Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Update 2017: When this book was first published it was being presented as factual account rather than a novel. My original review, which follows, details why it was never anything but a work of fiction: I am shocked that a book such as this could ever see the light of day. As writer, producer and director of the documentary "Stooges: The Men Behind the Mayhem" I can say with absolute certainty, and complete authority, that this book is a farce. The content is total fabrication -- submitted without one stitch of evidence. There are no photographs, no documents, and no dates. There is nothing adduced here to connect this twisted fantasy with anything that resembles the truth. The wild claims made in these pages have no validity whatsoever. Had the author done some homework (historical research about the Stooges, or contacting members of the Howard family) she would have immediately realized that she had been taken in by an unscrupulous charlatan or, giving the interviewee a modicum of latitude, a seriously mislead individual. It is impossible to address all of the ridiculous claims made in this book, so here are a few highlights: 1. Curly's real name was Jerome Lester Horwitz until he officially changed his last name to Howard. His nickname was "Babe", and he was known professionally as "Curley" or "Curly". 2. Curly was NEVER known as "Larry Fine". Actor Larry Fine was the only person in the act ever billed as Larry Fine. 3. Curly was NOT Catholic. He was JEWISH. 4. Curly was the youngest brother of five -- the others being Irving, Jack, Moe and Shemp Howard -- birth records, income tax and social security documents bear this out. It is FACT. Despite claims to the contrary, Moe Howard (in nearly every interview) mentioned that Curly was his youngest brother. Furthermore, Curly had NO sisters. 5. The Howard family lived in N.Y., NOT Georgia. 6. Curly was no longer a member of the Stooges when they were fired from Columbia. He was dead. Joe Besser was the actor working with the Moe and Larry at that time. 7. The Howard family was NOT Italian, they were Lithuanian. 8. Neither Curly nor the Horwitz / Howard family were ever part of the Mafia, Italian or otherwise. 9. Curly Howard had no knowledge of the JFK assassination -- as he died on January 18,1952, from cerebral arteriosclerosis. Medical records and coroner reports prove this fact. 10. Curly Howard never met Mario Puzo, and he did not write the story that eventually became "The Godfather" novel. He couldn't write anything -- because he was DEAD. The list, unfortunately, goes on and on. This book is a disservice to film historians everywhere, and will undoubtedly cause no small amount of grief for the actual relatives of Curly Howard -- his two LIVING daughters. I suggest that readers interested in the REAL history of the Stooges seek out THE THREE STOOGES SCRAPBOOK, or Steve Cox's ONE FINE STOOGE. These titles are based on firsthand accounts and documented fact, not innuendo and supposition. Unless you're in the mood for a total work of fiction -- avoid this book like the plague, Reader.