Curly Joe DeRita

Infobox Person
name = Curly-Joe DeRita


imagesize = 200px
caption =
dead=dead
birth_date = birth date|1909|7|12|mf=y
birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
death_date = death date and age|1993|7|3|1909|07|12
death_place = Woodland Hills, California
spouse = Jean Sullivan (1967-1993)

"Curly-Joe" DeRita (July 12, 1909 - July 3, 1993), born Joseph Wardell, was an American comedian who is best known as the "sixth" member of the Three Stooges.

DeRita was born into a show business family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wardell's father was a stage technician, and his mother, a professional stage dancer; the three often acted on stage together from his early childhood. Taking his mother's maiden name, DeRita (Portuguese) [http://www.portuguesefoundation.org/famous.htm] Distinguished Americans & Canadians of Portuguese Descent] , the actor joined the Burlesque circuit during the 1920s, gaining fame as a comedian. During World War II, DeRita joined the USO, performing through Britain and France with such celebrities as Bing Crosby and Randolph Scott. He was married briefly sometime in the 40s to an unknown co-worker.

Career in the Three Stooges

Stooges director Jules White attempted to recruit DeRita for the Three Stooges after Curly Howard's stroke as Shemp Howard only wanted to be a temporary replacement. White wanted DeRita because he resembled Curly and wanted to make DeRita into the next Curly. However DeRita would not change his act and himself to be like Curly and White eventually had to give up on DeRita. [The Three Stooges: The Triumphs and Tragedies of The Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time]

After Shemp Howard died in 1955, Moe Howard and Larry Fine tried to complete the "Three Stooges" act with Joe Besser. His wife's ill health led Besser to quit the act after two years and 17 theatrical shorts. Familiar with DeRita's work, Howard asked him to join the act, and he readily accepted. DeRita became the first non-Jewish member of the Three Stooges. Because of his physical resemblance to predecessors Besser and especially Moe and Shemp's brother Curly Howard, DeRita was renamed "Curly Joe" and became the third Stooge in 1958. "Curly Joe" also made it easier to distinguish him from Besser (the previous Stooge called Joe).

DeRita's arrival coincided with changes to the Stooges' career. With the advent of longer theatrical films, Columbia Pictures' short films studio shut down, leaving the Stooges to seek their own full-length features. The team created a number of theatrical Three Stooges films, including "Have Rocket, Will Travel" and "Snow White and the Three Stooges". Aimed primarily at children, these films rarely reached the same comedic heights as their shorts. (Moe and Larry's advanced ages plus pressure from the PTA and other children's advocates led to a severe toning-down of the trio's trademark violent slapstick.)

While DeRita's physical appearance was reminiscent of the original "Curly," his characterization was milder, and not as manic or surreal. Curly Joe also showed a bit more backbone, even occasionally talking back to Moe, calling him "buddy boy."

DeRita has gotten his share of criticism from Stooge fans, often being characterized as "bland" or "dull". However, several factors affected the quality of his Stooge output for which DeRita himself cannot be held responsible.

DeRita recorded an LP "Burlesque Uncensored" in the 50s, that shows his forte was blue humor. Had Moe not died in 1975, The Stooges (with Emil Sitka taking on the role as the middle stooge) would have done an R-rated movie called "The Jet Set" (later produced with the surviving members of The Ritz Brothers and released as "Blazing Stewardesses").

Through the 1960s, DeRita remained a member of the team, participating in animated cartoons (with live-action introductions) and a failed television pilot titled "Kook's Tour". However, Larry Fine suffered a stroke in 1970, putting all new Stooges related material on hold. Emil Sitka was named as "the middle stooge", but never got to perform with the team. In later years, DeRita attempted to form a truly "new" Three Stooges. He recruited actors Mousie Garner and Frank Mitchell to replace Moe and Larry, but the act failed, and DeRita retired.

Nearly blind from diabetes, DeRita died in Los Angeles on July 3, 1993. He was buried in the Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood. His epitaph reads, "The Last Stooge.", even though Emil Sitka lived on another 5 years.

Although DeRita enjoyed working with Moe and Larry, and made a good living doing it, he was not a fan of the Stooges. He told an interviewer, "I don't think the Stooges were funny. I'm not putting you on, I'm telling the truth — they were physical, but they just didn't have any humor about them. Take, for instance, Laurel and Hardy. I can watch their films and I still laugh at them and maybe I've seen them four or five times before. But when I see that pie or seltzer bottle, I know that it's not just lying around for no reason. It's going to be used for something. I was with the Stooges for 12 years and it was a very pleasant association but I just don't think they were funny.” [Lenburg, Jeff; Howard Maurer, Joan; Lenburg, Greg; (1982). "The Three Stooges Scrapbook", p. 93, Citadel Press. ISBN 0806509465] ]

Further reading

*"Moe Howard and the Three Stooges"; by Moe Howard [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0806507233] , (Citadel Press, 1977).
*"The Complete Three Stooges: The Official Filmography and Three Stooges Companion"; by Jon Solomon [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0971186804] , (Comedy III Productions, Inc., 2002).
*"The Three Stooges: An Illustrated History, From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons"; by Michael Fleming [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767905563] (Broadway Publishing, 2002).
*"One Fine Stooge: A Frizzy Life in Pictures"; by Steve Cox and Jim Terry [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581823630] , (Cumberland House Publishing, 2006).

References

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