In 1959 The Three Stooges returned with a new “Curley replacement” after the release of their theatrical shorts (their contract with Columbia had ended) led to a new generation getting hooked on their highly physical humor. The You Tube below contains the first-ever TV appearance of veteran comedian Joe DeRita as the latest incarnation of the late Jerome “Curley” Howard character. DeRita was actually quite good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Ba90cmiekYou can buy their DVDs here.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.