4 March 1895 – 22 November 1955
Born Samuel Horwitz, he was called “Shemp” because “Sam” came out that way in his mother’s thick Litvak accent. [Wiki]
Shemp joined brother Moe Howard (Moses Horwitz) and Larry Fine (Louis Feinberg) to form the original Three Stooges, but quit the trio to make a name for himself. He was replaced by his younger brother Curly Howard (Jerome Horwitz). In 1952, Curly suffered a massive stroke that left him unable to speak. Shemp returned to help fulfill the Stooge’s contract with Columbia Pictures.
When Shemp died, the film directors cut and pasted clips from previous movies, again to complete the filming contract. They also used stand-ins, filmed from the back. In movie-speak, a body double is still referred to as a “Shemp.”
Guess that’s enough for now (h/t Jonco) because it’s time for
The Overnight Open Thread.
[Update: Bumped this post from last night due to breaking news and stuff. It’s almost a virgin thread. – Bunk]
Tags: birthday, Overnight Open Thread, Shemp Howard, Three Stooges, trivia
