Shemp Howard, was an American comedian and actor. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Litvak accent.
Shemp with his younger brother Moe Howard and partner Larry Fine in Sing a Song of Six Pants in 1947
Shemp in Brideless Groom in 1947
Moe Howard, Shemp (bottom center), and Larry Fine in Malice in the Palace in 1949
Crypt of Shemp Howard at Home of Peace Cemetery in East Los Angeles, California
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total Stooges appeared over the act's run ; Moe Howard and Larry Fine were mainstays throughout the ensemble's nearly 50-year run, while the "third stooge" was played in turn by Shemp Howard, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard again, Joe Besser, and "Curly Joe" DeRita.
The Three Stooges in 1937: (clockwise from left) Larry Fine, Curly Howard, and Moe Howard
Lobby card with Healy, Joan Crawford and the Stooges in MGM's Dancing Lady (1933)
A thinner Curly (with a full head of hair and false handlebar mustache) as the cook in Malice in the Palace (1949) with Larry, Moe and Shemp: Curly's scene was deleted from the final release.
Moe and Larry with Shemp (center) from Malice in the Palace (1949)