The Three Stooges the Movie

The Three Stooges was an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films.

Their hallmark was physical slapstick comedy punctuated by quickly-delivered one-liners, within outrageous story lines.

MGM and the Farrelly brothers will direct the comedy movie, and are closing in on their cast for “The Three Stooges.”

Studio has set Sean Penn, trading in the drama for some serious laughter to play Larry, and talks are underway with Jim Carrey to play Curly,and on Benicio Del Toro to play Moe.

The film is a comedy built around the antics of the three characters that Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Howard played in the Columbia Pictures shorts.

Peter and Bobby Farrellys mission to harness the project takes more than a decade and three studios. They first tried at Columbia and Warner Bros., and ended up at MGM, where Worldwide Motion Picture Group chairman Mary Parent championed the cause and bought the WB-owned scripts and made a deal with Stooges rights holders C3.

Shooting will begin in early fall and for the release sometime in 2010. The Farrellys, who wrote the script, are producing with their Conundrum partner Bradley Thomas, and Charlie Wessler and C3 Entertainment principals Earl and Robert Benjamin will be executive producers.

The project will get underway after Penn completes the Asger Leth-directed Universal/Imagine Entertainment drama “Cartel.” He hasn’t done a comedy since the 1989.

The Farrellys have long had their eyes on Del Toro to play Moe. Del Toro, who’s coming off “Che,” showed comic chops in the Guy Ritchie-directed “Snatch.” And the surprise is the appearance of Jim Carrey to play Curly.

The Stooges were commonly known by their first names: “Larry, Moe, and Curly” and “Moe, Larry, and Shemp,” among other lineups. The act originally featured Moe Howard born Harry Moses Horwitz in 1897, brother Shemp Howard born Samuel Horwitz, and longtime friend Larry Fine born Louis Feinberg.

Shemp was later replaced by brother Curly Howard born Jerome Lester Horwitz October 22, 1903. When Curly suffered a debilitating stroke in 1946, Shemp rejoined the act.

After Shemp’s death in 1955, he was replaced by bald-headed comedian Joe Besser, after the use of stuntman Joe Palma to record several “Shemp” shorts after his death.

Eventually Joe “Curly-Joe” DeRita born Joseph Wardell would replace him. After Larry suffered a serious stroke in 1970 he was unable to continue performing.

Emil Sitka, a longtime actor in Stooge comedies, was contracted to replace Larry—but no film was ever made with him in the role, although publicity photographs exist of him with his hair combed similarly to Larry’s posing with Moe and Curly-Joe.

However, Larry’s paralyzing stroke in 1970 effectively marked the end of the act. He died in January 1975. Moe died of cancer a few months later.

This photo remains one of the most popular publicity shots of the team.