The Three Stooges (2000) (TV)

Director:

James Frawley

Writers (WGA):

Michael Fleming (book)
Janet Roach (television story)
(more)

Release Date:

24 April 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A biography of the Three Stooges, in which their careers and rise to fame is shown throughout the eyes of their leader, Moe.

Plot Keywords:

Slapstick | Vaudeville | Comedy Team | Stroke | Comedian

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Paul Ben-Victor	...	Moe Howard
Evan Handler	...	Larry Fine
John Kassir	...	Shemp Howard
Michael Chiklis	...	Jerome 'Curly' Howard
Rachael Blake	...	Helen Howard
Anna Lise Phillips	...	Mabel Fine (as Anna-Lise Phillips)
Jeanette Cronin	...	Gertrude Howard
Joel Edgerton	...	Tom Cosgrove
Marton Csokas	...	Ted Healy
Linal Haft	...	Harry Cohn
Brandon Burke	...	Harry Romm
Lewis Fitz-Gerald	...	Jules White (as Lewis Fitzgerald)
Peter Callan	...	Joe DeRita
Laurence Coy	...	Joe Besser
Phillip Hinton	...	Judge
Peter Whitford	...	Administrator
David Whitford	...	Bailiff
Harry Weiss	...	Solomon Horwitz
Buster Skeggs	...	Jenny Horwitz
Jillian O'Dowd	...	Cohn's receptionist
Olivia Pigeot	...	Cohn's secretary
Zoe Coyle	...	Betty
Helen Dallimore	...	Elaine
Peter Scarf	...	Moe (at 15)
Douglas Blaikie	...	Shemp (at 17)
Shaun Loseby	...	Jerome (at 9)
Lisa Reynolds	...	Dame
David Downer	...	Winfield Sheehan
Michael Gregory	...	Studio suit
David Baldwin	...	Louis B. Mayer
Len Kaserman	...	Jack L. Warner
Sally Clark	...	Crazy dancer
Geoff Bartlett	...	Del Lord
Gary Baxter	...	Felix Adler
Martin Pashley	...	Southern Colonel
Gunther Berghofer	...	Clyde Bruckman
Chris Burke	...	Henrie
Murray Bartlett	...	Trocadera Patron
Pippa Grandison	...	Blonde
Tamsin Carroll	...	Brunette
David Jobling	...	Nightman
Frank McNamara	...	Doctor
John Batchelor	...	Curly Wannabe
Peter Meisel	...	Guard (1958)
George Leppard	...	Redcap
Alan Zitner	...	Taxi driver
Alastair Duncan	...	Theatre manager
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Trent Atkinson	...	Clapper Boy (uncredited)
Christopher Baker	...	Clapper Boy (uncredited)

Directed by
James Frawley

Writing credits (WGA)
Michael Fleming		(book "From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons: The Three Stooges")
Janet Roach		(television story)
Janet Roach		(teleplay) and
Kirk Ellis		(teleplay)

Produced by
Eveleen Bandy	....	associate producer
Earl M. Benjamin	....	executive producer
Robert N. Benjamin	....	executive producer
Bruce Davey	....	executive producer
Tom Engelman	....	executive producer
Mel Gibson	....	executive producer
Stephanie Hagen	....	associate producer
Scott Kroopf	....	executive producer
Jim Lemley	....	producer
Neil Meron	....	executive producer
Timothy White	....	producer (as Tim White)
Craig Zadan	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Patrick Williams

Cinematography by
Robert Draper		(director of photography) (as Rob Draper)

Film Editing by
Scott Vickrey

Casting by
Mary V. Buck
Susan Edelman

Production Design by
Lawrence Eastwood		(as Larry Eastwood)

Art Direction by
Donna Brown

Set Decoration by
Faith Robinson		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Terry Ryan

Makeup Department
Margaret Stevenson	....	hair stylist supervisor
Margaret Stevenson	....	makeup supervisor
Anita Morgan	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Anita Morgan	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Catherine Bishop	....	unit production manager
Simon Lucas	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bob Donaldson	....	first assistant director
Andrew Power	....	second assistant director
Gordon Westman	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Ian Bickerton	....	construction manager
Robina Osborne	....	art department coordinator
Fiona Scott	....	associate art director
Joshua Black	....	set finisher (uncredited)
Karyn-Lee 'Lilly' Miyoshi	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Steve Riera	....	assistant set decorator (uncredited)

Sound Department
Anthony D'Amico	....	sound re-recording mixer
Carlos Delarios	....	sound re-recording mixer
Martin Pashley	....	production sound mixer
Jon Taylor	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Adam Grace	....	special effects props/propmaker
Leo Henry	....	pyrotechnician (uncredited)

Stunts
Glenn Boswell	....	stunt coordinator
Nancy Young	....	stunts
Raelene Chapman	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Angela Moore	....	stunt performer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Booth	....	gaffer
Darrin Keough	....	camera operator
Pat Nash	....	key grip
Julie Wurm	....	focus puller
Justin Sykes	....	assistant grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Ann Robinson	....	casting: Australia
Pauline Ocon	....	casting executive (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Heather Laurie	....	costume stand-by
Mouse	....	costume coordinator
Kerry Thompson	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Asim Matin	....	associate editor

Music Department
Tom Boyd	....	musician: oboe soloist (uncredited)

Other crew
Ben Breen	....	production accountant
Sally Clark	....	choreographer
Robin Clifton	....	location manager
Bruce Shapiro	....	dialogue coach
Clare Shervington	....	production coordinator
Kristin Voumard	....	script supervisor
Martin Kosinar	....	stand-in: Evan Handler (uncredited)
Matthew Murray	....	production associate (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Comedy III Productions Inc.
• C3 Entertainment Inc.
• Columbia TriStar Television
• Icon Entertainment International
• Interscope Communications
• Storyline Entertainment

Distributors

• Columbia TriStar Television
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (2000) (USA) (TV) (original airing)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

88 min | Germany:84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Comedy III Productions Inc.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The film Soup to Nuts (1930) is mentioned as a 20th Century-Fox production. 20th Century-Fox was not created until five years after "Soup to Nuts" was released. The film was produced and released by Fox Film Corporation.

Quotes:

Moe Howard:Is there anything you won't bet on?
Larry Fine:Yeah, a winner.

Movie Connections:

References They Stooge to Conga (1943)

Could have been better, but still very good

One of the better biographical TV movies, "The Three Stooges" suffers from the main failing that most such movies do: taking "liberties" with the facts. There are few things more annoying than watching a movie about people you know something about, and seeing an incident or event portrayed as having occurred that you KNOW never happened, or information given as "fact" when you KNOW it is completely wrong, and that happens several times in this film. Overall, though, it was somewhat better than I expected it to be. Paul Ben-Victor was very, very good as Moe. He had Moe's "Stooge" character down pat, and was surprisingly effective with Moe's off-screen character, although he didn't play Moe as quite the savvy businessman he was in real life--most of the Stooges' real money was made in personal appearances, and Moe made certain that some of Larry's and Curly's income was invested for their future, as they were both notoriously loose with their money (Curly on women, Larry on horses). Although the film for some reason shows Moe as living a sort of lower-middle class existence after his career ended, in reality he had made some shrewd investments over the years and by the time the Stooges broke up, he was a very wealthy man.

Michael Chiklis had the most difficult job--Curly has always been everyone's favorite Stooge, and most viewers would be paying a lot more attention to how he played Curly than how the other two actors played their characters. To Chiklis' credit, he acquitted himself extremely well. Curly, like his fellow comics Lou Costello and Oliver Hardy, was quite graceful for a heavyset man--they'd have to be, to do the kind of physical comedy they did--and Chiklis shared that trait, too. He also had Curly's mannerisms and voice patterns down pat, although his voice wasn't quite as high-pitched as Curly's was. Overall, Chiklis did a terrific job.

The one thing that really did surprise me, though, was how badly Columbia Pictures, and especially studio owner Harry Cohn, came across--and deservedly so, given the studio's shabby treatment of the Stooges and how it screwed them out of untold amounts of money. I figured that the filmmakers would pretty much whitewash, or at best just gloss over, Columbia's almost criminal treatment of the comedy team that basically put the studio on the map, but they didn't do that at all, which was refreshing.

If you're a Stooges fan you'll definitely like this movie, and even if you're not, it's a pretty good story of one of the most beloved comedy teams in film history. Check it out.