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Paul Howard, Moe's son, told about going to Shemp's house Friday nights with a friend to watch boxing matches on TV. But instead of watching the match they'd watch Shemp because Shemp would imitate the announcers and boxers and do fancy-footwork around the living room. Shemp Howard was a good soul who just wanted to entertain people.

"Thems fightin words in my country!" "Lets fight." "Well, we ain't in my country."

Love the fact Shemp, Moe, Larry contributed some of their salary to the recovery of Curly. Class act stooges.

When I was young, I would groan with disappointment when a 3 Stooges short featuring Shemp came in instead of one with Curly. But over the years, I have come to really enjoy Shemp. I now think of him as equal to but different than Curly. Thanks for showing Shemp some well deserved respect.

Shemp's shtick of when he challenges guys to fight is classic.

Moe: What does your watch say? Shemp: It don’t say nuthin, you gotta look at it. One of my favorite exchanges...

One of the reasons why I love Shemp is because he was his own thing instead of being a copycat of Curly Shemp was more like a fusion of Curly and Moe which is what made him more unique than his future followups

Shemp Howard is my favorite! He was very talented, brilliant, funny and I loved his infectious laugh.

People never believe me when I tell them Shemp was actually an original stooge.

it really sucks how badly the studios treated the talent back then. they were so mistreated and underpaid.

A family that produced 3 Stooges, that alone is incredibly special

Imagine how salty Ted Healy was that the Stooges would go on to completely eclipse his career and become the comedic icons we all love. I didn't even know who Ted Healy was until recently.

Most people don't realize that Shemp was actually the original third stooge. And he had his own style - he wasn't there to just do Curly all over again. Now that all of the shorts are out on DVD, we can reevaluate Shemp as a talented comic in his own right.

Shemp was always my second favorite behind Curly. He didn't try to be Curly, he did his own thing and it worked.

Absolutely wonderful documentary. Moe is my favorite and the brains of the act, Larry was the glue, Curley the heart and Shemp was the unsung hero.

Really Shemp is underrated but he deserves so much more than that, besides being one of the original stooges, he played a great role in the three stooges in his own way which was also funny.

It was amazing on how the quality of the stooge shorts did not fall off after Curley's departure. I attribute that mainly to Shemp.

One of the many things I like about Shemp is that unlike Curly who had the shaved head, his hair was fairly long so it made for a great visual when he got slapped around.

Shemp was my man! He was the funniest by far IMO. Moe holding one end of a measuring tape “How many feet you got?” Shemp ignores the tape & points down to his own feet and counts “two!”-priceless!!

Honestly, I feel conflicted whenever I have to decide between Shemp and Curly. Can’t go wrong with either. So much so that I almost wish there was more than that one moment in Hold that Lion where all four of them appeared in their own episode.

I love Shemp. Obviously Curly is great but there is something extremely interesting and loveable about Shemp.

Shemp=George Harrison. Underrated, surrounded by greatness and can still hold his own. Bravo good sir for this video

Shemp is my fave. I never tire of his hilarious facial and body jerk reactions to situations. Shemp's body language and gait were original, pure and iconic comedy. Curly was indeed great...but Shemp was something special.

Shemp's verbal and physical comedy were hilarious, as were his many ad-libs.

It was the only "third stooge" that didnt try to copy Curley, and made his own thing. He was in my opinion, the best stooge. Btw, I always wondered how the Howard brothers would have worked as the stooges, although I think Larry was esential for the trio to work.

It was a heroic move on the part of Shemp to join the Stooges when Curly could no longer. There could've been no other replacement. Shemp did it perfectly.

Shemp was and still is my favorite stooge. I think you described him perfectly, the idea that he didn't want to replace curly, rather he created his own stooge.

Shemp face on the opening credits of the short films was already enough to sell him. He was always my favorite stooge

There will never be another act as great as " The Three Stooges."

Shemp was hilarious, and it's as simple as that.

Shemp is my favorite. I watched these with my grandfather long ago and can still see my granddad laugh. To me, Shemp was the best.

Police man : Who's in that can !! Shemp: Just garbage (slap) OH !!!!

So sad, that off camera, these men lived difficult lives. Their performances live on and should be cherished

It was a tragedy what happened to Curly, and when Shemp stepped up when his baby brother couldn’t do it anymore he brought his own character to the mix. I thought he was every bit as funny as Curly! He was an excellent Stooge!

Whenever I grew up watching the Stooges on TV, I always hated it when they had Shemp on over Curly. But as I got older I have a much deeper appreciation for Shemp and I agree he was talented in his own merit and was the true MVP in saving the act after Curly went down.

I think one of the things I loved about Shemp being back in the act was that it opened up a lot more for Larry to get the spotlight in some shorts they were in.

Love this! Thank you for making it. I'm Moe's great-granddaughter, which makes Curly and Shemp my great-great uncles (or great, depending how you count it) I always have to explain to people that I'm related to three of The Three Stooges, but not Larry, and then I have to give a brief history lesson. Haha. Shemp is definitely underrated. Growing up, I watched the shorts a ton, but even we didn't have a lot of Shemp ones. I always liked him even so. I'm going to share this with some other Stooge family members. I think they'll like it.

I've always admired Shemp in that although he was Curly's brother, Shemp was the only "third Stooge" that wasn't a clone of Curly. (i.e. A fat, bald guy.) Pardon the seeming oxymoron, but Shemp was his own stooge.

I forget how funny Shemp was with the Stooges. He's just as hilarious as Curly. The way his hair gets in his face when he gets slapped tickles me.

No one could replace his dear brother and so he did his own thing and did it brilliantly 😍🤣 and even before that, he was a true comic genius

It's amazing that the stooges are almost a century old, and their comedy still holds up even today.

I too am a huge Shemp fan. One reason is the shorts from the Shemp era (late 40s through early 50s) just hold up better in this day and age. He was greatness.

Hard to say definitively but Shemp might be my favorite.

Though I wish you'd have included a mention of the "Fake Shemp" episodes which used Joe Palma as a stand in (with face always obscured) to complete the remaining shorts that the team had been contracted for prior to Shemp's sad passing, I appreciate this video a great deal as Shemp was indeed beloved in his own right.

Shemp was always my favorite, His fight scene was hysterical.

Shemp has always been my favorite stooge. Brideless Groom is by far his best episode and my all time favorite.

I've always loved Shemp, he really made a whole new character and he was so fun, his delivery, bodywork and overall persona were cativating, watching him do his shennanigans makes me so happy and nostalgic...he really put his soul and heart into the act when it needed the most, and that is one of the reasons i love him so much, thank you Shemp Howard, you are a true legend

Shemp is definitely underrated -- not only as a Stooge, but as a comedian in general. As much as I like Curly I have to say Shemp is just as funny, in fact more consistently so. Curly's deteriorating health showed in his later Stooge shorts whereas Shemp stayed the same. There are times where Shemp makes me laugh more than Curly does.

Sleeping Stooges: Moe: *_"HWWWWAAAK"_* Larry: *_"PEEEEWWWW"_* Shemp: *_"BEBEBEBEBE"_* Me: LMAO!

I have always felt that the Shemp years were the Stooge's finest. Besides Shemp being hysterically funny, the shorts had a consistency by this time where everything came together, seemingly effortlessly, and the "Stooge formula" had been fully developed, so to speak. Curly was a comedic genius, but I always preferred the Shemp episodes. All this time I thought I was alone in my opinion!

shemp is my fave. classic lines-- "have another sniff?" "no thanks, i gotta drive" "why that old tight wad, he'd steal flies from a blind spider" brideless groom makes me laugh like no stooges episode. when the ring goes in the piano...LMAO.

AMEN!! Shemp NEVER got the due credit he deserves as the most underrated Stooge!

Shemp was my favorite because he was the best actor, and the best episode (in my opinion) was 'The Brideless Groom'. His schtick with that woman where she thinks he's her cousin is priceless. Whenever an episode started and it showed his face at the beginning, I'd always say, "All right it's Shemp!"

When I was younger I didn't really like Shemp, he just didn't have that much "childness" compared to Curly. Maybe that's why kids really enjoyed Curly - he has this child-like personality. But when I got older into my mid-twenties I start to notice why people also adore Shemp, he brought a little more maturity to the roll while also being hyperactive. Nowadays I really love the stooges shorts with Curly and Shemp.

Shemp is without question my absolute favorite Stooge. I own a coffee mug with his picture on one side of the handle and the words "Legalize Shemp" on the other.

Shemps always been my favorite. He had the most/best one liners

I always liked Shemp for who he was. Sure, Curly was the breakout one for the Stooges, but Shemp had plenty of his own moments, too.

Shemp was an absolute riot in everything he did.

It’s great to see Shemp get some love here. He’s a great stooge abs very underrated in my opinion. I’ve always enjoyed the shorts with him in them. Thanks for this great tribute to Shemp 👍

I’ve always felt I had to be a closet Shemp fan because of Curly. Thank you for showing us how truly important he was.

Shemp's comedic timing was just amazing!! That cannot be taught. Had there been no Curley in the first place, the three stooges with Shemp would still be a famous act....but everybody realizes Curley was just impossible to follow.

My father and I laugh hysterically whenever shemp does the shadow boxing and fake fighting. Shemp was always my favorite of the three honestly.

Shemp is my favorite! From what I've read of his story, he was a dedicated man and at the same time a complete professional both being a talented actor and also being an amazing comedian not only in The Three Stooges but in his successful solo career at the same time underrated.

So many people dislike Shemp, but I love him because he didn't try to imitate Curly, he instead did his own brand of comedy. And it worked. I love Moe, Larry, Curly AND Shemp for the comedic geniuses they were.

So glad you brought up Shemp being the original 3rd Stooge. Most people don't realize that. I always liked how Shemp wasn't afraid to stand up to Moe more than the others

Personally I loved Shemp the best. His timing ,his self made physical comedy..I believed he learned alot when he went out on his own.. To "Shemp" much appreciated..

Shemp was a gem. Some of my favorite shorts are Shemp shorts. That's why the real stooges are Moe, Larry, Curley and Shemp. Everyone else fine without.

R.I.P SHEMP My Favorite Stooge Was Just Watching You and The Other Stooges Yesterday☝💯🕊

My five ex wives hated The Stooges! That`s why I have five ex wives!!! LOL

I notice Moe had bags under his eyes during the Joe Besser episodes however losing Curly and Shemp was too much stress on him I can imagine

Very nicely done, thank you. Each of the numerous Stooges was an inventive, veteran comic. I love them all, but feel that for sheer, raw talent (particularly his skill at ad libbing), Shemp is unsurpassed. On my first visit to Gary Lassin's fabulous Stoogeum, when I turned and saw "The Hall of Shemp," I knew I was in the right place!

Shemp was hilarious, and he was my Pop’s favorite. We would watch the stooges before church. It was some of the best times of my childhood.

Shemp is probably my dad's favorite stooge, he would just lose it whenever Shemp was doing his signature, "Be! Bebebebebebebe be!".

Shemp and Curly had different styles but both brilliant. I think though, that Christine McIntyre had her best scenes with Shemp, their chemistry was especially good.

Shemp has always been my favorite stooge(much love to all of them though) and its mainly cause my style of comedy when I tell jokes and the timing and delivery is so much like his. Definitely inspired me as with all of them tbh.

You see anything down there? Yeah, wires. 💀😭 My favorite exchange between moe and shemp.

I remember as a kid being all about Curly, it was as an adult I learned to appreciate Shemp Howard's talent. Hollywood realized this why he went solo. But he showed his loyalty to the family to returned to the trio after Curly's illness.

As a child the Stooges were huge to me, but I only loved Curly and hated when it was a Shemp episode. As an adult I have wised up a great deal, and Shemp is now very close to my heart as well. The scene above at 5:38 where he fights Vernon Dent is brilliant... he moves with grace as well as humor and it is all him. Curly would not and could not have done it. He also had a running gag whenever the mention of food (or breakfast) came up (like at 7:08) and he goes into a little dance while he says "love it... love it..." and I often think of that at meal times and laugh. God bless all of these men. We will never see their like again. Can you imagine them all in the same house as kids?

Shemp was so beloved by the cast; during his funeral stooge supporting actor Vernon Dent who was suffering from severe diabetes and was completely blind was led up to his casket and silently held his hand for a minute as everyone watched.

I love Shemp! He was a great stooge!

I remember asking my three-year-old daughter--Kelli--who her favorite stooge was . . . she replied, "Skrimp." Yep, that's the way she pronounced it. Well, Skrimp has always been my favorite Stooge as well.

Even as a kid in the 60s, Shemp was always my favorite :) And still is today ;)

Shemp didn’t need The Three Stooges as he already had a successful career. Shemp really is my favorite.

Shrimp is, has been, and always will be my favorite. I love how he vacillates between confidence and fear. One great physical comic of our day Michael Richards, better known as Kramer from Seinfeld, uses a lot of shrimp technique when you really look at it. Not only does he have the physical characteristics of Shemp but he also uses his hair like a prop just as Shemp did. Shemp is grossly underestimated and is in my opinion one of the finest comedians of all time. Long live team Shemp!!

Shemp was a wonderful performer and a great physical comic. I also love that his hair, falling down in his face just became another prop in his act. Joe Besser was a competent comic in his own right, but I think there are very few who could have stepped into the shoes that Curly or Shemp wore.

As a kid, I love curly. I thought he was funniest thing ever to grace the TV. When I saw shemp shorts, I would be disappointed that it wasn't curly and I didn't enjoy watching them as much. As an adult now, I can appreciate shemp for who he was and what he brought to the table. I can honestly say that I love shemp shorts just as much as curly shorts. I'm gonna make sure my kids get to grow up and see these truly timeless comedic legends.

Of ALL six Stooges, - Shemp was number one ! What's More, Shemp was the only one of the six to Star alone among the 6 !

I've watched the three stooges since I was a kid in the 70's, and Shemp has always been my favorite! Don't get me wrong, Curly is a great comedic genius in his own right, but Shemp is the one who always made me laugh the most! I enjoy the stooges with Shemp or Curly but Shemp is the one who I'd choose if I had to. Thanks for the video, it's been interesting and I learned a thing or two that I didn't know before.

The one of Shemp shaving with a straight razor still kills me.

They should make a new "The Three Stooges" show combining ALL of the stooges. It would be AWESOME too see all the stooges together in the same show. Especially seeing Moe, Larry, Curly and Shemp together. Besser, DeRita and Emil Stick would be cool too. If you count Ted Healy, Emil Sitka and Shemp's body double, there were 9 stooges in total.

Shemp was always my favorite

Shemp was a terrific 4th stooge and very underated Even though Shemp was the original 3rd stooge They were the best

As a kid, I was always disappointed when a Shemp episode came on instead of a Curley, but Shemp is an acquired taste, and is actually very funny with his own mannerisms. I am constantly doing his "Woah!" - said in an alarming, loud, throaty way. I am no longer disappointed when a Shemp episode comes on (I own the entire collection of original shorts). I also find the interplay between Larry & Moe was better during Shemp's tenure, and the sound effects much better & more often. Agree that Joe just didn't have it - too wimpy.

Shemp was a true strar, but also a star who really loved his brothers Curley and Moe and was bot afraid to help them in their hour of need even if that came at a great cost to his own solo career. What a guy he was. What a legend too! May he rest in peace.

I’ve loved Shemp, and was always glad when he was in the act. Curley and Shemp were both talented in their own unique ways.

Shemp was a solid performer and did a good job. His brother was just a tough act to follow.

About time Shemp gets his due. In my youth, was always disappointed when Shemp episodes were shown. Audible groans from me and my Stooge watching cohorts in fact. But funny thing, as I got older, I began to appreciate Shemp for much of what the OP described. But the conclusion I’ve come up with is this…Shemp vs Curly? Not a fair fight. Two entirely different animals. Each has their place. I’ve learned to appreciate each like I appreciate other great art forms from painting, to cuisine to music. For example, Curly: fantastic rock or pop. Shemp: be bop jazz. Think of it like putting early Beatles side by side to Charlie Parker respectively. Curly: the immediate sweet satisfaction of a chilled Coca Cola or Chocolate Malt. Shemp: the contemplative complexity of a full-bodied mid-70s Bordaeux or perfectly mixed Manhattan. Curly one of the great Norman Rockwell holiday depictions. Shemp: a Rothko or Kandinsky perhaps. Curly: Peter Pan or Cinderlla. Shemp: Candide. Curly: Sean Connery’s James Bond to Shemp’s Roger Moore follow up. You get the idea. Either brother, very different interpretations. Both tops in their class.

The three stooges comedic gold! They probably had no idea of television reruns nor KZfaq videos when they were alive but because of their genius they will live forever.

I grew up watching them on TV and enjoyed Shemp just as much. You can tell none of the other guys they brought in were even close to Curly and Shemp. Moe was an amazing guy, love his TV appearances in the 1970s. Such a long gone era where you had to be funny without all kinds of cut aways and video tricks.