THE THREE STOOGES

THE THREE STOOGES: From Amalgamated Morons to American Icons. Michael Fleming. Foreword by Mel Gibson. Official and Authorized. Doubleday; 1999.

This illustrated coffee table book takes an exhaustive look at the careers and lives of the Three Stooges, which actually consisted of several men over the years. Originally they were three brothers, but Larry Fine was not related, and took over for Shemp Howard (who later came back into the fold). The trio started out as stooges for comic Ted Healy and there are chapters detailing Healy's career both before and after his association with the Stooges, who outgrew him. The Stooges originally made comedy shorts that played in theaters, many of which were quite funny (while others were stinkers). When these played on television, there was a literal and figurative Stooge revival -- the fellows wound up being put in big-screen movies such as Snow White and the Three Stooges and Have Rocket, Will Travel, with mixed results. In any case they had a whole new audience of kids of all ages. The author argues that the Stooges are almost exclusively a male phenomenon, that women just don't dig the Stooges, but I think that's a generalization that might not hold water (no matter what Mel Gibson, who wrote the introduction, may think). Fully half the book is devoted to synopses of all of the Stooges shorts -- and there were many -- but it's more fun to watch (some of) them than to read about them. Still, this is a must-have for serious Stooge fans.

Verdict: Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk -- For all things Stooge. ***.

CAGNEY BY CAGNEY

CAGNEY BY CAGNEY. James Cagney. Doubleday; 1976.

James Cagney had no particular interest in writing his memoirs, but he was tired of authors getting the facts wrong and decided he had better tell his own story. The first section of the book features a lot of tales detailing just how tough Cagney was growing up in a bad neighborhood where you had to prove yourself with your fists. Cagney wouldn't be the first song and dance man who felt a need to affect a super-macho image. (Ironically, one of his first jobs had him dancing in drag!) The book is more interesting when Cagney gets into his career, and he makes it clear that he considers himself, first and foremost, a dancer. Cagney felt that making movies was a grind, and he wasn't thrilled with some of the by-the-numbers assignments he was thrown into, nor with the fact that real bullets were originally used in scenes with machine guns! (Oddly, he doesn't acknowledge that he was making much, much more money than the average person.) He writes pleasantly of his fellow actors, with two exceptions: an unnamed leading lady whom he finds condescending: and Horst Buchholz, with whom he appeared in One Two Three. When Buchholz tried one of his "scene-stealing didoes," Cagney was going to "knock him on his ass." Cagey was a rarity in that he wasn't that interested in a typical Hollywood lifestyle, preferring to live in the east, and he was happily married to the same woman, a former actress, for a great many years. Liberal in his youth, Cagney became more conservative as he got older, and also became a conservationist. The book is full of ruminations on how the picture business has changed, as well as the country, and includes many samples of his poetry, which is much better than Jimmy Stewart's. Cagney comes off as a moderately cultured man with some good horse sense, who didn't allow his movie stardom to completely define him. He writes bluntly of movie colleagues who just can't accept the fact that their careers are over and no one is interested in them anymore, a fate that did not ensnare Cagney, as he became an icon instead of a has-been.

Verdict: Probably not the last word, but an interesting look at a very interesting and talented actor. ***.

BOMBSHELL: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF JEAN HARLOW

BOMBSHELL: The Life and Death of JEAN HARLOW. David Stenn. Doubleday; 1993.

After a scurrilous supposed biography of Harlow was published by Irving Shulman, there appeared two biopics about the star that were, unfortunately, in the same vein. Before "Bombshell" was published, there was Eve Golden's "Platinum Girl." a well-researched tome that refuted much that had been said and written about Harlow. "Platinum Girl" was published by Abbeville Press, while the more prestigious Doubleday came out with "Bombshell," automatically giving it more attention, although it is probably no better than Golden's tome. As for "Bombshell," it is a compact, well-written and very entertaining look at a talented lady whose screen image was not what she was actually like in real life (although her penchant for going without underwear and stripping un-self-consciously at the drop of  a hat might give one pause). The book explores Harlow's three failed marriages; the death of second husband Paul Bern (was it really necessary to include a crime scene photo of this tormented man's dead body?); her rather twisted relationship with her obsessive mother; and even a bit about her career. Not being a film historian or critic, Stenn doesn't deal that much with Harlow's actual films or her work on-screen. Still, this is a mostly credible look at the tragic life of this star who probably never had that much desire to even be in the movies. Harlow's films include Dinner at Eight and Reckless.

Verdict: Solid movie star bio. ***.