The Three Stooges: Stop! Look! and Laugh! 

The Three Stooges experienced a major revival thanks to the growing popularity of television. As their classic shorts found a new audience on the small screen, the comedy trio—Moe, Larry, and Curly—sought to capitalize on their renewed fame with a theatrical release. This led to the creation of Stop! Look! and Laugh!, a unique hybrid film that blended classic Stooges material with new content.

Television breathed new life into The Three Stooges in 1959, as reruns of their classic short films introduced their eye-poking, head-slapping, pie-throwing madness to a whole new generation. Kids who had never seen a black-and-white anything were suddenly hooked on the Stooges’ chaotic charm, while longtime fans happily revisited their favorite slapstick routines. Sadly, by this time, both Curly and Shemp had passed away, making a reunion of the original trio impossible.

Moe and Larry reassembled the act with Joe DeRita stepping in as “Curly Joe”—a softer, rounder version of Curly with just enough goofball energy to keep the team rolling. Embracing their renewed fame, the trio made the leap from short subjects to full-length theatrical films. Between 1959 and 1965, they released a string of family-friendly features that maintained their comedic spirit, albeit with a bit less roughhousing. Age and aching joints have a way of mellowing even the most committed slapstick artists.

The film brilliantly (and we’re using that term generously) stitches together a handful of the Stooges’ greatest hits—because why make something new when you can just recycle the classics?—and wraps them in freshly filmed segments featuring none other than ventriloquist Paul Winchell (yes, that Paul Winchell—ask your grandparents). You might not recognize his face, but his voice is unforgettable. Paul Winchell was the original voice behind iconic characters like Tigger, Dick Dastardly, and Gargamel. Along for the ride are his charmingly unsettling wooden companions, Jerry Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff, who do their best to distract you from the fact that this is a glorified clip show. These newly shot scenes valiantly attempt to form a storyline—sort of—serving as a loosely comedic glue to bind the chaos together into what could technically be called a family-friendly theatrical experience.

The Marquis Chimps were a talented troupe of trained chimpanzees who became popular performers in variety shows and films, including their memorable appearance in Stop! Look! and Laugh!. In this film, the chimps took on the classic roles of Cinderella in a playful and entertaining adaptation, bringing a unique blend of charm and comedy to the screen. What made their performance even more delightful was the addition of voiceovers by two legendary voice actors: June Foray, famed for Rocky the Flying Squirrel and countless other cartoons, and Alan Reed, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone. Their vocal talents gave the chimpanzees’ characters an extra layer of personality, transforming the primates into fully realized, hilarious characters that added a whimsical touch to the movie.

Stop! Look! and Laugh! found itself at the center of a legal controversy when The Three Stooges filed a lawsuit against their longtime agent and producer, Harry Romm. The trio claimed that Romm—who had previously produced their feature films Swing Parade of 1946 and Have Rocket, Will Travel—had put together this “new” Stooges movie without informing or involving them. Columbia Pictures, which ultimately distributed the film, admitted to the misstep and issued a public apology, expressing regret for assembling the compilation of Stooges shorts without the team’s knowledge or approval.

Among the featured shorts in the compilation are:

• Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise (1939)
• How High Is Up? (1940)
• Violent Is the Word for Curly (1938)
• Sock-a-Bye Baby (1942)
• Higher Than a Kite (1943)
• What’s the Matador? (1942)
• Goofs and Saddles (1937)
• Calling All Curs (1939)
• Micro-Phonies (1945)
• A Plumbing We Will Go (1940)
• Half-Wits Holiday (1947)

During their golden years with Columbia Pictures, The Three Stooges churned out an incredible 190 short-subject films from 1934 to 1959—a comedic body of work that remains unmatched in volume and influence. And even today, those black-and-white shorts continue to air on TV and stream online, drawing chuckles from new generations of fans. It just goes to show: no matter how much time passes, there’s always room in the world for a good eye poke. Their films and shorts have remained a constant presence on American television ever since they first hit the airwaves in 1958.

According to Hollywood lore—and plenty of well-documented hindsight—the Three Stooges were paid a modest $7,500 per short film during their long run at Columbia Pictures, which broke down to $2,500 each. The contract, signed in the 1930s, was renewed annually with the mutual agreement of both parties. On the surface, it seemed like a fair deal for the time—until you realize the staggering popularity of their work and how little they benefited from it.

Under the terms of their contract, the Stooges were expected to make eight short films per year. That added up to about $60,000 annually—just $20,000 per Stooge. Over 23 years, they earned around $1.4 million total, or roughly $466,000 per person across more than two decades of hard work, constant physical comedy, and enduring public appeal.

It wasn’t until their contract with Columbia ended in 1957 that Moe finally learned the bitter truth: the studio had been sitting on a comedic goldmine for decades, and the Stooges had been severely underpaid. In hindsight, they left millions on the table—victims of a studio system that knew exactly how to exploit talent while keeping the profits close to the chest.

Stop! Look! and Laugh! stands as a nostalgic celebration of The Three Stooges’ comedic genius, offering longtime fans and new audiences alike a chance to enjoy their slapstick antics in a fresh, theatrical format.