The Three Stooges

The Three Stooges were a hugely popular film comedy team of the mid-1900s. The original hit trio were Moe Howard (born Harry Horwitz, 1897-1975), his brother Curly (born Jerome Lester Horwitz, 1903-1952), and Larry Fine (born Louis Feinberg, 1902-1975). Moe was the irritable ringleader, Larry the mop-haired middleman, and Curly the nearly-bald dimwit -- although none of the characters was a mental giant. Stooge comedy consisted mainly of slapstick eye-gouging, shin-kicking, head-knocking, and the like, punctuated by Curly's signature "nyuk-nyuk-nyuk" chuckle. The group made nearly 200 comedy shorts between 1934 and 1958. The first 97 starred the original trio; after Curly suffered a stroke in 1946, he was replaced by his brother Shemp, then by Joe Besser, and finally by 'Curly Joe' De Rita. Extremely popular in their day, the Stooges gained a whole new following through TV reruns in the 1960s and '70s.

Extra credit: MGM Studios announced in 2009 that it was planning a new Three Stooges film and expected to cast Sean Penn as Larry, Benicio del Toro as Moe, and Jim Carrey as Curly. The film is to be directed by Peter and Bobby Farrelly, with an expected release in 2010.