Joe Besser
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.
Photos
Movies (67)
Mystery Reel
2022
The Abbott and Costello Show: Who's On First?
2011 · Stinky (archive footage)
Phyllis Diller: Not Just Another Pretty Face
2007 · Self (archive footage)
Three Stooges 75th Anniversary Special
2003 · Curly-Joe (archive footage)
The Three Stooges Story
2001 · Joe (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Three Stooges: Kings Of Laughter
2001 · (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Three Stooges Greatest Hits!
1997 · (archive footage)
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
1994 · Self (archive footage)
Classic Comedy Teams
1986 · Self (archive footage)
My Smurfy Valentine
1983 · Cupid (voice)
Which Way to the Front?
1970 · Dock Master
Savage Intruder
1970 · Bus Driver
The Monk
1969 · Herbie
A Day at the Horse Opera
1962 · Indian Chief
Hand of Death
1962 · Service station attendant
The Errand Boy
1961 · Man Watching Rushes
Let's Make Love
1960 · Charlie Lamont
The Rookie
1959 · Soldier
The Story on Page One
1959 · Gallagher (uncredited)
Say One for Me
1959 · Joe Greb
Sappy Bull Fighters
1959 · Joe
Triple Crossed
1959 · Joe
Plunderers of Painted Flats
1959 · Andy Heather
Oil's Well That Ends Well
1958 · Joe
Flying Saucer Daffy
1958 · Joe
Sweet and Hot
1958 · Joe
Pies and Guys
1958 · Joe
Fifi Blows Her Top
1958 · Joe Besser
Quiz Whizz
1958 · Himself
Outer Space Jitters
1957 · Joe / Joe's Son
Rusty Romeos
1957 · Joe
The Helen Morgan Story
1957 · Bartender (uncredited)
Horsing Around
1957 · Joe
Guns a Poppin!
1957 · Joe
Space Ship Sappy
1957 · Joe
A Merry Mix-Up
1957 · Joe / Jack / Jeff
Muscle Up a Little Closer
1957 · Joe
Hoofs and Goofs
1957 · Joe
Army Daze
1956 · Pvt. Joe Besser
Columbia Laff Hour
1956 · Joe (archive footage)
It's a Dog's Life
1955 · Dog Catcher (uncredited)
Hook a Crook
1955 · Joe Besser
Two-Gun Lady
1955 · Doc McGinnis
Headline Hunters
1955 · Coroner
Mad at the World
1955 · Gas Station Attendant
G.I. Dood It
1955 · Pvt. Joe Marblehead / Homer the Dog (voice)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops
1955 · Hunter (uncredited)
The Fire Chaser
1954 · Eric Loudermilk Potts
Sins of Jezebel
1953 · Yonkel
I, the Jury
1953 · Pete, Elevator Operator
Spies and Guys
1953 · Pvt. Joe Besser
A Day in the Country
1953 · Narrator (voice)
Caught on the Bounce
1952 · Joe
Aim, Fire, Scoot
1952 · Pvt. Joe Besser
Fraidy Cat
1951 · Joe Besser
The Desert Hawk
1950 · Prince Sinbad
Dizzy Yardbird
1950 · Pvt. Rodney Marblehead
Outside the Wall
1950 · The Cook (uncredited)
Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey
1950 · Carlton
Woman in Hiding
1950 · Salesman with Drum
Waiting in the Lurch
1949 · Eric Loudermilk Potts
Africa Screams
1949 · Harry
Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'
1948 · Sharkey Dolan
Talk About a Lady
1946 · Roly Q. Entwhistle
Eadie Was a Lady
1945 · Professor Diogenes Dingle
Hey, Rookie
1944 · Pendleton "Pudge" Pfeiffer
Hot Steel
1940 · Siggie Landers
TV shows (24)
Los Tres Chiflados
2015 · Joe (archive footage)
Yogi's Space Race
1978
Galaxy Goof-Ups
1978 · Scare Bear (voice)
Scooby's All-Stars
1977
The Oddball Couple
1975
Jeannie
1973
The New Scooby-Doo Movies
1972 · Babu (voice)
The Houndcats
1972
Love, American Style
1969 · Tony, Neighbor
My World and Welcome to It
1969
That's Life
1968
The Danny Thomas Hour
1967 · Hermes
The Mothers-in-Law
1967 · Joe, Bandleader, Tramp
That Girl
1966
Batman
1966 · Penguin Supporter (uncredited)
The Hollywood Palace
1964 · Self
The Alvin Show
1961
The Joey Bishop Show
1961 · Mr. Jillson
The Millionaire
1955 · Chester Pips
December Bride
1954
General Electric Theater
1953 · Manager
The Abbott and Costello Show
1952 · Stinky Davis
The Gene Autry Show
1950
Hour Glass
1946