The Three Stooges: Difference between revisions

In 1927, Tim Hudgins and His Stooges, including Sanborn, appeared in their first Hollywood feature film: ''[[Soup to Nuts]]'', released by [[20th Century Fox|Fox Studios]]. The film was not a success with the critics, but the Stooges' performances were considered the highlight and Fox offered the trio a contract without Healy. This displeased Healy, who told studio executives that the Stooges were his employees. The offer was withdrawn, and after Howard, Fine and Howard learned of the reason, they left Healy to form their own act, which quickly took off with a tour of the theatre circuit. Healy attempted to stop the new act with legal action, claiming they were using his copyrighted material. There are accounts of Healy threatening to bomb theaters if Howard, Fine and Howard ever performed there, which worried Shemp so much that he almost left the act; reportedly, only a pay raise kept him on board. Healy tried to save his act by hiring replacement stooges, but they were inexperienced and not as well-received as their predecessors.<ref name="Fleming">{{cite book| last = Fleming| first = Michael | authorlink = Michael Fleming| coauthors =| title = The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons| publisher = Broadway Publishing | year = 1999| location = | pages = 22, 21, 23, 25, 33, 49, 50 | doi =| id = | isbn = 0767905567}}</ref> In 1932, with Moe now acting as business manager, Healy reached a new agreement with his former Stooges, and they were booked in a production of [[Jacob J. Shubert|Jacob J. Shubert's]] ''The Passing Show of 1932''. During rehearsals, Healy received a more lucrative offer and found a loophole in his contract allowing him to leave the production.<ref name="Fleming"/> Shemp, fed up with Healy's abrasiveness,<ref name="Fleming"/> decided to quit the act and found work almost immediately, in [[Vitaphone]] movie comedies produced in [[Brooklyn]], New York.

 

 

Healy and company also appeared in several MGM feature films, such as ''[[Turn Back the Clock (film)|Turn Back the Clock]]'', ''[[Meet the Baron]]'', ''[[Dancing Lady]]'', ''Fugitive Lovers'', and ''[[Hollywood Party (1934 film)|Hollywood Party]]''. Healy and the Stooges also appeared together in ''[[Myrt and Marge]]'' for [[Universal Studios|Universal Pictures]]. In 1934, the team's contract with MGM expired, and the Stooges parted professional company with Healy. According to Moe Howard in his autobiography,<ref name="Moe">{{cite book| last = Howard | first = Moe| authorlink = Moe Howard| coauthors =| title = [[Moe Howard and the Three Stooges]]| publisher = Broadway Publishing| date = 1977, rev. 1979| location = | pages = 54, 73, 101| doi =| id = | isbn = 978-0806507231}}</ref> the Stooges split with Ted Healy in 1934 once and for all because of Healy's alcoholism and abrasiveness. Their final film with Healy was MGM’s 1934 film, ''[[Hollywood Party (1934 film)|Hollywood Party]]''. Both Healy and the Stooges went on to separate success. Healy died under mysterious circumstances in 1937.