Ten Things You Mightn't Have Knoe About Moe

Despite Ted Healy giving birth to the act, and big brother Shemp being a Stooge first, Moe is undeniably the first name in The Three Stooges litany.

Moe, Larry, and Shemp
Moe, Larry, and Curly
Moe, Larry, and Shemp
Moe, Larry and Joey Besser (a pox on him.)
Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe

We'll leave previous Stooges acts faded into history along with the six pre- George Washington presidents. Too, we'll not count later incarnations of Joe DeRita, Mousie Garner, and Frank Mitchell. Plus Emil Sitka never really performed as a Stooge ... is there such a thing as too much Three Stooges knowledge? Yes, apparently, for the coherency of this post. Let's just say Moe's name is generally numero uno, amigo. Who the heck is Fred Sanborn? Never mind, that's who.

But how much do you really know about the fella? Let's start with the basics which I shall pilfer from stooges.wikia.com in order that I might link back to there so that you might follow and check that joint out.

"Moses Horwitz [June 19, 1897 – May 4, 1975] was born in Brooklyn, New York, neighborhood of Brownsville, to Solomon Horwitz and Jennie Gorovitz. He was the fourth of the five Horwitz brothers and of Levite and Lithuanian Jewish ancestry. In his younger years, he got the nickname Moe and later adopted the name Harry. Although his parents were not involved in show business, Moe, his older brother Samuel and younger brother Jerome all eventually became world-famous as members of the Three Stooges"

Now lettuce go deeper...

1. Moe was married to Harry Houdini's cousin.
On June 7th 1925, he lawfully wed Helen Schonberger. Together, they had two children. A year into their marriage and just one kid in, Mrs. Moe attempted to remove Mr. Moe from the field of entertainment -- but after a coupe of failed non-Hollywood attempts, he was right back at it via Ted Healy.

2. Moe's daughter wrote the book on him.
Well, one of the books on him. Well, five total books on The Three Stooges were written by Moe's daughter, Joan Howard Maurer.

• The Three Stooges Scrapbook (with Jeff & Greg Lenburg (1982)
• The Three Stooges Book of Scripts (1984)
• Curly: An Illustrated Biography of the Super Stooge (1985)
• Moe Howard and the Three Stooges (Written by Moe Howard & compiled by Joan Howard Maurer after Moe's death (1977)
• The Three Stooges Book of Scripts, Volume II  (with Norman Maurer (1987)

Got that?

Good.

Now, at 88 years of age, Mrs. Howard-Maurer still actively attends yearly Three Stooges conventions in PA.

3. Moe's trademarked bowl cut was a very early invention all his own.

This is a tired old bit o' trivia, but one I'd be somewhat remiss to not regurgitate. 

It would seem his mom loved his long curls and kept them down to his shoulders. One day, young Moe had finally grown tired of his Brooklyn, New York PS 163 classmates giving him grief re: his pretty locks -- and too manners into his young hands.

"He was so afraid that his mother would be upset (she enjoyed curling his hair) that he hid under the house for several hours, causing a panic. He finally came out and his mother was so glad to see him that she didn't even mention the hair." (Moe Howard and the Three Stooges, 1977)

4. Moe was a high school drop-out.

High School had nothing on the theater for young man Moe, "I used to stand outside the theater knowing the truant officer was looking for me. I would stand there 'til someone came along, and then ask them to buy my ticket. It was necessary for an adult to accompany a juvenile into the theater. When I succeeded I'd give him my ten cents — that's all it cost — and I'd go up to the top of the balcony where I'd put my chin on the rail and watch, spellbound, from the first act to the last. I would usually select the actor I liked the most and follow his performance throughout the play.

Despite his waning attendance, Horwitz graduated from P.S. 163 in Brooklyn but dropped out of Erasmus Hall High School after only two months, ending his formal education. To please his parents, he took an electric shop course, but quit after a few months to pursue a career in show business." (Moe Howard and the Three Stooges 1977)

He was sadly and tragically denied today's dream of being tens of thousands of dollars in debt on account of a MFA, while working in the mall.

5. Moe led the Three Stooges off-set, as well as on.

Especially in the case of Curly, whose affairs were handled almost entirely by Moe -- before the Super Stooge could blow all his moolah on women, booze, cars, and dogs. Yes, dogs. Curly loved pooches. Moe went so far as yearly filing Curly's taxes.

Across-the-board, however, it was Moe who brokered deals and represented the boys on business matters. Shrewd, he was.

6. Moe was also a Real Estate Salesman.

Gentlepersons, all H-wood careers wind down eventually. Plus, it beats selling insurance. He did continue to make appearances on both large and small screens, a whole bunch on The Mike Douglas Show.

7. Moe: Charity Maven.

"Moe worked for many charity organizations. He was a member and three-time president of the Spastic Children's Guild, starting in 1944. Just as with his own family, he derived great pleasure out of giving gifts to the children and loved to watch their faces as they opened their presents. Moe Loved playing Santa Claus for the Guild's palsied children at Christmas. He committed Curly and Larry to hundreds of benefit performances whenever and wherever asked." (neatorama.com)

8. Moe was quite the polymath.

"Moe's large range of interests included gardening, hooking rugs, and ceramics. He collected coins, stamps, and even tried his hand at wine making. An excellent amateur chef, he cooked a mean lasagna and cioppino, neither of which he ate himself; he just cooked them for his beloved wife to enjoy.

For exercise, Moe liked to golf and took a brisk two-mile walk early every morning. Moe also liked to attend football games, the fights, and midget auto racing. He enjoyed listening to barbershop quartet music and his favorite song was "How Deep is the Ocean." (neatorama.com)

As far as musical inclinations, Moe is known to have possessed a brilliant baritone voice.

9. Although a drop-out, Moe was a bright kid. 

Lots of bright boys drop-out, myself included. I dropped back in, too. And out again. But this ain't about me, gentlepersons -- pre-order your KAPLOWITZ Schmatta/Handkerchief by clicking HERE. This is instead about copying and pasting:

"Moe was an extremely bright child and at a very young age displayed an ability to quickly memorize anything. This ability carried over into later life, making him a quick study during his acting career. Brother Jack reminisced about his youth and his love for books: 'I had many Horatio Alger books and it was Moe's greatest pleasure to read them. They started his imaginative mind working and gave him ideas by the dozen. I think they were instrumental in putting thoughts into his head-to become a person of good character and to become successful.'" www.3-stooges.com

10. Moe, a Jewish sir, was the first American actor to portray Adolf Hitler.

To parody, natch.

Take it way, take it home, and break it down, Forward.com:

"In addition to their success in the early days of television and film comedy, the Three Stooges were unafraid to confront political issues. Their 1940 short “You Nazty Spy,” was the first Hollywood film to spoof Hitler (it was released nine months before Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator”), and Moe was the first American actor to portray him. The film, directed and produced by Jules White and written by Felix Adler, featured Moe as Dictator Moe Hailstone, Curly as Field Marshall Gallstone, and Larry as Minister of Propaganda Pebble. The trio, who ruled Moronica, resembled Hitler, Göring and a mix of Göebbels and Joachim von Ribbentrop in a period when the United States was still officially neutral. The spoof was made possible because although the Hays Code restricted political content in films, shorts were not as tightly regulated."

Moe cited You Natzy Spy and I'll Never Heil Again (1941) as his favorite shorts.