Paul Howard, son of Moe Howard of the Three Stooges, died earlier this week in Manhattan. He was 91 years old.
Paul Howard remained the keeper of his father’s legacy throughout his life, meeting generations of Stooges fans at conventions and events where he shared personal stories, family memories and insight into Moe Howard’s life.
In 2015, Paul Howard hosted the documentary series “Hey Moe, Hey Dad!” “, which chronicled the legacy of the Three Stooges over the course of nine episodes featuring archival footage, family stories and interviews with family members of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard and Curly Joe DeRita. The series, produced and distributed by C3 Entertainment, Inc. and currently streaming on The Three Stooges+ on YouTube, included interviews with famous fans including Whoopi Goldberg, Billy West and Leonard Maltin.
His niece, Tessa Maurer, shared an excerpt from Paul Howard’s sister Joan Howard Maurer’s book, “Growing Up Stooge” about how Paul came to be:
“Dad (Moe) always wanted a son, someone he could go fishing with and play baseball with. In late 1934, after his mother informed him she was pregnant, he joked, ‘Honey, if it’s a boy, they’ll have to pull me out of the gutter, I’ll be so drunk.’
The mother scheduled Paul’s birth during a vaudeville tour in the East so that she could give birth to Paul at Doctor’s Hospital in New York. … On July 8, 1935, eight years after my birth, Dad’s dream came true with the birth of my brother Paul.
“Dad was nervous all the time. The day Paul was born, he was performing on stage with Larry and Curly at the Metropolitan Theater in Boston. His mother sent him a telegram from the hospital that read in part: THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL 8 POUND BOY BORN AT NINE FORTY-FIVE AM. KEEP OUT OF THE GUTTER… LOVE = HELEN
“Dad, who didn’t drink, was drunk with joy. Even though I know he loved me, he was so proud to have a son. Paul was actually born two blocks from where he lives today, in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan.
Surprisingly, the events surrounding Paul’s birth became both frightening and hilarious. A few days later, Dad was rushing to the hospital to pick up mom and baby Paul and ended up in a serious car accident. My mother’s sister, Aunt Clarice, who was seven months pregnant at the time, and Uncle Harry Seiden were traveling with him. Dad was driving a rental car at the time in a heavy rainstorm in Manhattan. Suddenly, he skidded and slammed into a very large cement lamp post, knocking it off its foundation. The pole fell with a thunderous crash onto the hood of the car, shattering the windshield and injuring Dad. He suffered several cuts to his face from shards of broken glass and a black eye from the impact. My aunt and uncle, sitting in the back seat, fortunately escaped serious injury.
Realizing what had happened, Dad found himself in an even more precarious situation: Aunt Clarice’s water suddenly broke. Dad laughed hysterically. “That only happens in a Stooge comedy.”
…Dad was rushed to the hospital emergency room for treatment and my aunt to the delivery room where she gave birth to my cousin Carole two months prematurely. Mother was shocked to see my father sporting a black eye and cuts on his face. To explain, Dad joked, “That didn’t happen on stage walking around.”
He is survived by his wife Joanne and a daughter, Jennifer.
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