The Autographs of Joe BesserJoe Besser was born on August 12, 1907 in St. Louis Missouri. Even as a child, Joe was fascinated with show business. He was especially enthralled with magician Howard Thurston, who visited his town annually. When Joe was 12, Thurston recruited Joe as an audience plant. After the act ended its St. Louis run, Besser sneaked into Thurston's train. He was found sleeping on top of the lion's cage in Detroit. Thurston informed Besser's parents of the situation, and he received their permission to allow young Besser to travel with him and begin training as an assistant. Besser didn't perform well as an assistant, but the audience loved his comical attempts at covering up mistakes. Joe Besser Was a Talented ComicOver time, Besser developed a unique comic character who was basically prissy, but could fly off the handle when provoked. By 1928, Besser had become a successful solo comedian. He met Erna Dora Kretschmer (Erna Kay) while on tour, and they married in 1932. Erna Kay was the choreographer on the 1929 Paramount film "The Coconuts," featuring the Marx Brothers.
Sam Critcherson (stage name Dick Dana) signed on as Joe's first professional straight man. By 1938, Besser replaced him with nightclub singer Lee Royce, who sang a baritone rendition of "Ole Man River." In 1940, Besser took Columbia Picture's actor Jimmy Little on tour as his straight man. Besser, by this time, had become a well known comedian, so he was able to headline the act as "Joe Besser with an Added Attraction." Besser became a headliner at the Orpheum, RKO, Paramount and Loew's theaters. He also appeared on Broadway. Eventually, Columbia Pictures signed Joe to an exclusive contract, casting him in features and comedy two-reelers. During this time, Besser made frequent appearances on popular radio shows like "The Fred Allen Show," "The Eddie Cantor Show," Jack Benny Show," "Tonight on Broadway, "The Vaughan Monroe Show," and Milton Berle's "Let Yourself Go." The Three StoogesAfter Shemp Howard died of a sudden heart attack in 1955, his brother Moe suggested to Larry that the two of them should continue working as "The Two Stooges." Columbia Pictures head Harry Cohn immediately rejected the idea. Moe had legal possession of the Three Stooges act, but Columbia Pictures had the right to approve any actor appearing in a Columbia Pictures film. Columbia insisted that Moe and Larry take on Besser, since he was the only comedian still making comedy shorts for Columbia (early 1956). Besser successfully renegotiated his contract, retaining his feature-film salary - meaning that he was paid more than Moe or Larry. Joe Besser, Not One of the Favored StoogesBesser had a clause in his contract prohibiting any excessive violence directed towards him. Moe and Larry were naturally upset about this, but they couldn't do anything about it. Besser continued to play the high strung sissy who would hit back if pushed too far. Of course, Besser's "hits" were little more than gentle pushes. In an attempt to salvage the integrity of the act, Larry courageously volunteered to take Moe's worst abuse. Besser was a Stooge from early 1956 to the end of 1957, ending when Columbia shut down the two-reel comedy department on December 20, 1957. Larry and Moe asked Besser to go on tour with him, but he politely refused. After his Stooge stint, Besser returned to movies and television, most notably as the superintendent "Jillson" for four seasons of The Joey Bishop Show. He was also the voice of Babu, the Genie in the animated "I Dream of Jeannie" series. Joe Besser died on March 1, 1988 at age 80. Joe Besser Autographs
Signed photos of Joe Besser are worth between $40 - $100. Signatures sell from $40 - up. In later years Joe Besser would sign "through the mail" for fans, most often providing a current photo or one of him as Sabu the Genie. In the years just after leaving the Stooges, Besser expressed disappointment that he was remembered more for his short time as a Stoooge than he was for his long, successful run as a headlining comedian. He even wrote a book called "Not Just a Stooge." However, over time, he grew to appreciate being a member of the most popular comedy act in show business history. Return to The Three Stooges Page
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