They began in vaudeville as foils - or stooges - for Ted Healy, who was once the highest paid performer in vaudeville. Along with Healy, the original team consisted of Moe, Larry, and Shemp. They were billed at various times as “Ted Healy and his Racketeers”, “Ted Healy and his Southern Gentlemen”, and “Ted Healy and his Stooges.” Shemp left to pursue a solo career in films and was replaced by his brother Jerome, who was billed as Curly. Fed up with Healy’s drinking and being underpaid, the boys parted ways with him, signed a contract with Columbia Studios, and the rest is history. Ted Healy died shortly afterward from injuries sustained in a bar fight (although there are various theories about what actually happened.) Today, The Three Stooges are as popular as ever, while Ted Healy is pretty much forgotten.
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