Shemp Howard was a successful comedic actor when he was contacted by his brother Moe to temporarily take his younger brother Curly's place in The Three Stooges' March 1947's "Fright Night." Curly had just suffered his second major stroke, and there was a question as to how long he would return.
Shemp was a logical choice to fill in for the ailing Jerome Howard (Curly). He and Moe began as a comedy duo back in 1922 along with boyhood friend Ted Healy, calling themselves "Ted Healy and His Stooges." With Larry Fine on board in 1928, Moe and Shemp became known as The Three Stooges. Shemp, born Samuel Horowitz (Howard), was the third of five boys in the Horowitz family, followed by Moe two years later and then Jerome eight years after that. Shemp's mom, speaking with a thick Lithuanian accent, pronounced Sam as Shem before reverting to Shemp. Ted Healy and The Three Stooges appeared in their only feature film in 1930's "Soup to Nuts." The Stooges broke from Healy because of his abusive behavior, only to join up with him two years later. The reunion lasted only a couple of months before Shemp had enough of the domineering Healy, quitting the act in 1932 to go on his own. Curly joined the Stooges as a replacement while Shemp embarked on a very successful film career on his own.
Independent of The Three Stooges, Shemp earned the moniker "the ugliest man in Hollywood." Artist Drew Friedman wrote, "Shemp had a range as an actor, which explains why he was such an in-demand character actor for years. Watch his smart, low-key, and essential performance as Joe Guelpe, bartender/proprietor of the Black Pussy Cafe, in W. C. Field's "The Bank Dick." Beside Field's 1939 comedy classic, Shemp made notable appearances in several high profile feature films, including 1939 "Another Thin Man," 1940 "The Invisible Woman," 1941 "Buck Privates" with Abbott and Costello, and 1941 "Hellzapoppin'"
Shemp was 52 when asked by Moe to take the place of Curly when filming "Fright Night" began in June 1946, one month after Curly's stroke. Director Edward Bernds quickly rejiggered Curly's parts and dialogue for Shemp, who had a habit of ad-libbing. Shemp avoided imitating Curly's mannerisms and trademark phrases. Instead he introduced his soon-to-be-famous high-pitched "bee-bee-bee-bee-bee-bee!" while inhaling, and quickly adopted other humorous quirks. "Fright Night" opens with the Stooges as managers of boxer Chopper Kane (Dick Wessel). Shemp is volunteered to be his sparing partner, and soon finds himself twisted up between the ropes like a pretzel. As a big boxing fan, Shemp listed "Fright Night" as his favorite of all the 76 Stooges films he appeared.
