HANK RANKS No. 21

My 8 Favorite Stooges + Ted Healy

There were seven Stooges in all...Moe was the first, with Larry and Shemp joining him in 1923...They worked as a supporting act for Ted Healy on the vaudeville circuit, and for the first couple of years they were known as Ted Healy & The Three Lost Souls, or Ted Healy & His Southern Gentlemen...In 1925 they started calling themselves the Stooges, but it wasn't until they parted ways with Ted Healy in 1934 that they started calling themselves the Three Stooges. It was also about this time that Curly replaced Shemp, thus forming the most famous (if not popular) combination of Stooges in their 53 year history (alot of folks like Shemp better than Curly).

After Curly suffered a stroke in 1946, Shemp returned to the fold for another decade, but by now, these guys were pushing 50, and the times had changed...For the next and last 20 years of the Three Stooges, three fairly large but unremarkable men would fill that third slot alongside Moe and Larry...Here's how I rank 'em.

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09: Emil Sitka [1975]

08: Joe Besser [1957-1959]

07: Curly Joe DeRita [1958-1975]

06: Ted Healy [1922-1934]

05: Moe Howard [1922-1975]

04: Ron Asheton [1969-1973, 2007-2009]

03: Shemp Howard [1923-1932, 1947-1956]

02: Curly Howard [1932-1947]

01: Larry Fine [1923-1975]

Hotcha! Hank