‘Mousie’ Garner, 95; Slapstick Comedian Played One of Stooges

Paul “Mousie” Garner, 95, a slapstick comedian believed to be the last survivor among several men who played one of comedy’s Three Stooges over some 50 years, died Sunday of natural causes at Verdugo Hills Hospital.

By 1930, Garner began filling in for Shemp Howard when he was unavailable, and in 1931, when the original stooges -- Shemp, Moe Howard and Larry Fine -- went on the road, Garner, Jack Wolf and Dick Hakins took their places for Stooge creator Ted Healy on Broadway. First billed as the Three Stooges, the three later called themselves the Gentlemaniacs.

Over the years, Garner worked with nine different men as the zany Stooges, the subject of a 2002 book -- “The Three Stooges: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the Most Popular Comedy Team of All Time” by Jeff and Tom Forrester -- for which he wrote the introduction.

Born in Washington, D.C., Garner began his career as a boy in vaudeville in 1913, mimicking Al Jolson, and continued his brand of comedy until near death. He was Uncle Smackers in this year’s Jerry Zucker film “The Onion Movie.” The youngest of the Stooges to perform in film, stage, radio, television, comedy clubs and vaudeville, Garner recently worked on two documentaries: “Ted Healy and His Stooges” and “The Last Stooge,” about Garner himself.

A decorated Army sergeant during World War II, Garner earned his nickname “Mousie” for the way he rapidly nibbled his food. He received the lifetime achievement award from the National Comedy Hall of Fame in 2002.