The Three Stooges Scrapbook

The Three Stooges Scrapbook is an unaired 1960 television miniseries starring The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly-Joe DeRita). In the opening title and Hollywood trade ads, the show's title is spelled without "The," including a promotional photograph of the Stooges holding an oversized scrapbook. The first episode featured the slapstick trio getting evicted from a rooming house for cooking in their apartment, looking for a new place to live, finding refuge in the home of a mad inventor (played by Emil Sitka). The second episode featured the trio as they presenting an animated short called The Spain Mutiny that imagines the funnymen as part of Christopher Columbus’ crew. The third and final episode called Kook's Tour serves as the series finale and the last appearance of The Three Stooges, it features the trio as they're retiring and heading to the parks and lakes of Idaho and Wyoming for some fishing and camping. Before the final episode was completed, Larry suffered a severe stroke, paralyzing the left side of his body. When it became clear that Fine was not expected to recover fully from the stroke, thus leads to the cancellation of the series and the third episode was shelved.

The Three Stooges Scrapbook (first 2 episodes) was filmed in color and produced by Norman Maurer (Moe Howard’s son-in-law), who hoped to establish a weekly program for children’s television. When no network wanted to pursue the project as a series, Maurer divided the pilot into two short films that were released to theaters in 1963. Maurer also reprinted the live action scenes in black-and-white and incorporated them into the 1962 feature film The Three Stooges in Orbit.

To date, the first and second episodes were never been released on home media. However, the third episode was released initially through the home movie market and later on VHS and DVD.

Bradley Server, the youngest grandson of Curly Howard, had a 35 mm print transferred of the second episode, and restored in 2024. It is available on YouTube.

Cast

 * Moe Howard as Moe
 * Larry Fine as Larry
 * Joe DeRita as Curly-Joe
 * Emil Sitka as Prof. Dolottle
 * Marjorie Eaton as Mrs. McGinnis
 * Don Lamond as Announcer/Stage Manager
 * Edward Innes as Landlord
 * Albert Grazier as Butler
 * Moose the Dog as himself

Credits

 * Director: Sidney Miller, Norman Maurer
 * Writer: Elwood Ullman, Norman Maurer
 * Producer: Norman Maurer
 * Starring: Larry Fine, Moe Howard, Joe DeRita
 * Featuring: Emil Sitka, Marjorie Eaton, Don Lamond, Edward Innes, Albert Grazier
 * Music Composer and Conductor: Paul Dunlap
 * Title Song: George Dunning (music) and Stanley Styne (lyrics)
 * Vocals: The Eligibles
 * Director of Photography: Hal McAlpin, James T. Flocker
 * Film Editor: Chuck Gladden, Pat Somerset
 * Assistant Director: Harry Slott
 * Associate Producer: Pat Somerset
 * Chief Electrician: Robert Petzoldt
 * Sound Recorder: Leon Leon
 * Property Master: Chick Chicetti
 * Set Decorator: Frank Lombardo
 * Script Supervisor: Joe Franklin, Lois Golemun
 * Makeup: Ted Coodley
 * Costumer: Jack Angel
 * Grip: Tex Hayes
 * Laboratory: Consolidated Film Industries
 * Sound: Glen Glenn, Audio Effects
 * Costume Designer: Sascha Brastoff
 * Production Assistant: David E. Jackson
 * Production Manager: Albert Moore
 * Second Cameraman: Michael Maurer
 * Props: Albert Anthony
 * Wardrobe: Joan Howard

Book
The Three Stooges Scrapbook is also the title of a 1982 book written by Stooge experts Jeff and Greg Lenburg and Joan Howard Maurer (Moe Howard's daughter and Norman Maurer's wife).