Joe Besser, Curly Joe Derita and Emil Sitka Autographs

A good case can be made that the Three Stooges are the most successful comedy act in American history. The two Stooges who remained a part of the act throughout its history were Moe Howard and Larry Fine. The third Stooge position was filled by four different actors. Very few Three Stooges fans would disagree that Curly (Jerome) Howard was not only the most popular third Stooge, but he is the most popular of all the Stooges. That is quite an achievement considering that he was not a part of the group during much of the first stage of the Stooge act and he was deceased during their reemergence as feature film and merchandising stars.

Shemp, another Howard brother, is also a favorite among Stooge fans. He was a part of the act in the early days when the Stooges first came on the scene, and he is considered by most fans to be a very worthy third Stooge.

Joe Besser and Curly Joe DeRita are the other "third Stooges." Neither of them are favorites among Three Stooges fans and collectors. Many fans hate any Stooge production that Besser has a part in simply because that can't stand him. Besser was an accomplished actor before becoming a Stooge, but many fans believe that Besser watered down the act. Curly and Shemp, while they probably didn't particularly enjoy the real pain that was sometimes inflicted, allowed themselves to be slapped, kicked and verbally abused by Moe. It was a basic part of the act. Besser believed that it was low brow comedy and not very funny, and he wouldn't allow it.

By the time Curly Joe DeRita took over from Joe Besser as the third Stooge, the Three Stooges' target audience was children. DeRita was more than adequate playing to this audience, and unlike Besser, he actually appreciated being a Stooge. The Stooges made some of their best money during the DeRita years, much of it from merchandising.

Emil Sitka was never a formal member of the act, but he appeared in dozens of shorts and many of their movies. He is the only actor to have worked with all six Stooges. Sitka appeared in hundreds of films apart from the Three Stooges, but he is mostly known today for his Three Stooges work. His most memorable line with the Stooges "Hold hands, you lovebirds" is engraved on his tombstone.

The autographs of Joe Besser, Joe DeRita and Emil Sitka can still be purchased very inexpensively. Their autographs are probably a bargain at today's prices and will almost certainly rise. All three are a part of the Three Stooges legacy, and the popularity of the act among autograph collectors grows larger each year.

All three were very nice to their fans and signed through the mail in retirement.

Signed photos of Besser, DeRita and Sitka sell for less than $100 today. Signed cards begin at about $40. Signed Joe DeRita bank checks are on the market and they sell in the $50 range. The vast majority of signed photos and cards of all three (and the other four Stooges for that matter) are inscribed.

I have signed photos of all three in my collection: