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Joe Besser
Acting

Joe Besser
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1907-08-12,Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
Gender
Male
Biography
Joe Besser (born Jessel Besser, August 12, 1907 – March 1, 1988) was an American actor, comedian, and musician, known for his impish humor and wimpy characters. He is best known for his brief stint as a member of The Three Stooges in movie short subjects of 1957–59. He is also remembered for his television roles: Stinky, the bratty man-child in The Abbott and Costello Show, and Jillson, the maintenance man in The Joey Bishop The zany comedy team of Olsen and Johnson, whose Broadway revues were fast-paced collections of songs and blackouts, hired Joe Besser. His noisy intrusions were perfect for their anything-can-happen format. Besser's work caught the attention of the Shubert brothers, who signed him to a theatrical contract. Columbia Pictures hired Besser away from the Shuberts, and Besser relocated to Hollywood in 1944, where he brought his unique comic character to feature-length musical comedies. Besser also starred in short-subject comedies for Columbia from 1949 to 1956. Besser had substituted for Lou Costello on radio, opposite Bud Abbott, and by the 1950s he was firmly established as one of the Abbott and Costello regulars. When the duo filmed The Abbott and Costello Show for television, they hired Joe Besser to play Oswald "Stinky" Davis, a bratty, loudmouthed child dressed in an oversized Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit, shorts, and a flat top hat with overhanging brim. He appeared during the first season of The Abbott and Costello Show. Besser was cast for the role of Yonkel, a chariot man in the low-budget biblical film Sins of Jezebel, which starred Paulette Goddard as the titular wicked queen. After Shemp Howard died of a heart attack, Moe suggested he and teammate Larry Fine continue working as "The Two Stooges". Studio chief Harry Cohen rejected the proposal. Although Moe had legal approval to allow new members into the act, Columbia executives had the final say about any actor who would appear in the studio's films, and insisted on a performer already under contract to Columbia, Joe Besser. At the time, Besser was one of a few comedians still making comedy shorts at the studio. Besser refrained from imitating Curly or Shemp. He continued to play the same whiny character he had developed over his long career. He had a clause in his contract prohibiting being hit excessively. Besser recalled, "I usually played the kind of character who would hit others back". The Stooges shorts with Besser were filmed from the spring of 1956 to the end of 1957. His Stooge tenure ended when Columbia shut down the two-reel-comedy department on December 20, 1957. Producer-director Jules White had shot enough film for 16 comedies, which were released a few months apart until June 1959, with Sappy Bull Fighters being the final release. Joe Besser was found dead in his home, aged 80, and determined to have died of heart failure.

Filmography

5.7

Africa Screams
1949-05-04

Let's Make Love

6.4

Let's Make Love
1960-09-08

Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Special

8.5

Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Special
2003-04-29

Savage Intruder

5.389

Savage Intruder
1970-01-01

5.857

I, the Jury
1953-08-14

Woman in Hiding

6.308

Woman in Hiding
1950-01-06

The Three Stooges Story

0

The Three Stooges Story
2001-05-02

Outside the Wall

6.071

Outside the Wall
1950-02-08

The Three Stooges: Kings Of Laughter

0

The Three Stooges: Kings Of Laughter
2001-05-02

4.353

Hand of Death
1962-03-01

Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'

7.333

Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'
1948-06-01

The Three Stooges Greatest Hits!

7

The Three Stooges Greatest Hits!
1997-05-15

Hoofs and Goofs

5.5

Hoofs and Goofs
1957-01-31

Muscle Up a Little Closer

6

Muscle Up a Little Closer
1957-02-28

5.857

A Merry Mix-Up
1957-03-28

Space Ship Sappy

6.75

Space Ship Sappy
1957-04-18

5.5

Guns a Poppin!
1957-06-13

4

Horsing Around
1957-09-12

5.2

Rusty Romeos
1957-10-17

Outer Space Jitters

4.833

Outer Space Jitters
1957-12-05

5.5

Quiz Whizz
1958-02-13

Fifi Blows Her Top

5.25

Fifi Blows Her Top
1958-04-10

5.8

Pies and Guys
1958-06-12

5.5

Sweet and Hot
1958-09-04

Flying Saucer Daffy

5.6

Flying Saucer Daffy
1958-10-09

Oil's Well That Ends Well

6.2

Oil's Well That Ends Well
1958-12-04

5.8

Triple Crossed
1959-02-02

Sappy Bull Fighters

4.75

Sappy Bull Fighters
1959-06-04

The Desert Hawk

5.438

The Desert Hawk
1950-08-05

10

The Rookie
1959-12-01

Sins of Jezebel

5.8

Sins of Jezebel
1953-09-04

0

Mystery Reel
2022-08-19

Headline Hunters

4.4

Headline Hunters
1955-09-15

Talk About a Lady

5

Talk About a Lady
1946-03-28

The Story on Page One

5.083

The Story on Page One
1959-12-01

Which Way to the Front?

4.8

Which Way to the Front?
1970-09-03

10

Fraidy Cat
1951-12-13

Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops

6.2

Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops
1955-02-02

It's a Dog's Life

4.25

It's a Dog's Life
1955-12-23

Aim, Fire, Scoot

8

Aim, Fire, Scoot
1952-03-13

10

Army Daze
1956-03-22

Caught on the Bounce

8

Caught on the Bounce
1952-10-09

7

Dizzy Yardbird
1950-03-09

The Fire Chaser

9

The Fire Chaser
1954-09-30

7

G.I. Dood It
1955-02-17

10

Hook a Crook
1955-11-24

10

Spies and Guys
1953-04-04

Waiting in the Lurch

9

Waiting in the Lurch
1949-09-08

My Smurfy Valentine

7.3

My Smurfy Valentine
1983-02-13

7.5

Hot Steel
1940-05-24

Columbia Laff Hour

7

Columbia Laff Hour
1956-01-01

5.375

Say One for Me
1959-06-19

5.4

Two-Gun Lady
1955-10-15

Plunderers of Painted Flats

5.2

Plunderers of Painted Flats
1959-01-23

Eadie Was a Lady

4.4

Eadie Was a Lady
1945-01-24

8

Hey, Rookie
1944-04-06

Phyllis Diller: Not Just Another Pretty Face

8

Phyllis Diller: Not Just Another Pretty Face
2007-01-30

The Abbott and Costello Show: Who's On First?

8

The Abbott and Costello Show: Who's On First?
2011-02-01

Mad at the World

5.875

Mad at the World
1955-05-13

6.149

The Errand Boy
1961-11-28

Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey

5.333

Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey
1950-02-05

A Day in the Country

7

A Day in the Country
1953-03-13

8

The Monk
1969-10-21

Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld

8.5

Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
1994-11-24

Classic Comedy Teams

7

Classic Comedy Teams
1986-01-01

The Helen Morgan Story

5.333

The Helen Morgan Story
1957-10-02

A Day at the Horse Opera

0

A Day at the Horse Opera
1962-03-08

My World and Welcome to It

6.333

My World and Welcome to It
1969-09-15

6.25

December Bride
1954-10-04

The New Scooby-Doo Movies

7.7

The New Scooby-Doo Movies
1972-09-09

Scooby's All-Stars

8.1

Scooby's All-Stars
1977-09-10

8.375

The Alvin Show
1961-10-04

7.3

Batman
1966-01-12

6.176

That Girl
1966-09-08

The Joey Bishop Show

6

The Joey Bishop Show
1961-09-20

7.125

Jeannie
1973-09-08

The Millionaire

5.75

The Millionaire
1955-01-19

The Hollywood Palace

5

The Hollywood Palace
1964-01-04

Yogi's Space Race

7.3

Yogi's Space Race
1978-09-09

The Gene Autry Show

4.667

The Gene Autry Show
1950-07-23

6

Hour Glass
1946-05-09

6.25

The Houndcats
1972-09-09

The Oddball Couple

8.25

The Oddball Couple
1975-09-06

6.5

That's Life
1968-09-24

The Abbott and Costello Show

7.19

The Abbott and Costello Show
1952-12-05

Galaxy Goof-Ups

7.3

Galaxy Goof-Ups
1978-09-09

The Three Stooges: Hey Moe! Hey Dad!

8.7

The Three Stooges: Hey Moe! Hey Dad!
2015-05-05

Love, American Style

6.105

Love, American Style
1969-09-29

The Mothers-in-Law

6

The Mothers-in-Law
1967-09-10

The Mothers-in-Law

6

The Mothers-in-Law
1967-09-10

The Mothers-in-Law

6

The Mothers-in-Law
1967-09-10

General Electric Theater

6.833

General Electric Theater
1953-02-01

Love, American Style

6.105

Love, American Style
1969-09-29

The Danny Thomas Hour

6.5

The Danny Thomas Hour
1967-09-11