Joe Besser (August 12, 1907 â€" March 1, 1988) was an American actor,
comedian and musician, known for his impish humor and wimpy
characters. He is best known for his brief stint as a member of the
Three Stooges in cinematic short subjects of 1957â€"59. He is also
remembered for his television roles: Stinky, the bratty man-child in
The Abbott and Costello Show, and Jillson, the maintenance man in The
Joey Bishop Show.Besser was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 12,
1907. He was the ninth child of Morris and Fanny [Fecht] Besser,
Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. He had seven older sisters, and
an older brother Manny who was in show business, primarily as an
ethnic Jewish comic. From an early age, Joe was fascinated with show
business, especially the magic act of Howard Thurston that visited St.
Louis annually. When Joe was 12, Thurston allowed him to be an
audience plant. Besser was so excited by this, he sneaked into
Thurston's train after the St. Louis run of the show was over, and was
discovered the next day sleeping on top of the lion's cage in
Detroit.Thurston relented, informed Besser's parents of the situation,
and trained him as an assistant. The first act involved pulling a
rabbit out of a hat. The trick involved two rabbits, one hidden in a
pocket of Thurston's cape. But young Besser was so nervous that he
botched badly, pulling out the rabbit from the cape at the same time
as the other rabbit was on display, before the trick had been
performed. The audience roared with laughter, and Besser from then on
was assigned "comic mishap" roles only. Besser was placed by St. Louis
juvenile authorities in a "corrective school" (reform school) at age
12.
comedian and musician, known for his impish humor and wimpy
characters. He is best known for his brief stint as a member of the
Three Stooges in cinematic short subjects of 1957â€"59. He is also
remembered for his television roles: Stinky, the bratty man-child in
The Abbott and Costello Show, and Jillson, the maintenance man in The
Joey Bishop Show.Besser was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on August 12,
1907. He was the ninth child of Morris and Fanny [Fecht] Besser,
Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. He had seven older sisters, and
an older brother Manny who was in show business, primarily as an
ethnic Jewish comic. From an early age, Joe was fascinated with show
business, especially the magic act of Howard Thurston that visited St.
Louis annually. When Joe was 12, Thurston allowed him to be an
audience plant. Besser was so excited by this, he sneaked into
Thurston's train after the St. Louis run of the show was over, and was
discovered the next day sleeping on top of the lion's cage in
Detroit.Thurston relented, informed Besser's parents of the situation,
and trained him as an assistant. The first act involved pulling a
rabbit out of a hat. The trick involved two rabbits, one hidden in a
pocket of Thurston's cape. But young Besser was so nervous that he
botched badly, pulling out the rabbit from the cape at the same time
as the other rabbit was on display, before the trick had been
performed. The audience roared with laughter, and Besser from then on
was assigned "comic mishap" roles only. Besser was placed by St. Louis
juvenile authorities in a "corrective school" (reform school) at age
12.
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