Oh, A Wise Guy, Eh?

When Panini releases Golden Age Baseball in late November there will be an additional “Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk”. In an announcement the other day Tracy Hackler discussed the partnership with C3 Entertainment, the Three Stooges license owner. The Three Stooges will make a 4 card appearance in the set, the first time they have been immortalized on cardboard since Breygent’s Three Stooges release in 2005.

 

So far only one card has been posted, containing Moe, Curly and Larry, so I do not know if all 6 of the Stooges will be included in some manor or another. I am a bit disappointed about Panini using a colorized image, I asked Tracy if all cards are colorized but I have not received an answer.

A quick run-down of the Three Stooges who appeared in television of films over the years:

1930-1932: Larry Fine, Moe Howard and Shemp Howard

1932-1946: Larry Fine, Moe Howard and Curly Howard

1946-1955: Larry Fine, Moe Howard and Shemp Howard

1956-1958: Larry Fine, Moe Howard and Joe Besser

1958-1971: Larry Fine, Moe Howard and Curly Joe DeRita

 

There were two other men connected to the Three Stooges who were never “officially” considered a Stooge though. When Shemp died in 1955 Joe Palma stepped in to fill his roles in unfinished movies. He was usually filmed from a distance or from behind so he was a stand-in only. Then in 1971 when Larry had a stroke Emil Sitka was going to take over his role in a television show they were working, the show was eventually shelved, but then in 1975 the team began work on the movie Blazing Stewardesses with Sitka but Moe died during production so the film was completed with the Ritz Brothers taking over the roles originally set for the Three Stooges.

 

The Three Stooges legend spanned 54 years and withstood alcoholism, abuse, legal involvement, threats of violence and deaths. These men entertained multiple generations and even now, over 90 years after Moe began his career as a Stooge, they are still making people laugh. .