Mysterious Death
Healy’s drinking problem had caused tensions to rise between him and the Stooges for years. His untimely demise in 1937, when he was just 41 years old, remains obscure. A night out on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles was the perfect way to celebrate the birth of his son. Later that night, he had a heart attack and passed away. Allegedly. If Healy’s face hadn’t been so bruised, the story might have been different. There have always been rumors that he was involved in or started a fight the night he died. This made sense, given his aggressive personality and a short fuse. Unfortunately, though, no one can say for sure what happened.
Mysterious Death
Contract With Columbia
The Stooges’ contract with Columbia Pictures required them to produce eight short films within 40 weeks. They were probably overworked, but the audiences who loved their antics made it all worthwhile. Columbia president Harry Cohn, who viewed the Stooges as a cheap commodity with enormous market potential, unfortunately, kept the Stooges in the dark about their fame. To ensure that they would have to re-sign every year, he included an open option in their contracts. In an embarrassing display of fearmongering, Cohn made the Stooges think they were unpopular with the public and threatened to fire them at any time.
Contract With Columbia
