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Background

The Three Stooges were a vaudeville comedy team active from 1922 to 1970. Its best known lineup was Moe Howard (1922-1970), Larry Fine (1925-1970), and Jerome "Curly" Howard (1932-1946). Other Stooges throughout its history included Shemp Howard (1923-1932, 1946-1955), Joe Besser (1956-1958), and "Curly-Joe" DeRita (1958-1970).

Between 1934 and 1959, The Three Stooges starred in 190 short subjects for Columbia Pictures.

1st Intro (July 13, 1934-April 30, 1936)

Logo: The 1928-1936 Columbia Pictures logo plays, fading into the title card.

Visuals:

1. Moe, Larry, and Curly look at the viewer, with Curly's right hand on his chin, against a rectangular backdrop. The words "THE THREE STOOGES" are arched above them, with the O's in "STOOGES" connected together. Above the text are the words "COLUMBIA PICTURES CORPORATION" with "presents" below, and below the Stooges is the word "IN". Moe, Larry, and Curly's (spelled "Curley") names pop in, in smaller rectangles.
2. The short's title card plays, consisting of the name of the short, an illustration of one or all of the Stooges related to the short, and the copyright notice "COPYRIGHT (year) BY COLUMBIA PICTURES CORP. HARRY COHN, PRES." Occasionally other starring actors are also credited.
3. The other credits (e.g. directing, writing) play out in one slide, along with the logo for the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA).

Variants:

• In 2004, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released several colorized Stooges shorts on DVD. The title card features a blue background and yellow text.
• Modern releases of Woman Haters (the first short made by the Stooges at Columbia and originally released as part of Columbia's "Musical Novelty" series) play the title card from this intro before the original "Musical Novelty" title card.

Technique: The Stooges themselves are photographs, with the rest of the image being a matte painting. The names cutting in are accomplished using editing and compositing.

Music:

• 1934-1935: The opening theme of the short.
• 1935-1936: An arrangement of "Listen to the Mocking Bird" by Louis Silvers.

Legacy: This title card would later be referenced in the 1987 video game by Cinematronics, as well as Panther Brewing Company's short-lived The Three Stooges Beer. In both cases, the spelling of Curly's name is corrected.

2nd Intro (May 30, 1936-December 1, 1939)

Logo: The 1936-1942 Columbia Pictures logo (with the word "PRESENTS" on the pedestal in early shorts) plays, fading into the title card.

Visuals:

1. Against a shiny backdrop are the heads of Curly (looking at the other Stooges with a shocked expression), Larry, and Moe with their names below them. Above them are the name "THE THREE STOOGES" in a longer version of the previous title card's font, along with the text "COLUMBIA PICTURES CORPORATION" and "presents" above the name, the word "in" and the short's title below their heads, and copyright information below. The heads and title have stronger drop-shadows than other elements.
2. The other titles play in a separate screen.

Variants:

• In 2004, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment released several colorized Stooges shorts on DVD. The title card features a blue background and yellow text.

Technique: The Stooges themselves are photographs, with the rest of the image being a matte painting.

Music:

• 1936-1939: Another arrangement of "Listen to the Mocking Bird", this time more upbeat.
• 1938-1939: An arrangement of "Three Blind Mice", which would become the theme for the series for the rest of its run.

3rd Intro (January 19, 1940-April 17, 1945)

Logo: Throughout the title card, the 1936 or 1942 Columbia Torch Lady appears to the left of the title card, which takes place in a rounded square. On the steps are the words "COLUMBIA" on top, "SHORT SUBJECT" in the middle, and "PRESENTATION" on the bottom step.