Joe Besser was born in St. Louis, MI on August 12, 1907. Joe was interested in show business at a young age, and particularly liked Howard Thurston's magic act. Whe Joe was twelve, he was allowed to be an audience plant in Thurston's act. Joe was so excited, that night he snuck onto Thurston's train and wasn't found untill the next day, when the train was in Detroit. Thurston told Joe parents, and began training Joe as his assistant. After Joe messed up a trick due to his nerves, he was only assigned comedic roles.
In 1932, Joe met and married Ernestine Dora Kretschmer. The two became neighbors and friends of Lou Costello. Joe would then appear in the Abbot and Costello film Africa Screams, which also had an appearance from Shemp. Joe and Shemp then became friends.
After Shemp died from a heart attack in 1955, Harry Cohn hired Joe to join. Joe didn't imitae Curly or Shemp, instead using the whiny character that he had developed over the years. He even had a clause in his contract that prohibited him from being hit too much. In 1957, Columbia shut down the two-reel comedy department. Moe and Larry wanted to tour with a live act, but Joe declined, wanting to stay with his wife after her heart attack in November of 1957.
Joe soon returned to televison and films, but was dismayed to see that fans only recognized him for his stint with the Stooges. Joe died of heart failure on March 1, 1988.
(photo from http://www.stoogeworld.com/_Biographies/joeport.jpg)
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