Joe Besser
Encyclopedia
Joe Besser was an American
comedian
, known for his impish humor and wimpy characters, and is now best remembered for his brief stint as a member of the Three Stooges
in movie short subjects of 1957-59. He is also remembered for his television roles: Stinky, the spoiled mamma's boy in The Abbott and Costello Show
, and Jillson, the maintenance man in The Joey Bishop Show
.
, making him the only Stooge member not born on the East Coast
. He was the ninth child of Morris and Fanny Besser (Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe
). He had seven older sisters, and an older brother Manny who was in show business, primarily as an ethnic Jewish comic. From an early age, Joe was fascinated with show business, especially the magic act of Howard Thurston
that visited his town annually. When Joe was 12, Thurston allowed him to play an audience plant (as in "stooge"). Besser was so excited by this, he sneaked into Thurston's train after the St. Louis run of the show was over, and was discovered the next day sleeping on top of the lion's cage in Detroit.
Thurston relented, informed Besser's parents of the situation, and trained him as an assistant. The first act involved pulling a rabbit out of a hat. The trick involved two rabbits, one hidden in a pocket of Thurston's cape. But young Besser was so nervous that he botched badly, pulling out the rabbit from the cape at the same time as the other rabbit was on display, before the trick had been performed. The audience roared with laughter, and Besser from then on was assigned "comic mishap" roles only.
The zany comedy team of Olsen and Johnson
, whose Broadway
revues were fast-paced collections of songs and blackouts, hired Joe Besser to join their company. Besser's noisy intrusions were perfect for the anything-can-happen O & J format. Besser's work caught the attention of the Shubert
brothers, who signed Besser to a theatrical contract. Columbia Pictures
hired Besser away from the Shuberts, and Besser relocated to Hollywood in 1944, where he brought his unique comic character to feature-length musical comedies like Hey, Rookie and Eadie Was a Lady. During this period he appeared on the Jack Benny radio program in the episode entitled "Jack Prepares For Carnegie Hall". Besser also starred in short-subject comedies for Columbia from 1949 to 1956. By this point his persona was sufficiently well-known that he was frequently caricatured in Looney Tunes
animated shorts of the era.
In 1950 he appeared in the action film The Desert Hawk
.
Besser had substituted for Lou Costello on radio, opposite Bud Abbott
, and by the 1950s he was firmly established as one of the A & C regulars. When Bud and Lou filmed The Abbott and Costello Show
for television, they hired Joe Besser to play Oswald "Stinky" Davis, a bratty, loudmouthed child dressed in an oversized Little Lord Fauntleroy
outfit, shorts, and a flat top hat with overhanging brim. He appeared during the first season of The Abbott and Costello Show
. In 1953, Joe was cast for the role of Yonkel, a chariot man in the biblical low-budget color film Sins of Jezebel which starred Paulette Goddard
as the titular wicked queen.
on November 22, 1955
, his brother Moe
suggested that he and teammate Larry Fine
continue working as "The Two Stooges". Studio chief Harry Cohn
rejected the proposal. Although Moe had legal approval to allow new members into the act, Columbia
executives had final say about any actor who would appear in the studio's films, and insisted on a performer already under contract to Columbia: Joe Besser. At the time (early 1956), Besser was one of a few comedians still making comedy shorts at the studio. He successfully renegotiated his contract, and was paid his former feature-film salary (which was more than the other Stooges earned).
Joe Besser refrained from imitating Curly or Shemp. He continued to play the same whiny character he had developed over his long career. He had a clause in his contract prohibiting being hit excessively. (He usually reacted to Moe's anger by wimpily hitting Moe's shoulder and complaining. "Not so harrrrd!") Besser recalled, "I usually played the kind of character who would hit others back." He claimed that Larry volunteered to take the brunt of Moe's screen abuse. In a 2002 "E Entertainment" episode which used file footage of Besser, the comic stated that the left side of Larry Fine
's face was noticeably coarser than the other side, which he attributed to Moe's less-than-staged slaps. (Larry Fine's daughter attributes this, plus scars to the comic's left hand, to a chemical spill that occurred when Larry was a child.)
"Stooge-a-Polooza" TV host Rich Koz
has even apologized on the air before showing Besser shorts, as during the show's tenure he had gotten more than a fair share of emails and letters from fans expressing their outrage over his airing them. Third-stooge Joe does have his defenders—Koz himself once hosted an episode featuring only Besser shorts, and Columbia historians Ted Okuda
and Edward Watz have written appreciatively of Besser bringing new energy to what was by then a flagging theatrical series.
The Stooges shorts with Besser were filmed from the spring of 1956 to the end of 1957. His Stooge tenure ended when Columbia
shut down the two-reel-comedy department on December 20, 1957. Producer-director Jules White
had shot enough film for 16 comedies, which were released a few months apart until June 1959, with Sappy Bull Fighters
being the final release.
Moe Howard and Larry Fine discussed plans to tour with a live act, but Besser declined. His wife had suffered a heart attack in November 1957, and he was unwilling to leave without her. In later life, Besser praised Moe and Larry in a 1985 radio interview, of which a quote from said interview was aired on A&E Network
's Biography
. Besser said:
, and the voice of Babu the genie
in Jeannie, an animated version of I Dream of Jeannie
. He also made occasional appearances on the ABC
late-night series, also called The Joey Bishop Show between 1967 and 1969. Besser also voiced the character Putty Puss on the DePatie-Freleng cartoon series The Houndcats
in 1972. He appeared on the NBC variety show, Club Oasis
in the 1957-1958 season.
Later in life, Besser expressed some dismay that fans only recognized him for his brief tenure with the Stooges. However, he eventually softened, realizing that the Stooges continued to bring him his greatest exposure.
In 1984, Besser co-wrote with authors Jeff and Greg Lenburg his autobiography, Not Just a Stooge, for Excelsior Books. The book would be later retitled and re-published as Once a Stooge, Always a Stooge following his death in 1988.
Joe Besser recalled his friendship with the Stooges in an emotional speech referring to "the four boys" (Moe, Larry, Curly, and Shemp) up in heaven looking down at the dedication of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
on August 30, 1983. He was the only official Stooge to speak at the event, as Joe DeRita was ill at the time, although he would outlive Besser by five years. Stooge supporting player Emil Sitka
also appeared at the dedication.
In the spring of 2000, ABC aired a made-for-television movie about the Stooges, with actor Laurence Coy appearing briefly as Joe Besser.
, of Abbott and Costello
fame. In 1949, Besser appeared in one of Abbott and Costello's movies, Africa Screams, which also featured Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges. Joe and Shemp were old friends, having met in 1932.
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, known for his impish humor and wimpy characters, and is now best remembered for his brief stint as a member of the Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
in movie short subjects of 1957-59. He is also remembered for his television roles: Stinky, the spoiled mamma's boy in The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....
, and Jillson, the maintenance man in The Joey Bishop Show
The Joey Bishop Show
The Joey Bishop Show is the title of the following shows which starred American comic actor Joey Bishop:* The Joey Bishop Show , American situation comedy, broadcast by NBC and CBS...
.
Early life
Besser was born in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, making him the only Stooge member not born on the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. He was the ninth child of Morris and Fanny Besser (Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
). He had seven older sisters, and an older brother Manny who was in show business, primarily as an ethnic Jewish comic. From an early age, Joe was fascinated with show business, especially the magic act of Howard Thurston
Howard Thurston
Howard Thurston was a stage magician from Columbus, Ohio.-Life:Thurston had the largest traveling magic show for the time, requiring more than eight entire train cars to transport his props across the country...
that visited his town annually. When Joe was 12, Thurston allowed him to play an audience plant (as in "stooge"). Besser was so excited by this, he sneaked into Thurston's train after the St. Louis run of the show was over, and was discovered the next day sleeping on top of the lion's cage in Detroit.
Thurston relented, informed Besser's parents of the situation, and trained him as an assistant. The first act involved pulling a rabbit out of a hat. The trick involved two rabbits, one hidden in a pocket of Thurston's cape. But young Besser was so nervous that he botched badly, pulling out the rabbit from the cape at the same time as the other rabbit was on display, before the trick had been performed. The audience roared with laughter, and Besser from then on was assigned "comic mishap" roles only.
Acting career
Besser remained in show business and developed a unique comic character: a whiny guy who flew into temper tantrums with little provocation. Besser, with his frequent outbursts of "You crazy, youuuuu!" and "Not so faaaaaast!," was so original and so outrageously silly that he became a vaudeville headliner, and movie and radio appearances soon followed.The zany comedy team of Olsen and Johnson
Olsen and Johnson
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen and Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson were zany American comedians of vaudeville, radio, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Their shows were noted for their crazy blackout gags and orchestrated mayhem...
, whose Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
revues were fast-paced collections of songs and blackouts, hired Joe Besser to join their company. Besser's noisy intrusions were perfect for the anything-can-happen O & J format. Besser's work caught the attention of the Shubert
Shubert family
The Shubert family of New York City, New York was responsible for the establishment of the Broadway district, in New York City, as the hub of the theatre industry in the United States...
brothers, who signed Besser to a theatrical contract. Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
hired Besser away from the Shuberts, and Besser relocated to Hollywood in 1944, where he brought his unique comic character to feature-length musical comedies like Hey, Rookie and Eadie Was a Lady. During this period he appeared on the Jack Benny radio program in the episode entitled "Jack Prepares For Carnegie Hall". Besser also starred in short-subject comedies for Columbia from 1949 to 1956. By this point his persona was sufficiently well-known that he was frequently caricatured in Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
animated shorts of the era.
In 1950 he appeared in the action film The Desert Hawk
The Desert Hawk (1950 film)
The Desert Hawk is a 1950 fantasy adventure film starring Yvonne De Carlo, Richard Greene, Jackie Gleason, and Rock Hudson.-Summary:An arranged marriage forces Arabian Princess Sharahazade to marry Prince Murad, a cruel ruler. A thief known as the Desert Hawk hears about the wedding, disguises...
.
Besser had substituted for Lou Costello on radio, opposite Bud Abbott
Bud Abbott
William Alexander "Bud" Abbott was an American actor, producer and comedian. He is best remembered as the straight man of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Lou Costello.-Early life:...
, and by the 1950s he was firmly established as one of the A & C regulars. When Bud and Lou filmed The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....
for television, they hired Joe Besser to play Oswald "Stinky" Davis, a bratty, loudmouthed child dressed in an oversized Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by English playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's in 1886...
outfit, shorts, and a flat top hat with overhanging brim. He appeared during the first season of The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....
. In 1953, Joe was cast for the role of Yonkel, a chariot man in the biblical low-budget color film Sins of Jezebel which starred Paulette Goddard
Paulette Goddard
Paulette Goddard was an American film and theatre actress. A former child fashion model and in several Broadway productions as Ziegfeld Girl, she was a major star of the Paramount Studio in the 1940s. She was married to several notable men, including Charlie Chaplin, Burgess Meredith, and Erich...
as the titular wicked queen.
The Three Stooges: Joe, Larry, and Moe
After Shemp Howard died of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on November 22, 1955
1955 in film
The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released....
, his brother Moe
Moe Howard
Moses Harry Horwitz , known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades...
suggested that he and teammate Larry Fine
Larry Fine
Louis Feinberg , known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American comedian and actor, who is best known as a member of the comedy act The Three Stooges.-Early life:...
continue working as "The Two Stooges". Studio chief Harry Cohn
Harry Cohn
Harry Cohn was the American president and production director of Columbia Pictures.-Career:Cohn was born to a working-class German-Jewish family in New York City. In later years, he appears to have disparaged his heritage...
rejected the proposal. Although Moe had legal approval to allow new members into the act, Columbia
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
executives had final say about any actor who would appear in the studio's films, and insisted on a performer already under contract to Columbia: Joe Besser. At the time (early 1956), Besser was one of a few comedians still making comedy shorts at the studio. He successfully renegotiated his contract, and was paid his former feature-film salary (which was more than the other Stooges earned).
Joe Besser refrained from imitating Curly or Shemp. He continued to play the same whiny character he had developed over his long career. He had a clause in his contract prohibiting being hit excessively. (He usually reacted to Moe's anger by wimpily hitting Moe's shoulder and complaining. "Not so harrrrd!") Besser recalled, "I usually played the kind of character who would hit others back." He claimed that Larry volunteered to take the brunt of Moe's screen abuse. In a 2002 "E Entertainment" episode which used file footage of Besser, the comic stated that the left side of Larry Fine
Larry Fine
Louis Feinberg , known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American comedian and actor, who is best known as a member of the comedy act The Three Stooges.-Early life:...
's face was noticeably coarser than the other side, which he attributed to Moe's less-than-staged slaps. (Larry Fine's daughter attributes this, plus scars to the comic's left hand, to a chemical spill that occurred when Larry was a child.)
"Stooge-a-Polooza" TV host Rich Koz
Rich Koz
Rich Koz is a Chicago area actor and broadcaster best known as horror-movie host Svengoolie. Out of costume, he is also the knowledgeable host of the syndicated Three Stooges Stooge-a-Palooza program.- Beginnings :...
has even apologized on the air before showing Besser shorts, as during the show's tenure he had gotten more than a fair share of emails and letters from fans expressing their outrage over his airing them. Third-stooge Joe does have his defenders—Koz himself once hosted an episode featuring only Besser shorts, and Columbia historians Ted Okuda
Ted Okuda
Ted Okuda is an American non-fiction author and film historian. He has many books and magazine features to his credit, under his own name and in collaboration with others.-Career:...
and Edward Watz have written appreciatively of Besser bringing new energy to what was by then a flagging theatrical series.
The Stooges shorts with Besser were filmed from the spring of 1956 to the end of 1957. His Stooge tenure ended when Columbia
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
shut down the two-reel-comedy department on December 20, 1957. Producer-director Jules White
Jules White
Jules White born Julius Weiss was a film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring the Three Stooges.-Early years:...
had shot enough film for 16 comedies, which were released a few months apart until June 1959, with Sappy Bull Fighters
Sappy Bull Fighters
Sappy Bull Fighters is the 190th and final short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.- Plot :...
being the final release.
Moe Howard and Larry Fine discussed plans to tour with a live act, but Besser declined. His wife had suffered a heart attack in November 1957, and he was unwilling to leave without her. In later life, Besser praised Moe and Larry in a 1985 radio interview, of which a quote from said interview was aired on A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
's Biography
Biography (TV series)
Biography is a documentary television series. It was originally a half-hour filmed series produced for CBS by David Wolper from 1961 to 1964 and hosted by Mike Wallace. The A&E Network later re-ran it and has produced new episodes since 1987...
. Besser said:
After the Stooges
Besser returned to films and television, most notably as the superintendent "Jillson" for four seasons (1961–1965) of The Joey Bishop ShowJoey Bishop
Joey Bishop was an American entertainer who was perhaps best known for being a member of the "Rat Pack" with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dean Martin...
, and the voice of Babu the genie
Genie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
in Jeannie, an animated version of I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie
I Dream of Jeannie is a 1960s American sitcom with a fantasy premise. The show starred Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie, and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and eventually marries...
. He also made occasional appearances on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
late-night series, also called The Joey Bishop Show between 1967 and 1969. Besser also voiced the character Putty Puss on the DePatie-Freleng cartoon series The Houndcats
The Houndcats
The Houndcats was a 1970s animated television cartoon series shown on the NBC television network.-Plot:Loosely based on the CBS adventure series Mission: Impossible, it was headed by a combined team of dogs and cats, hence the name "Hound-Cats"-Members:* The "Houndcats" were led by the cat Stutz,...
in 1972. He appeared on the NBC variety show, Club Oasis
Club Oasis
Club Oasis is a 24-episode half-hour comedy-variety show, set in a chic simulated nightclub, which appeared on NBC in the 1957–1958 television season. The series alternated with The Polly Bergen Show in the 9 p.m. EST time slot on Saturday evenings...
in the 1957-1958 season.
Later in life, Besser expressed some dismay that fans only recognized him for his brief tenure with the Stooges. However, he eventually softened, realizing that the Stooges continued to bring him his greatest exposure.
In 1984, Besser co-wrote with authors Jeff and Greg Lenburg his autobiography, Not Just a Stooge, for Excelsior Books. The book would be later retitled and re-published as Once a Stooge, Always a Stooge following his death in 1988.
Joe Besser recalled his friendship with the Stooges in an emotional speech referring to "the four boys" (Moe, Larry, Curly, and Shemp) up in heaven looking down at the dedication of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
on August 30, 1983. He was the only official Stooge to speak at the event, as Joe DeRita was ill at the time, although he would outlive Besser by five years. Stooge supporting player Emil Sitka
Emil Sitka
Emil Sitka was a veteran American actor who appeared in hundreds of movies, short films, and television shows, and is best known for his numerous appearances with the Three Stooges—nearly 40...
also appeared at the dedication.
In the spring of 2000, ABC aired a made-for-television movie about the Stooges, with actor Laurence Coy appearing briefly as Joe Besser.
Personal life
In 1932, Besser married dancer Erna Kay (born Ernestine Dora Kretschmer), known as "Ernie". They were neighbors and friends of Lou CostelloLou Costello
Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...
, of Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
fame. In 1949, Besser appeared in one of Abbott and Costello's movies, Africa Screams, which also featured Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges. Joe and Shemp were old friends, having met in 1932.
Death
Joe Besser died of heart failure on March 1, 1988. His wife Erna died on July 1, 1989, from a heart attack at age 89. Both spouses are buried in the same plot in Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park CemeteryForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
.
Filmography
- Cuckoorancho (1938) as Wanderer- (short)
- Hot Steel (1940) as Siggie
- Hey, Rookie (1944) as Pendelton
- Eadie Was a Lady (1945) as Professor Dingle
- Talk About a Lady (1946) as Roly Q. Entwhistle
- Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin (1948) as Sharkey Dolan
- Africa ScreamsAfrica ScreamsAfrica Screams is a 1949 comedy film starring Abbott and Costello and directed by Charles Barton.-Plot:Diana Emerson is in the book department of Klopper's Department store looking for a copy of the book Dark Safari, written by the famed explorer Cuddleford...
(1949) as (Harry) - Waiting in the Lurch (1949) as Eric Potts- (short)
- Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey (1950) as Carlton
- Outside the WallOutside the Wall"Outside the Wall" is a song by Pink Floyd. It appeared on their 1979 album The Wall. It was written by Roger Waters.-Overview:...
(1950) as Cook (uncredited) - Woman in Hiding (1950) as Salesman
- The Desert HawkThe Desert HawkThe Desert Hawk is a Columbia film serial. It was the 23rd serial produced by Columbia.-Cast:* Gilbert Roland - Kasim, The Desert Hawk and Hassan, his Evil Twin Brother...
(1950) as Prince Sinbad - Fraidy CatFraidy CatFraidy cat is a slang term for a person who is very skittish or fearful.Fraidy Cat may refer to:*Fraidy Cat , a 1942 Tom and Jerry cartoon short...
(1951) as Joe- (short) - Aim, Fire, Scoot (1952) as Soldier (short)
- Caught on the Bounce (1952) as Joe (short)
- The Abbott and Costello ShowThe Abbott and Costello ShowThe Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....
(1952-1953) as Stinky Davis- (TV series) - I, the JuryI, the JuryI, The Jury is Mickey Spillane's first novel featuring private investigator Mike Hammer.-Plot summary:New York City, summer 1944. Although she runs a successful private psychiatric clinic on New York's Park Avenue, Dr. Charlotte Manning — young, beautiful, blonde, and well-to-do —...
(1953) as Elevator Operator - Sins of JezebelSins of JezebelSins of Jezebel is a 1953 film based on the Biblical story of Jezebel, the Phoenician princess whose influence corrupted King Ahab of Israel in the mid 9th century BC.-Cast:*Paulette Goddard as Jezebel*George Nader as Jehu*Eduard Franz as Ahab...
(1953) as Yonkel - The Fire Chaser (1954) as Eric Potts
- Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone KopsAbbott and Costello Meet the Keystone KopsAbbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops is a 1955 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.After the film was completed, Universal wanted to rename it Abbott and Costello in the Stunt Men, because they did not consider the "Keystone Kops" to be relevant anymore...
(1955) as Hunter (uncredited) - G.I. Dood It (1955) as Joe the Butcher
- Headline HuntersHeadline HuntersHeadline Hunters was a Canadian game show that appeared on CTV from 1972 to 1983. It was originally created by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir...
(1955) as Coroner - Two-Gun Lady (1955) as Doc McGinnis
- Hook a Crook Hook A CrookHook A Crook is an American comedy short released by Columbia Pictures on November 24, 1955. It starred Joe Besser and Jim Hawthorne.- Plot :...
(1955) as Joe- (short) - Army DazeArmy DazeArmy Daze is a 1996 Singaporean comedy movie based on the 1987 theater play of the same name by Singaporean writer Michael Chiang...
(1956) as Joe - The Three Stooges (1956-1959) as Joe- (short)
- The Silent Call (1961) as Art
- The Jack Benny ProgramThe Jack Benny ProgramThe Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
(1954-1961) various roles- (TV series) - The Errand BoyThe Errand BoyThe Errand Boy is a 1961 American comedy film directed, co-written and starring Jerry Lewis.-Plot:Paramutual Pictures decides that they need a spy to find out the inner workings of their studio. Morty Tashman is a paperhanger who happens to be working right outside their window. They decide that...
(1961) as Man watching rushes - Hand of DeathHand of DeathHand Of Death Hand Of Death Hand Of Death (aka Countdown In Kung Fu, Strike of Death or Shaolin Men, is a 1976 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by John Woo, starring Tan Tao-liang and James Tien, and featuring early acting performances from Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in supporting...
(1962) as Service station attendant - The Joey Bishop ShowThe Joey Bishop ShowThe Joey Bishop Show is the title of the following shows which starred American comic actor Joey Bishop:* The Joey Bishop Show , American situation comedy, broadcast by NBC and CBS...
(1962-1965) as Mr. Jillson - The MonkThe MonkThe Monk: A Romance is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796. It was written before the author turned 20, in the space of 10 weeks.-Characters:...
(1969) as Herbie- (TV movie) - Savage Intruder (1970) as Vic
- Which Way to the Front?Which Way to the Front?Which Way to the Front? is a 1970 film starring Jerry Lewis. It would be Lewis' last released film for eleven years , until 1981's Hardly Working. The unreleased The Day the Clown Cried was filmed in the years between...
(1970) as Dock Master - The New Scooby-Doo MoviesThe New Scooby-Doo MoviesThe New Scooby-Doo Movies is the second incarnation of the Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. It premiered on September 9, 1972 and ran for two seasons on CBS as the only hour-long Scooby-Doo series...
(1973) (voice)- (TV cartoons) - JeannieJeannieJeannie was a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in association with Screen Gems from September 8, 1973 to August 30, 1975 on CBS...
(1973) as Babu-voice- (TV cartoons series) - Scooby's All Star Laff-A-Lympics (1977) (voice)- (TV cartoons)
- Fred Flintstone and FriendsFred Flintstone and FriendsFred Flintstone and Friends was a 30–minute weekday animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired in syndication beginning September 12, 1977...
(1977) (voice)- (TV cartoons) - Yogi's Space RaceYogi's Space RaceYogi's Space Race was a 90-minute Saturday morning cartoon program block produced by Hanna-Barbera from September 9 to December 2, 1978 for NBC. The show also appeared on BBC in the United Kingdom...
(1978) as Scare Bear (voice)- (TV cartoons) - Galaxy Goof-UpsGalaxy Goof-UpsGalaxy Goof-Ups was a half-hour Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on NBC from September 9, 1978 to September 1, 1979...
(1978) as Scare Bear (voice)- (TV cartoons) - My Smurfy Valentine (1983) as Cupid (voice)- (TV cartoons)
Further reading
- Not Just a Stooge (later retitled Once a Stooge, Always a Stooge) by Joe Besser with Jeff Lenburg and Greg Lenburg http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1877961426, (Knightsbridge Publishing Co., 1990).
- The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer, and Greg Lenburg (Citadel Press, 2000).