Biography
Joe Besser (born Jessel Besser, August 12, 1907 β 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 1957β59. 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
all 96
Movies 68
TV Shows 28
self 12
Voice 1
Writer 1
Narrator 1
Mystery Reel (2022)
3-D Rarities: Volume II (2020)
The Three Stooges: Hey Moe! Hey Dad! (2015)
The Abbott and Costello Show: Who's On First? (2011)
The Three Stooges Collection, Vol. 8: 1955-1959 (2010)
Phyllis Diller: Not Just Another Pretty Face (2007)
Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Special (2003)
The Three Stooges: Kings Of Laughter (2001)
The Three Stooges Story (2001)
The Three Stooges Greatest Hits! (1997)
Abbott & Costello Meet Biography (1996)
The Making of the Stooges (1984)
My Smurfy Valentine (1983)
Galaxy Goof-Ups (1978)
Yogi's Space Race (1978)
Baggy Pants and the Nitwits (1977)
Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics (1977)
The Oddball Couple (1975)
Jeannie (1973)
The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972)
The Houndcats (1972)
Which Way to the Front? (1970)
Savage Intruder (1970)
The Monk (1969)
Love, American Style (1969)
My World and Welcome to It (1969)
The Good Guys (1968)
That's Life (1968)
The Danny Thomas Hour (1967)
The Mothers-in-Law (1967)
That Girl (1966)
Batman (1966)
The Hollywood Palace (1964)
Hand of Death (1962)
The Errand Boy (1961)
The Alvin Show (1961)
The Joey Bishop Show (1961)
Cinderfella (1960)
Let's Make Love (1960)
The Story on Page One (1959)
The Rookie (1959)
Say One for Me (1959)
Sappy Bull Fighters (1959)
Triple Crossed (1959)
Plunderers of Painted Flats (1959)
Oil's Well That Ends Well (1958)
Flying Saucer Daffy (1958)
Sweet and Hot (1958)
Pies and Guys (1958)
Fifi Blows Her Top (1958)
Quiz Whizz (1958)
Outer Space Jitters (1957)
Rusty Romeos (1957)
Horsing Around (1957)
Guns A Poppin (1957)
Space Ship Sappy (1957)
A Merry Mix-Up (1957)
Muscle Up A Little Closer (1957)
Hoofs and Goofs (1957)
Army Daze (1956)
Columbia Laff Hour (1956)
It's a Dog's Life (1955)
Hook a Crook (1955)
Two-Gun Lady (1955)
Headline Hunters (1955)
Mad at the World (1955)
G.I. Dood It (1955)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955)
The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre (1955)
The Millionaire (1955)
December Bride (1954)
The Fire Chaser (1954)
The Lone Wolf (1954)
Sins of Jezebel (1953)
I, the Jury (1953)
Spies and Guys (1953)
A Day in the Country (1953)
The Abbott and Costello Show (1952)
Caught on the Bounce (1952)
Aim, Fire, Scoot (1952)
Fraidy Cat (1951)
The Desert Hawk (1950)
The Gene Autry Show (1950)
Dizzy Yardbird (1950)
Outside the Wall (1950)
Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey (1950)
The Ken Murray Show (1950)
Woman in Hiding (1950)
Waiting in the Lurch (1949)
Africa Screams (1949)
Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin' (1948)
Hour Glass (1946)
Talk About a Lady (1946)
Eadie Was a Lady (1945)
Hey, Rookie (1944)
Hot Steel (1940)
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Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1907-08-12
Deathday1988-03-01 (80 years old)
Birth PlaceSt. Louis, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known As Joseph Besser, The Three Stooges, Joseph "Joe" Besser
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