Joe Besser (born Jessel Besser, August 12, 1907 – March 1, 1988) was an American actor and comedian known for his impish humor and wimpy characters. He is best known for his brief stint as a member of

The Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

in movie short subjects of 1957–1959. He is also remembered for his television roles: Stinky, the bratty man-child on '' The Abbott and Costello Show'', and Jillson, the maintenance man on '' The Joey Bishop Show''.

Early life

Besser was born in St. Louis,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, on August 12, 1907. He was the ninth child of Morris and Fanny echtBesser,

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish immigrants from

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. He had seven older sisters and an older brother, Manny, who was in show business, primarily as an

ethnic An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

Jewish comic. From an early age, Joe was fascinated with show business, especially the magic act of Howard Thurston that visited St. Louis annually. When Joe was 12, Thurston allowed him to be an audience plant. Besser was so excited by this that he sneaked into Thurston's train after the St. Louis run of the show and was discovered the next day in Detroit sleeping on top of the lion's cage. Thurston informed Besser's parents of the situation and trained him as an assistant. The first act involved pulling a rabbit out of a hat. The trick involved two rabbits, one hidden in a pocket of Thurston's cape. But young Besser was so nervous that he botched it badly, pulling out the rabbit from the cape at the same time the other rabbit was on display, before the trick had been performed. The audience roared with laughter, and Besser from then on was assigned "comic mishap" roles only. Besser was placed by St. Louis juvenile authorities in a "corrective school" (reform school) at age 12.

Acting career

Besser remained in show business and developed a comic character: an impish but whiny and bratty man who was easily excitable and upset, throwing temper tantrums with little provocation. Besser, with his frequent outbursts of "You crazy, ''youuuuu!''" and "Not so ''faaaaaast!''" or "Not so ''harrrrd!!''" became a vaudeville headliner, and movie and radio appearances soon followed. The comedy team of Olsen and Johnson, whose Broadway revues were fast-paced collections of songs and blackouts, hired Joe Besser to join their Broadway show ''Sons o' Fun''. He appeared in five sketches, including one as the sissified "Cowboy Joe". Besser's noisy intrusions fit the Olsen & Johnson style perfectly, and Besser's work caught the attention of the Shubert brothers, who signed Besser to a theatrical contract.

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

hired Besser away from the Shuberts, and Besser relocated to Hollywood in 1944, where he brought his comic character to feature-length musical comedies like '' Hey, Rookie'' and '' Eadie Was a Lady'' (1945). On May 9, 1946, Besser appeared on the pioneering NBC television program '' Hour Glass'', performing his "Army Drill" routine with stage partner Jimmy Little. According to an article in the May 27, 1946 issue of ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' magazine, the show was seen by about 20,000 people on about 3,500 television sets, mostly in the New York City area. During this period, he appeared on the Jack Benny radio program in the episode entitled "Jack Prepares For Carnegie Hall" in June, 1943. Besser also starred in short-subject comedies for Columbia from 1949 to 1956. By this point, his persona was sufficiently well known that he was frequently caricatured in ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'' animated shorts of the era. He appeared in the action film '' The Desert Hawk'' (1950). Besser had substituted for Lou Costello on radio, opposite

Bud Abbott William Alexander "Bud" Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known as the straight man in the comedy duo Abbott and Costello. Early life Abbott was born in Asbury Park, New Jer ...

, and by the 1950s he was firmly established as one of the Abbott and Costello regulars. When the duo filmed '' The Abbott and Costello Show'' for television, they hired Joe Besser to play Oswald "Stinky" Davis, a bratty, loudmouthed child dressed in an oversized Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit, shorts, and a flat-top hat with an overhanging brim. He appeared during the first season of ''The Abbott and Costello Show''. Besser was cast for the role of Yonkel, a chariot man, in the low-budget

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

film '' Sins of Jezebel'' (1953), which starred Paulette Goddard as the titular wicked queen.

The Three Stooges

Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges died at the age of 60 of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

while on his way home from a boxing exhibition on November 22, 1955. Columbia had promised theater owners eight Stooge comedies into the 1956 season, and only four were completed when Shemp died. To fulfill the contract, producer-director

Jules White Jules White (born Julius Weiss; 17 September 1900 – 30 April 1985) was an American film director and producer best known for his short-subject comedies starring The Three Stooges. Early years White began working in motion pictures in the ...

manufactured four more films with Shemp's surviving partners, Moe Howard and

Larry Fine Louis Feinberg (October 4, 1902 – January 24, 1975), better known by his stage name Larry Fine, was an American actor, comedian and musician. He is best known as a member of the comedy act the Three Stooges and was often called "The Middle St ...

, working as a two-man team (with Shemp seen entirely in older film footage). After the last four films were completed, Larry suggested that he and Moe could continue working as "The Two Stooges." Studio chief

Harry Cohn Harry Cohn (July 23, 1891 – February 27, 1958) was a co-founder, president, and production director of Columbia Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation. Life and career Cohn was born to a working-class Jewish family in New York City. His fath ...

rejected the proposal. Although Moe had legal approval to allow new members into the act, Columbia executives had the final say about any actor who would appear in the studio's films and insisted on a performer already under contract to Columbia. At the time, Joe Besser was one of a few comedians still making comedy shorts at the studio. He successfully renegotiated his contract and was paid his former feature-film salary, which was more than the other Stooges earned. Besser refrained from imitating Curly or Shemp. He continued to play the same whiny character he had developed over his long career. He had a clause in his contract that prohibited being hit excessively. Besser recalled, "I usually played the kind of character who would hit others back." He claimed that Larry volunteered to take the brunt of Moe's screen abuse. In a 2002 E! channel program that used file footage of Besser, the comic stated that the left side of

's face was noticeably coarser than the other side, which he attributed to Moe's slaps. As a result of his whiny persona and lack of true slapstick punishment against him (a cornerstone of Stooge humor), Joe has been less popular with contemporary Stooge aficionados, so much so that "Stooge-a-Polooza" TV host Rich Koz has even apologized on the air before showing Besser shorts; during the show's tenure, he received more than a few letters from viewers expressing their outrage over his airing them. Besser does have his defenders, however. Columbia historians Edward Watz and Ted Okuda have written appreciatively of Besser for bringing new energy to what was by then a flagging theatrical series. The Stooges shorts with Besser were filmed from the spring of 1956 to the end of 1957. His Stooge tenure ended when Columbia shut down the two-reel comedy department on December 20, 1957. Jules White had shot enough film for 16 comedies (two years' worth of releases), which were issued a few months apart until June 1959, with '' Sappy Bull Fighters'' being the final release. After Besser joined the team, for the first time in their career, the Stooges did not make any personal appearances during their layoff season, which began in 1956. There was a longtime belief, based on an existing ad, that the Stooges once performed live, with Besser as the third stooge, at the Paramount Theatre, Los Angeles, some time around 1957. It was later found that the ad was erroneously used for the act's personal appearances in December 1959, with Joe DeRita, rather than Besser, as part of the lineup. In fact, Besser never made ''any'' personal appearances as a member of the Three Stooges. After their contract with Columbia ended, Moe Howard and Larry Fine discussed plans for a personal appearance tour, but Besser declined. His wife had suffered a heart attack in November 1957, and he was unwilling to leave without her. In later life, Besser praised Moe and Larry in a 1985 radio interview, from which a quote was aired on A&E Network's ''

Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...

''. Besser said:

After the Stooges

Besser returned to films and television, most notably as the superintendent Jillson for four seasons (1961–1965) of '' The Joey Bishop Show''. He also made occasional appearances on the ABC late-night series, also called ''The Joey Bishop Show,'' between 1967 and 1969. Besser also had roles on '' The Mothers-in-Law'', ''

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

'', '' The Good Guys'', '' That Girl'', and '' Love, American Style''. He provided the voice of the dragon on '' The Alvin Show'' (1961), and he played Chubby Stone in the episode "Cry Love, Cry Murder" (S3 E25) of the private-eye series ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...

'' (1961). Besser also provided voices for several Saturday morning cartoon series in the 1970s. He voiced the character Putty Puss in '' The Houndcats'' (1972), bumbling genie Babu in '' Jeannie'' (1973), (inspired by ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy sitcom television series created by Sidney Sheldon and starring Barbara Eden as a beautiful but guileless 2,000-year-old Jinn, genie and Larry Hagman as an astronaut with whom s ...

'') and '' Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics'', and as Scare Bear in '' Yogi's Space Race'' (1978). Besser's career slowed somewhat after he suffered a minor

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

in 1979, resulting in considerable weight loss. His last role was in ''The Smurfs'' in 1983. In 1984, Besser co-wrote his autobiography with authors Jeff and Greg Lenburg, ''Not Just a Stooge''. The title reflected Besser's dismay that people only recognized him for his brief tenure with the Stooges, and not for his long career as a solo comedian. However, he eventually softened, realizing that the Stooges continued to bring him his greatest exposure. The book would be retitled and republished as ''Once a Stooge, Always a Stooge'' following his death in 1988. Joe Besser recalled his friendship with the Stooges in an emotional speech, referring to "the four boys oe, Larry, Curly, and Shemp... up in heaven" looking down at the dedication of a star to The Three Stooges on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

on August 30, 1983. Stooges co-actor Emil Sitka, the only other Stooge attendee, also spoke; the only other surviving Stooge, Joe DeRita, was ill at the time, though he outlived Besser by five years. In the spring of 2000, ABC aired a made-for-television movie ''

'', with actor Laurence Coy appearing briefly as Besser. This depiction of Besser has been criticized as being unfairly negative.

Personal life

In 1932, Besser married dancer Erna Kay (born Ernestine Dora Kretschmer), known as "Ernie".'Three Stooges' Actor Joe Besser Dies at Age 80
''www.washingtonpost.com'', accessed 22 February 2021 The couple had no children. They were neighbors and friends of

Lou Costello Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), better known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with Bud Abbott and their routine " Who's on First?". Abbott and Cos ...

, of the Abbott and Costello duo. Besser appeared in the Abbott and Costello movie '' Africa Screams'' (1949), which also featured Shemp Howard of

the Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

. Joe and Shemp were old friends, having met in 1932. His cousin's grandson is Upright Citizens Brigade theater co-founder and improviser/comedian Matt Besser.

Death

Joe Besser died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

on March 1, 1988, at the age of 80. His wife Erna died on July 1, 1989, from a heart attack at age 89. Both spouses are buried in the same plot in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition. Joe's marker reads, "Joe Besser / August 12, 1907 – March 1, 1988 / He Brought the World Love and Laughter", while Erna's reads, "Ernestine Besser / March 14, 1900 – July 1, 1989 / In Loving Memory." Besser's Stooge partner

is interred in a crypt at the Freedom Mausoleum, which is a short distance away from the tomb.

Selected filmography

Theatrical

Features

* '' Hot Steel'' (1940) – Siggie * '' Hey, Rookie'' (1944) – Pendelton * '' Eadie Was a Lady'' (1945) – Professor Dingle * '' Talk About a Lady'' (1946) – Roly Q. Entwhistle * ''Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'' (1948) – Sharkey Dolan * '' Africa Screams'' (1949) – Harry * '' Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey'' (1950) – Carlton * '' Outside the Wall'' (1950) – cook (uncredited) * '' Woman in Hiding'' (1950) – salesman * '' The Desert Hawk'' (1950) – Prince Sinbad * '' I, the Jury'' (1953) – Elevator Operator * '' Sins of Jezebel'' (1953) – Yonkel * '' Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops'' (1955) – Hunter (uncredited) * '' Headline Hunters'' (1955) – Coroner * '' Two-Gun Lady'' (1955) – Doc McGinnis * '' Three Stooges Fun-O-Rama'' (1959) * '' Say One for Me'' (1959) – Joe Greb * '' Let's Make Love'' (1960) – Charlie Lamont * '' The Silent Call'' (1961) – Art * '' The Errand Boy'' (1961) – Man watching rushes * '' Hand of Death'' (1962) – Service station attendant * ''The Monk'' (1969) – Herbie ( TV movie) * '' Savage Intruder'' (1970) – Bus Driver * '' Which Way to the Front?'' (1970) – Dock Master

Short subjects

* ''Cuckoorancho'' (1938) – Wanderer * ''A Day in the Country'' (1953) * ''

'' (1957–1959) * ''The Woodcutter's House'' (1959)

Joe Besser with Hawthorne short subject series

* ''Waiting in the Lurch'' (1949) – Eric Loudermilk Potts * ''Dizzy Yardbird'' (1950) – Rodney Marblehead * '' 'Fraidy Cat'' (1951) – Det. Joe Besser * ''Aim, Fire, Scoot'' (1952) – Pvt. Joe Besser * ''Caught on the Bounce'' (1952) – Daddy * ''Spies and Guys'' (1953) – Pvt. Joe Besser * ''The Fire Chaser'' (1954) – Eric Loudermilk Potts * ''G.I. Dood It'' (1955) – Pvt. Joe Marblehead * '' Hook a Crook'' (1955) – Det. Joe Besser * ''Army Daze'' (1956) – Pvt. Joe Besser

Television

* '' The Ken Murray Show'' (1950) * '' The Colgate Comedy Hour'' (1951–1953) * '' The Alan Young Show'' (1951) * '' The Abbott and Costello Show'' (1952–1953) – Stinky Davis * '' The Spike Jones Show'' (1954) – jailhouse warden * '' My Little Margie'' (1954) – butterfly catcher * '' The Jack Benny Program'' (1954–1961) * '' The Millionaire'' (1955) – hobo * '' Willy'' (1955), episode "Willy Saves Harvey From Fraud" * '' Damon Runyon Theater'' (1955) * '' The Martha Raye Show'' (1955) * '' Club Oasis'' (1958) * ''

Kraft Music Hall ''The Kraft Music Hall'' was a popular old-time radio variety show, variety program, featuring top show business entertainers, which aired first on NBC radio from 1933 to 1949. Radio ''The Kraft Program'' debuted June 26, 1933, as a musical- ...

'' (1959) * '' General Electric Theater'' (1961) – Fight manager * '' The Alvin Show'' (1961–1962) – Additional voices * '' The Joey Bishop Show'' (1962–1965) – Mr. Jillson * ''

'' (1966) – Hizzoner the Penguin * '' The Mothers-in-Law'' (1968) – "How Not to Manage a Rock Group", "The First Anniversary is the Hardest" * '' That's Life'' (1968) * '' That Girl'' (1968) – "Eleven Angry Men and That Girl" * '' The Don Rickles Show'' (1968) * '' Where's Huddles?'' (1970) – Coach (voice) * '' The Houndcats'' (1972) – Putty Puss (voice) * '' Jeannie'' (1973) – Babu (voice) * '' The New Scooby-Doo Movies'' (1973) – Babu (voice) * '' The Oddball Couple'' (1975) – Additional voices * '' Scooby's All Star Laff-A-Lympics'' (1977–1978) – Babu (voice) * '' Fred Flintstone and Friends'' (1977–1978) – Babu (voice) * '' Yogi's Space Race'' (1978) – Scare Bear (voice) * ''

Galaxy Goof-Ups ''Galaxy Goof-Ups'' (also known as ''Yogi's Galaxy Goofs-Ups'') is a 30-minute American Saturday-morning cartoon, animated television series, a spin-off (media), spin-off of ''Yogi's Space Race'' and the fourth incarnation of the ''The Yogi Bear S ...

'' (1978–1979) – Scare Bear (voice) * '' Shirt Tales'' (1982) – Elmo the Elephant (voice) * ''My Smurfy Valentine'' (1983) – Cupid (voice)

References

External links

* * *
170 high-definition clips, many rare of Joe Besser
{{DEFAULTSORT:Besser, Joe 1907 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American male actors American male comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male voice actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Columbia Pictures contract players Hanna-Barbera people Comedians from St. Louis Jewish American comedians Jewish American male actors Jewish male comedians Male actors from St. Louis The Three Stooges members American vaudeville performers Jewish American film people