They were the original slapping happy guys that did things we all wished we could do to people. Their brand of humor has been copied and some have tried to duplicate but never to the creative level of comedy that these guys were able to produce. They are the Three Stooges that delighted us as a child and continue to amaze new generations of kids and adults of any generation.

They had a theme song that you could sing the old children’s song to Three Blind Mice. New generations of comedic guys try to copy their antics to an extent but fail. Guys like the Jack Ass bunch, a new movie is out with guys trying to copy their moves. There was even a guy that went on a popular Talent Show called America’s Got Talent who had people including the host repeatedly kick him in the balls. He was voted in to go to the next level as a talented guy. So, you see. America always has room in their lives for stupid stuff.

They are three guys, Larry, Curley and Moe. Moe was the brains of the three who came from a family of six children. The two older ones were successful businessmen. The younger ones were considered the funny bums of the family including Shemp. Then there was also Larry Fine that joined the bunch and their antics. Who would imagine they would still be getting laughs nearly 80 years later.

They became movie stars and worked for Columbia Pictures who made tons of money from their work while they hardly made any money. Yes, a bad contract they signed for themselves. Their first money making movie was called Woman Haters made in 1934. The script was all too flowing and all too funny all written in rhyme. Who can do that these days? We are lucky enough to just laugh at some thing written these days.

The Three Stooges created 190 great funny films for our enjoyment. Films like Three Little Pigskins, Vagabond Loafers, Three Little Beers, Uncivil Warriors, Half-Wits Holiday, Malice in the Palace, Pardon My Backfire, A Missed Fortune and Horses Collars just to name a few. All of which you can buy in boxed sets or find them somewhere on a cable channel. They never got paid per movie and worked for Columbia pictures for 24 years.

When the films began running on TV and later released on video new generations copied their antics. Recently a new movie was released trying to duplicate the Stooges with newer antics like showing one of them the new I Phone as he takes it and puts it up to his eye to say Hi. Not as funny as the old movies. The produces of this new film are brothers Peter and Bobby Farrelly and are best known for their film Dumb and Dumber which was a comedy that had Stooge like physical humor like licking a frozen pipe in the winter.

It is all about physical humor, the hitting , the falling the throwing that ages better especially with sound effects. One of the early Three Stooges films called Men In Black was nominated for an Oscar. In a film Nazty Spy they were one of the first comics to poke fun at the Nazi’s and Hitler of World War II. Moe as Hitler was speaking to the people of Moronica. Funny.

The Three Stooges never got rich. They made 8 films a year. They were paid a $60,000 annual salary for all three of them not each and no royalties. Columbia Pictures made millions of dollars. These comedic geniuses never got paid their due for their talents. The new film guys have an obligation to please the huge Stooge fans. Three relatively unknown men got the part. Will Sasso from Mad TV fame is Curly, Sean Hayes from Will and Grace who is now a producer of TV shows like Grim and Hot in Cleveland plays Larry and Chris Diamantopoulos is Moe.

Kids of all ages are now poking, hitting and throwing at each other that at the end of the new movie is a disclaimer to show kids that the props used in the film are fake hammers and lightweight dishes. It is cartoon like hitting but on real people. No blood, no scars and no welts. So, in honor of the spirit of the Three Stooges, go have a old fashioned pie fight with someone you love and try to laugh at the mess you have to clean up afterwards.