The Three Stooges: Pain, Anger And Insults Were Never So Funny

Moe takes control of the situation by placing his fingers in the nostrils of Larry and Curly. (Photo by John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Slapstick comedy trio The Three Stooges were definitely not a new act in the 1960s but they had their place there all the same. The wacky trio was a spinoff of a vaudeville comedy act that began back in the 1920s, billed as "Ted Healy and His Stooges." The act ran from 1922 to 1934 and was so well received that it soon took on a life of its own.

In 1934, The Stooges regrouped to set out on their own, and that is when they first became known as The Three Stooges. The group was an instant success. The Stooges soon became so well known that they began being regularly seen on television as well as the big screen.