The enduring appeal of The Three Stooges

Few comic characters can have cast such as spell over movie-going audiences as that of The Three Stooges. From their early origins in 1920s vaudeville, Mo, Larry and Curly have managed to entertain huge audiences through their perfectly-formulated blend of slapstick and wacky humour.

Interestingly, by following the Three Stooges' progress through various media forms, we can chart the way in which the world of modern entertainment has adapted to changing audience demands and expectations.



Most modern movie-going audiences will be most familiar with The Three Stooges through the 2012 film that resurrected the brand through revisiting three of their most famous shorts in a modern setting. Although the 2012 Three Stooges film suffered some mixed reviews, the central cast members of Sean Hayes, Will Sasso and Chris Diamontopoulos did a good job of recreating some of the iconic character's more chaotic moments.

Similarly, the Three Stooges have also taken advantage of other modern media forms such as a slots game at the online casino site Sloto Cash. Featuring a variety of iconic Three Stooges motifs in a mobile gaming environment, the game illustrates just how highly the public regards these comic figures.

The famous three were also the subject of some animated television series in the 1960s and 1970s that sought to introduce the characters to younger audiences. The most notable of these appearances was Hanna Barbera's slightly surreal Robonic Stooges cartoons in 1977 that featured Mo, Larry and Curly as robotic superheroes.

However, it's undoubtedly the original Three Stooges short films that were produced for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1946 that form the most enduring impressions of the chaotic trio.



Each of the short films showcased the Three Stooges' comic talents in an array of amusing situations. Notable films include the famous A Plumbing We Will Go that saw Mo, Larry and Curly destroying a mansion due to their incompetent plumbing skills. Whereas the hilarious 1936 short film Disorder In The Court saw the stooges as the star witnesses in a high-publicity murder trial with predictably unpredictable consequences.

But despite the huge box office takings that resulted from the trio's comic genius, they were never aware of how successful they had become due to the machinations of the studio boss Harry Cohn. However, the legacy of The Three Stooges looks to enjoy a further resurgence with yet another modern remake of the iconic trio's adventures due for release in the near future.

Article by Oliver Forster.