Curly: An Illustrated Biography of the Superstooge

Truly appreciate that Moe's daughter wrote this book about her uncle and events that led up to his untimely passing. Enjoyed watching The 3 Stooges as a child and wanted to know about their lives. Couldn't put the book down once it arrived.

Very informative book! Enjoyed it very much.

I’m so glad to finally find a book about my (and everyone’s) favorite Stooge. This book contains a lot of info about his personal (and surprisingly sad) life and is packed with lotsa great photos. No wonder, it’s written by his niece, Moe Howard’s daughter! The author does a superb job of researching family info and also includes many interviews. Her warmth and sincerity show through every page, and she is even responsible for bringing together Curly’s two daughters (from different mothers) who had never met each other! A must read for any Stooge fan. Will you enjoy this book?? Why, soitenly! Woob, woob, woob! Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!!

Not to take anything away from Moe and Larry (both essential to the Stooges' success) but as any fan of the team will attest to, it's really Curly that took the trio beyond the corny dated vaudevillian schtick of Shemp and Ted Healy and made them timeless and hilarious. By even Larry's own admission (in a late interview that can be found on YouTube), Curly's brilliant hilarious actions, reactions and energy really made the team uncommonly original and timeless. Even Shemp, a brilliant comedic actor in his own right, took queues from his younger brother when he replaced him in 1946. Sadly, Curly's career with the trio was tragically short- only 14 years, and his prime years were only half of that (1935-1942).It's surprising and unfortunate that so little has been written on Jerome "Babe" Howard. That is why there is so much importance to this, the only biography (to my knowledge) on the man. But this book is more than a biography: it's a loving tribute by Joan Howard, Moe's daughter, to Uncle Babe, and to the family that surrounds them both. From first hand experiences, as well as interviews with friends and family, it definitely gives you a sense of this man; however, I still put the book down with a yearning for more. I still feel a certain distance to the real Curly Howard. For example, his approach to comedy- I would love to know more about his creative process & his working methods. Also, interviews seem to indicate that he had a hard time relating to people, and that he was a bit of a loner, but the reason why is never made clear. I don't blame the author for this necessarily- I'm assuming this information died with those close to him at the time.Overall, a good book, a quick read, and recommended for any fan. And if anyone out there reading this has another Stooges reading recommendation, please pass along as a comment.

I could not put this book down after opening the first page and read it through from 6AM until 9:30 PM (EST) What I find amazing is that the author was able to re-connect with everyone involved with Curly in real life (x-wives, daughters, etc.) and that no one, not even his wife knew who he was. The point, I truly believe, is because he was Curly a character and he never was anything else! He lived the character Curly! He is basically put down and ridiculed by everyone who is contacted by Ms. Maurer and we find he never had a real friend except his dogs. That fact in itself shows what kind of person he was. The world scared him, people probably tried stealing his soul because of his genius and fame and he hid inside this persona of Curly. My advice is buy this book before it disappears because you will never find a better investigation into the life of the most amazing of all comedic talents the world ever knew - Jerome "Curly" Howard. Oh, he was special alright and I think this is the only sore point in the book, Ms. Maurer tries desperately to find some meaning about his adult life that would make him a "regular" guy and there isn't, so the book comes off like a let down of Jerome/Curly the man. For example, numerous times I hear the author ask her interviewees, "Did you ever see Curly read a book?" As if that would make him a smarter person (which I would think so too) but that stuff doesn't matter. He was a living legend who played by his own rules. In the final analysis, what does it matter and yeah, we want to know these facts and see behind the "star" but it is always disappointing to find out the truth about who "Legends" really are. Let us just celebrate their talents and love them for what they gave us, in this case, laughter! In a world as sick and cruel as ours, Curly should be given the highest award for taking us out of the mundane and bringing us into a world of fun and laughter! That my friends takes enormous talent. Curly did it at every second on film. EVERY SECOND!

The author - Moe Howard’s daughter - was given very little time to complete this book. And it shows. It’s well organized, overall, but several interviews are included apparently unedited. And, in places, the author interjects herself into the story, memoir-style.But, for Curly fans, this should be the definitive biography. Inside access to far-flung relatives and family papers give Maurer unusual insight. Not to mention her position as Curly’s niece.If you want to get to know everybody’s favorite Stooge, this book is definitely on your must-read list.

My brothers and I watched the Stooges for years. We couldn't get enough and imitated them even into adulthood.Of course, Curly was the main character acted out.Naturaly. had no clue to his life outside of the movies.I appreciate the author's hard work and diligence in creating this book - pictures and all.Fantastic

All I have to say is. He is my favorite stooge. And I love it. Tue book is great

Just received this book for Christmas but from what I've read so far, which isn't too much, it's a very good book on the man behind the character.

The book had some interesting stuff, but I became very bored with the family interviews which were overly long and repetitive

brilliant most enjoyable

Rich testimonials, a sneak peek into the Horwitz family. It reads like a conversation about the family. The "minus" side is that I couldn't find a literary flavor here. However, the documentary material is interesting.