A Brief from Niagara At Large Publisher and an Out-Of-The-Closet Stooges Fan Doug Draper
Hey all you knuckleheads out there. Yes, I might very well be talking to you.
The most famous knuckleheads of all time – The Three Stooges – are back for a ‘Winter Stoogefest’ this coming Saturday, March 1st at the historic Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, New York.
This latest edition of the Riviera’s always-popular Three Stooges Film Festival – featuring seven to eight of the legendary trio’s short films from the first half of the 20th century, an array of Stooge merchandise in the theatre’s back lobby, and master of ceremonies and Western New York’s numero uno Stooge fan Lenny Potwora, replete in a tux to distinguish himself from the hoi polloi , introducing each flic – begins at 7 p.m. with a brief warm-up concert on the 67 Webster Street theatre’s Mighty Wurlitzer organ.
I know that at least some of you Niagara At Large readers may be wondering why a news and commentary site that mostly delves into issues seriously impacting on our lives today would turn around and promote at Stoogefest. I’ve already had some friends and family members say; ‘You like the Stooges? Why? They are so stupid? Well of course they are. Even someone as stupid as I am knows that. But how much more stupid are they than some of the people I see walking around shopping malls like zombies? – People who then go out and vote!!!!! How do you think Rob Ford got elected mayor of Toronto, and might even win a second term this coming fall, according to more a few political watchers in that circus tent of a city? How did Stephen Harper win a federal majority government three years ago and Dalton McGuinty win a second majority in government in Ontario some five years ago?
So let’s not get high handed oover who is stupid.
Then there is the line that The Stooges form of eye-poking, cheek-smaking, etc. comedy is violent, especially antics of lead Stooge Moe. I’ve had everyone from my recently passed away mother to others say Moe is “mean.
My answers to that are these. At least Moe, unlike most of our current political leaders has leadership skills. And as far as any violence (The Stooges called it slap stick) is concerned, there are one helluva lot more people paying far more money for tickets to go into an arena or stadium see violence at a NHL hockey or NFL football game.
So let’s not all of you get sanctimonius about a little slapping around in a Stooges flic, and let’s not be a snob or a “snobbiss,” as The Stooges’ Curly would put it around snobs on the female side of the equation. After all, what is a little good-humoured slapping around compared to the horrid shit people in countries like Ukraine or North Korea are going through.
It has been one hell of a cold, brutal winter, and you would be doing yourself a favour, four $10 a ticket for adults and $7 for children, to participate in a theatre full of uproarinous around this Stoogefest event. Slap yourselves in the face and go to this one.
For more information on this Winter Stoogefest and the wonderful Riviera Theatre and all the great entertainment it has to offer the rest of the year, click on http://www.rivieratheatre.org/ .
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