U.S. comedy team.
It was originally formed as a vaudeville team in 1923 by brothers Moe and Shemp Howard (1897–1975, 1900–55), who performed with "Ted Healy and His Stooges." In 1928 the brothers added Larry Fine (1911–74) to the act, which appeared in Broadway revues. After Shemp left the act (1930), he was replaced by his brother Curly (1906–52). They appeared in several feature films, and in 1934 they began a series of comedy shorts that numbered more than 200 when they ceased in 1958. Their films were characterized by violent slapstick.