Joan Howard Maurer
Today, Joan Howard Maurer, now 91 years of age, is still very active in the preservation of the Stooges’ legacy. Author of several books about the Stooges, including “The Three Stooges Book of Scripts,” as well as, “Curly: An Illustrated Biography of the Superstooge”. She was also notably the co-writer of the book, “Moe Howard and the Three Stooges”, a novel she wrote alongside her father. In addition to her books on the Stooges, Maurer is also a fairly active member of the Stooge fan community, and is a regular attendee in Stooge conventions across the nation.
Contrary to Moe’s typical chaotic demeanor illustrated on set, Maurer painted a very different picture of her father, describing him as a loving family man; a man who worked hard to maintain a strong bond with his family, even while on the road. According to Mauer, even when thousands of miles away from his loved ones, Moe made sure to maintain his relationship with his family, and often wrote them letters filled with loving thoughts when they were apart. To Moe, family was everything.
The Legacy Goes On
But their film debut doesn't end there. As it turns out, C3 entertainment, the owners of the Three Stooges Brand, just announced their plan of releasing a Three Stooges family film, which would feature your favorite Stooges as children.
In July of 2017, the company announced the name of the actors that would play the famous three main characters. These were Gordy De St Jeor, Liam Dow and Luke Clark.
Moe’s 120th Birthday
On June 19, 2017—the day that would’ve been Stooges actor Moe Howard’s 120th birthday—Joan Howard Mauerer, Moe’s daughter, paid tribute to her late father, in the form of a love poem Moe had written for his wife, shared on the Stooges official website.
Along with the poem itself, the poem was also accompanied by the following commentary: “In addition to his love, Moe had a drive to share his good luck with others. His poem “My Wish,” written to my mother in the 1920’s, is a perfect example of the lesser known side of my father.”
The Three Stooges Con
Even today, the Stooges continue to be memorialized and honored by fans young and old. In 2016, there was even a three-day Stooges convention, which took place in Trevose, PA, on April 1 (April Fool’s Day), up until April 3. Here, Stooge fans of every variety joined together to celebrate The Three Stooges. Along with the Stooge fans, Stooge descendants, including children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren, were also in attendance during the multi-day festivities. As a part of the three day Stooge event, Joan Howard Maurer, daughter of Moe Howard, celebrated her 89th birthday. As a part of her birthday celebration, she divulged many of her happiest memories of Moe, divulging that her Stooge Dad was “a devoted father, spoiling me like I was a princess, always bringing a present when he returned from a road trip.”
Another notable figure in the crowd was the event’s guest of honor, none other than Batman actor and television’s Adam West, who co-starred along the Stooges in the film, “The Outlaws is Coming”. Throughout the rest of the three days, fans were able to listen in on panels, presentations, and non-stop film screenings, and were even given the special opportunity to view a wide array of rare Stooge memorabilia and collectives, one of the most exciting being Larry’s iconic violin. According to Richard Cohen of Baron Conventions L.L.C., the convention was a huge success, and was overjoyed with the “great turnout”. This gathering was the first large Three Stooge fan gathering in more than 18 years.
Stooges Merchandise
The Stooges’ long-lasting legacy is reflected in the large demand for Stooge-related merchandise, many of these items are available for purchase in a wide array of websites today.
On the Stooges’ official website, fans can purchase anything from t-shirts, to hoodies, coffee cups, watches, puzzles, calendars, posters, comic books, golfing gear, to a number of other collectible Stooge items. Here, there seems to be a product for every kind of Stooges fan.