The New 3 Stooges

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The New Three Stooges cartoon series

The New Three Stooges was a syndicated TV series that ran from 1965-1966 on ABC starring the Three Stooges. The show follows the trio's antics both in live-action and animated segments. The cast consisted of "Curly Joe" DeRita, Moe Howard and Larry Fine with actor Emil Sitka co-starring.

Background

Forty-One live action sequences were executively produced by cartoonist Norman Maurer, Moe's son-in-law, who was their film agent at this time. Edward Bernds, who had directed The Three Stooges when they were making their ever-popular shorts from 1945-1953, was also hired to write and direct the series. Emil Sitka, who had appeared in many of the Stooges comedies over the years, was slated to appear in these wraparounds as straightman or stooge to the Stooges.

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The New Three Stooges cartoon series

Cambria Studios produced 156 short Stooge cartoons under the supervision of Lee Orgel. Four cartoons were produced to correspond thematically with forty of the live-action Stooge opening and closing sequences, so that one live-action sequence could serve as a wraparound for four different cartoons. (This proved to be one of the downfalls of the show, because many a viewer would turn off a show once they saw a wraparound they had seen before, assuming they're watching a rerun.) The "pilot" cartoon "That Little Bomb Maker" feature a unique live-action wrap around that wasn't reused on other cartoons.

Many fans dismissed The New Three Stooges as a disappointment. The animation was limited and of low quality, somewhat reminiscent of Rocky and Bullwinkle, although still not as limited in animation as Cambria Studios' three previous Syncro-Vox series, Clutch Cargo, Space Angel, and Captain Fathom. The boys were visibly aging during this time (Moe was 68, and Larry was 63), so the slapstick was subdued in the live action segments. In an interview on Rhino Entertainment's first volume of these shows, Lee Orgel also states that the Stooges' penchant for slapstick violence was kept to a minimum due to the concerns of parental groups.

The color television series did last successfully from 1965-1966. Although the show was last aired in syndication on WGN in the mid-1990s, it has on rare occasion been seen on Boomerang. Some episodes are currently available on VHS or DVD.

Notes

"The New Three Stooges" was also the name of a short-lived attempt by Curly Joe (along with Mousie Garner and Frank Mitchell) to form a new act after the deaths of Moe and Larry.

See also

• List of New Three Stooges Episodes (Includes full program credits)

External links

• The New Three Stooges at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show