As I search the world for more and more signs of Shemp Howard's personal life and career - both as one of The Three Stooges and a solo actor from 1930-1947 - I have decided to launch the second phase of my Shemp Howard crowd-sourcing campaign.
If you're interested, take a peak at - https://www.indiegogo.com/campaigns/shemp-howard2/edit/#/
Sunday 21 September 2014
Timeless business lessons from a stooge
By GEOFF DALE
Not all successful business ventures involve the likes of a Richard Branson or a Bill Gates. In fact, it’s not always those legendary headline-grabbing tales about the exploits of millionaires or billionaires that define success at any level.
There are plenty of curiously entertaining tales of talented folks enjoying the fruits of their labor, doing what they love, simply by following some fairly basic rules of business.
Take for example the story of entertainer Shemp Howard – yes, that craggy faced comic who, along with younger brother Moe Howard and colleague Larry Fine, was one of the original Three Stooges – arguably the most enduring comic trio of the last century.
Without any particular theatrical skills or training, he merely took his naturally honed comic talents and wildly amusing appearance first to the vaudeville stage and later movies and carved out a remarkable career that spanned the decades from the mid-20s to his death in 1955.
So what exactly did he do?
Business lesson learned: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Be willing to look foolish. The worst that can happen is that you re-group and try again.
Outside of being one of the original Stooges, consider his triumphs on the big screen from 1930 to 1947 when rejoined the trio, taking the place of his ailing younger brother Jerome (Curly).
As for being an innovator, he concocted the idea of a contest to declare The Ugliest Man in Hollywood. Of course he won, ensuring he was on every filmmaker’s mind when casting a new motion picture.
Legend has it that W.C. Fields and Lou Costello were so concerned that Shemp was stealing laughs in their movies, they had many of scenes edited out of the final product. Yet that didn’t stop Bud Abbott – considered the greatest comic straight man of all time – from calling him the funniest man around. All he needed was a good “straight man.”
Making people laugh was Shemp Howard’s business and he succeeded admirably winning the accolades of both the public and fellow performers, yet to this day he remains The Forgotten Stooge.
Geoff Dale has been an author/writer for the past four decades. He is currently researching material for a biography of Shemp that will put to rest the phrase The Forgotten Stooge. If you would like to be part of this exciting project, please check out the crowd funding site at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shemp-howard2/x/5659370.
Not all successful business ventures involve the likes of a Richard Branson or a Bill Gates. In fact, it’s not always those legendary headline-grabbing tales about the exploits of millionaires or billionaires that define success at any level.
There are plenty of curiously entertaining tales of talented folks enjoying the fruits of their labor, doing what they love, simply by following some fairly basic rules of business.
Take for example the story of entertainer Shemp Howard – yes, that craggy faced comic who, along with younger brother Moe Howard and colleague Larry Fine, was one of the original Three Stooges – arguably the most enduring comic trio of the last century.
Without any particular theatrical skills or training, he merely took his naturally honed comic talents and wildly amusing appearance first to the vaudeville stage and later movies and carved out a remarkable career that spanned the decades from the mid-20s to his death in 1955.
So what exactly did he do?
- Relied on his instinctive understanding of what made people laugh.
- Took chances, accepting all manner of challenges in the cut-throat entertainment world.
- Gave his audiences what they wanted and much more.
- Sometimes expanded his career into the unchartered waters of drama.
- Proved he was an innovative thinker willing to poke fun at himself.
- Worked hard and succeeded – even during the Great Depression.
Business lesson learned: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Be willing to look foolish. The worst that can happen is that you re-group and try again.
Outside of being one of the original Stooges, consider his triumphs on the big screen from 1930 to 1947 when rejoined the trio, taking the place of his ailing younger brother Jerome (Curly).
- Was a key performer in the highly successful Vitaphone shorts of the early 1930s.
- Worked with greats like Bert Lahr, Jack Haley and Roscoe “Fattie” Arbuckle.
- Introduced future Oscar winner James Stewart to the world with the actor’s first un-credited role in the 1934 short Art Trouble.
- Appeared in films alongside such greats as John Wayne, W.C. Fields, Marlene Dietrich, John Barrymore, Sabu and Abbott and Costello.
- Teamed up with Lon Chaney Jr. as part of a comedy duo.
As for being an innovator, he concocted the idea of a contest to declare The Ugliest Man in Hollywood. Of course he won, ensuring he was on every filmmaker’s mind when casting a new motion picture.
Legend has it that W.C. Fields and Lou Costello were so concerned that Shemp was stealing laughs in their movies, they had many of scenes edited out of the final product. Yet that didn’t stop Bud Abbott – considered the greatest comic straight man of all time – from calling him the funniest man around. All he needed was a good “straight man.”
Making people laugh was Shemp Howard’s business and he succeeded admirably winning the accolades of both the public and fellow performers, yet to this day he remains The Forgotten Stooge.
Geoff Dale has been an author/writer for the past four decades. He is currently researching material for a biography of Shemp that will put to rest the phrase The Forgotten Stooge. If you would like to be part of this exciting project, please check out the crowd funding site at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shemp-howard2/x/5659370.
Tuesday 16 September 2014
Larry Fine book now available at Merrifield Book Shop
For those of you who have not been able to get a copy of my book The Fine Art of Boxing - No Stooge In The Ring, either directly from me or as an e-book, it is now available at Merrifield Book Shop in Woodstock.
As I am now approaching the 3/4 mark of my first print run and will be heading to St. Louis in November with books in tow for a Three Stooges convention, I will be considering a second run in the very near future.
Merrifield Book Shop is at 471 Dundas Street, Woodstock, ON, N4S 1C2. The phone number is 519-539-4220.
As I am now approaching the 3/4 mark of my first print run and will be heading to St. Louis in November with books in tow for a Three Stooges convention, I will be considering a second run in the very near future.
Merrifield Book Shop is at 471 Dundas Street, Woodstock, ON, N4S 1C2. The phone number is 519-539-4220.
Thursday 4 September 2014
Indie films peering out from TIFF shadow
By
GEOFF DALE
TORONTO
– There were no pushy paparazzi in sight, no garish stretch limousines dropping
off Robert Downey Jr. or Kate Winslet, no mainstream media feverously hovering
about in the lobby or frantic crowds dying for a glimpse of their favorite
stars.
A few miles down the road, north of the Toronto
International Film Festival (TIFF) 2014, 25-year-old local filmmaker Robert
Gulassarian didn’t appear to mind very much. Making his grand entrance,
fashionably late at the Carlton Cinema, he was on top of the world.
Why not? His first feature, a gripping little
83-minute long comedy/crime/drama Rearview, was the opening feature
for the 5th annual Toronto Indie Film Festival. Wearing multiple cinematic
hats – those of writer, director, executive producer and film editor he had
shot it on a shoestring budget of $25,000.
Now it was the kick-off movie for a 10-day cinematic
festival.
Gulassarian seemed almost overwhelmed with the
turnout to his film’s premiere, no less at an event that has been steadily gaining
public recognition over the past five years, peering out from behind the
shadows of its glitzy older sister TIFF.
“This is the first step,” he said. “Friends and
family are here and I’m feeling very positive about the film’s potential. Right
now I just want to enjoy the support of those who came out tonight to share my
happiness.
Festival director/founder Steve Vearle was equally
enthusiastic; pointing out that the indie event was attracting a younger crowd
than TIFF and was the only venue where the work of struggling filmmakers with
few financial resources and no backers could be seen by the public.
“For 10 days we feature a wide range of dramas,
documentaries, shorts and feature films,” he said. “The committee really liked
Robert’s work. Members thought it had some real excitement and could generate a
great buzz for this year’s festival. It provides a good indicator of what we
have to offer, so it’s the lead-in.
“Hollywood only releases 160 films a year, yet there
are between 5,000 and 6,000 produced annually in North America. Everyone wants
to see the big stars in movies with big budgets. But where are the outlets for
these talented people to show their stuff? Well, it’s right here. Some of our
filmmakers have gone on to get European releases of their work.”
What’s next for Gulassarian? The young Torontonian
has found a mentor in veteran actor/filmmaker Nick Mancuso (Ticket
to Heaven, Under Siege, Real Gangsters), who stars in his second
feature Born Dead, currently in post- production and tentatively set
for release in 2015.
“It’s a metaphor for our times,” said Mancuso. “I
play myself as an actor. After years in the business and three decades of
sobriety, I fall off the wagon and decide to jump off the Danforth Bridge.
“I run into people from my past, meet a fellow
(played by Siberian actor Lazar Rockwood) who is being pursed. I convince him
to also end his life. It’s a fascinating slice of neo-realism, with shades of
early Jean-Luc Goddard, It’s A Wonderful Life and even a
sequence that harkens back to Lindsay Anderson’s metamorphic O’Lucky
Man.”
Meanwhile, after soaking up the cheers and applause
for the premiere of Rearview, Gulassarian said, “It’s very gratifying to see this
kind of response. Next year, well who knows, maybe TIFF.”
Awards for this year’s indie festival are expected
to be announced within the next three weeks.”
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