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Ted Healy, who originated the idea of The Three Stooges' brutal style of comedy, was not originally interested in hiring Jerome Lester Horwitz (who we all know as Curly Howard) to replace brother Samuel (also known as Shemp) Howard, the original Stooge, after Shemp left the group. Curly had wavy chestnut-brown hair and a waxed mustache. When he went out and completely shaved his head and (eventually) his mustache, Healy hired him on the spot.When Curly was 12, he was cleaning a shotgun when it went off and struck his foot. His brother Moses (Moe Howard) rushed him to the hospital and saved his life. He refused corrective surgery and was left with a permanent limp. For his "Curly" character, he developed an exaggerated walk, not only for comic effect, but to hide the effects of that childhood injury.Despite Curly's shy nature, the success and celebrity of The Three Stooges triggered his lifelong indulgences in drinking too much, overeating and womanizing. He was also a compulsive spender. Brother Moe Howard, the business manager of the group, tried to curtail Curly's spending habits but was unable to. Despite several hospitalizations for health problems due to his lifestyle, Curly stubbornly refused to change it.According to one of his ex-wives, he was extremely musical. He could take almost anything lying around and make music with it. She said when they went to nightclubs, he would take two spoons and play along with the club's band--in fact, there is a scene in "Disorder in the Court" (1936) showing him playing the spoons--or tear the tablecloth to music. Of course, they would find the cost of the tablecloth added to the bill.Once while in Atlantic City, NJ, he was cracked over the head with a cane by a young boy who thought Curly's head was as tough as it appeared to be in The Three Stooges shorts. (IMDb)Happy Birthday, Curly Howard!