Moe Howard & The 3 Stooges: The Pictorial Biography of the Wildest Trio in the History of American Entertainment

by Moe Howard

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Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Humor, Film, Media Tie In, Memoir, Autobiography

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Moses Horwitz was the most active founding member of the Three Stooges comedy team. He began working with Ted Healy in vaudeville with his brother Shemp and the trio later became a foursome when they recruited violinist Larry Fine. They replaced Shemp with brother Curly and ditched Healy when they began making their famous shorts for Columbia. Moe was the driving force behind keeping the Stooges team alive when Curly and later Shemp had health problems that prohibited them from working anymore.

Moe was married to Helen Schonberger until his death and they had two children.

Reviews

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published posthumously, Moe Howard & the 3 Stooges is an autobiography in anecdotes by Moe Howard. Born Moses Harold Horwitz in 1897, young Moe skips school to watch (and study) the live entertainment dominating turn of the century New York. Ingratiating himself with a local film company, Moe makes his first screen appearance at age 12. Later it’s on to Vaudeville with older brother Shemp.

Of course this is for Stooges fans, but even though the comedy team doesn’t coalesce until the 50-page mark, Moe keeps the reader’s interest with Horwitz family hijinks and his own likeability. Watching The Three Stooges, Moe comes across as the brains of the organization. Behind the scenes, like his befriending of a black man which gets the Stooges booted from Jacksonville, he was also the heart.

The bulk of the book is focused on The Three Stooges, their short and feature films as well as their live shows and strenuous tour schedule (Moe recalls a headline “Stooges arrive in London–Queen leaves for America”). There’s some great trivia: the boys barely dodge broken legs in Three Little Pigskins, a poke in the eye during a heated card game becomes a regular Stooge move, Moe winds up with vicious Ants in his Pantry, but Moe also focuses on family life. He and loving wife Helen buy a house across from Bing Crosby, grow Victory Gardens, and host nightmare-inducing barbecues.

The book’s tone shifts towards the end as fellow Stooges die (first brother Curly, then brother Shemp, and finally Larry Fine). The Stooges gain a resurgence in the late 1950s as their shorts make their way to television, but Moe can’t recapture the magic – though he tries with a rotating roster of Stooges. The book ends with Moe alone, doing tv spots and lectures and closes – appropriately – with a pie in the face.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography (Moe's autobiography, really), is one of the most enjoyable I've read. While I'm a classic movie buff and love the 3 Stooges, I was apprehensive to read this book because I didn't want my love of the Stooges to be destroyed by learning that they were not nice people. Not the case here. Moe Howard comes off as one of the most caring and decent people I've read about. I wish he could be my next door neighbor (Bing Crosby got that honor). This book is full of fascinating anticdotes, such as how Curly got his haircut, how all the eye poking started, and that Moe really had phenomenal aim with a pie. Here's to you, Moe!

[Jim Gullo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been thinking fondly of the Stooges since seeing the fun, reverent, new movie recently. Was saddened to learn about Curly's early death through Wikipedia, and that in turn led me to grab this book on Amazon, completed by Moe just before his own death in 1975. It's a very sweet telling of his life and career, an old man's reminiscence, and gives a nice impression of the Meanest Stooge, who was actually a very sweet guy. Says absolutely nothing about the Stooge style of humor, not even a word about how the scenes were conceived or constructed, or where gems like "Niagara Falls" came from. Nor are there any thoughts on contemporaries like the Marx Brothers. Moe was a hard-working vaudeville comic, utterly loyal to his family, and your heart breaks for him when he writes about Curly's stroke and death, and then brother Shemp's and Larry's. Tons of pictures, most of which are publicity stills from the studios, although I found myself passing them over and enjoying more the candid stills of Moe and bros out of makeup and character. Nice piece of Hollywood history, and I'm glad I bought it.

[Samantha Glasser · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like the Three Stooges, you will like this book. Moe Howard was the leader of the group both on screen and off, and his memories cover the total history of the stooges from their start in vaudeville to the death of Larry.

While this isn't a complete biography, it offers personal stories and insight into the comedy group and it shows just what a nice and normal guy that Moe was. Although he lived next door to Bing Crosby, he never immersed himself fully into Hollywood's culture. His descriptions of his victory garden, his daughter's wedding at home, and his visits to the nursing home to visit Curly and Larry show he was a regular guy and that makes him all the more likable.

This book is heavy seasoned with photographs.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK so I am a stooges fan. Sometimes they are the only cure for a long hard day. This book is a great resource. Learn all you could ever want to know about the legend called "The Three Stooges". Very recommended

[Drew Kenyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve read any of my other reviews you know I have my obsessions… the Three Stooges were perched at #1 for the entirety of my single digit youth and well into the double digits. This is a great book, and it’s from the mouth of Moe himself! You’re not a Stooge fan if you haven’t read this. Filled with great behind the scenes stories and rare pictures. I got this book from Santa in like 4th grade and I’ll own it my entire life. Rated 5 Nyuks and an eye-poke! (PS if Larry isn’t your favorite Stooge, we can’t be friends).

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My hero.

[Geoff W · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really interesting... if you're a stooges fan. So that cuts out the entire female population. Moe's life was filled with tragedy and heartache. But he could throw a mean pie!

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome tale of growing up and vaudeville and being a Stooge.

[MH · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sort of show biz memoir they haven't much published since the 70s - oversized, loaded with gorgeous full-page pictures (publicity stills, shots from the family scrapbooks), and full of very constructed anecdotes about childhood and backstage foolishness that you might hear on the Mike Douglas Show. The pictures are great, and Moe tells some interesting stories about starting out in the business and the early days of the Stooges, but he doesn't even try to go deep with much besides his love for his wife and his resentment for Ted Healy - fourteen years of Columbia Pictures are dismissed in a few pages listing on-set injuries, and he literally spends more time writing about a bad dream he once had after a barbecue dinner than he does about the death of his brother Shemp.

[Dan Witte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there any rating less than 5 stars that could be remotely defensible? Despite its garage sale appearance (I’m reflexively conditioned to never judge a book by its cover), this is a solid memoir with priceless insights into one of America’s most seminal comedy groups — not withstanding the current Republican party, which is arguably tragicomic — and I enjoyed it very much.

[Vincenzo Ridente · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent biography about The Three Stooges and highly recommended for all Stooges fans

[Trey Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great tale of Moe Howard's life told by the stooge himself! Plenty of anecdotes and nice trivia accompanied by tons of cool photos

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good biography. Easy to read for all stooge fans!!!!!!!!! read this book !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lisa Marbly-Warir · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book a long time ago. I've always loved The 3 stooges, Jerome ie Curly was always my favorite. It was nice to read the behind the scenes and the personal stories from Moe's POV.

[☺Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a wonderful autobiographical history of The Three Stooges told from the perspective of Moe Howard. Loaded with great pictures and anecdotes. A must-read for fans of The Three Stooges!

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

read some time in 1985

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who better to tell the story of the Three Stooges--great read!

[David Monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandmother gave me this book for Christmas in 1980. I still have it.