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THREE STOOGES GREATEST HITS, THE (TV)

Summary

An hour-long tribute to the comedy of The Three Stooges, hosted by comedian Martin Short. Short talks about the style and impact of the Three Stooges, accompanied by clips from both their films and their home movies. He begins by outlining the inventive and experimental nature of the Stooges’ films, particularly their innovations in physical comedy. The anatomy of their trademark routines, such as their trademark “eye poke” or Moe’s slaps, is examined. Home movies are shown depicting the Stooges working out comedy routines with their families as “practice dummies.” Barry Williams appears to sing a song about the formation of the Three Stooges. Short continues by talking about the subject matter of the Stooges’ work, about how they embodied relatable themes and problems. The Stooges continually portrayed ordinary yet clumsy fellows usually looking for work, but rendering even minor tasks impossible with their antics. The Stooges produced about eight films per year, usually in the form of eighteen-minute shorts, but were allowed to produce feature-length films after they gained popularity from having their shorts run on television. They were even nominated for an Oscar for their 1934 film “Men in Black,” a parody of the film “Men in White.” The history of the Stooges is outlined: they began on vaudeville in 1922 under Ted Healy, performing as “Ted Healy and His Stooges.” Healy worked with the brothers Moe and Shemp Howard, and Larry Fine. In 1930 they headed to California where they starred in their first film, “Soup to Nuts.” Shemp separated from the group to pursue a career in dramatic acting, and he was replaced with Jerome Horwitz, better known as “Curly Howard.” His hair and moustache were shaven off to make him appear more comical. Much of Curly’s now-famous mannerisms stemmed from nervousness and an inability to remember his lines. The Stooges were soon dissatisfied that Healy still received top billing, and soon signed a contract without him. Little Richard appears to perform the song “The Curly Shuffle.” The show continues as Short talks about the various women in the Stooges’ films. Home videos are shown from Curly’s real-life wedding day. Short also discusses the ways in which the Stooges poked fun at high society, and allowed the audience to live vicariously through their mischievous antics. Their parodies of the world of sports and athleticism are also examined. Despite the seemingly haphazard nature of their films, the Stooges paid meticulous attention to every routine and prop in their performances, making certain of their safety. A montage in tribute to all of the Stooges follows. Finally, since in Short’s words “imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” the Stooges are honored by a pie fight breaking out on stage. Includes commercials.

Details

  • NETWORK: ABC
  • DATE: May 15, 1997 8:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: B:48668
  • GENRE: Comedy
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
  • SERIES RUN: N/A
  • COMMERCIALS:
    • TV – Commercials – Benadryl allergy medication
    • TV – Commercials – Best Foods salad dressing
    • TV – Commercials – Buick automobiles
    • TV – Commercials – Burger King restaurants
    • TV – Commercials – Cheetos cheese curls
    • TV – Commercials – Colgate toothbrushes
    • TV – Commercials – Dodge automobiles
    • TV – Commercials – Flonase nasal spray
    • TV – Commercials – Honda automobiles
    • TV – Commercials – J. C. Penney department stores
    • TV – Commercials – K-Mart department stores
    • TV – Commercials – KFC restaurants
    • TV – Commercials – McDonald’s restaurants
    • TV – Commercials – Partnership for a Drug-Free America nonprofit organization
    • TV – Commercials – Saturn automobiles
    • TV – Commercials – Tropicana fruit juice
    • TV – Commercials – Wendy’s restaurants
    • TV – Commercials – “Gone Fishing” motion picture
    • TV – Promos – “20/20”
    • TV – Promos – “ABC News”
    • TV – Promos – “All Star TGIF Magic”
    • TV – Promos – “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
    • TV – Promos – “Columbo: A Taste of Murder”
    • TV – Promos – “David Blaine: Street Magic”
    • TV – Promos – “Home Improvement”
    • TV – Promos – “Roseanne Series Finale”
    • TV – Promos – “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”
    • TV – Promos – “Step by Step”
    • TV – Promos – “The Drew Carey Show”
    • TV – Promos – “The World’s Most Daring Rescues”

CREDITS

  • George Paige … Executive Producer
  • Bela G. Lugosi … Executive Producer
  • Robert N. Benjamin … Executive Producer
  • Earl M. Benjamin … Executive Producer
  • James Tumminia … Producer
  • Timothy Gaydos … Associate Producer
  • Daniel Helfgott … Director, Writer
  • Carl Schurtz … Music by
  • Chris Anderson … Music by
  • Dorain Grusman … Choreographer
  • Martin Short … Host
  • Little Richard … Guest
  • Barry Williams … Guest
  • John Cervenka … Cast
  • Vince Donvito … Cast
  • Gildart Jackson … Cast
  • Tiffany Granath … Cast
  • Caroline Johnson … Cast
  • Nancy O'Meara … Cast
  • Noon Orsatti … Cast
  • Nancy Young … Cast
  • Joe Besser
  • Joe Derita
  • Larry Fine
  • Ted Healy
  • Curly Howard
  • Moe Howard
  • Shemp Howard