Paul Howard, son of The Three Stooges‘ Moe Howard, died earlier this week in Manhattan. He was 91.
Paul Howard remained a guardian 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 insights into the life of Moe Howard.
In 2015, Paul Howard hosted the docuseries “Hey Moe, Hey Dad!,” which related the legacy of The Three Stooges over nine episodes featuring archival footage, family accounts and interviews with family members of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard and Curly Joe DeRita. The series, which was produced and distributed by C3 Entertainment, Inc. and is now streaming on The Three Stooges+ on YouTube, incorporated interviews with celebrity 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 into the world:
“Dad [Moe] always wanted a son; someone he could take fishing and with whom he could play baseball. In late 1934, after Mother informed him that she was pregnant, he quipped, ‘Honey, if it’s a boy, they’ll have to drag me out of the gutter, I’ll be so drunk.’
Mother timed Paul’s birth to a vaudeville tour in the east so she could give birth to Paul at Doctor’s Hospital in New York. … On July 8, 1935, eight years after I was born, Dad’s dream became a reality when my brother Paul was born.
“Dad was a nervous wreck the entire time. On the day of Paul’s birth, he was in the middle of performing on stage with Larry and Curly at the Metropolitan Theatre in Boston. Mother sent him a telegram from the hospital that, in part, read: IT’S A GORGEOUS 8 POUND BOY BORN NINE FORTY-FIVE AM. KEEP OUT OF THE GUTTER…LOVE= HELEN
“Dad, who did not drink, was drunk with glee. Though I know he loved me, he was so proud to have a son. Paul was actually born two blocks away from where he lives today in the Yorkville section of Manhattan.
Surprisingly, the events surrounding Paul’s birth turned both frightening and hilarious. Several days later, Dad was hurrying to the hospital to pick up Mother and baby Paul and wound 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 rented car at the time through a heavy Manhattan rainstorm. Suddenly he skidded out of control and slammed into a very tall cement lamppost knocking it from its foundation. The post fell with a thunderous crash across the hood of the car, smashing the windshield and injuring Dad. He sustained several cuts on his face from the shards of shattered glass and a black eye from the impact. My aunt and uncle, seated in the back seat, fortunately escaped serious injury.
As the realization of what had transpired hit him, Dad found himself in a more precarious situation: Aunt Clarice’s water suddenly broke.Dad laughed hysterically. “This only happens in a Stooge comedy.”
…Dad was rushed to the hospital emergency room for treatment and my aunt into the delivery room where she delivered my cousin Carole two months prematurely. Mother was shocked to see my father, sporting a black eye and cuts on his face. Explaining himself, Dad joked, ‘This didn’t happen on stage stooging around.’”
He is survived by his wife Joanne and a daughter, Jennifer.