I Stooged to Conquer: The Autobiography of the Leader of the Three Stooges

Moe Howard's autobiography about his famous role as leader of The Three Stooges is both entertaining and heartwarming. This book includes countless black and white pics of the legendary comedy trio and their many movies and live theatre performances. Larry Fine and Moe H. consistently played their roles in this comedy team from 1934 to 1970. During that time, "Curly" was actually played by 4 different actors (Shemp Howard, Curly Howard, Joe Besser, and Joe DeRita). Actually, make that 5 actors if you count Joe Palma (a.k.a., "fake Shemp") who temporarily filled in for Shemp after his sudden passing to complete 4 short films that were under contract. Before The Three Stooges formed, Moe and his comedy team cut their teeth doing Vaudeville acts and eventually joined forces with Moe's childhood friend, Ted Healy, to make several popular movies. When Ted and the boys (a.k.a., "Ted Healy and His Stooges") finally parted ways in 1934, The Three Stooges comedy team was officially born and they enjoyed great success in the movies and doing personal appearances until 1958 when Joe Besser left the trio to care for his ailing wife. Sadly, 2 of the actors playing Curly suffered career-ending strokes and another died of a heart attack. Whenever one of the Stooges was confined to a hospital following one of many injuries from their famous slapstick routines or following a stroke, Moe visited them often to keep their spirits up and encourage their recovery. As described in this book, Moe was also a devoted hubby and family man and took time out of his busy schedule to entertain U.S. troops. One surprising thing that I learned about The Three Stooges was that they enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the early 1960s when children first discovered their old films being aired on TV. Thereafter, The Three Stooges' movie career took off again until Larry and the last actor playing Curly suffered strokes. For me, this book brought back many wonderful childhood memories of laughing hysterically at re-runs of The Three Stooges on Saturday mornings. Their silly nature and physical humor was one-of-a-kind and will never be duplicated.

An interesting biography of Moe as well as a little history of the brothers/cousins/other stooges. I found it delightful and a very good read. I'm a fan of the stooges so I would be willing to purchase again. Great read!

I recall watching The Three Stooges in childhood and feeling curious about the "real" lives of these zany comics. Although centered on his own life, Moe Howard's no holds barred autobiography contains plenty of material about his brothers, the other two members of the group. He covers not only the high points of The Three Stooges but also shares his story, - from birth (as Moses Harry Horwitz) to childhood memories, courtship and marriage, and his early introduction into show business. Of course, the book contains plenty of comical moments - but there is a fair share of tragedy as well. Because Howard's father dubbed him "ugly", by the time he was a child he became convinced that his father was right. Even so, he was determined to break into show business and didn't let his self-image hold him back. With the help of a kindly guard at Brooklyn Vitagraph Strudio, he eventually caught the attention of director Van Dyke Brooke - and the rest was indeed history. At first, Howard was cast as the street urchin, bad boy, and bully in most of his early films. He was only 11 years old when he began his acting career.In time, his brother Shemp (Sam) decided to join Howard and break into vaudeville. Years later, younger brother Jerome joined the act and became known as Curly. This completed the original Three Stooges - Larry, Moe, and Curly. I won't add spoilers about the rest of the information in this memoir. I will only add that is is a fascinating show business memoir, a look back at the early days of film and television history. The photos alone would be worth the price of the book - but the heartfelt writing is a nice bonus. A touching foreword by Howard's daughter, Joan Howard Maurer, reveals the softer side of "Moe." A filmography at the end of the book is a gold mine for trivia lovers and fans. Their astonishing number of films impressed me. I had no idea they'd done so many!

Moe was truly a brilliant comic, loving brother and family man, and a kind soul.

Beautiful book!

Bought on a whim and enjoyed reading it 3 to 5 times as much as I thought I would! Beyond that, absolutely fascinating insights into the early careers of the stooges, vaudeville and the movie industry in the early to mid 20th century. A bit sad as well, to see all the struggles and hardships involved in the group attaining the reputation and success they would finally be accorded. In the end, however, the book is about decades of laughs and enjoyment the Stooges dished out to one and all.

Moe. In a culture where entertainers now have a single name, Moe, Larry and Curly were sixty years ahead of the curve. And, it turns out, these three had no idea how funny, or precious they were. This biography, written by Moe Howard, apparently as he was dying, recaps one of the most amazing entertainment careers in the annals of comedy. In an act honed in burlesque, this pint sized tough guy spearheaded a bizarre and wildly funny act that brought a whole new meaning to the word "slapstick". Along with Larry Fine, the other worldly straight man, and his brother Curly, the wildly funny physical comedian, the Three Stooges brought laughs to many generations of people from around the World. Moe tells his story as a septeguanarian. Never incredibly insightful, nor too far in depth, he recounts his beginnings, but mostly breezes through his years as a Stooge. His writing on Curly is very brief, although it is clear he had a deep love for his baby brother. Likewise, the section where Shemp comes back as the third Stooge is mere sentences. The Stooges tried some innovative material with Shemp, such as 3-D film, but this is not discussed. Moe's passion seemingly was the Stooge renaissance, when TV re-popularized the 3 Stooges to the masses. This re energized their careers in their 60's, and began a string of movies and theatre bookings that reintroduced them to a whole new generation. I would have enjoyed a more thorough biography, or auto biography of Moe, with more insights, and stories about how they came up with their material. Wonderful to read about Moe, but I wanted moe.

Ok if you are looking for an in depth look at the Stooges career and friendships, this isn't the book. This was more of Moe just reminiscing. Kinda just like "oh when this happened and when that happened" BUT even so, its still a good read for any Stooges fan to hear his own words. I give this 3 stars for a couple of disappointments. 1. Pictures they show of their shorts, a lot of them are mislabeled. I feel that should have been caught. Maybe not in the 70s when it was first written but with out a doubt in the reprint copy of it. 2. His daughter Joan edited the manuscript he had completed after he passed away and put the book together. In reading the biography she wrote on Curly she stated how she used material the she removed from her fathers auto biography and used it for that one. Now obviously I have no idea how much Moe actually wrote or how well it was written but I feel it should have been released in its entirety, that how ever is a personal issue. 100% recommend this book for fellow Stooge fans.

Just an incredible look behind the scenes of a 50 year career in comedy. Would recommend for anyone who loves the stooges .

As a big fan of the 3 Stooges, I couldn't wait to read Moe's story in his own words. There are lots of anecdotes and behind the scenes stories, written in Moe's chatty, informal style, plus lots of great photos. Moe makes the reader feel as if they are a part of the Stooges's world. This book is a must in the collection of any self respecting Three Stooges fan!

I’ve been a fan of The Three Stooges ever since, as a child, I first saw them on our black and white TV so many decades ago. And today, each year, I make sure to get a copy of their wall calendar. So when I saw this book, I just had to get it. The book’s subtitle identifies it as Moe Howard’s autobiography. Although some important details of Moe’s personal life are indeed included, I found the book to be more about the Three Stooges’ professional lives as seen through the eyes of Moe. Included, of course, are a great many photographs of the Stooges spanning their entire careers. Moe gives a fascinating overview of the history of The Three Stooges, including several details about various aspects of their work, e.g., early days, contracts, life in show biz, performance venues, what went on behind the scenes, accidents and mishaps, other celebrities, etc. But through interactions with his wife, family, friends and colleagues, Moe also opens his heart to show the reader a very warm, sensitive and loving man – quite different from the character that he portrays as the tough Stooge leader. I found Moe’s writing style to be very clear, friendly, warm, captivating, passionate and very lively. Stooge fans everywhere should absolutely love this book.

Of all the families in vaudeville this act was so famous. They went on to be the mainstay of the two reeler type of comedy, which is the contribution of the studio from which they came to cinema..B movies..I dontknow some preferred ot to a pictures..and it was an act that was around for a long time. You can read the story and its being reprinted for the second time, I read it from citadel long ago, and went through many printings! I also recal MOe often was on the talk show circuit, coming on TV, and thanking the average fans for elevating and understanding the two reeler comedy, and how the act came out of the various comedic elements pre sound and had some original ideas. Curly was the main act, as a matter of fact, the two reeler phenomenon largely was centered around him, and he was a mainstay at his studio, and jewish persons and comedy and writing, just think of milt josefsburg and the many comedic writers who came from jewish backgrounds, and standup, its all those bible readings, hard work, moralisings..and conan obrien would say an interest in the opposite sex. He would put that first..I dont know..here we have Curly, who worked hard a s ayouth on the farm.A name called BABE, not a real name, but as he elaborates it was his nature, didnt talk much, express himself, theres always a submerged sexuality and antics prowling around an inventive comic who was spontaneous in so many ways always babe..how much of this is true I dont know. For many years supposedly he lived a life, whoose main experience was being jilted along with awad of cash..leavin ghim broke from a person with great earnings..and it caused a problem since he liked the dating scene.and thats where his comedy sprung from. The studio invested in great directors..when he no longer worked and the act continued..the directors were taken away and really great ones not brought in..since there wasnt a replacement with the same talent. The writing was adult,,after 1958 the act was retooled and adjusted to appeal to children and the pre 1958 shorts their best..cant be compared to what came after. JUst a baby..however we should note we are gleaning info from dates, married family men, hoarders, and others..we dont have his story..persons who couldnt sympathize with him or understand his comedy..it required insight and..something hard to express and great writers and directors were brought in and he had a hard days work i dint know of the others..less so. After his demise they wanted to fold the act..but it continued and remaine dpopular..moes story and he deals with family and other issues..the Horwitz family..vaudeville..and the kind of schmuck they did..to show you how callous things could be after he had a stroke on set..the exec/director just walked off the set..people were brought in to attend to him..probably not a true story much of the times can be gleaned from these scripts,,and Hal Roach..another great comedic contributor. Regarding curly, and the family has brought out a fourthcoming volume, and its good they try to set the record straight of their family, and for years they were thought to be an act which caused damage to viewers, made them violent, or this or that, and it wasnt until the elder moe was on mikes show, that they understood the comedy, im sure they knew this or that, but for some reason around that time it was thought to be art..quite honestly they were just a foil to their brother..which was strange and quite surprising..and the studio tended to serve his needs and wants they liked him and i dont know whether they got this act elsewhere..since they liked him..as a person..great directors, writers, situations..an dit turned out to be a great investment..will never hear his story unless you watch his show..the movie comedian..how he acts up with his brother..larry..women..theres not agreater character actor with women anywhere anyways..jokester..not always at an elevated level..but fun or whatever... a life taken too soon..but you are hearing others stories..what does come through in the acts..Good book!!,as moe says our fans rescued our act from baseless innuendos...theres something in that

I loved watching the three stooges while growing up and I recently started re-watching all of their episodes and movies. I bought this book as I wanted to know more about the personal lives of the main characters. Sadly, their is very little content regarding their perosnal lives. The book touches a little bit on Moe's upbringing, but that's about it. Most of the book is about them touring and making two reeler episodes. There is very little "behind the scenes" stuff. Also very little on the passing of Curly and Shemp - like one page on Curly and a paragraph on Shemp's. There is also no mention on how or when Moe's parents passed away. The photos are good but most of them were taken directly from their episodes and movies. Again, very little while they weren't filming. Was hoping to see photos of them on holidays or just goofing around with their families.