Today is the birthday of Jerome Lester Horwitz. That probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but if I told you that Jerome’s stage name was Curly and he was one third of the Three Stooges comedy team, I bet that means something! Soitenly! I loved The Three Stooges and spent countless hours watching them on TV. Curly was my favorite Stooge and I even wrote a lengthy feature article on him for Gadfly magazine back in 2000. A link to that article and five other online articles are listed below and then, as always, there’s the upcoming MBIP Coming Attractions!
The Genius of Curly - When I lived in New York I wrote features for Gadfly magazine and this is an extensive one I did on Curly. It took a lot of research and it’s one of my favorite feature articles I’ve ever written. I’m glad it’s preserved online.
Curly Howard: The Tragic Stooge - A laughing on the outside, crying on the inside look at the last year’s of Curly’s life battling illness while trying to keep the show alive.
The Final Years of Curly (of Three Stooges Fame) - More facts about the sad end of Curly’s life.
The Tragic And Twisted Tale Of The Three Stooges - This is a great article on Curly and the Three Stooges and it includes facts such as they were on Hitler’s death list because of an anti-Nazi short film they made and the fact that Curly invented break dancing!
Curly of the Three Stooges: The Funniest Guy in the World - Duh!
Last Appearance of Curly and The Only Four Stooges Appearance - By 1947, ill health had forced Curly to retire from the Stooges and his older brother Shemp took over his Stooge duties. When they were filming the short film, "Hold That Lion," Curly visited the set and they worked up this improv scene for the film. It's the only time all four Stooges appeared in a scene together and this was Curly's last appearance in a Three Stooges film.
Last night I went to an Italian restaurant I had forgotten all about and that restaurant is Paparazzi in Peoria Heights. Before the whole phenomenon of “restaurant row” happened in the Heights, Paparazzi was the lone four star Italian eatery and it was extremely popular. I’m happy to report that it’s under the same ownership and the ambiance and the food is still four star! Tuesday we continue the new MBIP seven month steak tour and it’s going to be an unusual stop on the tour! Wednesday will be photos from an event happening this afternoon! This afternoon, starting at 1PM is Build Peoria’s Chili Cookoff in the Heights. It takes place in Tower Park in Peoria Heights and there’s beer, live music, and a dozen vendors with chili to be sampled and voted on. The rain looks like it’s going to ease up in the afternoon, so you should stop by and join in on the fun and festivities. Thursday I’m starting a new feature here and that will be unveiled on that day so stay tuned for that! Okay, I have to get some things done and then I’m off to the chili cookoff in the Heights, hope to see you there!
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