Biography for
Joe DeRita More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

12 July 1909, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Date of Death

3 July 1993, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA (pneumonia)

Birth Name

Joseph Wardell

Nickname

Curly-Joe

Height

5' 4" (1.63 m)

Mini Biography

Born into a show business family, DeRita began performing at the age of 7. He played the Burlesque circuit until 1942 when he went to headline in California stage shows. He toured with Randolph Scott and Bing Crosby for the USO during World War II. Joe made his film debut in "The Doughgirls" (1944) and continued to perform in films, radio, and television before joining the Three Stooges in 1958. When Moe Howard's death ended the comedy team in 1975, DeRita retired.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Michael J. Bauman

Spouse

Jean Sullivan

(28 December 1966 - 3 July 1993) (his death)

Trivia

Last of The Three Stooges, of which, over time, there were six members in all. He was called "Curly-Joe." (See Ted Healy.)

DeRita was called Curly-Joe because he resembled early Stooges member Jerome "Curly" Howard (fat and graceful) and because there had already been a Stooge named "Joe" (Joe Besser).

According to Emil Sitka, when Joe DeRita was brought on board the Stooges, he was more or less an employee, not a full partner. Larry threatened to quit the act unless Moe made him a full partner.

When Shemp Howard died in 1955, Moe Howard wanted to recruit him into The Three Stooges. However, he could not join because he was under contract to Harold Minsky, where he was one of their top comics.

When Joe Besser left The Three Stooges, Moe Howard made another attempt to bring Joe DeRita into the act. The timing couldn't have been better; Joe had only a week left on his contract with Minsky. Joe was able to become a member of The Three Stooges (as "Curly Joe") just before they began a series of feature films.

His headstone reads: Curly-Joe DeRita "The Last Stooge".

In addition to his obvious talent, there was a physical reason why he was recruited into The Three Stooges. At five feet four inches, he was the same height as both Moe Howard and Larry Fine.

Is portrayed by Peter Callan in The Three Stooges (2000) (TV)

Personal Quotes

"He was like Curly in several respects, with his weight and his ballet-like grace despite his weight. Joe could do a little shuffle -- not quite like Curly -- but just as graceful, and it was hard to believe a guy that big was doing it." - Norman Maurer, director of Stooges' final films

(as 'Curly') "I keep trying to think, but nothin's happenin'!"

"I don't think the (three) 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."

Salary

The Three Stooges in Orbit (1962)	$50,000 +50% of profits (split with Moe Howard and Larry Fine)
Have Rocket, Will Travel (1959)	$30,000 +25% of profits (split with Moe Howard and Larry Fine)

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