Joe Besser
Born	August 12, 1907(1907-08-12) St. Louis, Missouri  United States
Died	March 1, 1988 (aged 80) North Hollywood, California

Joe Besser (August 12, 1907 – March 1, 1988) was an American comedian, known for his impish humor, and is now best remembered for his brief stint as part of the Three Stooges. After voluntarily leaving the contract-less Stooges in early 1958, (he said it was due to his wife's failing health), he spent (1961-65) playing Joey Bishop's spastic maintenance man Jillson, on the "Joey Bishop Show". People who grew up in the 1950s and 1960s remember Besser for playing Stinky, the spoiled mamma's boy in The Abbott and Costello Show. Image File history File links Joeport. ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Missouri. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Missouri Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor Francis G. Slay (D) Area  - City  66. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, California. ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the mid 20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. ... The Abbott and Costello Show, a half-hour television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that originally aired 1952-1954, is regarded among the most influential comedy programs in history. ...

Besser was born in St Louis, making him the only Stooge member not born on the East Coast. He was the ninth child of Morris and Fanny Besser (Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe). He had seven older sisters, and an older brother Manny who was in show business. From a young age, Joe was also fascinated with show business, especially the magic act of Howard Thurston that came annually. When he was twelve, Thurston allowed Besser to play a minor audience plant (as in "stooge"). Besser was so excited by this, he sneaked into Thurston's train after the St. Louis run of the show was over, and was discovered the next day sleeping on top of the lion's cage in Detroit. The Gateway Arch, shown here behind the Old Courthouse, is the most recognizable part of the St. ... East Coast can refer to: East Coast of the United States East Coast hip hop East Coast Park East-coast liberal East Coast Railway East Coast Akalat East Coast bias East Coast Music Awards East Coast Bays East Coast Main Line East Coast Greenway East Coast Parkway East Coast Swing... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... Howard Thurston (July 20, 1869 – April 13, 1936) was a world famous stage magician. ...

Thurston gave in, informed Besser's parents of the situation, and trained him as an assistant. The first act involved pulling a rabbit out of a hat. The trick involved two rabbits, one hidden in a pocket of Thurston's cape. But young Besser was so nervous that he botched badly, pulling out the rabbit from the cape at the same time as the other rabbit was on display, before the trick had been performed. The audience roared with laughter, and Besser from then on was assigned comic-mishap roles only.

Besser stayed in show business and developed a unique comic character: a whiny sissy who flew into temper tantrums with little provocation. Besser, with his frequent outbursts of "You crazy, youuuuu!" and "Not so faaaaaast!," was so original and so outrageously silly that he became a vaudeville headliner, and movie and radio appearances soon followed.

In 1932, he(then 25) married the dancer Erna Kay(30), real name Ernestine Dora Kretschmer, known as "Ernie". They were neighbors and friends of Lou Costello, of Abbott and Costello fame. Besser appeared in one of Abbott and Costello's movies, Africa Screams, which also featured Shemp Howard of The Three Stooges. Joe and Shemp were old friends, having met in 1932. Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lou Costello, born Louis Francis Cristillo, March 6, 1906 - March 3, 1959), was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Samuel Shemp Howard / (Horwitz) (March 17, 1895 – November 22, 1955) was part of the Three Stooges comedy team. ... The Three Stooges was an American comedy act in the 20th century. ...

Besser had substituted for Lou Costello on radio, opposite Bud Abbott, and by the 1950s he was firmly established as one of the A & C regulars. When Bud and Lou filmed The Abbott and Costello Show for television, they hired Joe Besser to play "Stinky", a bratty, loudmouthed child dressed in an oversized Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit, shorts, and a flat top hat with overhanging brim. He appeared during the first season of The Abbott and Costello Show. William Alexander “Bud” Abbott (October 2, 1895 – April 24, 1974) was an American actor, producer and comedian born in Asbury Park, New Jersey. ... The Abbott and Costello Show, a half-hour television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that originally aired 1952-1954, is regarded among the most influential comedy programs in history. ... Little Lord Fauntleroy is a sentimental childrens novel by American (English-born) author Frances Hodgson Burnett, serialized in St. ... The Abbott and Costello Show, a half-hour television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that originally aired 1952-1954, is regarded among the most influential comedy programs in history. ...

The Three Stooges: Joe, Larry, and Moe

When Shemp Howard died of a sudden heart attack on November 22, 1955, Harry Cohn recruited Besser to join The Three Stooges, after rejecting Moe Howard's request for a "Two Stooge act". Although Moe legally had approval over any new members joining the act, Columbia Pictures executives had final say about any actor who would appear in the studio's films, and insisted on a performer already under contract to Columbia. At that time (early 1956) Besser was one of the few comedians still making comedy short subjects at Columbia. He successfully renegotiated his contract, and was paid his former feature-film salary (more than the other Stooges earned). Samuel Shemp Howard / (Horwitz) (March 17, 1895 – November 22, 1955) was part of the Three Stooges comedy team. ... Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), more commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease state that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ... The year 1955 in film involved some significant events. ... Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891–February 27, 1958), sometimes nicknamed King Cohn, was president and production director of Columbia Pictures. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ...

Joe Besser refrained from imitating Curly or Shemp. He continued to play the same whiny character he had developed over his long career. He had a clause in his contract prohibiting being hit excessively, insisting that his humor was more about comedic revenge for being bullied. "I usually played the kind of character who would hit others back." In a 2002 "E Entertainment" episode which used file footage of Besser, the comic stated that the left side of Larry Fine's face was noticeably coarser than the other side, which he attributed to Moe's less-than-staged slaps. (Larry Fine's daughter attributes this, plus scars to the comic's left hand, from a chemical spill that occurred when Larry was a child). Larry Fine is the name of several people: Larry Fine, a US film comedian, and member of The Three Stooges. ...

Besser was a Stooge from the spring of 1956 to the end of 1957. His Stooge tenure ended when Columbia shut down the two-reel-comedy department on December 20, 1957. Producer-director Jules White had shot enough film for 16 comedies, which were released a few months apart until mid-1959. is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar). ... Jules White (born Jules Weiss on 17 September 1900 in Budapest, Hungary, died 30 April 1985 in Van Nuys, California) was a movie director and producer of the silent film era. ...

Moe Howard and Larry Fine discussed plans to tour with a live act, but Besser declined. In later years, he said this was because his wife, Ernie, had suffered a heart attack. His wife did suffer a heart attack in November 1957 , and he was unwilling to leave without her. Some fans have theorized that Besser actually preferred to work solo, and left the trio to pursue other acting jobs. The theory may be true, because that was indeed the next step Besser took. All his life Besser, honorably called his Stooges shorts "The Two Stooges featuring Joe Besser." Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), more commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease state that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ...

After the Stooges

Besser returned to films and television, most notably as the superintendent "Jillson" for four seasons (1961–1965) of The Joey Bishop Show, and the voice of Babu the genie in the animated I Dream of Jeannie series. He also made occasional appearances on the ABC late-night series, also called The Joey Bishop Show between 1967 and 1969. Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Joey Bishop (born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb on February 3, 1918 in The Bronx, New York, USA) is a Jewish American actor. ... For other uses, see Genie (disambiguation). ... For the episode of The Twilight Zone, see I Dream of Genie (The Twilight Zone). ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ...

Later in life, Joe Besser expressed dismay that fans only recognized him for his brief tenure with the Stooges. His autobiography title, Not Just a Stooge, bears this out. The book would later be retitled and remarketed to emphasize the Stooge connection.

Besser recalled his friendship with the Stooges in an emotional speech referring to "the four boys" (Moe, Larry, Curly, and Shemp) up in heaven looking down on the event of the dedication of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 1983. He was the only official Stooge to speak at the event, as Joe DeRita was ill at the time, although he outlived Besser by five years. Stooge supporting player Emil Sitka (who was signed as a stooge in 1974 but appeared at no public functions. He officially replaced the late Larry Fine. In early 1975, Moe appeared on "The Mike Douglas Show", but while Curley Joe was mentioned, Sitka was not) Buskers perform on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. ... 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. ...

Besser died of heart failure on March 1, 1988. His wife Enrie died in July 1989 from a heart attack. Both spouses are buried in the same plot at Forest Lawn Cemetary in Glendale, California(Home of Comedy III Productions). In the early-1990s, the heirs of several Stooges filed a lawsuit against Moe Howard's family, who had amassed control over the team's finances. The result gave the other heirs more profits, and placed Joe DeRita's stepson in charge of the Stooge images/sales. is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ...

Further reading

• Not Just a Stooge (later retitled Once a Stooge, Always a Stooge) by Joe Besser with Jeff Lenburg and Greg Lenburg [1], (Knightsbridge Publishing Co., 1990).
• Moe Howard and the Three Stooges by Moe Howard [2], (Citadel Press, 1977).
• The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion' by Jon Solomon [3], (Comedy III Productions, Inc., 2002).
• The Columbia Comedy Shorts by Ted Okuda with Edward Watz [4], (McFarland, 1986).
• The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer, Greg Lenburg [5](Citadel Press, 1994).
• The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons by Michael Fleming [6](Broadway Publishing, 2002).

External link

• Joe Besser at the Internet Movie Database