The Autographs of Curly HowardCurly Howard us a comedy legend. Ask even the most casual Stooge fan to name their favorite Stooge and it is a safe bet that the answer will be Curly . Curly's real name was Jerome Lester. He was born in Bath Beach, a summer resort in a section of Brooklyn, New York. He was the youngest of the five Horowitz brothers. Curly's brothers called him "Babe". The nickname followed him into adulthood. At the age of twelve, Curly accidentally shot himself in the foot with a rifle which resulted in a slight limp that stayed with him the rest of his life. His unique walking style on stage hid the limp. As an Entertainer, Curly Was a NaturalAs he grew older, Curly developed an appreciation for music and dance. He became an accomplished ballroom dancer. Later, his talent on the dance floor was often displayed on the stage in hilarious comedy routines. Curly was not a good student, but he had other talents that set him off from the crowd. He had a fine singing voice and learned to play the ukulele. Basically an introverted person, Curly could be the life of the party after a few drinks. When he wasn't drinking or entertaining, he was quiet to the point that it was difficult to engage him in conversation. Curly Becomes a Member of The Three StoogesMoe and Shemp, who were already performers, saw Curly's talent and encouraged him to enter the business. In 1928, he went to work as a comedy musical conductor for the Orville Knapp Band. His antics stole the show. When Moe and Shemp were working with Ted Healy, Curly spent as much time as possible with his brothers. Curly became a Stooge when Shemp, disgusted with Healy's abusive behavior, abruptly quit the act. Moe suggested Curly as a replacement. To Curly's dismay, Healy made him shave his mustache and thick, wavy hair. Curly hated being bald, but it did create a distinctive appearance that meshed well with Moe's bowl haircut and Larry's Frizzy head of hair. Curly was not very good with dialogue, but his talent for improvisation more than made up for it. Curly's Difficult Personal LifeCurly did not handle success well. He was married four times (his first marriage was annulled.) Curly loved any woman who would give him the time of day, and it didn't matter, or he couldn't see, that most of them only cared about taking his money or latching onto his fame. He began to drink heavily and put on too much weight. Hypertension and obesity troubled Curly for the rest of his life. In 1949, Curly's health worsened to the point where he suffered a series of strokes that left him partially paralyzed and wheelchair bound. His fourth wife, Valerie (the only wife who appeared to actually care for him), placed him in the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills on August 29, 1950. He was released about two months later, but he returned several times until his death January 18, 1952. He was only forty-eight. Curly starred as a Stooge in 97 two-reel comedies for Columbia pictures. He made the nonsensical expressions Arf! Arf! Arf!, RrrrARF!, Woo-woo-woo! and Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk! household "words." Not many knew at the time that more often than not those words were first used to cover up forgotten lines. Curly was the world's favorite Stooge. Curly Howard AutographsAlthough, Shemp's autograph could rival Curly's for rarity, the demand for Curly's is greater. Many autograph collectors consider Larry, Moe and Curly to be the classic Three Stooges line-up. A signed photo of Curly starts at about $1,000. A signature starts at about $500 and could go a lot higher depending on condition and how he signed his name. Most Curly autographs are found in autograph books. Signed photos of Curly (without other Three Stooges) are extremely rare. Curly signed several different ways: "Jerry Curly Howard," "Curly", and "Curly Howard" are three. Return to The Three Stooges Page.
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