Curly-Joe DeRita

"Curly-Joe" DeRita (July 12, 1909 - July 3, 1993), born Joseph Wardell, was an American comedian who is best known as the "sixth" and last of the Three Stooges. He was born into a show business family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... The Three Stooges were an American comedy act in the 20th century. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates , Government Country  State   County United States  Pennsylvania   Philadelphia Founded Incorporated October 27, 1682 October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 369. ...

Wardell's father was a stage technician, and his mother, a professional stage dancer; the three often acted on stage together from his early childhood. Taking his mother's maiden name, DeRita, the actor joined the Burlesque circuit during the 1920s, gaining fame as a comedian. During World War II, DeRita joined the USO, performing through Britain and France with such celebrities as Bing Crosby and Randolph Scott. He was married briefly sometime in the 40s to an unknown co-worker. Photo of the Burlesque Troupe, Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang Burlesque was originally a form of art that mocked by imitation, referring to everything from comic sketches to dance routines and usually lampooning the social attitudes of the upper classes. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... The United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations (USO) is a volunteer organization that provides morale and recreational services to members of the U.S. military worldwide. ... Harry Lillis Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ... Randolph Scott (left) with Cary Grant George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987), generally known as Randolph Scott, was an American film actor whose career spanned the sound era from the late 1920s to the early 1960s. ...

Career in the Three Stooges

After Shemp Howard died in 1955, Moe Howard and Larry Fine tried to complete the "Three Stooges" act with Joe Besser. Creative differences and his wife's illness led him to quit the act after two years and 16 theatrical shorts. Familiar with DeRita's work, Howard asked him to join the act, and he readily accepted. Noticing his physical resemblance to predecessors Besser and especially Curly Howard, DeRita was renamed "Curly-Joe," and became the third Stooge in 1958. Samuel Shemp Howard / (Horwitz) (March 17, 1895 – November 22, 1955) was part of the Three Stooges comedy team. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Moe Howard, the leader of the venerable Three Stooges, as he appeared in the comedy teams first short for Columbia Pictures, Women Haters (1934). ... Larry Fine Larry Fine (October 5, 1902 – January 24, 1975) was an American comedian and actor, who is best-known as a member of the comedy act The Three Stooges. ... Joe Besser Joe Besser (August 12, 1907 – March 1, 1988) was a comedian, known for his impish humor, and is now best remembered for his brief stint as part of the Three Stooges. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

DeRita's arrival coincided with changes to the Stooges' career. With the advent of longer theatrical films, Columbia Pictures' short films studio shut down, leaving the Stooges to seek their own full-length features. The team created a number of theatrical Three Stooges films, including Have Rocket, Will Travel and Snow White and the Three Stooges. Aimed primarily at children, these films rarely reached the same comedic heights as their shorts. (Moe and Larry's advanced ages plus pressure from the PTA and other children's advocates led to a severe toning-down of the trio's trademark violent slapstick.) Columbia Pictures current logo. ... Have Rocket, Will Travel was a feature film starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Joe Derita as The Three Stooges. ... Snow White and The Three Stooges (1961) was the second feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgance in popularity. ... PTA may refer to: Parent-Teacher Association, a voluntary organisation bringing together parents and teachers plasma thromboplastin antecedent, another name for Factor XI Preferential Trade Arrangement This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

While DeRita's physical appearance was reminiscent of the original "Curly," his characterization was milder, and not as manic or surreal. Curly-Joe also showed a bit more backbone, even occasionally talking back to Moe.

DeRita recorded an uncensored "Burlesque" LP in the 50s. Had Moe not died in 1975, The Stooges (with Emil Sitka taking on the role as the middle stooge) would have done an R-rated movie called "The Jet Set". Photo of the Burlesque Troupe, Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang Burlesque was originally a form of art that mocked by imitation, referring to everything from comic sketches to dance routines and usually lampooning the social attitudes of the upper classes. ... Emil Sitka (December 22, 1914 – January 16, 1998) was a comedian and is now best remembered for his time as a supporting stooge of the Three Stooges. ...

Through the 1960s, DeRita remained a member of the team, participating in animated cartoons (with live-action introductions) and a failed television pilot titled Kook's Tour. However, Larry Fine suffered a stroke in 1970, permanently disbanding the Stooges. In later years, DeRita attempted to form a truly "new" Three Stooges, featuring other actors replacing Moe and Larry, but the act failed and DeRita retired. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Kooks Tour is the title of an American short comedy film produced in late 1969-early 1970. ... For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...

Nearly blind from diabetes, Curly-Joe DeRita died in Los Angeles on July 3, 1993. Being the final living member of the original Three Stooges act, his epitaph reads, "The Last Stooge." This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Further reading

• One Fine Stooge: A Frizzy Life in Pictures by Steve Cox and Jim Terry [1], (Cumberland House Publishing, 2006)

External links

• Joe DeRita at the Internet Movie Database