Shemp!: The Biography of the Three Stooges' Shemp Howard, the Face of Film Comedy -- Burt Kearns, Hardcover

The definitive biography of the great Shemp Howard, an original member of the Three Stooges, and one of Hollywood's most influential actors that Kirkus Reviews calls an "illuminating... reworking of the Stooges mythology" and Patton Oswalt praises as "the only book you will ever need to read about anything. Burn all the other books -- there is ONLY SHEMP!"

Shemp Howard not only had one of the most distinctive faces of the twentieth century, but was also one of its most accomplished, influential comic actors and showbiz personalities. Along with his brother Moe and comedy violinist Larry Fine, Shemp was an original member of the comedy team that became known as the Three Stooges before he quit and set off on his own in 1932.

SHEMP! shows how he made an even greater mark in a successful and until now largely unexplored career in more than a hundred movie shorts and features. He appeared in comedies, dramas, mysteries, Westerns, and musicals alongside the biggest stars of the Golden Age, including W.C. Fields, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, William Powell, Lon Chaney, Jr., Myrna Loy, and the team of Abbott & Costello. Author Burt Kearns challenges the "official" version of Three Stooges history that's been repeated for decades, shattering myths while uncovering the surprising and often troubling facts behind the man's unlikely story: how the child of Jewish immigrants, supposedly racked by debilitating phobias, could conquer show business; the behind-the-scenes machinations that pushed him to return to the team; and the circumstances surrounding his untimely death.

Through interviews with fans, family members, experts, filmmakers, and celebrities, SHEMP! unearths treasures in Shemp's solo work, examines the "cult of Shemp" that thrives today, and confirms Shemp Howard's deserved place in cinematic history.

Author: Burt Kearns
Publisher: Applause Books
Published: 10/01/2024
Pages: 280
Binding Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781493074211

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2024

About the Author

Burt Kearns is an author, journalist, and film and television producer, dubbed by Vanity Fair as "a show business and pop culture savant." His books include Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel, Lawrence Tierney: Hollywood's Real Life Tough Guy, The Show Won't Go On, and the memoir, Tabloid Baby. His screenwork includes The Seventh Python, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, and Kardashian: The Man Who Saved O.J. Simpson. He also cowrote and produced, along with Academy Award winner Albert S. Ruddy, the Burt Reynolds comedy movie, Cloud 9. He lives in Los Angeles.