The Joe DeRita version of the Stooges always made me uncomfortable about the entire Stooges Project growing up, because he seemed so disinterested in being a Stooge. Joe Besser wasn't funny, but he was obviously
trying to be funny. When they brought in Joe DeRita, it was like they were actively scouring for any fat, bald people to fill out the act and probably forced some poor, mean-spirited mug working at a gas station to come down to the set and get conked in the head with giant wrenches for 14 hours a day.
As it turns out, according to
Curly Joe DeRita's Wikipedia Page,
* Joe DeRita really didn't like the Stooges: "I don't think the Stooges were funny. I'm not putting you on, I'm telling the truth — they were physical, but they just didn't have any humor about them." DeRita was more of a Laurel & Hardy fan: "But when I see that pie or seltzer bottle, I know that it's not just lying around for no reason. It's going to be used for something." See? So much hostility. They were trying to force a Moe to be a Curly: "Curly-Joe also showed a bit more backbone, even occasionally talking back to Moe, calling him "buddy boy." Brian's right, Chiklis should be DeRita in the new Stooges movie, and he should pull a gun on Moe.
It also turns out that DeRita was the Filthy Stooge: "...in the 1950s he recorded a risque LP called "Burlesque Uncensored," and the Stooges were planning to do an R-Rated movie with him. Ew.
*This reminds me of a topic that came up in a post-show chat once that somebody besides me should start in the General Thread area - what would be the most embarrassing Wikipedia page to find yourself updating and/or maintaining?