Biography

Joe DeRita

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Born into a show business family, DeRita began performing at the age of 7. He played the Burlesque circuit until 1942 when he went to headline in California stage shows. He toured with Randolph Scott and Bing Crosby for the USO during World War II. Joe made his film debut in "The Doughgirls" (1944) and continued to perform in films, radio, and television before joining the Three Stooges in 1958. When Moe Howard's death ended the comedy team in 1975, DeRita retired.
- IMDb mini biography by: Michael J. Bauman <mbauman@acsu.buffalo.edu>

According to Emil Sitka, when DeRita was brought on board the Stooges, he was more or less an employee, not a full partner. Larry Fine threatened to quit the act unless Moe made him a full partner.
He was the only non-Jewish member of The Three Stooges, he had English and French-Canadian ancestry.
Following his death, he was laid to rest at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood, California. His tombstone reads: "The Last Stooge". Burbank, California's Valley Funeral Home supplied his casket.
DeRita was called Curly-Joe because he resembled early Stooges member Curly Howard (fat and graceful) and because there had already been a Stooge named "Joe" (Joe Besser).
When Joe Besser left The Three Stooges, Moe Howard made another attempt to bring Joe DeRita into the act. The timing could not have been better; Joe had only a week left on his contract with Minsky. Joe was able to become a member of The Three Stooges (as "Curly Joe") just before they began a series of feature films.

I don't think [The Three Stooges] were funny. I'm not putting you on, I'm telling the truth--they were physical, but they just didn't have any humor about them. Take, for instance, [Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy]. I can watch their films and I still laugh at them and maybe I've seen them four or five times before. But when I see that pie or seltzer bottle, I know that it's not just lying around for no reason. It's going to be used for something. I was with the Stooges for 12 years and it was a very pleasant association, but I just don't think they were funny.
[on working with The Three Stooges] Moe and Larry were the best. We worked well together and enjoyed every moment of it.

The Three Stooges in Orbit (1962) - $50,000 +50% of profits (split with Moe Howard and Larry Fine)
Have Rocket -- Will Travel (1959) - $30,000 +25% of profits (split with Moe Howard and Larry Fine)

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