The New 3 Stooges is an American animated television series that ran during the 1965–66 television season starring the Three Stooges. The show follows the trio's antics both in live-action and animated segments. The cast consisted of Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Joe DeRita (as Curly-Joe), with actor and close friend Emil Sitka co-starring, as well as Margaret Kerry. The stories took place in varied settings, including Newport Beach and sailing as buccaneers on the Spanish Main.
Production
Forty-one live-action sequences were executively overseen by cartoonist Norman Maurer, son-in-law of Moe Howard, serving as their film agent during this period. Additionally, Edward Bernds, who directed the team at Columbia Pictures from 1945 to 1952 (predominantly during the Shemp Howard era), was enlisted to both script and direct the series. Emil Sitka, a familiar figure from numerous Stooges comedies, was slated to feature in these wraparound segments, assuming the role of a straight man to the Stooges.
Under the auspices of Cambria Studios, 156 short Stooge cartoons were produced, under the supervision of Lee Orgel. Notably, four cartoons were meticulously crafted to thematically align with each of the 40 live-action Stooge opening and closing sequences. Consequently, a single live-action segment could seamlessly transition as a wraparound for four distinct cartoons. However, this format posed a challenge for viewers, as articulated by Joe DeRita: