I heard the song The Curly Shuffle on the radio the other day -- the 1984 hit by Jump 'N the Saddle that rose to number 15 on the Billboard charts. I loved the song when it came out, and hearing it recently brought back all sorts of good memories of my childhood, and the hours of amusement and laughter the Stooges provided to me and my brothers.
Back when I was in high school I had a classmate named Robin who was Larry Fine's grandniece, which at the time I thought was really cool. (Still do!) Larry was in his early 70s at that point, and not in great health, but through Robin I felt I had a personal connection to one of the Stooges, and it doesn't get much better than that! To this day whenever The Three Stooges name gets mentioned, I make it a point to brag: "You know, I went to high school with Larry Fine's grandniece." Folks are seldom impressed.
Down through the years I've even collected some Stooge memorabilia -- a few photographs, a video collection, and my most prized possession: a pair of Three Stooges pajama pants that I where around the house when no one else is home. (Just kidding. Or am I...)
I think having a fascination with the Stooges is a guy thing. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure. (Correct me if I'm wrong here.) And I guess that's because their slapstick and physical humor appeals to men on a kind of neanderthal, adolescent level -- a level from which, alas, most men (including myself) never seem to rise above.
