CURLY HOWARD OF THE THREE STOOGES HATED DOING THIS FOR HIS CHARACTER
By MATT REIGLE
History - Science
The most famous lineup of The Three Stooges comprised Moe Howard, Jerome "Curly" Howard, and Larry Fine, with several appearances by Shemp Howard. Back when Jerome had first joined the Three Stooges, he had to adhere to one of the group's trademarks that they had developed early on — each Stooge had a goofy haircut.
Moe had his trademark bowl cut, while Larry had his frizzy, tangled halo of hair — so Jerome's red hair and handlebar mustache were shaved off and the character Curly was born. However, Curly was self-conscious about his trademark haircut (which got him the gig in the first place) and was concerned that it would make him appear unattractive to women.
Curly was married four times, and never for more than three years — so it's widely believed that the frustrations in his personal life, which were arguably byproducts of his shaved head, drove him to drink heavily. In 1946, Curly experienced a stroke that sidelined him for good, and in 1952, he passed away at the age of 48.