SHEMP: The Biography of The Three Stooges’ Shemp Howard, The Face of Film Comedy | Burt Kearns

About SHEMP: The Biography of The Three Stooges’ Shemp Howard, The Face of Film Comedy by Burt Kearns

Discover the untold, definitive history of a true Hollywood legend with SHEMP: The Biography of The Three Stooges’ Shemp Howard, The Face of Film Comedy. Written by acclaimed author Burt Kearns, this masterly biography reconstructs the life and legacy of one of the twentieth century's most distinctive faces and accomplished comic actors—delivering an uncommonly intimate, revelatory look past the iconic slapstick to uncover a brilliant character actor in full.

Plot Summary & Key Themes

Shemp Howard is globally recognized as an original member of the legendary comedy team that became the Three Stooges, alongside his brother Moe Howard and violinist Larry Fine. However, few fans know that Shemp walked away from the trio in 1932 to carve out a massive, highly successful, and largely unexamined solo career. This book chronicles his staggering work across more than a hundred feature films and movie shorts, highlighting how he held his own against Golden Age cinema titans including John Wayne, W.C. Fields, Jimmy Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, and the iconic duo Abbott & Costello.

Author Burt Kearns fearlessly challenges the sanitized, official versions of Stooges lore, shattering decades of show business myths. The narrative explores the deeply human and often troubling realities behind Shemp’s unlikely rise to fame: how the child of Jewish immigrants, plagued throughout his life by debilitating phobias, managed to conquer the entertainment industry; the complex behind-the-scenes contract machinations that ultimately forced him to return to the Stooges; and the sudden circumstances surrounding his untimely passing.

Book Details & Specifications

• Title: SHEMP: The Biography of The Three Stooges’ Shemp Howard, The Face of Film Comedy
• Author: Burt Kearns
• ISBN-13: 9781493074211
• Format: Hardcover / Paperback (Lyons Press Edition)
• Genre: Biography / Film & Cinema History / Hollywood Memoirs / Comedy Lore
• Themes: Old Hollywood, Slapstick Comedy, Identity and Phobias, Solo vs. Ensemble Careers

Why Read This Book?

• The First Complete Solo Record: Unearths forgotten cinematic treasures from Shemp’s vast individual filmography, cementing his rightful place in Hollywood history outside of the trio's shadow.
• Massive Critical Acclaim: Celebrated as a "complete portrait" by the Library Journal, "fascinating" by Booklist, and an "illuminating reworking of Stooges mythology" by Kirkus Reviews.
• Built on Firsthand Accounts: Drawing upon extensive new interviews with surviving family members, comedy historians, and celebrity devotees to examine the thriving modern "Cult of Shemp."