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The Journal of Stoogeological Studies: An Unauthorized Three Stooges Fanzine
From their humble beginnings in vaudeville to their Hollywood golden age in the 30s and 40s to their boomerled television renaissance of the 60s and beyond the Three Stooges have transcended time and delighted generations with their brand of elemental slapstick The Journal of Stoogeological Studies liberates Moe Larry Curly Shemp Joe and CurlyJoe from the prism of nostalgia with original essays reviews interviews and art about all facets of the Stooges long career Youll find expert rundowns of the best and strangest Stooge films scholarly articles that analyze the comedians in their cultural. Thank You for Your Interest in Our Spiral Bound book from Personalized JoyCrafts TM We appreciate your consideration of our spiralbound offering available through Amazon under Personalized JoyCrafts. This edition promises an enhanced user experience designed specifically for ease of use The spiral binding ensures that the book lays flat when opened simplifying tasks like drawing coloring notetaking following recipes or simply reviewing content Spiralbound books redefine conveniencePLEASE NOTE We do not claim authorship or publish rights for this book WE ARE NOT THE AUTHOR OR PUBLISHER OF THIS BOOK All copyrighted and trademarked materials belong to their respective authors or publishers Respecting their intellectual property our source for these books is either directly from the author Amazon or authorized distributors As per the right of first sale we lawfully purchase these books and later modify the binding The original publisher or author details can typically be located within the books initial pagesOur modification involves professionally removing the initial binding and replacing it with our spiral binding This enhances the books usability for our customersShould you have any queries or feedback regarding our spiral binding process do not hesitate to contact us through our Amazon StoreWarm RegardsPersonalized JoyCrafts TM
102 pages, Paperback
Published December 4, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 8, 2024
Ah yes, my first book of the year, a 100 page fanzine about the Three Stooges. Feels good.
Ok, I'll confess!!! I had only seen one stooge short before ordering this book! I'm as fake a fan as you can get. But please try to admire my curiosity. I love becoming a scholar about something I really know nothing about.
This is a work of love from Stooge heads across North America with personal essays, academic analysis, historical content, and short comics. You can tell somebody is a true fan when they not only engage with an artist's worst works, but choose to write 3000 words about how they represent their oeuvre as a whole. Maybe for the Stooges that's simply easier to do when the common consensus is that there were periods where their shorts were horrible and the line-up was absolutely sad. But it also reflects a more realistic relationship. You'll be there for the long haul.
I was touched by several pieces in this book. There's a lack of irony in breaking down the divide between low and high culture (without losing the humor in the absurdity of each project). One of the best things about reflecting on the art you love is seeing how it can change over time. Entertainment becomes something personal and later a part of who you are. Surprisingly enough, enjoying an act like the Three Stooges becomes more than being able to laugh at each joke. Every gag (or bomb) is an opportunity to reassess where you're at in your life, where you can guess the artists were, and finding a meaningful connection between them.
Here's my final breakdown. Moe's their leader. Curly is an otherworldly force. Larry somehow makes a career out of "being there." I've seen five shorts now, and I think I have enough sack now to sit through the worst ones and still see the upsides. I hope more people make the effort to apply the effort put into this book on other things they love. Maybe, like, U2 or something haha I dunno.
Ok, I'll confess!!! I had only seen one stooge short before ordering this book! I'm as fake a fan as you can get. But please try to admire my curiosity. I love becoming a scholar about something I really know nothing about.
This is a work of love from Stooge heads across North America with personal essays, academic analysis, historical content, and short comics. You can tell somebody is a true fan when they not only engage with an artist's worst works, but choose to write 3000 words about how they represent their oeuvre as a whole. Maybe for the Stooges that's simply easier to do when the common consensus is that there were periods where their shorts were horrible and the line-up was absolutely sad. But it also reflects a more realistic relationship. You'll be there for the long haul.
I was touched by several pieces in this book. There's a lack of irony in breaking down the divide between low and high culture (without losing the humor in the absurdity of each project). One of the best things about reflecting on the art you love is seeing how it can change over time. Entertainment becomes something personal and later a part of who you are. Surprisingly enough, enjoying an act like the Three Stooges becomes more than being able to laugh at each joke. Every gag (or bomb) is an opportunity to reassess where you're at in your life, where you can guess the artists were, and finding a meaningful connection between them.
Here's my final breakdown. Moe's their leader. Curly is an otherworldly force. Larry somehow makes a career out of "being there." I've seen five shorts now, and I think I have enough sack now to sit through the worst ones and still see the upsides. I hope more people make the effort to apply the effort put into this book on other things they love. Maybe, like, U2 or something haha I dunno.
August 31, 2025
As someone who grew up in the eighties in the U.K. where Laurel and Hardy, Harold Lloyd, Abbott and Costello and Three Stooges films were repeatedly shown as schedule fillers on BBC 2 or Channel 4, I grew up with a pantheon of American comedians that does not necessarily tally with the general consensus of the greats. I finally caught up with and loved WC Fields, the Marx Brothers and Buster Keaton but found Chaplin laborious and sentimental. I was shocked to see that generally Abbott and Costello and the Stooges were dismissed and not seen as equal to these greats. I didn’t care about the sheer volume of stuff they made and the possible low budget cheapness of the films. They made me laugh more than that bloody mawkish tramp fella did so they were okay by me
I still feel Abbott and Costello and the Three Stooges are unfairly dismissed. No lavish Simon Louvish books for them, alas. But I think both particularly attract children because Lou’s continued frustration at following mad things happening to him is a comic revelation for kids, feeling like a big child set upon by lunatics who don’t understand how his brain works. And the Stooges are just pure physical anarchy, the closest to live action Tex Avery cartoons you’ll ever get. There’s something primal about Curly wailing and getting beaten up and all three of them constantly and repeatedly tormented noisily that just makes sense as a kid. They’re silly and don’t have pretensions to anything more - again, bloody Chaplin and the worst of the Marx Brothers - and they revel in it
And this book not only revels in it but absolutely celebrates that wayward weirdness of the Stooges at their best. It’s one of the most joyous books I have ever read as a celebration of art. It ranges from silly and disposable, to incredibly informative (a couple of very handy guides to building a Stooge library for a start), to stimulating and unironic academic essays, to defences of the unloved corners of the Stooge universe (namely the Joes). It also has made me grin like a lunatic repeatedly and, especially in describing what I can only call the Joe Besser horse sequence, literally make me cry with laughter. It’s a thing of wonder and one of the best things ever written to celebrate any artist ever. I really desperately hope there’s a second volume because I love this so very much
I still feel Abbott and Costello and the Three Stooges are unfairly dismissed. No lavish Simon Louvish books for them, alas. But I think both particularly attract children because Lou’s continued frustration at following mad things happening to him is a comic revelation for kids, feeling like a big child set upon by lunatics who don’t understand how his brain works. And the Stooges are just pure physical anarchy, the closest to live action Tex Avery cartoons you’ll ever get. There’s something primal about Curly wailing and getting beaten up and all three of them constantly and repeatedly tormented noisily that just makes sense as a kid. They’re silly and don’t have pretensions to anything more - again, bloody Chaplin and the worst of the Marx Brothers - and they revel in it
And this book not only revels in it but absolutely celebrates that wayward weirdness of the Stooges at their best. It’s one of the most joyous books I have ever read as a celebration of art. It ranges from silly and disposable, to incredibly informative (a couple of very handy guides to building a Stooge library for a start), to stimulating and unironic academic essays, to defences of the unloved corners of the Stooge universe (namely the Joes). It also has made me grin like a lunatic repeatedly and, especially in describing what I can only call the Joe Besser horse sequence, literally make me cry with laughter. It’s a thing of wonder and one of the best things ever written to celebrate any artist ever. I really desperately hope there’s a second volume because I love this so very much
January 12, 2024
Even if you aren’t a Stooge fan (which I’m hardly a huge one), this is an excellent overview of a slice of film history.
July 9, 2024
I was floored when I bought The Journal of Stoogeological Studies: An Unauthorized Three Stooges Fanzine! Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk! What a laugh! This was one of those orders where I didn't have enough funds for free shipping. Boy, did I get lucky with this one! I was expecting a cheap little fanzine, but what I got was a heartfelt love letter from our three favorite knuckleheads.
The pages were filled with touching pieces that warmed my heart—so much so that I nearly poked myself in the eye like Moe! It’s a beautiful thing to see how the art you love evolves, just like Larry’s hair! Even if you aren’t a huge fan of the Stooges (hey, who’s going to slap you for that?), this is an excellent overview of a unique slice of film history.
It's got everything a Stooge fan could ask for slapstick humor, heartfelt tributes, and a dash of that good old-fashioned eye-poking, face-slapping, head-bonking fun. Curly would be proud!
The pages were filled with touching pieces that warmed my heart—so much so that I nearly poked myself in the eye like Moe! It’s a beautiful thing to see how the art you love evolves, just like Larry’s hair! Even if you aren’t a huge fan of the Stooges (hey, who’s going to slap you for that?), this is an excellent overview of a unique slice of film history.
It's got everything a Stooge fan could ask for slapstick humor, heartfelt tributes, and a dash of that good old-fashioned eye-poking, face-slapping, head-bonking fun. Curly would be proud!
October 6, 2025
A good grab bag of articles,comic strips, interviews, assorted odds, and ends dedicated to the film and TV comedy team, three stooges, in their various forms!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews