Shemp Howard is one of the most recognizable faces of the twentieth century.
He was also one of Hollywood’s most influential comic actors. An original member of the Three Stooges, Shemp, along with his brother Moe and vaudeville violinist Larry Fine, perfected a brand of raucous, lowbrow, slapstick comedy that had audiences rolling in the aisles of vaudeville houses, Broadway theatres, and movie palaces, and left an indelible imprint on the face of popular entertainment. Then he walked away... and the new Three Stooges – Moe, Larry, and brother Curly – made history.
But Shemp didn’t disappear. He made Hollywood history on his own, in a successful and -- until now –- unexplored career in more than a hundred movie shorts and features. He appeared in comedies, dramas, mysteries, Westerns, and musicals -- alongside the biggest stars of the Golden Age, including W.C. Fields, John Wayne, James Stewart, William Powell, Abbott & Costello, Lon Chaney, Jr., Myrna Loy, and Marlene Dietrich.
Shemp! The Biography of The Three Stooges’ Shemp Howard, The Face of Film Comedy is the first book to challenge the “official” version of Three Stooges history that’s been repeated for decades, shattering myths as it uncovers the surprising and often unsettling facts behind the man’s unlikely story: how the child of Jewish immigrants, supposedly racked by debilitating phobias, could conquer show business; the behind-the-scenes machinations that pushed him to return to the team; and the circumstances surrounding his untimely death.
Through interviews with fans, family members, experts, filmmakers, and celebrities, SHEMP! unearths treasures in Shemp’s solo work, examines the “cult of Shemp” that thrives today, and confirms Shemp Howard’s deserved place in cinematic history. ( SHEMP!, published by Applause Books, Oct. 1, 2024)
