The Three Stooges April Fools’ Day Special (2017) 1

Though they disbanded in 1970, the vaudeville comedy team of Moe, Larry and Curly have never been far from public consciousness.

Founded in 1922, original line up was known as Ted Healy and His Stooges. The team consisted of Healy and Moe Howard. Later, Howard’s brother Shemp would join the group followed by Larry Fine.

They would appear in the feature film Soup to Nuts before Shemp struck out on his own. Younger Howard brother Jerome “Curly” Howard would replace his sibling in 1932. Healy would leave by 1934 finalizing the lineup.

They would appear in 90-short films for Columbia pictures from 1934 to 1946, when Curly suffered from a stroke. Unable to continue working, Shemp returned, replacing the younger brother. He would die of a heart attack in 1955.

By the 1960s, the Stooges were back in the public eye enjoying success in a new medium: television. Joe DeRita became the new third man, Curly Joe.

Larry Fine would be the next Stooge to suffer medical problems. He would suffer a paralyzing stroke in 1970, finally dying in 1975.

The Three Stooges April Fools’ Day Special (2017) 1

The Stooges appeared in 220 films during their careers. Since their first appearance on television in 1949, their work has never stopped airing.

In this American Mythology Productions one shot, the three are reunited in The Brothers Dim. Moe, Larry and Curly find themselves muddling through a medieval mashup. In true Stooge fashion, the trio save the day much to their disbelief.

The main feature is followed by a reprint from Dell Four Color 1187 or Three Stooges issue five from 1961. The Duped Deputies is another misadventure in the mild west as the trio save the town bank vault.

Their first foray in the four-color world was courtesy of St. John in 1949. The company published two issues of the self-titled Three Stooges book. They rebooted the franchise in 1953 and featured the slap-stick trio in another seven books.

Dell offered a mid-series replacement with four issues of The Three Stooges from 1961 to 1962 numbered six through nine. The Three Stooges Meet Hercules would appear as a one-shot adaptation of the movie in 1962.

Gold Key assumed ownership next. They published 45 issues from 1962 to 1972.

Not much was heard from the Stooges until Malibu published The Three Stooges in The Knuckleheads Return! in 1989 followed by The Three Stooges in 3-D and The Three Stooges in Full Color, both in 1991.

NBM featured the Stooges in two issues for 2012 entitled The Best of the Three Stooges Comicbooks.

American Mythology Productions is the latest to bring them to the printed page. In 2016 the Stooges were featured in Curse of Frankstooge, Halloween Hullabaloo, Stooge-A-Palooza and Merry Stoogmas; all one shots.

They would be teamed with Laurel and Hardy in 2020.

Happy April Fools’ Day.