Research Methods and Writings CJ 300

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Research Methods and Writings (CJ 300) A
Research Problem Involving Films of the Three
Stooges
Western Carolina University January 27, 2009
Robert Davidson and Bob Gardner Department of
Mathematics East Tennessee State
University
Online at http//www.etsu.edu/math/gardner/stooge
s/WCU/WCU-January-2009.ppt.htm
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History of the Three Stooges
Some of the films have a criminal justice theme!
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The Six Three Stooges
Curly Howard
Larry Fine
Moe Howard
Shemp Howard
Joe Besser
Joe DeRita
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• The Three Stooges
• As a group, in show business for almost 50 years.
• Made 190 shorts with Columbia Pictures.
• Had their third short, Men in Black (1934),
  nominated for an Academy Award.
• Had 4 different people in the role of the third
  Stooge.
• Were the first to lampoon Adolph Hitler, in You
  Nazty Spy (1940).

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Moe Howard
(June 19, 1897 May 4, 1975)

• The Alpha Stooge.
• Was the dominant and aggressive Stooge in the
  shorts.
• His character on screen was completely difference
  from his off-screen character
• He was an excellent businessman and tried hard to
  treat everyone fairly.
• He called Curly Babe and tried to help him keep
  his financial and health issues in order.

From http//www.threestooges.net/
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Larry Fine
(October 5, 1902 January 24, 1975)

• The most underrated Stooge.
• Starred in the first Stooge short Woman Haters.
• The Stooge in the middle.
• He played a Marlon Brando caricature in Cuckoo on
  a Choo Choo.
• One side of his face was calloused because of the
  constant barrage of slaps.

From http//www.threestooges.net/
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Opening slide for the early Three Stooges films
Larry, Moe and Curly 97 shorts between 1934 and
1947.
From http//www.idivimage.com/files/jwfzehyj2mmum
mdwn4mr.jpg
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Curly Howard
(October 22, 1903 January 18, 1952)

• The most popular Stooge.
• Onstage persona was completely different from his
  offstage persona.
• His life was a mess because of his marriages
  (four of them), drinking, and over eating.
• Curlys last short was Hold that Lion. It was
  a cameo with Shemp, Larry, and Moe.

Curly from http//www.stoogeworld.com/_Biographie
s/Curly.htm Hold That Lion from
http//www.threestooges.com/news/article.asp?intNe
wsID85
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Sock-a-Bye Baby
The 66th Three Stooges film, this was released in
1942. Moe, Larry, and Curly prepare a meal and a
diaper change for a baby which has been left on
their doorstep. (We watch from 345 to 854.)
Count the number of times Moe hits, pokes, slaps,
or is otherwise violent to Curly.
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Opening slide for the Three Stooges films from
the Shemp era
Shemp, Larry, and Moe 77 shorts between 1947 and
1956.
From http//www.a-1video.com/talking.htm
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Shemp Howard
(March 17, 1895 November 23, 1955)

• Some Stooge experts claim that he was the first
  and best stooge.
• He appeared in numerous motion pictures before
  his Stooge days.
• He died of a heart attack in the back of a car in
  1955. He was coming back from a boxing match.

From http//www.threestooges.net/
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Brideless Groom
The 101st Three Stooges film, this was released
in 1947. Shemp has inherited money, but must get
married to get it. He has proposed to a number
of women and they all show up to marry him after
they learn of the inheritance. (We watch from
1336 to 1636.)
Count the number of times someone treats Shemp in
a violent way.
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Opening slide for the Three Stooges films from
the Joe Besser era
Larry, Moe, and Joe 16 shorts between 1957 and
1959.
Opening slide used complements of Sony Pictures.
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Joe Besser
(August 12, 1907 March 1, 1988)

• He was the second choice to replace Shemp.
• Contrary to popular belief, Joe did get along
  with Moe and Larry.
• He was invited to stay on as a Stooge, but
  decided to take care of his wife instead.

From Wikipedia.
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Space Ship Sappy
The 178th Three Stooges film, this was released
in 1957. Moe, Larry, and Joe answer a job ad for
sailors, but end up on a space ship bound for
Venus. (We watch from 315 to 750.)
Count the number of times Moe hits, pokes, slaps,
or is otherwise violent to Joe.
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Are the Three Stooges Still Relevant?
In 1965 and 1966, The New Three Stooges cartoon
series of 156 shows aired.
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the Three Stooges, whose popularity has
continued relatively unabated since the early
days of television. This popularity has
undoubtedly been greatest among the Baby Boomer
generation, the first children raised with
television.
Quote from the preface of Stoogeology Essays on
the Three Stooges, edited by Peter Seely and Gail
Pieper. McFarland Company, 2007.
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Zogby International conducted a poll of 1,213
American adults by telephone in July 2006. One
question asked for the names of the Three Stooges
and another asked for the names of the three
branches of government.
Those able to name the Three Stooges 73 Those
able to name the three branches of government
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(http//www.zogby.com/Soundbites/ReadClips.dbm?ID
13498)
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A 1998 survey by the National Constitution Center
asked the same questions of American teenagers.
Those able to name the Three Stooges 59 Those
able to name the three branches of government
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(http//www.constitutioncenter.org/CitizenAction/C
ivicResearchResults/NCCTeens'Poll.shtml)
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Sony Pictures releases the fifth volume of Three
Stooges shorts on March 17, 2009.
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Online Folklore Concerning Joe Besser
From Everything2.com Unfortunately, Joe had it
written into his contract that he couldnt be
hit, which forced Larry to take the brunt of
Moe's aggression and totally threw off the team's
comedic timing. Joe's man-child routine also
didn't gel with the styles of Moe and Larry and
it quickly became annoying. As a result, the 16
Stooge shorts that starred Joe are considered to
be some of the worst in the lot and are generally
hated by Stooge fans everywhere.
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Online Folklore Concerning Joe Besser
(continued)
From IMDB (Trivia) He is said to have ruined
The Three Stooges' comic timing by refusing to
allow Moe Howard, the Stooge-in-Chief as it were,
to slap him The trouble was that he didn't like
to be hit, so Larry told him that he would take
the hits for him.
From WikiPedia Fans who had grown up enjoying
the physical antics of Curly and Shemp will often
have no use for delicate Joe. Stooge-a-polooza
TV host Rich Koz has even apologized on the air
before showing a Besser short
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• 1. Identify a Problem
• What is the research question?
• What is the hypothesis?

Lets use Question Was Joe treated differently
with respect to the amount of Stooge violence he
received versus the other Stooges? Hypothesis
Joe was treated more gently than the other
Stooges.
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2. Review Existing Literature
There are a number of reputable Stooges
references in print. Several of them are written
by family and friends of the Stooge members.
Heres what they say about our hypothesis
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Chapter Seventeen Okay, but Only If
You Promise Not to Hit Me
But Joe made a couple of provisions before
joining the team. He insisted that his contract
include a clause preventing Moe or Larry from
slapping, hitting, or in any way hurting him Moe
and Larry had no objection whatsoever to that
request. In fact, Larry even told Joe that he
was used to getting beaten up for a living, and
would gladly take twice as much punishment to
make up for Besser. (page 103)
The Stooges Lost Episodes by Tom and Jeff
Forrester (Contemporary Books, 1988).
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Joes Shtick was to deliver nothing harder than
love taps, usually delivered to the shoulder and
accompanied by a whiny Craaaaazy. He did
develop a mildly amusing belly bump, which could
be coordinated to a bass drum sound effect. Joe
Besser had it in his contract that they couldnt
hit him, and Larry had to play the Curly role,
said Moes daughter, Joan. Larry assured Besser
that he would happily take the blows, which meant
that Fine would be taking punishment for two
men. (page 97)
The Three Stooges, An Illustrated History From
Amalgamated Morons to American Icons by Michael
Fleming (Broadway Books, 1999).
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he inserted a provision that withheld Moe or
Larry from slapping or causing him bodily harm.
Besser's reason for this contract stipulation
was, I wasn't used to doing that wild kind of
slapstick - and felt rather uncomfortable about
it, since I usually played a kind of character
who would hit others back. As a result, Jules
White had Larry take all the hits and knocks in
the head in Besser's place. Larry told Joe,
Don't worry. If you don't want Moe to hit you,
I'll take all the belts. (page 86)
The Three Stooges Scrapbook by Jeff Lenburg, Joan
Howard Maurer, and Greg Lenburg (Citadel, 2000).
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Joe now flatly refused to indulge in the
Stooges' brand of comic mayhem, and insisted that
a clause be added to his Columbia contract
stating that he was not to be slapped, poked or
tweaked while playing the Third Stooge role
(page 155)
The Three Stooges The Triumph and Tragedies of
The Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time by Jeff
and Tom Forrester (Donaldson Books, 2004).
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Besser said in 1983 I never liked to be hit
with anything and Larry used to say to me, Don't
worry, Joe. I'll take it. That's the kind of
guy he was. (page 72) Joe Besser refused to
suffer the standard smacks that were part of
being a Stooge, so Larry absorbed much more of
the abuse during that era. (page 73)
One Fine Stooge Larrys Frizzy Life in Pictures
by Steve Cox and Jim Terry (Cumberland House,
2006).
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If anyone should dare strike him back - however
lightly - he would wave his hands in the air and
squeal, Ow! That huuuuuuuuuuuuurts! This, in
many ways, reflected the man's true nature, as
Besser hated being hit Fearing potential
injury, he insisted that his contract stipulate
that he not be struck or harmed in any way during
the making of the shorts. (page 25)
Stooges Among Us edited by Lon and Debra Davis
(BearManor Media, 2008).
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From Joe Bessers Autobiography Once a Stooge,
Always a Stooge
On film, I'd have to say we were more like The
Two Stooges, Plus Joe Besser at times, but
that's because I wanted it that way. As part of
my accepting the job, I had a special provision
written into my contract that prevented Moe or
Larry from causing me serious bodily harm in our
scenes together. I let Moe give me an occasional
poke in the eye or belt in the stomach, but
otherwise serious stunts were out with me. I
wasn't used to doing the Stooges' brand of
slapstick (page 181) In Hoofs and Goofs, the
script originally called for Birdie (Moe) to
crown me on the head with a rolling pin. At my
request, Jules change it to a casserole dish from
which Birdie/Moe dumped the contents on my head!
(page 182)
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And now in his own voice
Moe and Larry they were the best. I enjoyed
every minute of it with them. In fact, to show
you how wonderful they were, I never liked to be
hit with anything. And Larry used to say to me
dont worry Joe, Ill take it. Now thats the
kind of guys they were.
From Stooges The Men Behind the Mayhem, (DVD)
Mackinac Media, 2004.
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But did Columbia Pictures honor the clause?
Harry Cohn promises the skittish newcomer that
he will never be hit or injured during the making
of a Stooge comedy - but it's a promise that Cohn
quickly reneges on, ordering Jules White to
treat Joe Besser no different than you would
any other comic. (page 155)
The Three Stooges The Triumph and Tragedies of
The Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time by Jeff
and Tom Forrester (Donaldson Books, 2004).
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From Joe Bessers Autobiography Once a Stooge,
Always a Stooge
But even when Moe did hit me, it was a pleasure
because he had such a feathery touch. He never
really hit me he always faked it. Sometimes he
would miss his mark and I'd feel the force behind
his blow, but most of the time he just made his
hitting look real when it wasn't. And, combined
with sound effects which were added later by Joe
Henrie, the studio's sound effects expert, you'd
think Moe was beating the bejeepers out of us
everytime! (page 182)
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3. Develop a Research Design
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We will gather data from the Three Stooges films.
In order to simplify the data gathering, we will
concentrate on the behavior of Moe as the
instigator of violence. Since Curly is widely
held as the most popular Stooge, we will compare
how Moe treats him versus how Moe treats Joe.
This leads us to the explicit hypothesis
The average number of violent acts by Moe
against Curly per film is greater than the
average number of violent acts by Moe against
Joe.
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4. Data Collection Process
There are 97 films with Curly as the third
Stooge. This is too many films to watch in a
reasonable amount of time. So we will take a
random sample of 10 of the 97 films and watch
these 10. Since there are only 16 films with Joe
as the third Stooge, we simply watch all 16 of
these. While watching the films, we will count
each time Moe hits, pokes, slaps, bumps, etc. the
third Stooge. These counts will form the data
for a statistical test.
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5. Data Analysis
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We find that the average number of times Moe is
violent towards Joe is 2.9 times per film. In
the sample we used, the average number of times
which Moe is violent towards Curly is 14.3 times
per film.
Nice!
A statistical test (called a t-test) implies that
this data gives us a level of confidence of 99.6
in the hypothesis
The average number of violent acts by Moe
against Curly per episode is greater than the
average number of violent acts by Moe against
Joe.
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6. Reporting of the Results
The results of this study appear in the
education-oriented publication Hypothesis
Testing Using the Films of the Three Stooges
which is to appear in Teaching Statistics. It
can be found online at http//www.etsu.edu/math/g
ardner/stooges/Hypothesis20Testing20with20the2
0Three20Stooges-9-21-2008.doc
A less technical version is Adding it Up The
Three Stooges in the College Classroom, The Three
Stooges Journal, Volume 127, Fall 2008, pages
6-7. A version is online http//www.etsu.edu/mat
h/gardner/stooges/Three20Stooges20in20the20Col
lege20Classroom.doc
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7. Conclusion and Limitation of Findings
We were interested in the overall violence that
Joe endures, but we only counted the acts of
violence by Moe (and ignored Larry and all of the
non-Stooge characters). We compared Joe to Curly,
and perhaps should have compared the numbers for
Joe to the numbers for Shemp (or maybe Curly and
Shemp combined). We counted number of acts of
violence per film. Are all of the films the same
length? (No!) Are the films independent? (No!) We
have not clearly defined what an act of
violence is. As you saw, this makes the data
collection a bit imprecise.
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Questions?
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Thank You!
From http//www.lunkhead.net/