>>I used to love the Stooges as a kid. As I got older, they lost some of their shine.<<

I thought Shemp did a great job of filling in for Curly--Shemp was, after all, the original 3rd stooge. Shamp was hi sown mand and had his own routine and was freaking hilarious in his own right. But after that, they were just groping around tryng to find a fat guy who looked like Curly. It wasn't the same. They did try to get Mousey Garner but he was under contract and his boss wouldn't let him go. That might have prolonged the Stooges' life but it was one of those what if kind of things.

But the Curly-Shemp days were great.