Curly’s Walk
For Curly Howard, of all the features of his hilarious character, his most memorable feature was by far his peculiar trademark walk. Though many thought this way of walking was intentional, and while he did in fact work to make his style of walking funnier, a major aspect of the Three Stooges act, in reality, his strange walk was actually the result of a tragic childhood accident which left him with a prominent limp.
According to his story, at just 12 years old, while cleaning a shotgun, Curly accidentally shot himself in the left ankle. Because he refused to see a doctor to receive surgery for his injury, the accident left him with a lifelong limp. Curly’s unusual on-screen walk was used to cover up the actors’ permanent impediment.
Joe DeRita
Joe “Curly Joe” DeRita was a member of the Stooges from 1958, up until 1969. Prior to his iconic role on The Three Stooges, DeRita, a Philadelphia native, was actually widely known as a child star, starting out in the Vaudeville performance scene when he was just seven years old.
Additionally, DeRita also appeared on the big screen, in movies including “The Sailor Takes a Wife” (1945), “People Are Funny” (1946), and “High School Hero” (1946). Sadly, the last surviving of the Stooges, DeRita came down with a fatal case of pneumonia, and passed away at 83.
The Three Stooges: Origins & Tragedies
Moe’s Bowl Cut
For the Three Stooges, one of their most memorable features was, without a doubt, their infamously strange and unusual haircuts. Considered an extension of their unique kind of comedy, Moe, who rocked his trademark bow haircut even after his retirement from the Stooges, had a very different, almost unrecognizable haircut as a child.
Interestingly enough, Moe’s infamous bowl cut hairstyle originated from a bad haircut. As the story goes, because his mother never let him cut his hair, as she always wanted a daughter, Moe’s hair as a child was long and curly. Consequently, he was incessantly taunted by his classmates, who teased him for his unusually long, shoulder-length hair. Eventually, Moe’s constant bullying would lead him to hide in a shed in the back of his house, and give himself the haircut his mother never allowed.
Larry Fine’s Violin
As every Stooge fan is well aware, Larry was extremely talented on the fiddle. However, the story behind his talent does not begin with his interest in music. Growing up with a jeweler father, there were always corrosive materials around the house, which his father used to test the quality of gold. Consequently, one day, during his childhood, a young Fine picked up what he believed to be a beverage, but what actually turned out to be a bottle of acid.
His father quickly smacked the acid out of Fine’s hand, causing the dangerous liquid to spill all over his arm, eating away his flesh right down to the muscle. In addition to receiving a skin graft for his injury, Fine also decided to start violin lessons, in an attempt to strengthen the damaged muscles on his impacted arm. At this point in time, this type of therapeutic technique was one largely accepted as a form of both physical and emotional healing. And so, the image of Larry Fine and his famous Violin was born.
Curly’s Hair
Ironically, though Larry was known for his very curly hair, in contrast, Curly, despite his deceitful name, actually had a very bald head. In addition to his signature walk on the Stooges, Curly was also widely known as the character with a bald head. However, surprisingly, it wasn’t always this way. Prior to starring on “The Three Stooges,” Curly actually had a pretty great, curly set of hair.
But this would not last. Ted Healy, the brains behind the group’s success, decided Curly was not as funny with all this hair, and initially refused to hire Larry as a Stooge. Thus, to prove his worth, Curly shaved his head for his role on the show.