The Three Stooges Scrapbook
Encyclopedia
The Three Stooges Scrapbook was an unaired 1960 television pilot
starring The Three Stooges (Moe Howard
, Larry Fine
and Curly-Joe DeRita). The pilot featured the slapstick trio getting evicted from a rooming house for cooking in their apartment, looking for a new place to live, finding refuge in the home of a mad inventor (played by Emil Sitka
), and presenting an animated short called The Spain Mutiny that imagines the funnymen as part of Christopher Columbus
’ crew.
The Three Stooges Scrapbook was filmed in color and produced by Norman Maurer
(Moe Howard’s son-in-law), who hoped to establish a weekly program for children’s television. When no network wanted to pursue the project as a series, Maurer divided the pilot into two short films that were released to theaters. Maurer also reprinted the live action scenes in black-and-white and incorporated them into the 1962 feature film The Three Stooges in Orbit
.
To date, the original pilot has never been released on home video or DVD.
The Three Stooges Scrapbook is also the title of a 1982 book written by Joan Howard Maurer (Moe Howard’s daughter and Norman Maurer’s wife) and Jeff and Greg Lenburg.
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
starring The Three Stooges (Moe Howard
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...
, 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:...
and Curly-Joe DeRita). The pilot featured the slapstick trio getting evicted from a rooming house for cooking in their apartment, looking for a new place to live, finding refuge in the home of a mad inventor (played by 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...
), and presenting an animated short called The Spain Mutiny that imagines the funnymen as part of Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
’ crew.
The Three Stooges Scrapbook was filmed in color and produced by Norman Maurer
Norman Maurer
Norman Albert Maurer , a comic book artist and writer, was also a director and producer of films and television shows.-Comic books:...
(Moe Howard’s son-in-law), who hoped to establish a weekly program for children’s television. When no network wanted to pursue the project as a series, Maurer divided the pilot into two short films that were released to theaters. Maurer also reprinted the live action scenes in black-and-white and incorporated them into the 1962 feature film The Three Stooges in Orbit
The Three Stooges in Orbit
The Three Stooges In Orbit was the fourth feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita . Released by Columbia Pictures, The Three Stooges In Orbit was directed by long-time Stooge...
.
To date, the original pilot has never been released on home video or DVD.
The Three Stooges Scrapbook is also the title of a 1982 book written by Joan Howard Maurer (Moe Howard’s daughter and Norman Maurer’s wife) and Jeff and Greg Lenburg.