stooges, he had a successful solo career as a film comedian, including a series of shorts by himself and with partners. He reluctantly returned to the Stooges as a favor to his brother [[Moe Howard|Moe]] and friend [[Larry Fine]] to replace his brother [[Curly Howard|Curly]] as the third Stooge after Curly's illness.

'''Samuel Horwitz''' (March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955),<ref name="Mar11">{{cite web|url=http://threestooges.net/forums/gallery/9_11_03_11_8_19_15.jpg|title=Shemp's Birth Certificate|publisher=Threestooges.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215055306/http://threestooges.net/forums/gallery/9_11_03_11_8_19_15.jpg|archive-date=December 15, 2013|access-date=February 2, 2014}}</ref> known professionally as '''Shemp Howard''', was an American actor and comedian. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick [[Lithuanian Yiddish|Litvak]] accent. He is best-known as the third Stooge in [[the Three Stooges]], a role he played when the act began in the early 1920s (1923–1932), while it was still associated with [[Ted Healy]] and known as "Ted Healy and his Stooges"; and again from 1946 until his death in 1955. During the fourteen years between his times with the Stooges, he had a successful solo career as a film comedian, including series of shorts by himself and with partners, and reluctantly returned to the Stooges as a favor to his brothers [[Moe Howard|Moe]] and [[Curly Howard|Curly]].


==Early life==
==Early life==
Howard was born Samuel Horwitz on March 11, 1895 in [[Bensonhurst]], [[Brooklyn]], New York.<ref name="Mar11">{{cite web|url=http://threestooges.net/forums/gallery/9_11_03_11_8_19_15.jpg|title=Shemp's Birth Certificate|publisher=Threestooges.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215055306/http://threestooges.net/forums/gallery/9_11_03_11_8_19_15.jpg|archive-date=December 15, 2013|access-date=February 2, 2014}}</ref> He was the third of five Horwitz brothers born to [[Lithuanian Jewish]] parents Solomon Gorwitz (1872–1943) and Jennie Gorwitz (1870–1939). His parents, who were second cousins, were from [[Kaunas]] and spoke the [[Yiddish dialects|Litvak dialect]] of [[Yiddish]]. They married in 1888 and two years later immigrated to New York City. They initially lived with Jennie's brother Julius in Manhattan before eventually moving to Brooklyn, where they started their family. He had two older brothers, Isadore "Irving" (1891–1939) and Benjamin Jacob "Jack" (1893–1976). His two younger brothers were Moses "Moe" (1897–1975) and Jerome "Curly" (1903–1952).<ref name="kearns">{{cite book |last1=Kearns |first1=Burt |title=Shemp!: The Biography of The Three Stooges' Shemp Howard, The Face of Film Comedy |date=1 October 2024 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-7422-8 |pages=1–3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ikREQAAQBAJ&dq=three+stooges+Kaunas&pg=PA1 |access-date=12 August 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
Howard was born '''Samuel Horwitz''' in [[Manhattan, New York]] on March 11, 1895, and raised in Brooklyn. He was the third-born of the five Horwitz brothers born to [[Lithuanian Jewish]] parents Solomon Horwitz (1872–1943) and Jennie Horwitz (1870–1939). Irving and Jack were his older brothers; [[Moe Howard|Moses]] (Moe) and [[Curly Howard|Jerome]] (Curly) were his younger brothers.


Howard, who was named Samuel after his mother's grandfather, [[Shmuel]], was known as Sam. However, his mother's thick accent left her unable to articulate the name Sam. Instead she pronounced it as ''Shem'' and then ''Shemp'', the latter of which stuck as his nickname.<ref name="kearns"/>
Howard's first name, Shmuel (after his grandfather), was [[anglicize]]d to Samuel, and his parents and brothers usually called him Sam.


==Career==
==Career==

===Show business===
===Show business===
Shemp's brother Moe Howard started in show business as a youngster, on stage and in films. Moe and Shemp eventually tried their hands as minstrel-show-style "blackface" comedians with an act they called "Howard and Howard—A Study In Black". At the same time, they worked for a rival vaudeville circuit, without makeup.
Shemp's brother [[Moe Howard]] started in show business as a youngster, on stage and in films. Moe and Shemp eventually tried their hands as minstrel-show-style "blackface" comedians with an act they called "Howard and Howard{{snd}}A Study in Black". At the same time, they worked for a rival vaudeville circuit, without makeup.{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}


By 1922, Moe had teamed up with boyhood-friend-turned-vaudeville star [[Ted Healy]] in a "roughhouse" act. One day Moe spotted his brother Shemp in the audience and yelled at him from the stage. Quick-witted Shemp yelled right back, and walked up onto the stage. From then on he was part of the act, usually known as "Ted Healy and His Stooges". The Howard brothers were the original Stooges; [[Larry Fine]] joined them in March 1928. On stage, Healy sang and told jokes while his three noisy stooges got in his way, and Healy retaliated with physical and verbal abuse. Shemp played a bumbling fireman in the Stooges' first film, ''[[Soup to Nuts]]'' (1930), the only film where he played one of Healy's gang.
By 1922, Moe had teamed up with his boyhood friend [[Ted Healy]] in a "roughhouse" act. One day Moe spotted his brother Shemp in the audience and yelled at him from the stage. Quick-witted Shemp yelled right back, and walked up onto the stage. From then on he was part of the act, usually known as "Ted Healy and His Stooges". The Howard brothers were the original Stooges; [[Larry Fine]] joined them in 1928.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.threestooges.net/journal/view/155|title=ThreeStooges.net :: The Three Stooges Journal – Issue No. 155|first=Robert|last=Davidson}}</ref> On stage, Healy sang and told jokes while his three noisy stooges got in his way, and Healy retaliated with physical and verbal abuse. Shemp played a bumbling fireman in the Stooges' first film, ''[[Soup to Nuts]]'' (1930), the only film where he played one of Healy's gang.{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}


After a disagreement with Healy in August 1930, Moe, Larry and Shemp left to launch their own act, "Howard, Fine & Howard," and joined the [[Keith-Albee-Orpheum|RKO vaudeville circuit]]. They premiered at Los Angeles's Paramount Theatre on August 28, 1930. In 1931 they added "Three Lost Soles" to the act's name, and took on Jack Walsh as their straight man. Moe, Larry and Shemp continued until July 1932, when Ted Healy approached them to team up again for the Shuberts's Broadway revue "Passing Show of 1932," and they readily accepted the offer. In spite of their past differences, Moe knew an association with the nationally known Healy would provide opportunities the three comics were not getting on their own.
After a disagreement with Healy in August 1930, Moe, Larry and Shemp left to launch their own act, "Howard, Fine & Howard", and joined the [[Keith-Albee-Orpheum|RKO vaudeville circuit]]. They premiered at Los Angeles's Paramount Theatre on August 28, 1930. In 1931 they added "Three Lost Soles" to the act's name, and took on Jack Walsh as their straight man. Moe, Larry and Shemp continued until July 1932, when Ted Healy approached them to team up again for the Shuberts' Broadway revue "Passing Show of 1932", and they accepted the offer. In spite of their past differences, Moe knew an association with the nationally known Healy would provide opportunities the three comics were not getting on their own.{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}


On August 16, 1932, in a contract dispute, Healy walked out of the Shuberts's revue during rehearsals. Three days later, tired of what he considered Healy's domineering handling of the Stooges' career, Shemp left Healy's act to remain with "Passing Show," which closed in September during roadshow performances and after pan reviews in Detroit and Cincinnati. Shemp regrouped to form his own act and played on the road for a few months. He landed at Brooklyn's Vitaphone Studios for movie appearance opportunities in May 1933. When he split from Healy, Shemp was immediately replaced by his and Moe's younger brother [[Jerry Howard]] (known as Curly).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/29769/final-years-curly-three-stooges-fame|title=The Final Years of Curly (of Three Stooges Fame)|work=[[Mental Floss]]|last=Deezen|first=Eddie|date=January 18, 2012|access-date=July 2, 2017}}</ref>
On August 16, 1932, in a contract dispute, Healy walked out of the Shuberts' revue during rehearsals. Three days later, tired of what he considered Healy's domineering handling of the Stooges' career, Shemp left Healy's act to remain with "Passing Show", which closed in September during roadshow performances and after pan reviews in Detroit and Cincinnati. Shemp regrouped to form his own act and played on the road for a few months. He landed at Brooklyn's [[Vitaphone]] Studios for movie appearance opportunities in May 1933. When he split from Healy, Shemp was immediately replaced by his and Moe's younger brother [[Jerry Howard]], known as Curly.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/29769/final-years-curly-three-stooges-fame|title=The Final Years of Curly (of Three Stooges Fame)|work=[[Mental Floss]]|last=Deezen|first=Eddie|date=January 18, 2012|access-date=July 2, 2017}}</ref>


===Solo years===
===Solo years===
Shemp Howard, like many New York-based performers, found work at the [[Vitaphone]] studio in Brooklyn. Originally playing bit roles in Vitaphone's [[Roscoe Arbuckle]] comedies, showing off his comical appearance, he was given speaking roles and supporting parts almost immediately. He was featured with Vitaphone comics [[Jack Haley]], [[Ben Blue]] and [[Gus Shy]], then co-starred with [[Harry Gribbon]], [[Daphne Pollard]], and Johnnie Berkes, and finally starred in his own two-reel comedies. A Gribbon-Howard short, ''[[Art Trouble]]'' (1934), also features then-unknown [[James Stewart (actor)|James Stewart]] in his first film role. The independently-produced ''[[Convention Girl]]'' (1935) featured Shemp in a very rare straight role as a blackmailer and would-be murderer.
After leaving the Three Stooges, Shemp Howard, like many New York City-based performers, found work at Vitaphone. Originally playing bit roles in their six two-reel [[Roscoe Arbuckle]] comedies made from 1932 to 1933, showing off his comical appearance, he was given speaking roles and supporting parts almost immediately. He was featured with studio comics [[Jack Haley]], [[Ben Blue]] and [[Gus Shy]]; then co-starred with [[Harry Gribbon]], [[Daphne Pollard]], and Johnnie Berkes, and finally starred in his own two-reel comedies.{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}} The independently produced ''[[Convention Girl]]'' (1935) featured Shemp in a very rare straight role as a blackmailer and would-be murderer.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}


Shemp seldom stuck to the script. He livened up scenes with ad-libbed dialogue and wisecracks, which became his trademark. In late 1935, Vitaphone was licensed to produce short comedies based on the "[[Joe Palooka]]" comic strip. Shemp was cast as "Knobby Walsh," and though only a supporting character, he became the series's comic focus, with Johnnie Berkes and Lee Weber as his foils. He co-starred in the first seven shorts, released in 1936–1937. Nine of them were produced, the last two done after Shemp's departure from Vitaphone.
Shemp preferred to improvise dialogue and jokes, which became his trademark. In late 1935, Vitaphone was licensed to produce two-reel short comedies based on the ''[[Joe Palooka]]'' comic strip. Shemp was cast as Knobby Walsh, and although only a supporting character, he became the comic focus of the series, with Johnnie Berkes and Lee Weber as his foils. He co-starred in the first seven shorts, released in 1936–1937. Nine of them were produced, the last two done after Shemp's departure from Vitaphone.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}


Away from Vitaphone, Howard unsuccessfully attempted to lead his own group of "stooges" in the [[The Van Beuren Corporation|Van Beuren]] musical comedy short ''[[The Knife of the Party]]''. It was a rare failure in an otherwise successful solo career. In 1937 he followed his brothers's lead, moved to the West Coast, and landed supporting-actor roles at several studios, predominantly [[Columbia Pictures]] and [[Universal Studios|Universal]]. He worked exclusively at Universal from August 1940 to August 1943, performing with such comics as [[W. C. Fields]] (playing Fields' bartender in the film ''[[The Bank Dick]]'', 1940); and with comedy duos [[Abbott and Costello]] and [[Olsen and Johnson]]. He lent comic relief to [[Charlie Chan]] and [[The Thin Man]] murder mysteries. He appeared in several Universal B-musicals of the early 1940s, including ''[[Private Buckaroo]]'' (1942; in which he clowned onstage with [[The Andrews Sisters]] during their performance of "[[Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (with Anyone Else but Me)|Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree]]"), ''[[Strictly in the Groove]]'' (1942), ''[[How's About It?]]'' (1943), ''[[Moonlight and Cactus (1944 film)|Moonlight and Cactus]]'' (1944) and ''[[San Antonio Rose (film)|San Antonio Rose]]'' (1941), in the latter of which he was paired with [[Lon Chaney, Jr.]] as a faux Abbott and Costello. Most of these projects took advantage of his improvisational skills. When Broadway comedian [[Frank Fay (American actor)|Frank Fay]] walked out on a series of feature films teaming him with [[Billy Gilbert]], Gilbert called on his closest friend, Shemp Howard, to replace him in three B-comedy features for [[Monogram Pictures]], filmed in 1944–45. He also played a few serious parts, such as his supporting role in ''[[Pittsburgh (1942 film)|Pittsburgh]]'' (1942) starring [[Marlene Dietrich]] and [[John Wayne]].
Howard unsuccessfully attempted to lead his own group of "stooges" in the [[The Van Beuren Corporation|Van Beuren]] musical comedy short ''[[The Knife of the Party]]''. In 1937 he followed his brothers' lead, moved to the West Coast, and landed supporting actor roles at several studios, mainly [[Columbia Pictures]] and [[Universal Pictures|Universal]]. He worked exclusively at Universal from August 1940 to August 1943, performing with such comics as [[W. C. Fields]], and with comedy duos [[Abbott and Costello]] and [[Olsen and Johnson]]. He lent comic relief to [[Charlie Chan]] and [[The Thin Man]] murder mysteries. He appeared in several Universal B-musicals of the early 1940s, including ''[[Private Buckaroo]]'' (1942), ''[[Strictly in the Groove]]'' (1942), ''How's About It?'' (1943), ''[[Moonlight and Cactus (1944 film)|Moonlight and Cactus]]'' (1944) and ''[[San Antonio Rose (film)|San Antonio Rose]]'' (1941); in the latter of which he was paired with [[Lon Chaney Jr.]] as a faux Abbott and Costello. Most of these projects took advantage of his improvisational skills. When Broadway comedian [[Frank Fay (American actor)|Frank Fay]] walked out on a series of feature films teaming him with [[Billy Gilbert]], Gilbert called on his closest friend, Shemp Howard, to replace him in three B-comedy features for [[Monogram Pictures]], filmed in 1944–45. He also played a few serious parts, such as his supporting role in ''[[Pittsburgh (1942 film)|Pittsburgh]]'' (1942), starring [[Marlene Dietrich]] and [[John Wayne]].{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}


===The Three Stooges: 1946–1955===
===The Three Stooges: 1946–1955===
{{Further|The Three Stooges}}
[[File:Malice in the Palace.JPG|250px|thumb|Moe, Shemp (bottom centre), and Larry in ''[[Malice in the Palace]]'']]
[[File: Sing a Song of Six Pants (1947) 2.jpg|thumb|Shemp with his younger brother [[Moe Howard]] and partner [[Larry Fine]] in ''[[Sing a Song of Six Pants]]'' in 1947]]
During 1938–1940 and 1944–1946, Howard appeared in Columbia's two-reel comedies, co-starring with Columbia regulars [[Andy Clyde]], The Glove Slingers, [[El Brendel]], and [[Tom Kennedy (American actor)|Tom Kennedy]]. He was given his own starring series in 1944. He was working for Columbia in this capacity when his brother Curly was felled by a debilitating stroke on May 6, 1946. Curly had already suffered a series of strokes prior to the filming of ''[[If a Body Meets a Body]]'', 1945, and in January 1945, Shemp filled in for Curly at a week-long appearance at the St. Charles Theatre in New Orleans.
[[File:ShempUgly.jpg|thumb|Shemp in ''[[Brideless Groom]]'' in 1947]]
[[File:Malice in the Palace.JPG|thumb|[[Moe Howard]], Shemp (bottom center), and [[Larry Fine]] in ''[[Malice in the Palace]]'' in 1949]]
From 1938 to 1940 and again from 1944 to 1946, Howard appeared in Columbia's two-reel comedies, co-starring with Columbia regulars [[Andy Clyde]], The Glove Slingers, [[El Brendel]], and [[Tom Kennedy (American actor)|Tom Kennedy]]. He was given his own starring series in 1944. He was working for Columbia in this capacity when his brother Curly was felled by a debilitating stroke on May 6, 1946. Curly had already suffered a series of strokes prior to the filming of ''[[If a Body Meets a Body]]'' (1945), and in January 1945 Shemp filled in for Curly at a week-long appearance at the St. Charles Theatre in [[New Orleans]].{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}


Shemp agreed to fill in for Curly in Columbia's popular Stooge shorts, knowing that if he refused, Moe and Larry would be out of work. He intended to stay only until Curly recovered; but as Curly's condition worsened, it became apparent that Shemp's association with the Stooges would be permanent. Curly died on January 18, 1952, at the age of 48.
Shemp agreed to fill in for Curly in Columbia's popular Stooge shorts, knowing that if he refused, Moe and Larry would be out of work. {{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}He intended to stay only until Curly recovered, which never happened as Curly's health continued to worsen. Curly died on January 18, 1952, at the age of 48. Shemp agreed to remain with the group permanently.


Shemp's role as the third Stooge was much different from Curly's. While he could still roll with the punches in response to Moe's slapstick abuse, he was more of a laid-back dimwit as opposed to Curly's energetic man-child persona. And unlike Curly, who had many distinct mannerisms, Shemp's most notable characteristic as a Stooge was a high-pitched "bee-bee-bee-bee-bee-bee!" sound, a sort of soft screech done by inhaling. It was a multipurpose effect: He emitted this sound when scared, sleeping (done as a form of snoring), overtly happy, or dazed. It became his trademark sound as the "nyuk nyuk" sound had become Curly's. Because of his established solo career, he was also given opportunities in the films to do some of his own comic routines.
Shemp's role as the third Stooge was much different from Curly's. His characterization was more relaxed as opposed to Curly's energetic persona. Unlike Curly, who had many distinct mannerisms, Shemp's most notable characteristic as a Stooge was a high-pitched "bee-bee-bee-bee-bee-bee!" sound, a sort of soft screech done by inhaling. It was a multipurpose effect: he emitted this sound when scared, sleeping (done as a form of snoring), overtly happy, or dazed. It became his trademark sound as the "nyuk nyuk" sound had become Curly's. Because of his established solo career, he was also given opportunities in the films to do some of his own comic routines.{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}


During this period, The Three Stooges ventured into live television appearances, beginning on Tuesday, October 19, 1948 with [[Milton Berle]] on his [[Texaco Star Theatre]] program.
During this period, The Three Stooges ventured into live television appearances, beginning on Tuesday, October 19, 1948, with [[Milton Berle]] on his [[Texaco Star Theatre]] program.


Shemp appeared with Moe and Larry in 73 short subjects—or 77, counting four that were made after Shemp's death by incorporating stock footage. The trio also made the feature film ''[[Gold Raiders]]'' (1951). Shemp suffered a mild [[stroke]] in November 1952, but recovered within weeks. The medical episode had no noticeable effect on his remaining films with the Stooges, many of which were remakes of earlier films that also used recycled footage to reduce costs.
Shemp appeared with Moe and Larry in 77 short subjects, four of which were produced posthumously using stock footage. The trio also made the feature film ''[[Gold Raiders]]'' (1951). Shemp suffered a mild stroke in November 1952, but recovered within weeks. The medical episode had no noticeable effect on his remaining films with the Stooges, many of which were remakes of earlier films that also used recycled footage to reduce costs.{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
In September 1925, Shemp married Gertrude Frank (March 12, 1905 - May 17, 1982), a fellow New Yorker. They had one child, Morton (February 26, 1927 – January 13, 1972). Gertrude Frank Howard outlived her husband and son, and was living when her first cousin Barney Frank (born 1940, the son of her father's brother) became a US Congressman.
In September 1925, Shemp married Gertrude Frank (1905–1982). They had one child, Morton (1927–1972).{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}


Shemp used his somewhat homely appearance for comic effect, often mugging grotesquely or allowing his hair to fall in disarray. He even played along with a publicity stunt that named him "The Ugliest Man in Hollywood". ("I'm hideous," he explained to reporters.) Notoriously [[phobia|phobic]], his fears included [[airplane]]s, [[automobile]]s, [[Cynophobia|dogs]], and [[Aquaphobia|water]]. According to Moe's autobiography, Shemp was involved in a driving accident as a teenager and never obtained a driver's license.<ref name="Moe">{{cite book|last=Howard|first=Moe|title=Moe Howard and the Three Stooges|title-link=Moe Howard and the Three Stooges|publisher=Broadway Publishing|orig-year=1977|year=1979|isbn=978-0-8065-0723-1}}</ref>
Shemp had several phobias, including of airplanes, automobiles, dogs, and water. According to Moe's autobiography, Shemp was involved in a driving accident as a teenager and never obtained a driver's license.<ref name="Moe">{{cite book|last=Howard|first=Moe|title=Moe Howard and the Three Stooges|title-link=Moe Howard and the Three Stooges|publisher=Broadway Publishing|orig-year=1977|year=1979|isbn=978-0-8065-0723-1}}</ref>


==Death==
==Death==
[[File:Shempgrave.jpg|thumb|Crypt of Shemp Howard at the Home of Peace Cemetery]]
[[File:Shempgrave.jpg|thumb|Crypt of Shemp Howard at [[Home of Peace Cemetery (East Los Angeles)|Home of Peace Cemetery]] in [[East Los Angeles, California]]]]
[[File:Shemp Howard obituary in the Los Angeles Examiner on November 24, 1955.jpg|thumb|Cover of ''[[Los Angeles Examiner]]'' on November 24, 1955]]
On November 22, 1955, Howard went out with associates Al Winston and Bobby Silverman to a boxing match (one of Howard's favorite pastimes) at the Hollywood Legion Stadium at North El Centro and Selma Avenues, one block above the [[Hollywood Palladium]]. While returning home in a taxi that evening, Howard died of a massive heart attack, at the age of 60. He had just told a joke and was leaning back, lighting a cigar, when he suddenly slumped over on Winston's lap, burning him with the cigar.
On November 22, 1955, Shemp went out with associates Al Winston and Bobby Silverman to a boxing match, one of Shemp's favorite pastimes,{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}} at the Hollywood Legion Stadium. While returning home in a taxi that evening, Shemp died of a massive heart attack, at the age of 60.


Moe's autobiography gives a death date of November 23, 1955, as do most subsequent accounts, because of Moe's book. But much of that book was finished posthumously by his daughter and son-in-law, and some details were confused. The Los Angeles County Coroner's death certificate states that Shemp Howard died on Tuesday, November 22, 1955, at 11:35 [PM] PST. Howard's obituary also appeared in the November 23 afternoon editions of [[Los Angeles]] newspapers, citing the death on the night of November 22.<ref>{{cite news|title=Comic Shemp Howard of 3 Stooges Dies. Veteran Actor, 60, Stricken by Heart Attack in Auto|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/452964462.html?dids=452964462:452964462&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+24%2C+1955&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Comic+Shemp+Howard+of+3+Stooges+Dies&pqatl=google|quote=Shemp Howard, 60, veteran stage and screen comedian and one of 'The Three Stooges,' died Tuesday of a heart attack.|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=November 24, 1955|access-date=August 12, 2011}}</ref> A different account is offered by former daughter-in-law Geri Greenbaum, who says Howard's death happened just as their taxi came over the rise on Barham Boulevard, heading to Howard's Toluca Lake home.{{Citation needed|date=June 2016}}
Moe's autobiography gives a death date of November 23, 1955, which became the date cited by other accounts. Much of that book was finished posthumously by his daughter and son-in-law, and some details were confused.{{explain |date=June 2023}} The Los Angeles County Coroner's death certificate states that Shemp Howard died on Tuesday, November 22, 1955, at 11:35 [PM] PST. Howard's obituary appeared in the November 23 afternoon editions of [[Los Angeles]] newspapers, citing the death on the night of November 22.<ref>{{cite news|title=Comic Shemp Howard of 3 Stooges Dies. Veteran Actor, 60, Stricken by Heart Attack in Auto|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/452964462.html?dids=452964462:452964462&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+24%2C+1955&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Comic+Shemp+Howard+of+3+Stooges+Dies&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107163746/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/452964462.html?dids=452964462:452964462&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Nov+24,+1955&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Comic+Shemp+Howard+of+3+Stooges+Dies&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 7, 2012|quote=Shemp Howard, 60, veteran stage and screen comedian and one of 'The Three Stooges,' died Tuesday of a heart attack.|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=November 24, 1955|access-date=August 12, 2011}}</ref>


Shemp Howard was interred in a crypt in the Indoor Mausoleum at the [[Home of Peace Cemetery (East Los Angeles)|Home of Peace Cemetery]] in [[East Los Angeles (region)|East Los Angeles]]. His younger brother Curly is also interred there, in an outdoor tomb in the Western Jewish Institute section, as well as his parents Solomon and Jennie Horwitz and older brother Benjamin "Jack".
Shemp Howard is interred in a crypt in the Indoor Mausoleum at the [[Home of Peace Cemetery (East Los Angeles)|Home of Peace Cemetery]] in [[East Los Angeles (region)|East Los Angeles]]. His younger brother Curly is also interred there, in an outdoor tomb in the Western Jewish Institute section, as well as his parents Solomon and Jennie Horwitz and older brother Benjamin "Jack".{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}


==Tributes==
==Tributes==
The Three Stooges earned a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 1560 Vine Street on August 30, 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/the-three-stooges|title=The Three Stooges|publisher=walkoffame.com|access-date=April 20, 2018}}</ref>
[[The Three Stooges]] earned a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 1560 [[Vine Street]] on August 30, 1983.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkoffame.com/the-three-stooges|title=The Three Stooges|publisher=walkoffame.com|access-date=April 20, 2018}}</ref>


==The "Fake Shemps" and legacy==
==The "Fake Shemps"==
{{Main|Fake Shemp}}
Columbia had promised exhibitors eight Three Stooges comedies for 1956, but only four were completed at the time of Howard's death. To fulfill the contract, producer [[Jules White]] manufactured four more shorts by reusing old footage of Howard and filming new connecting scenes with a double, longtime Stooge supporting actor [[Joe Palma]], who is seen mostly from the back.
Columbia had promised exhibitors eight Three Stooges comedies for 1956, but only four were completed at the time of Shemp Howard's death. To fulfill the contract, producer [[Jules White]] manufactured four more shorts "with Shemp" by combining old footage of Howard with new connecting scenes played by a body double (longtime Stooge supporting actor [[Joe Palma]]) who is seen mostly from the back. He came to be known by Stooge fans as the "[[Fake Shemp]]", a term which director [[Sam Raimi]] later coined in reference to any body double replacing an actor.{{Citation needed |date=June 2023}}


These new releases of 1956 are all based on Stooge comedies of 1949. ''[[Rumpus in the Harem]]'' borrows from ''[[Malice in the Palace]]''; ''[[Hot Stuff (1956 film)|Hot Stuff]]'' from ''[[Fuelin' Around]]''; ''[[Commotion on the Ocean]]'' from ''[[Dunked in the Deep]]''. The best-received and most technically accomplished of the four is ''[[Scheming Schemers]]'' (1956), combining new footage with recycled clips from ''three'' old Stooge shorts: ''[[A Plumbing We Will Go]]'' (1940), ''[[Half-Wits Holiday]]'' (1947) and ''[[Vagabond Loafers]]'' (1949).<ref>{{cite book|title=Three Stooges: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time|last=Forrester|first=Jeff|date=2002|publisher=Donaldson Books|pages=151–152|isbn=0-9715801-0-3}}</ref>
Palma came to be known by Stooge fans as the "[[Fake Shemp]]". Later, director [[Sam Raimi]] and his childhood friend actor [[Bruce Campbell]] referred to anyone playing body doubles or stand-ins in other films as "Shemp" or "a Fake Shemp", in reference to these postmortem Stooge scenes.


==Continued popularity==
The [[List of Three Stooges Recycled Shorts|re-edited films]] range from clever to blatantly patchy, and are often dismissed as second-rate. ''[[Rumpus in the Harem]]'' borrows from ''[[Malice in the Palace]]'', ''[[Hot Stuff (1956 film)|Hot Stuff]]'' from ''[[Fuelin' Around]]'', and ''[[Commotion on the Ocean]]'' from ''[[Dunked in the Deep]]'' (all originals released 1949; all re-edits released 1956). The best-received and most technically accomplished is ''[[Scheming Schemers]]'' (again 1956), combining new footage with recycled clips from ''three'' old Stooge shorts: ''[[A Plumbing We Will Go]]'' (1940), ''[[Half-Wits Holiday]]'' (1947) and ''[[Vagabond Loafers]]'' (1949).<ref>{{cite book|title=Three Stooges: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time|last=Forrester|first=Jeff|date=2002|publisher=Donaldson Books|pages=151–152|isbn=0-9715801-0-3}}</ref>
When it was time to renew the Stooges's contract, Columbia hired comedian [[Joe Besser]] to replace Shemp. Columbia discontinued filming new Stooge shorts in December 1957 but continued to release them through June 1959. The Stooge shorts were still in demand for kiddie-matinée shows, and their TV revivals boosted the team's popularity to an all-time high.<ref>''Variety'', June 10, 1959, p. 5.</ref> Columbia kept the theatrical series going by reissuing Shemp's Stooge shorts until 1968.


In the television biopic ''[[The Three Stooges (TV movie)|The Three Stooges]]'' (2000), Shemp Howard was portrayed by [[John Kassir]].
When it was time to renew the Stooges's contract, Columbia hired comedian [[Joe Besser]] to replace Shemp. Columbia discontinued filming new Stooge short subject comedies in December 1957, releasing the last new short in June 1959, but kept the series going into the 1960s by reissuing Shemp's Stooge shorts to theaters. This, as well as a TV release of Stooge shorts, allowed Shemp Howard to remain a popular star for long after he died.

In [[Mel Gibson]]'s television biopic film, ''[[The Three Stooges (TV movie)|The Three Stooges]]'' (2000), Shemp Howard was portrayed by 'fake Shemp' [[John Kassir]], who donned a floppy, straight-haired wig.


==Filmography (Non-Stooge)==
==Filmography (Non-Stooge)==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
{| class="wikitable"
;Features
|-
* ''[[Soup to Nuts]]'' (1930)
! Year
* ''[[Convention Girl]]'' (1935)
! Title
* ''[[Hollywood Round-Up]]'' (1937)
! Role
* ''[[Headin' East]]'' (1937)
! Notes
* ''[[Behind Prison Gates]]'' (1939)
|-
|1930|| ''[[Soup to Nuts]]'' || Fireman Shemp ||
* ''[[Another Thin Man]]'' (1939)
* ''[[The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady]]'' (1939)
|-
* ''[[The Leather Pushers (1940 film)|The Leather Pushers]]'' (1939)
|1934|| ''[[Art Trouble]]'' || Short Painter || Short
* ''[[Give Us Wings]]'' (1939)
|-
* ''[[The Bank Dick]]'' (1939)
|1934|| ''Smoked Hams'' || Henry Howard || Short
* ''[[Murder Over New York]]'' (1939)
|-
* ''[[Millionaires in Prison]]'' (1940)
|1935|| ''[[Convention Girl]]'' || Dan Higgins ||
* ''[[The Invisible Woman (1940 film)|The Invisible Woman]]'' (1940)
|-
* ''[[Six Lessons from Madame La Zonga]]'' (1941)
|1937|| ''Hollywood Round-Up'' || Oscar Bush ||
* ''[[Buck Privates]]'' (1941)
|-
|1937|| ''[[Headin' East]]'' || Windy Wylie ||
* ''[[Hold That Ghost]]'' (1941)
* ''[[Meet the Chump]]'' (1941)
|-
* ''[[Road Show (film)|Road Show]]'' (1941)
|1939|| ''[[Behind Prison Gates]]'' || Convict Kitchen Worker || Uncredited
* ''[[Mr. Dynamite (film)|Mr. Dynamite]]'' (1941)
|-
* ''[[The Flame of New Orleans]]'' (1941)
|1939|| ''[[Another Thin Man]]'' || Wacky || Uncredited
* ''[[Too Many Blondes]]'' (1941)
|-
* ''[[In the Navy (film)|In the Navy]]'' (1941)
|1940|| ''[[The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady]]'' || Joe - a Pickpocket || Uncredited
* ''[[Tight Shoes (film)|Tight Shoes]]'' (1941)
|-
* ''[[San Antonio Rose (film)|San Antonio Rose]]'' (1941)
|1940|| ''[[Millionaires in Prison]]'' || Professor ||
* ''[[Hit the Road (1941 film)|Hit the Road]]'' (1941)
|-
|1940|| ''[[The Leather Pushers (1940 film)|The Leather Pushers]]'' || Sailor McNeill ||
* ''[[Cracked Nuts (1941 film)|Cracked Nuts]]'' (1941)
* ''[[Hellzapoppin' (film)|Hellzapoppin']]'' (1941)
|-
|1940|| ''[[Give Us Wings]]'' || Buzz Berger ||
* ''[[Butch Minds the Baby]]'' (1942)
* ''[[The Strange Case of Doctor Rx]]'' (1942)
|-
* ''Mississippi Gambler'' (1942)
|1940|| ''[[The Bank Dick]]'' || Joe Guelpe ||
* ''[[Private Buckaroo]]'' (1942)
|-
* ''[[Strictly in the Groove]]'' (1942)
|1940|| ''[[Murder Over New York]]'' || Shorty McCoy || Uncredited
* ''[[Arabian Nights (1942 film)|Arabian Nights]]'' (1942)
|-
* ''[[How's About It]]'' (1942)
|1940|| ''[[The Invisible Woman (1940 film)|''The Invisible Woman'' (1940 film)]]'' || Frankie ||
* ''[[Pittsburgh (1942 film)|Pittsburgh]] (1942)
|-
|1941|| ''[[Six Lessons from Madame La Zonga]]'' || Gabby ||
* ''[[Keep 'Em Slugging]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Crazy House (1943 film)|Crazy House]]'' (1943)
|-
* ''[[Three of a Kind (1944 film)|Three of a Kind]]'' (1943)
|1941|| ''[[Buck Privates]]'' || Chef ||
* ''[[Moonlight and Cactus (1944 film)|Moonlight and Cactus]]'' (1943)
|-
* ''[[Strange Affair (1944 film)|Strange Affair]]'' (1944)
|1941|| ''[[Meet the Chump]]'' || Stinky Fink ||
* ''[[Crazy Knights]]'' (1944)
|-
* ''[[Trouble Chasers]]'' (1945)
|1941|| ''[[Road Show (film)|Road Show]]'' || Moe Parker || Uncredited
* ''[[The Gentleman Misbehaves]]'' (1946)
|-
* ''[[One Exciting Week]]'' (1946)
|1941|| ''[[Mr. Dynamite (film)|Mr. Dynamite]]'' || Abdullah ||
* ''[[Dangerous Business (1946 film)|Dangerous Business]]'' (1946)
|-
* ''[[Blondie Knows Best]]'' (1946)
|1941|| ''[[The Flame of New Orleans]]'' || Oyster Bed Cafe Waiter || Uncredited
* ''[[Africa Screams]]'' (1949)
|-
* ''[[Gold Raiders]]'' (1951)
|1941|| ''[[Too Many Blondes]]'' || Hotel Manager Ambrose Tripp ||
;Two Reelers
|-
* ''Salt Water Daffy'' (1933)
|1941|| ''[[In The Navy (film)|In the Navy]]'' || Dizzy ||
* ''[[Close Relations (1933 film)|Close Relations]]'' (1933)
|-
* ''Paul Revere Jr.'' (1933)
|1941|| ''[[Tight Shoes (film)|Tight Shoes]]'' || Okay ||
* ''Gobs of Fun'' (1933)
|-
* ''In the Dough'' (1933)
|1941|| ''[[San Antonio Rose (film)|San Antonio Rose]]'' || Benny the Bounce ||
* ''Here Comes Flossie!'' (1934)
|-
* ''Howd' Ya Like That?'' (1934)
|1941|| ''[[Hit the Road]]'' || Dingbat ||
* ''Henry the Ache'' (1934)
|-
* ''The Wrong, Wrong Trail'' (1934)
|1941|| ''[[Cracked Nuts (1941 film)|Cracked Nuts]]'' || Eddie / Ivan ||
* ''Mushrooms'' (1934)
|-
* ''The Knife of the Party'' (1934)
|1941|| ''[[Hold That Ghost]]'' || Soda Jerk ||
* ''Everybody Likes Music'' (1934)
|-
* ''Pugs and Kisses'' (1934)
|1941|| ''[[Hellzapoppin' (film)|Hellzapoppin']]'' || Louie ||
* ''Very Close Veins'' (1934)
|-
* ''Pure Feud'' (1934)
|1942|| ''[[Butch Minds the Baby]]'' || Blinky Sweeney ||
* ''Corn on the Cop'' (1934)
|-
* ''I Scream'' (1934)
|1942|| ''[[The Strange Case of Doctor Rx]]'' || Det. Sgt. Sweeney ||
* ''Rambling 'Round Radio Row # 7 (Series 2 # 1)'' (1934)
|-
* ''[[Art Trouble]]'' (1934)
|1942|| ''Mississippi Gambler'' || Milton Davis - Brooklyn Cab Driver ||
* ''My Mummy's Arms'' (1934)
|-
* ''Daredevil O'Dare'' (1934)
|1942|| ''[[Private Buckaroo]]'' || Sgt. 'Muggsy' Shavel ||
* ''Smoked Hams'' (1934)
|-
* ''So You Won't T-T-T-Talk'' (1934)
|1942|| ''[[Strictly in the Groove]]'' || Pops ||
* ''Dizzy & Daffy'' (1934)
|-
* ''A Peach of a Pair'' (1934)
|1942|| ''[[Pittsburgh (1942 film)|Pittsburgh]]'' || Shorty ||
* ''His First Flame'' (1935)
|-
* ''Convention Girl'' (1935)
|1942|| ''[[Arabian Nights (1942 film)|Arabian Nights]]'' || Sinbad ||
* ''Why Pay Rent?'' (1935)
|-
|1943|| ''[[How's About It]]'' || Alf ||
* ''Serves You Right'' (1935)
* ''On the Wagon'' (1935)
|-
* ''The Officer's Mess'' (1935)
|1943|| ''[[It Ain't Hay]]'' || Umbrella Sam ||
* ''While the Cat's Away'' (1936)
|-
* ''For the Love of Pete'' (1936)
|1943|| ''[[Keep 'Em Slugging]]'' || Binky ||
* ''Absorbing Junior'' (1936)
|-
* ''Here's Howe'' (1936)
|1943|| ''[[Crazy House (1943 film)|Crazy House]]'' || Mumbo ||
* ''Punch and Beauty'' (1936)
|-
* ''The Choke's on You'' (1936)
|1944|| ''[[Three of a Kind (1944 film)|Three of a Kind]]'' || Himself ||
* ''The Blonde Bomber'' (1936)
|-
* ''Kick Me Again'' (1937)
|1944|| ''[[Moonlight and Cactus (1944 film)|Moonlight and Cactus]]'' || Punchy Carter ||
* ''Taking the Count'' (1937)
|-
* ''Hollywood Round-Up'' (1937)
|1944|| ''[[Strange Affair (1944 film)|Strange Affair]]'' || Laundry Truck Driver ||
* ''Headin' East'' (1937)
|-
* ''The Leather Pushers'' (1938)
|1944|| ''[[Crazy Knights]]'' || Shemp ||
* ''Home on the Rage'' (1938)
|-
* ''Glove Slingers'' (1939)
|1945|| ''[[Trouble Chasers]]'' || Himself ||
* ''Money Squawks'' (1940)
|-
* ''The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady'' (1940)
|1946|| ''[[The Gentleman Misbehaves]]'' || Marty ||
* ''Boobs in the Woods'' (1940)
|-
* ''Pleased to Mitt You'' (1940)
|1946|| ''[[One Exciting Week]]'' || Marvin Lewis ||
* ''Pick a Peck of Plumbers'' (1944)
|-
* ''Open Season for Saps'' (1944)
|1946|| ''[[Dangerous Business]]'' || Monk ||
* ''Off Again, On Again'' (1945)
|-
* ''Where the Pest Begins'' (1945)
|1946|| ''[[Blondie Knows Best]]'' || Jim Gray ||
* ''A Hit with a Miss'' (1945)
|-
* ''Mr. Noisy'' (1946)
|1947|| ''[[Out West (1947 film)|Out West]]'' || Shemp ||
* ''Jiggers, My Wife'' (1946)
|-
|1949|| ''[[Africa Screams]]'' || Gunner ||
* ''[[Society Mugs]]'' (1946)
* ''Bride and Gloom'' (1947)
|-
;with The Three Stooges
|1951|| ''[[Gold Raiders]]'' || Shemp ||
* ''[[Fright Night (1947 film)|Fright Night]]'' (1947)
|}
* ''[[Out West (1947 film)|Out West]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Hold That Lion! (1947 film)|Hold That Lion!]]'' (1947) (His brother Curly Howard in a cameo)
* ''[[Brideless Groom]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Sing a Song of Six Pants]]'' (1947)
* ''[[All Gummed Up]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Shivering Sherlocks]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Pardon My Clutch]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Squareheads of the Round Table]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Fiddlers Three (1948 film)|Fiddlers Three]]'' (1948)
* ''[[The Hot Scots]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Heavenly Daze]]'' (1948)
* ''[[I'm a Monkey's Uncle]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Mummy's Dummies]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Crime on Their Hands]]'' (1948)
* ''[[The Ghost Talks (1949 film)|The Ghost Talks!]]'' (1949)
* ''[[Who Done It? (1949 film)|Who Done It?]]'' (1949)
* ''[[Hokus Pokus (1949 film)|Hokus Pokus]]'' (1949)
* ''[[Fuelin' Around]]'' (1949)
* ''[[Malice in the Palace]]'' (1949) (brother Curly Howard's second cameo as a Chef filmed but not used)
* ''[[Vagabond Loafers]]'' (1949)
* ''[[Dunked in the Deep]]'' (1949)
* ''[[Punchy Cowpunchers]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Hugs and Mugs]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Dopey Dicks]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Love at First Bite (1950 film)|Love at First Bite]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Self-Made Maids]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Three Hams on Rye]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Studio Stoops]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Slaphappy Sleuths]]'' (1950)
* ''[[A Snitch in Time]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Three Arabian Nuts]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Baby Sitters Jitters]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Don't Throw That Knife]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Scrambled Brains]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Merry Mavericks]]'' (1951)
* ''[[The Tooth Will Out]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Hula-La-La]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Pest Man Wins]]'' (1951)
* ''[[A Missed Fortune]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Listen, Judge]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Corny Casanovas]]'' (1952)
* ''[[He Cooked His Goose]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Gents in a Jam]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Three Dark Horses]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Cuckoo on a Choo Choo]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Up in Daisy's Penthouse]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Booty and the Beast]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Loose Loot]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Tricky Dicks]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Spooks (1953 film)|Spooks!]]'' (1953) (first flat [[widescreen]] short)
* ''[[Pardon My Backfire]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Rip, Sew and Stitch]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Bubble Trouble (film)|Bubble Trouble]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Goof on the Roof]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Income Tax Sappy]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Musty Musketeers]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Pals and Gals]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Knutzy Knights]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Shot in the Frontier]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Scotched in Scotland]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Fling in the Ring]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Of Cash and Hash]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Gypped in the Penthouse]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Bedlam in Paradise]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Stone Age Romeos]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Wham Bam Slam|Wham-Bam-Slam!]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Hot Ice (1955 film)|Hot Ice]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Blunder Boys]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Husbands Beware]]'' (1956)
* ''[[Creeps (film)|Creeps]]'' (1956)
* ''[[Flagpole Jitters]]'' (1956)
* ''[[For Crimin' Out Loud]]'' (1956)
* ''[[Rumpus in the Harem]]'' (1956) (“Fake Shemp”; filmed after his death)
* ''[[Hot Stuff (1956 film)|Hot Stuff]]'' (1956) (“Fake Shemp”; filmed after his death)
* ''[[Scheming Schemers]]'' (1956) (“Fake Shemp”; filmed after his death)
* ''[[Commotion on the Ocean]]'' (1956) (“Fake Shemp”; filmed after his death)
{{div col end}}


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{commonscat}}
{{Portal|Biography}}
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{IMDb name|0397602}}
* {{IMDb name|0397602}}
* {{tcmdb name|id=89697|name=Shemp Howard}}
* [https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/89697|139868/Shemp-Howard#overview Shemp Howard] at [[Turner Classic Movies]]
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Find a Grave|6130700}}


{{ThreeStooges}}
{{ThreeStooges}}
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[[Category:1955 deaths]]
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[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:Jewish American comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century American Jews]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century American comedians]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Burials at Home of Peace Cemetery]]
[[Category:Burials at Home of Peace Cemetery]]
[[Category:People from Manhattan]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:Comedians from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Jewish American male actors]]
[[Category:Jewish American comedians]]
[[Category:Jewish male comedians]]
[[Category:Male actors from Brooklyn]]
[[Category:The Three Stooges members]]
[[Category:The Three Stooges members]]
[[Category:Vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures contract players]]
[[Category:Jewish American male actors]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Jews from New York (state)]]
[[Category:American male comedy actors]]
[[Category:Jewish film people]]

Latest revision as of 23:15, 25 November 2024

Shemp Howard
Howard in Brideless Groom in 1947
Born
Samuel Horwitz

(1895-03-11)March 11, 1895
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 22, 1955(1955-11-22) (aged 60)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actor
Years active1923–1955
Known forThe Three Stooges
Spouse
Gertrude Frank
​
(m. 1925)​
Children1
Relatives
Websitewww.threestooges.com

Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz; March 11, 1895[1] – November 22, 1955) was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the third Stooge in The Three Stooges, a role he played when the act began in the early 1920s (1923–1932), while it was still associated with Ted Healy and known as "Ted Healy and his Stooges"; and again from 1946 until his death in 1955. During the fourteen years between his times with the Stooges, he had a successful solo career as a film comedian, including a series of shorts by himself and with partners. He reluctantly returned to the Stooges as a favor to his brother Moe and friend Larry Fine to replace his brother Curly as the third Stooge after Curly's illness.

Early life

[edit]

Howard was born Samuel Horwitz on March 11, 1895 in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York.[1] He was the third of five Horwitz brothers born to Lithuanian Jewish parents Solomon Gorwitz (1872–1943) and Jennie Gorwitz (1870–1939). His parents, who were second cousins, were from Kaunas and spoke the Litvak dialect of Yiddish. They married in 1888 and two years later immigrated to New York City. They initially lived with Jennie's brother Julius in Manhattan before eventually moving to Brooklyn, where they started their family. He had two older brothers, Isadore "Irving" (1891–1939) and Benjamin Jacob "Jack" (1893–1976). His two younger brothers were Moses "Moe" (1897–1975) and Jerome "Curly" (1903–1952).[2]

Howard, who was named Samuel after his mother's grandfather, Shmuel, was known as Sam. However, his mother's thick accent left her unable to articulate the name Sam. Instead she pronounced it as Shem and then Shemp, the latter of which stuck as his nickname.[2]

Career

[edit]

Show business

[edit]

Shemp's brother Moe Howard started in show business as a youngster, on stage and in films. Moe and Shemp eventually tried their hands as minstrel-show-style "blackface" comedians with an act they called "Howard and Howard – A Study in Black". At the same time, they worked for a rival vaudeville circuit, without makeup.[citation needed]

By 1922, Moe had teamed up with his boyhood friend Ted Healy in a "roughhouse" act. One day Moe spotted his brother Shemp in the audience and yelled at him from the stage. Quick-witted Shemp yelled right back, and walked up onto the stage. From then on he was part of the act, usually known as "Ted Healy and His Stooges". The Howard brothers were the original Stooges; Larry Fine joined them in 1928.[3] On stage, Healy sang and told jokes while his three noisy stooges got in his way, and Healy retaliated with physical and verbal abuse. Shemp played a bumbling fireman in the Stooges' first film, Soup to Nuts (1930), the only film where he played one of Healy's gang.[citation needed]

After a disagreement with Healy in August 1930, Moe, Larry and Shemp left to launch their own act, "Howard, Fine & Howard", and joined the RKO vaudeville circuit. They premiered at Los Angeles's Paramount Theatre on August 28, 1930. In 1931 they added "Three Lost Soles" to the act's name, and took on Jack Walsh as their straight man. Moe, Larry and Shemp continued until July 1932, when Ted Healy approached them to team up again for the Shuberts' Broadway revue "Passing Show of 1932", and they accepted the offer. In spite of their past differences, Moe knew an association with the nationally known Healy would provide opportunities the three comics were not getting on their own.[citation needed]

On August 16, 1932, in a contract dispute, Healy walked out of the Shuberts' revue during rehearsals. Three days later, tired of what he considered Healy's domineering handling of the Stooges' career, Shemp left Healy's act to remain with "Passing Show", which closed in September during roadshow performances and after pan reviews in Detroit and Cincinnati. Shemp regrouped to form his own act and played on the road for a few months. He landed at Brooklyn's Vitaphone Studios for movie appearance opportunities in May 1933. When he split from Healy, Shemp was immediately replaced by his and Moe's younger brother Jerry Howard, known as Curly.[4]

Solo years

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After leaving the Three Stooges, Shemp Howard, like many New York City-based performers, found work at Vitaphone. Originally playing bit roles in their six two-reel Roscoe Arbuckle comedies made from 1932 to 1933, showing off his comical appearance, he was given speaking roles and supporting parts almost immediately. He was featured with studio comics Jack Haley, Ben Blue and Gus Shy; then co-starred with Harry Gribbon, Daphne Pollard, and Johnnie Berkes, and finally starred in his own two-reel comedies.[citation needed] The independently produced Convention Girl (1935) featured Shemp in a very rare straight role as a blackmailer and would-be murderer.[citation needed]

Shemp preferred to improvise dialogue and jokes, which became his trademark. In late 1935, Vitaphone was licensed to produce two-reel short comedies based on the Joe Palooka comic strip. Shemp was cast as Knobby Walsh, and although only a supporting character, he became the comic focus of the series, with Johnnie Berkes and Lee Weber as his foils. He co-starred in the first seven shorts, released in 1936–1937. Nine of them were produced, the last two done after Shemp's departure from Vitaphone.[citation needed]

Howard unsuccessfully attempted to lead his own group of "stooges" in the Van Beuren musical comedy short The Knife of the Party. In 1937 he followed his brothers' lead, moved to the West Coast, and landed supporting actor roles at several studios, mainly Columbia Pictures and Universal. He worked exclusively at Universal from August 1940 to August 1943, performing with such comics as W. C. Fields, and with comedy duos Abbott and Costello and Olsen and Johnson. He lent comic relief to Charlie Chan and The Thin Man murder mysteries. He appeared in several Universal B-musicals of the early 1940s, including Private Buckaroo (1942), Strictly in the Groove (1942), How's About It? (1943), Moonlight and Cactus (1944) and San Antonio Rose (1941); in the latter of which he was paired with Lon Chaney Jr. as a faux Abbott and Costello. Most of these projects took advantage of his improvisational skills. When Broadway comedian Frank Fay walked out on a series of feature films teaming him with Billy Gilbert, Gilbert called on his closest friend, Shemp Howard, to replace him in three B-comedy features for Monogram Pictures, filmed in 1944–45. He also played a few serious parts, such as his supporting role in Pittsburgh (1942), starring Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne.[citation needed]

The Three Stooges: 1946–1955

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Further information: The Three Stooges
Shemp with his younger brother Moe Howard and partner Larry Fine in Sing a Song of Six Pants in 1947
Shemp in Brideless Groom in 1947
Moe Howard, Shemp (bottom center), and Larry Fine in Malice in the Palace in 1949

From 1938 to 1940 and again from 1944 to 1946, Howard appeared in Columbia's two-reel comedies, co-starring with Columbia regulars Andy Clyde, The Glove Slingers, El Brendel, and Tom Kennedy. He was given his own starring series in 1944. He was working for Columbia in this capacity when his brother Curly was felled by a debilitating stroke on May 6, 1946. Curly had already suffered a series of strokes prior to the filming of If a Body Meets a Body (1945), and in January 1945 Shemp filled in for Curly at a week-long appearance at the St. Charles Theatre in New Orleans.[citation needed]

Shemp agreed to fill in for Curly in Columbia's popular Stooge shorts, knowing that if he refused, Moe and Larry would be out of work. [citation needed]He intended to stay only until Curly recovered, which never happened as Curly's health continued to worsen. Curly died on January 18, 1952, at the age of 48. Shemp agreed to remain with the group permanently.

Shemp's role as the third Stooge was much different from Curly's. His characterization was more relaxed as opposed to Curly's energetic persona. Unlike Curly, who had many distinct mannerisms, Shemp's most notable characteristic as a Stooge was a high-pitched "bee-bee-bee-bee-bee-bee!" sound, a sort of soft screech done by inhaling. It was a multipurpose effect: he emitted this sound when scared, sleeping (done as a form of snoring), overtly happy, or dazed. It became his trademark sound as the "nyuk nyuk" sound had become Curly's. Because of his established solo career, he was also given opportunities in the films to do some of his own comic routines.[citation needed]

During this period, The Three Stooges ventured into live television appearances, beginning on Tuesday, October 19, 1948, with Milton Berle on his Texaco Star Theatre program.

Shemp appeared with Moe and Larry in 77 short subjects, four of which were produced posthumously using stock footage. The trio also made the feature film Gold Raiders (1951). Shemp suffered a mild stroke in November 1952, but recovered within weeks. The medical episode had no noticeable effect on his remaining films with the Stooges, many of which were remakes of earlier films that also used recycled footage to reduce costs.[citation needed]

Personal life

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In September 1925, Shemp married Gertrude Frank (1905–1982). They had one child, Morton (1927–1972).[citation needed]

Shemp had several phobias, including of airplanes, automobiles, dogs, and water. According to Moe's autobiography, Shemp was involved in a driving accident as a teenager and never obtained a driver's license.[5]

Death

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Crypt of Shemp Howard at Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles, California
Cover of Los Angeles Examiner on November 24, 1955

On November 22, 1955, Shemp went out with associates Al Winston and Bobby Silverman to a boxing match, one of Shemp's favorite pastimes,[citation needed] at the Hollywood Legion Stadium. While returning home in a taxi that evening, Shemp died of a massive heart attack, at the age of 60.

Moe's autobiography gives a death date of November 23, 1955, which became the date cited by other accounts. Much of that book was finished posthumously by his daughter and son-in-law, and some details were confused.[further explanation needed] The Los Angeles County Coroner's death certificate states that Shemp Howard died on Tuesday, November 22, 1955, at 11:35 [PM] PST. Howard's obituary appeared in the November 23 afternoon editions of Los Angeles newspapers, citing the death on the night of November 22.[6]

Shemp Howard is interred in a crypt in the Indoor Mausoleum at the Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles. His younger brother Curly is also interred there, in an outdoor tomb in the Western Jewish Institute section, as well as his parents Solomon and Jennie Horwitz and older brother Benjamin "Jack".[citation needed]

Tributes

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The Three Stooges earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1560 Vine Street on August 30, 1983.[7]

The "Fake Shemps"

[edit]
Main article: Fake Shemp

Columbia had promised exhibitors eight Three Stooges comedies for 1956, but only four were completed at the time of Shemp Howard's death. To fulfill the contract, producer Jules White manufactured four more shorts "with Shemp" by combining old footage of Howard with new connecting scenes played by a body double (longtime Stooge supporting actor Joe Palma) who is seen mostly from the back. He came to be known by Stooge fans as the "Fake Shemp", a term which director Sam Raimi later coined in reference to any body double replacing an actor.[citation needed]

These new releases of 1956 are all based on Stooge comedies of 1949. Rumpus in the Harem borrows from Malice in the Palace; Hot Stuff from Fuelin' Around; Commotion on the Ocean from Dunked in the Deep. The best-received and most technically accomplished of the four is Scheming Schemers (1956), combining new footage with recycled clips from three old Stooge shorts: A Plumbing We Will Go (1940), Half-Wits Holiday (1947) and Vagabond Loafers (1949).[8]

Continued popularity

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When it was time to renew the Stooges's contract, Columbia hired comedian Joe Besser to replace Shemp. Columbia discontinued filming new Stooge shorts in December 1957 but continued to release them through June 1959. The Stooge shorts were still in demand for kiddie-matinée shows, and their TV revivals boosted the team's popularity to an all-time high.[9] Columbia kept the theatrical series going by reissuing Shemp's Stooge shorts until 1968.

In the television biopic The Three Stooges (2000), Shemp Howard was portrayed by John Kassir.

Filmography (Non-Stooge)

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Features
Two Reelers
  • Salt Water Daffy (1933)
  • Close Relations (1933)
  • Paul Revere Jr. (1933)
  • Gobs of Fun (1933)
  • In the Dough (1933)
  • Here Comes Flossie! (1934)
  • Howd' Ya Like That? (1934)
  • Henry the Ache (1934)
  • The Wrong, Wrong Trail (1934)
  • Mushrooms (1934)
  • The Knife of the Party (1934)
  • Everybody Likes Music (1934)
  • Pugs and Kisses (1934)
  • Very Close Veins (1934)
  • Pure Feud (1934)
  • Corn on the Cop (1934)
  • I Scream (1934)
  • Rambling 'Round Radio Row # 7 (Series 2 # 1) (1934)
  • Art Trouble (1934)
  • My Mummy's Arms (1934)
  • Daredevil O'Dare (1934)
  • Smoked Hams (1934)
  • So You Won't T-T-T-Talk (1934)
  • Dizzy & Daffy (1934)
  • A Peach of a Pair (1934)
  • His First Flame (1935)
  • Convention Girl (1935)
  • Why Pay Rent? (1935)
  • Serves You Right (1935)
  • On the Wagon (1935)
  • The Officer's Mess (1935)
  • While the Cat's Away (1936)
  • For the Love of Pete (1936)
  • Absorbing Junior (1936)
  • Here's Howe (1936)
  • Punch and Beauty (1936)
  • The Choke's on You (1936)
  • The Blonde Bomber (1936)
  • Kick Me Again (1937)
  • Taking the Count (1937)
  • Hollywood Round-Up (1937)
  • Headin' East (1937)
  • The Leather Pushers (1938)
  • Home on the Rage (1938)
  • Glove Slingers (1939)
  • Money Squawks (1940)
  • The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady (1940)
  • Boobs in the Woods (1940)
  • Pleased to Mitt You (1940)
  • Pick a Peck of Plumbers (1944)
  • Open Season for Saps (1944)
  • Off Again, On Again (1945)
  • Where the Pest Begins (1945)
  • A Hit with a Miss (1945)
  • Mr. Noisy (1946)
  • Jiggers, My Wife (1946)
  • Society Mugs (1946)
  • Bride and Gloom (1947)
with The Three Stooges

References

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  1. ^ a b "Shemp's Birth Certificate". Threestooges.net. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Kearns, Burt (October 1, 2024). Shemp!: The Biography of The Three Stooges' Shemp Howard, The Face of Film Comedy. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 1–3. ISBN 978-1-4930-7422-8. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  3. ^ Davidson, Robert. "ThreeStooges.net :: The Three Stooges Journal – Issue No. 155".
  4. ^ Deezen, Eddie (January 18, 2012). "The Final Years of Curly (of Three Stooges Fame)". Mental Floss. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  5. ^ Howard, Moe (1979) [1977]. Moe Howard and the Three Stooges. Broadway Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8065-0723-1.
  6. ^ "Comic Shemp Howard of 3 Stooges Dies. Veteran Actor, 60, Stricken by Heart Attack in Auto". Los Angeles Times. November 24, 1955. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2011. Shemp Howard, 60, veteran stage and screen comedian and one of 'The Three Stooges,' died Tuesday of a heart attack.
  7. ^ "The Three Stooges". walkoffame.com. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  8. ^ Forrester, Jeff (2002). Three Stooges: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time. Donaldson Books. pp. 151–152. ISBN 0-9715801-0-3.
  9. ^ Variety, June 10, 1959, p. 5.
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