by Randy Duckworth

Created on: August 13, 2009   Last Updated: September 08, 2009

We all remember Curly Howard as the funniest member of the legendary Three Stooges. Everyone, young and old alike, remembers him as the portly bald comedian with the high voice, whose zany antics have entertained us for three quarters of a century now. Just the mere thought of hearing his "Soitenly," or "Woo-Woo-Woo" can bring a smile to even the most sour of faces. Curly is so beloved and familiar to so many, yet most of us are surprised to realize how little we really know about the man behind the laughter.

The man who would become everyone's favorite stooge was born Jerome Lester Horowitz on October 22, 1903. The youngest of five sons born to parents Jennie and Solomon Horowitz, Curly and his brothers grew up in the Bath Beach resort section of Brooklyn, New York. Young Jerome was a well loved and happy child. Nicknamed "Babe" by his brother Moe, he was a quiet child who gave his parents little trouble. This was probably a good thing, because the mischief caused by brothers Moe and Shemp made up for Babe's reserved behavior in spades!

He idolized his older brothers, and made a habit of following them wherever they went. In fact, it was Moe and Shemp who gave Curly his interest in comedy. When he was four, they began staging impromptu performances to entertain their friends, and would often include him in the cast. The trio would often invite everyone in their neighborhood to see them for an admission of two cents! This gave Curly a love for the art of comedy that only grew as he got older. In addition to comedy, he also loved musicals. Moe encouraged this interest, and helped to broaden his kid brother's theatrical education by taking him to vaudeville shows and melodrama theaters when he was growing up.

Jerry, as he was often called by family and friends, was only a fair student in school. Several friends and family members confirm that he was a superb athlete who excelled at basketball. In fact, many who were close to him have gone on record as saying that his love for athletics was probably the only thing that kept him in school long enough to graduate. He did manage to graduate, however, and afterwards kept himself busy doing odd jobs.

Jerry also had a great appreciation for music that began in his teens and stayed with him for the remainder of his life. He loved to dance, and was known to be a very good ballroom dancer. He could also play the ukulele, and often used it to accompany himself when he sang. According to Moe, he had a very beautiful

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