The Family Jules

The Three Stooges have been part and parcel of Columbia Pictures for so long that, unless you're a hardcore movie buff, you may not realize that they were but one component (albeit the most important one) of the company's comedy short-subject department, which churned out countless reels of laughter for a quarter-century, even after most other studios had given up on comedy shorts. And the unit was the responsibility of one of another wonderful team of brothers, Jules White.

Jules and older sibling Jack emigrated with their family (whose pre-Ellis Island name was Weiss) from Hungary; youngest brother Sam was born in L.A. All three got their start in the silent era: Jules as a child actor (for D.W. Griffith and Mack Sennett, among others), then later as an editor and director for Jack, who began producing short comedies for Educational Pictures in the teens. Sam likewise started as a kid actor, eventually moving behind the camera as a writer. In 1930, Jules found himself at MGM, teamed with childhood pal Zion Myers (whose sister Carmel was a major silent star) as co-directors of the "Dogville" comedies: two-reel shorts which "starred" costumed dogs in spoofs of then-current films--e.g., Dogway Melody. (They were recently released on DVD, in case you're hunting for a Christmas gift for Fido.) They also directed a Buster Keaton feature, Sidewalks Of New York, which is a treasure trove of gags that later found their way into Stooge shorts.

Harry Cohn wanted his own comedy shorts department, but accounts vary as to how it came into being. Either White or Myers was approached first--Cohn had reportedly enjoyed a Pete Smith short they'd made--and the other came as part of the deal. In any event, they began in late 1933, with Myers as supervising producer and White line-producing and directing. But soon after, Myers accepted an offer from RKO to produce features; left in sole charge, Jules gave up directing. Jack came over to help out for a while, but because of contractual obligations, he billed himself as "Preston Black." (He reverted to his own name when he returned for good in 1942.) Sam also helmed a few shorts, but soon moved over to producing and occasionally directing features.

But Jules needed more than just his siblings could provide, and as a veteran of silent comedy, he knew there was a goldmine of talent out there, much of which had been largely neglected since the dawn of sound. He found Del Lord, a stunt driver and director at Sennett, selling used cars; he promptly signed him up, and Lord became the unit's top director for the next decade. (He also has the distinction of having a rock group named after him.) The legendary Clyde Bruckman, who collaborated on many of Keaton's classic silents, was also hired, as were another Sennett vet, Felix Adler, and Harry Edwards, a one-time partner of Frank Capra. A magazine humorist, Elwood Ullman, likewise enlisted and became a mainstay of the unit.

Finding performers was no problem, either. In short order, White had picked up, among others, George Sidney and Charlie Murray, whose "Cohens and Kellys" series at Universal had run its course; long-time "old coot" funnyman Andy Clyde; faded superstar Harry Langdon (whose career was largely made by Capra, whom he'd later fired and was now, ironically, Columbia's pre-eminent filmmaker), and multi-hyphenate Charley Chase, who'd been unceremoniously dumped by Hal Roach after 15 years. Later on, he welcomed El Brendel, Hugh Herbert, Sterling Holloway, Bert Wheeler and, yes, Keaton himself, as well as popular radio stars Vera Vague (real name: Barbara Jo Allen) and Harry Von Zell; even the immortal Smith and Dale (the inspiration for Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys) came aboard for a couple of shorts. White also tried creating new comedy teams--Tom Kennedy and Monte Collins, Gus Schilling and Richard Lane, Wally Vernon and Eddie Quillan--with varying degrees of success.

And then of course there was the one team that was ready-made. White had been aware of the trio when they were all at MGM in 1933, where they were still the "stooges" of Ted Healy. When they left Healy (for the second time) in 1934, Cohn--who enjoyed their antics--suggested White offer them a trial. The result, the spoken-in-rhyme Woman Haters (part of the risqué "Musical Novelties" series), was deemed successful enough for a second, more conventional short, Punch Drunks. (In both cases, the team was billed as "Howard, Fine and Howard," as Healy still claimed the right to the word "stooge.") It too was a hit, and White quickly pacted the team for eight shorts a year, an enterprise that lasted nearly 25 years. Healy, now enjoying a blossoming solo career at MGM, obligingly released the rights to "stooge," and thus was their new handle cemented. (The main titles for the first two shorts were later refilmed.) Interestingly, Shemp Howard and Joe Besser were both already starring in shorts at Columbia when they were tapped to become "replacement" Stooges, though in the former's case, he was actually returning to the slot he'd originated--Curly had replaced him when he went solo in 1933.

But it wasn't all Old Home Week--the unit was also a breeding ground for new talent: Betty Grable, Lucille Ball, Walter Brennan, Dorothy Comingore (then billed as Linda Winters), Noel Neill, Dan Blocker and director Richard Quine, among others, all found early work in Columbia shorts. And when renowned cinematographer Lucien Ballard (whose most noteworthy credit in an amazing career may be The Wild Bunch) found himself idle, he'd cross the street and photograph a short, noting that it gave him the opportunity to experiment with lenses, filters and the like that he would never have gotten on a feature.

The department became successful enough that by 1937, White got the okay to add a second unit, with Hugh McCollum as producer. This had the bonus of allowing Jules to return to directing, which he did in 1938 with Three Missing Links. In 1944, pioneering sound recorder Edward Bernds asked for a chance to write and direct; White gave him his shot, and he put away the sound equipment for good. By the 1950s, Jules was the sole director, Jack the principal writer, and Jules' son Harold the film editor, making the shorts something of a family affair. But by 1957, the handwriting was on the wall; with Cohn's health failing, the unit was shut down, though so many shorts had been backlogged that Columbia was able to release new titles into 1959, as well as keeping older ones in reissue. Noting the increasing popularity of television, Jules persuaded Screen Gems (then the studio's TV arm) to make some Stooge shorts available for syndication...and I don't have to tell you how that turned out.

Jack retired, and Jules followed suit after dabbling in TV with a short-lived sitcom starring the Wiere Brothers. Sam, however, continued to work as a producer and second-unit director on such diverse shows as Perry Mason, My Friend Flicka and The Outer Limits. All lived long enough to see the rebirth of interest in their work; Jules was memorably feted by the Motion Picture Academy in 1982, and Sam continued to attend film festivals well into his 90s (Jack passed away in 1984, Jules in 1985 and Sam in 2006, ten weeks shy of his 100^th birthday). And if you ever visit the Motion Picture Country Home in Calabasas, you'll see three walls, each named after one of the White Brothers and honoring their numerous achievements. They never won any Oscars, but they won something more important: our hearts and our laughs.

- Michael Schlesinger