"Happy St. Patrick's Day...& Good-Bye to History"

If Samuel "Shemp Howard" Horwitz was still alive today he'd be...well...he'd be pretty old, actually! "Shemp Howard" was born on this day in 1895, which would make 112 years ago. He was the eldest of the Horwitz brothers.

Of course, he's been dead a good 52 years , and although he's not my favorite of "The Three Stooges" (that going to Larry Fine), still I must admit that I still get a laugh from the one short he made where his uncle had died and he was going to get this big inheritance IF he got married. He calls up all the gals he knows and proposes but none will marry him, save this one somewhat homely girl and the other Stooges make him go thru with it.

Then all of his other female aquaintances find out about the money and ALL of them try to marry him instead, and get into a cat-fight, one of which bangs the preacher over the head with a bird cage or some such thing, and the preacher keeps repeating the phrase, "Hold hands you two lovebirds!" all thru the short.

I know; it's low-brow humor maybe, but still funny none the least.

"Shemp" was one of the original Three Stooges, performing in their first film as well as on stage in the trio, and an amazing 77 Stooge shorts! Before the shorts started production however, he decided to go out on his own and was in several movies, acting alongside such greats as Fatty Arbuckle, W.C. Fields and Abbott & Costello. Jerry ("Curly"), of course, took his place (yet another of the "Howard" brothers), but when Curly got ill, then died in 1946 , Shemp came back in and remained with the group until his death in 1955.

"Happy Birthday, Shemp."


Well I had today off from work and decided to go back down to the local bookstore and take a "want list" with me this time while I thumbed through the back issue comic books on the spin rack. I had noticed last time I was there looking thru them that there was several various modern "Superman" titles, and I have many issues of those on a want list of app.'s of the Matrix "Supergirl", but alas, all of them were a number short or not even close. However, I did buy 8 misc. books, all of which were "Fantastic Four" appearances: 6 misc. issues of Marvel Knights 4 (including a #1 & 2 of that title), plus a first print of FF #348 (an issue with Art Adams artwork and guest app.'s of "The Ghost Rider", the grey-skinned "Hulk", "Spider-man" and "Wolverine"), and a #527 (a Michael Straczynski issue). Some interesting guest app.'s in the MK4's including "Namor" and "The Impossible Man". This'll give me some good reading for later on tonight.

While I was downtown as well, I took a disposable camera with me and took several shots of the old Gorin Store and Owens Hotel locations. It seems that our new mayor, intent on tearing down the old Hotel since the town never got the funds to fix it back up, decided to start using controlled fire and burn down several old houses and is going to burn down the old store as well. Now...this wasn't ever part of any city plan. The store was "fixable", is an antique structure and on the historic register, but he's had people strip down the store of it's alum. siding and gut the insides.

Even in that state of being, the store remains a building of antique beauty. one can now see the original green painted wood and framing. It was built in 1875, making it 132 years old. It's just a shame that it's going to be forever gone soon since it was indeed a repairable structure. As a small child in the Cub Scouts, I'd go there an one old man had it as an army surplus and buy items such as army backpacks and canteens and eating gear (thatI needed on Scout trips). At one time, and originally in fact, it was a grocery store, and it's the oldest grocery store in this town that still remains standing. Needless to say, our new mayor is on nobody's favorite town citizen list.

And, it's "St. Patrick's Day", so Drink Up, All You Irish! Pass along some of that famous Irish Luck to ME ('cause I can always use it)!