Stooge
Entry in progress—B.P.
Wikipedia: Stooge
A stooge or stooges may refer to:
. Straight man (stock character), a comedian who feeds lines to another
. Shill, a confederate or performer who acts as if s/he is a spectator
. The Stooge, a 1952 American film
. The Three Stooges, a comedy group from the 1930s to the 1970s
(Oxford English Dictionary)
stooge, n.
Etymology: Origin unknown; the possibility that it represents an altered form of student has been suggested (students having frequently been employed as stage assistants).
slang (orig. U.S.).
1.
a. A stage hand.
1913 Sat. Evening Post 1 Nov. 64/4 Ben, I want you to plant one of your stooges in that coop with a couple of smoke-pots, so that we’ll get the effect of Jack coming through the thickest of it.
b. A stage assistant, esp. one who acts as the butt or foil for a leading character; a feed, straight man.
1929 Variety 24 July 1/1 Stuges perform on the floor with dead-pan faces and unconscious feet beating out the time-step.
c. The assistant of a conjuror or similar performer.
1936 R. E. Sherwood Idiot’s Delight ii. iii. 129 I was a stooge for Zuleika, the Mind Reader.
2. A newcomer, a novice (in certain spec. contexts: see quots.).
1930 J. Lait Big House i. 6 A first-timer [in prison] is a ‘stooge’.
3. A person whose function is merely to carry out another’s directions; an unquestioningly loyal or obsequious subordinate, a lackey; a person used as an instrument by someone behind the scenes, a cat’s paw. Also figurative.
1937 H. G. Wells Brynhild vi. 85 I have to..proclaim you. Be your Aaron. Your John the Baptist. Your—Stooge!
11 February 1919, The Press and Banner (Abbeville, SC), “Technical Slang of the Circus Is Interpreted by Eddie Polo,” pg. 7, col. 1:
STUGE—A circus employe who sits in the audience and volunteers to ride the trick mule or to stay on the revolving table.
13 April 1934, Akron (OH) Beacon Journal, “Sam Bradley, Old Trouper, Lists ‘Slanguage’ Of Theater” by Robert Gunning, pg. 35, col. 6:
Stooge—A person planted in the audience to later take part in the performance.
OCLC WorldCat record
The three stooges short films vol. 1.
Publisher: [United States] : Echelon Studios : Made available through hoopla, 1941.
Edition/Format: eVideo : Clipart/images/graphics : English
Summary:
The Three Stooges were a comedy act who made numerous short films, specializing in slapstick, which were perfect for reruns on television. They also appeared in feature films for a total of well over 200 films in all! Their act began in vaudeville and then they began making films in the early 1930s! These films were the perfect length for a new medium that was begging for something to air ... television. In 1959, Columbia Pictures offered the entire Three Stooges film library to the networks through its subsidary, “Screen Gems” and suddenly, the Three Stooges were a hit with a whole new generation!
OCLC WorldCat record
They stooge to conga.
Author: Three Stooges (Comedy team)
Publisher: ©1943.
Edition/Format: Film : Film Visual material : English
OCLC WorldCat record
Stooge for a mouse
Author: Friz Freleng
Publisher: 1950.
Series: Merrie melodies.
Edition/Format: Film : Animation : Film Visual material : English