The Stooges were scrambling through various short subject departments until they wound up at Columbia in 1934. At this time, Bert Lahr had already made his feature film debut, and was midway through a career as a Broadway headliner. Curly Howard had not thought about being a performer until 1932, when brother Samuel (Shemp) left Ted Healy's Stooges, and brother Moe asked little brother Jerry (Curly) to join. According to his biographer (and son) John Lahr, Bert Lahr had established his "gnong gnong" sound before 1920, as he is working it into his cop-and-dancer vaudeville act with his then-wife in the late teens and early 20's. He worked in vaudeville for 17 years, before making his Broadway debut in 1927. Bert Lahr began his performing career in 1910. Just because you saw Curly first doesn't mean he came first. I have not seen FLYING HIGH yet, so no opinion there, but wanted to respond to Lonesome Prospector's ridiculous and ignorant speculation that Bert Lahr could be copying Curly Howard.
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