<Tr> <Th> Genres </Th> <Td> Farce, slapstick, musical comedy </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Former members </Th> <Td> Moe Howard Shemp Howard Larry Fine Curly Howard Joe Besser Joe DeRita </Td> </Tr> <P> The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1928 until 1970, best known for their 190 Columbia short - subject films that have been airing on television regularly since 1958 . Their hallmark was physical farce and slapstick . In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their actual first names . There were a total of six stooges over the act's run, with only three active at any given time, but Moe Howard and Larry Fine were mainstays throughout the ensemble's run of more than forty years . </P> <P> The act began as part of a mid-1920s vaudeville comedy act, billed as "Ted Healy and His Stooges", consisting of Healy, Moe Howard, Moe's brother Shemp Howard and Larry Fine . The four appeared in one feature film, Soup to Nuts, before Shemp left to pursue a solo career . He was replaced by his younger brother, Jerome "Curly" Howard, in 1932 . Two years later, the trio left Healy and signed on to appear in their own short - subject comedies for Columbia Pictures, now billed as "The Three Stooges". From 1934 to 1946, Moe, Larry and Curly produced over 90 short films for Columbia . It was during this period that the three were at their peak popularity . </P>

When did the original three stooges come out