September 2022 Auction Ends Thursday, September 29th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/29/2022
Moe Howard handwritten pages from the draft of his autobiography, ''Moe Howard & the 3 Stooges''. In this manuscript, Howard announces the birth of his daughter Joan, and describes The Three Stooges' transition to Los Angeles to film ''Soup to Nuts''.
First page is headlined ''1927 Birth of Joan'' and reads in part, ''Still with Ted Healy Shemp and Larry in the Shubert Broadway production. This is the year when Larry married Mabel Haney and the year that our first child was born on April 2, 1927 a girl Joan. My wife had a terrible time with the birth of Joan. At the time we were living on Ave S near Coney Island Ave in Brooklyn. My wife carried her pregnancy very well. On many occassions [sic] I felt the child trying to kick its way out of its Mother's stomach. It was at birth time that my wife had the difficulty. She had started to be in labor for many hours. I would come into her hospital room to give her some encauring [sic] words after a short time she would moan & groan with pain. I couldn't take it, so I would rush out of the room and sit in the waiting area and count the call chimes that would chime intermittently like 2 short chimes, then a space and 3 chimes then a space and one chime. This kept on continuously until I got into the habit of pointing my finger like a fight referee and try to predict with my finger motions the amount of chimes and spacing. I was doing this for some time, finally I noticed that the 7 or 8 people who had been in the room with me started leaving until they had all left [crossed out and replaced with 'I was alone']. It then dawned on me that they must have thought that I was nuts, acting like a referee counting a fighter out. So I quit that and then tried to time the chimes by snapping my fingers. My wife was in Labor for many hours. I would pop in and out of her room at the sound of her moaning. After many hours they wheeled her out on a table and took her to the room where the deliveries happen. After some time they wheeled her out and I walked along side of her and said Honey never again I can't take it.''
Howard continues on the other side of the sheet, some of which is crossed out in pencil, indicating it was likely left out of the autobiography. Page reads, ''That's it. And that's the way it was for 8 years until my son Paul was born in 1936. Little Joan was cute as a bug with little curled ringlets plasted to the side of her head. Curly in 1930 - Healy, Shemp & his wife & son Walt Larry and his wife and baby daughter Phyliss my wife Joan and I, we made quite a group. We arrived in L.A. by train to do the Fox picture - 'Soup to Nuts'. My family [crossed out] and Shemps family lived together [?] and Shemps family stayed for awhile at the St. Francis Hotel on Hollywood Blvd. We then moved into a very nice one family house, quite large on Hobart Blvd. in Hollywood where we stayed for some time. Larry moved into an apartment bungalow in Hollywood. [crossed out] Joan &. There was one incident that needs mentioning. Joan who was now a little past 2 1/2 years of age was playing in the yard for a few hours in the hot sun and was burned badly by the sun. In her crib she couldn't lie down on account of the burn she had on her back shoulders and stomach. She cried for a long time every time she got sleepy and fell onto her back she would jump up with a scream. I finally climbed into her crib with my legs hanging out and the child sat between my legs facing me with head against my chest and that's how she stayed asleep until early morning and that's the position I was in all night with some awful cramps in my legs but I didn't dare move for fear that I would awaken her. The next day a doctor took over and cooled the situation. Fortunately her skin did not blister. I for one will never forget that night and I know my wife stayed awake suffering with me. I even get a crampy feeling in my back while writing about this episode. Since that night I have been very careful about sitting or working in the sun uncovered.''
Two page manuscript on a single sheet of lined yellow legal paper measures 8'' x 12.5''. Light creasing and toning, overall very good condition.
Moe Howard's Handwritten Manuscript Created for His Autobiography -- Moe's Daughter Joan Is Born & The Three Stooges Move to LA to Film ''Soup to Nuts''
Click above for larger image.