The Three Stooges Meet Hercules Poster Original Daybill 1962 Rare
Original Hand Litho Daybill Poster. The Three Stooges Meet Hercules is a 1962 comedy film directed by Edward Bernds. It is the third feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. By this time, the trio consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Joe DeRita (dubbed "Curly Joe"). Released by Columbia Pictures, The Three Stooges Meet Hercules was directed by long-time Stooges director Edward Bernds. It was made as a parody of the Italian-made mythological "muscle man" movies that were box-office hits at that time. Canadian bodybuilder Sam Burke (billed as Samson Burke), who played the real Hercules, had already played Ursus in one of the European productions. In typical Stooges form, Larry Fine and Joe DeRita fell out of a moving chariot in one scene, with 250-pound Joe falling on top of Larry. Larry was knocked out cold and rushed to the hospital. Though he did not sustain any injuries, a doctor's report revealed that he had diabetes. It was the most financially successful of the Stooges' feature films. In fact the film was such a box-office hit that Columbia offered The Three Stooges' production company, Normandy, a three-picture deal. In 1973, Moe expressed his fondness for the film stating "Of course Hercules I liked very much. Especially when we were in the slave ship. We had a great special effects team on that."
