How The Death Of The Three Stooges' Shemp Howard Led To A Popular Film Technique

Shemp Howard was not fond of Ted Healy. Healy was known for excessive drinking (a fact that some attribute to his 1937 death after which he was allegedly in a fight, per Daily Telegraph) and Shemp was tired of not getting paid on time, so he left the Stooges in 1932 as Sensitive Skin notes.

Shemp’s replacement was his brother Jerome “Jerry” Howard, who went on to take the stage name Curly. With their classic lineup of Moe, Larry, and Curly in place, the Three Stooges went on to make a series of films for Columbia Pictures while Shemp went off and had his own career. Unfortunately, Curly suffered a debilitating stroke in 1946 that forced him into retirement, according to Britannica. Shemp rejoined the Stooges and they continued to produce successful films.

On November 23, 1955, Shemp Howard had just left a boxing match in Los Angeles. He and a friend hailed a taxicab and hopped in for the ride to Howard’s North Hollywood home, as the Three Stooges writes. He reportedly had just lit a cigar when he suffered a massive heart attack and died.

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