Paul Howard, son of The Three Stooges’ Moe Howard, died in Manhattan earlier this week. He was 91 years old.
Throughout his life, Paul Howard remained the custodian of his father’s legacy; He met 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 released “Hey Moe, Hey Dad!”, a nine-part series chronicling the legacy of The Three Stooges, featuring archival footage, family accounts, and interviews with family members of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard, Shemp Howard, and Curly Joe DeRita. hosted the documentary series. Produced and distributed by C3 Entertainment Inc., the series featured interviews with famous fans such as Whoopi Goldberg, Billy West and Leonard Maltin.
His niece, Tessa Maurer, shared an excerpt from the book “Growing Up Stooge” by Paul Howard’s sister, Joan Howard Maurer, explaining how Paul was born:
“Father [Moe] I always wanted a son; someone he can take fishing and play baseball with. In late 1934, after my mother informed him that she was pregnant, he humorously said: ‘Honey, if it’s a boy, they’ll have to dig me out of the swamp, I’ll be so drunk.’
My mother arranged for Paul’s birth on a vaudeville tour back east so she could give birth to him at Doctor’s Hospital in New York. … On July 8, 1935, eight years after my birth, my father’s dream came true when my brother Paul was born.
“Dad was a nervous wreck the entire time. The day Paul was born, he was in the middle of performing onstage with Larry and Curly at the Metropolitan Theater in Boston. His mother sent him a telegram from the hospital that read in part: A gorgeous eight-pound boy born at nine forty-five in the morning. KEEP AWAY FROM THE GUTTER… LOVE = HELEN
“My non-drinking father was drunk with joy. Even though I knew he loved me, he was very proud to have a son. Paul was actually born in the Yorkville area of Manhattan, two blocks from where he lives today.”
Surprisingly, the events surrounding Paul’s birth turned out to be both scary and funny. A few days later, Dad was rushing to the hospital to pick up Mom and baby Paul when he got into 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 her. My father was driving a rental car in a heavy Manhattan rainstorm at the time. It suddenly went out of control and crashed into a very high concrete utility pole, knocking it off its foundation. The pole fell onto the hood of the car with a loud crash, shattering the windshield and injuring my father. He had several cuts on his face due to broken glass and a black eye due to the impact. Luckily, my aunt and uncle, who were sitting in the backseat, escaped serious injury.
When he realized what had happened, his father found himself in a more dangerous situation: Aunt Clarice’s water suddenly broke. My father laughed hysterically. “That only happens in Stooge comedy.”
…My father was taken to the hospital emergency room for treatment, and my aunt was taken to the maternity ward, where she gave birth to my cousin Carole two months early. My mother was shocked to see that my father had a black eye and cuts on his face. Explaining himself, my father joked, ‘This didn’t happen while loitering around the stage.’”
He is survived by his wife Joanne and daughter Jennifer.