Fright Night

Shemp Howard was a successful comedic actor when he was contacted by his brother Moe to temporarily take his younger brother Curly's place in The Three Stooges' March 1947's "Fright Night." Curly had just suffered his second major stroke, and there was a question as to how long he would return.

Shemp was a logical choice to fill in for the ailing Jerome Howard (Curly). He and Moe began as a comedy duo back in 1922 along with boyhood friend Ted Healy, calling themselves "Ted Healy and His Stooges." With Larry Fine on board in 1928, Moe and Shemp became known as The Three Stooges. Shemp, born Samuel Horowitz (Howard), was the third of five boys in the Horowitz family, followed by Moe two years later and then Jerome eight years after that. Shemp's mom, speaking with a thick Lithuanian accent, pronounced Sam as Shem before reverting to Shemp. Ted Healy and The Three Stooges appeared in their only feature film in 1930's "Soup to Nuts." The Stooges broke from Healy because of his abusive behavior, only to join up with him two years later. The reunion lasted only a couple of months before Shemp had enough of the domineering Healy, quitting the act in 1932 to go on his own. Curly joined the Stooges as a replacement while Shemp embarked on a very successful film career on his own.

Independent of The Three Stooges, Shemp earned the moniker "the ugliest man in Hollywood." Artist Drew Friedman wrote, "Shemp had a range as an actor, which explains why he was such an in-demand character actor for years. Watch his smart, low-key, and essential performance as Joe Guelpe, bartender/proprietor of the Black Pussy Cafe, in W. C. Field's "The Bank Dick." Beside Field's 1939 comedy classic, Shemp made notable appearances in several high profile feature films, including 1939 "Another Thin Man," 1940 "The Invisible Woman," 1941 "Buck Privates" with Abbott and Costello, and 1941 "Hellzapoppin'" Shemp was 52 when asked by Moe to take the place of Curly when filming "Fright Night" began in June 1946, one month after Curly's stroke. Director Edward Bernds quickly rejiggered Curly's parts and dialogue for Shemp, who had a habit of ad-libbing. Shemp avoided imitating Curly's mannerisms and trademark phrases. Instead he introduced his soon-to-be-famous high-pitched "bee-bee-bee-bee-bee-bee!" while inhaling, and quickly adopted other humorous quirks. "Fright Night" opens with the Stooges as managers of boxer Chopper Kane (Dick Wessel). Shemp is volunteered to be his sparing partner, and soon finds himself twisted up between the ropes like a pretzel. As a big boxing fan, Shemp listed "Fright Night" as his favorite of all the 76 Stooges films he appeared.

Well, there's no doubt that Shemp Howard had some large shoes to fill in the wake of Curly, but "Fright Night" in my eyes shows that Shemp was definitely the right man for the job in being the new "3rd stooge."

In fact, Shemp was so good, that it makes me wonder what the rest of the stooges career would have been like had they sought out comedians like Shemp, who had their own style instead of replacing him with guys who fit the Curly mold--short, fat and bald.

Getting back to this short, Shemp must have had a great time filming this one, seeing as how it revolved around his favorite sport of boxing. In fact, I believe Shemp himself said that this was his favorite of all his stooge films.

While "Fright Night" is not exactly perfect, I would say that the Shemp-era stooges got off to a great start and the roll would continue for several shorts after this one, and a few that were all- time classics.

8 stars

When Clyde Bruckman devised the scenario for FRIGHT NIGHT, it featured Curly Howard's character since he was still one of the Three Stooges. By the time filming began, he had left the team due to illness and Shemp Howard replaced him. There's no indication in the resulting film, however, that Shemp was shoehorned in at the last minute. Without trying to imitate his brother Curly, he asserts himself as a Stooge, his buffoonery smoothly meshing with Moe Howard's browbeating and Larry Fine's flakiness. It's no surprise that Shemp effortlessly interacts with his partners as if he's been with them for years. After all, he had been with the team before Curly stepped in.

In FRIGHT NIGHT, the Stooges are fight managers who try to elude gangsters. Director Edward Bernds deftly executes the slapstick without resorting to tasteless violence. The short is peppered with funny gags, particularly a sequence where Moe manipulates an unconscious thug like a puppet to distract a pursuing thug. FRIGHT NIGHT also benefits from a well constructed and evenly paced storyline that generates suspense as well as humor.

All the Stooges perform admirably, but Shemp dominates the film. He is a comedic dynamo, conveying a delirious energy that belies his middle age. His broad mugging may not appeal to everyone, but those who enjoy this kind of comedy (like me) will find Shemp's performance highly adroit and diverting.

Overall, FRIGHT NIGHT is an enjoyable short that showcases the Three Stooges's comedy to good advantage and provides an impressive debut for Shemp Howard as a member of the team.

As good as Shemp is in his short-subject debut with the stooges, it seems to me that the writers and director were going easy on him in that he isn't given much to do. In fact, Moe and Larry don't have much to do, either.

Sure, Shemp has plenty of ring time in the beginning of the flick when he's sparring with Chopper. And he does his hilarious "I've got a little brother this big" bit. But throughout the movie, the action has the stooges merely reacting to what the other characters--Chopper, his girlfriend, and the thugs--are doing, rather than interacting with themselves. For me, it makes for an uninteresting show.

One exception is when Larry unknowingly bangs Moe on the head with a large piece, and then brags about it to him before Moe gets his revenge. This sort of slapstick is woefully missing from Fright Night.

And I always wondered why they named it Fright Night. No ghosts, no goblins, no mysterious houses--just a boxing match!

This short subject has our three goofballs as fight manager to Dick Wessell known in the ring as Chopper. After a sampling of their training methods which include an unwilling Shemp sparing with Wessell the guys put their hard earned dough om their guy.

Imagine their chagrin when the gamblers tell them tat they have to tell their guy the smart money is on his opponent and people don't live long crossing up smart money. he guys couild lose more than a bankroll.

After trying to reverse their training t all does work out rather nicely in the end. In filmland there is a special province for the 3 Stooges.

At east most of the timer.