Someone who appears in a film as a replacement for another person
Tom Mason (left) standing in for deceased actor Bela Lugosi in the 1959 horror film Plan 9 from Outer Space
A fake Shemp is a type of body double who appears in a film to replace another actor or person, usually when the original actor has died, or is unable or unwilling to reprise their role. Their appearance is disguised using methods such as heavy make-up (or a computer-generated equivalent), filming from the back, dubbing in audio and splicing in past footage from the original actor's previous work, using a sound-alike voice actor, or using partial shots of the actor.
Coined by film director Sam Raimi, the term is named after Shemp Howard of The Three Stooges, whose sudden death in 1955 necessitated the use of these techniques to finish the films to which he was already committed. Although using fake Shemps was somewhat common throughout the 20th century, Screen Actors Guild contracts ban reproducing an actor's likeness unless the original actor gave permission to do so, largely because of a lawsuit filed by Crispin Glover—following his replacement by Jeffrey Weissman in Back to the Future Part II—that determined that the method violates the original actor's personality rights. The method continues to be used in cases, such as Shemp's, where the original actor is deceased and permission from the deceased actor's estate is granted.
A fakeShemp is a type of body double who appears in a film to replace another actor or person, usually when the original actor has died, or is unable...
Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz; March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955), was an American comedian and actor. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out...
body double to member Shemp Howard for four shorts produced after Shemp's death, which led to the coining of the term "FakeShemp". Palma was born and...
complete four Shemp-era shorts under contract. The procedure of disguising one actor as another outside of stunt shots became known as the "fakeShemp". Columbia...
Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-0946-5 Rumpus in the Harem at IMDb Rumpus in the Harem at AllMovie Rumpus in the Harem at threestooges.net What is a FakeShemp?...
ISBN 0-8065-0946-5 Commotion on the Ocean at IMDb Commotion on the Ocean at AllMovie Commotion on the Ocean at threestooges.net What is a FakeShemp?...
known as FakeShemp, coined by producer Sam Raimi for his feature film The Evil Dead. For Scheming Schemers, Joe Palma appears for the shot of "Shemp" with...
more films, with Columbia regular Joe Palma filling in for Shemp (thus creating the FakeShemp phenomenon), until Columbia head Harry Cohn hired Joe Besser...
fan of The Three Stooges during his youth, which inspired him to use "FakeShemps" during production. In any scene that required a background shot of a...
known for his roles in the works of his brother Sam Raimi, including a fakeShemp in The Evil Dead, possessed Henrietta in Evil Dead II, and Ted Hoffman...
filmed after Curly Howard's initial stroke ^^ = filmed after Shemp Howard's death (see "FakeShemp") § = denotes a cameo appearance or supporting role ~ =...
interrupts Shemp's classroom session with news of his uncle Caleb's demise, provoking Shemp's initial disparagement of his late relative. However, Shemp's demeanor...
other actors, effectively putting to an end the decades-long use of the FakeShemp technique among living actors. Despite not setting a legal precedent,...
scene in which she repels suitor Shemp Howard—right through a door. Director Edward Bernds remembers: In the story, Shemp had a few hours in which to get...
in his own films as well as in films by Sam Raimi, most notably as a fakeshemp in Army of Darkness and a dockworker in Darkman. As of 2009, Lustig is...
When Shemp Howard died of a heart attack on November 22, 1955, the Three Stooges were still making short comedies for Columbia Pictures. Shemp was succeeded...
in Venice. Healy brought Fine, Shemp Howard, and Moe Howard together for the first time as a trio. "Moe, Larry, and Shemp", along with Fred Sanborn, appeared...
Norman Maurer Hugh McCollum Christine McIntyre Frank Mitchell Joe Palma/FakeShemp Fred Sanborn Emil Sitka Greta Thyssen Elwood Ullman Jack White Jules White...
were completed when Shemp died. To fulfill the contract, producer-director Jules White manufactured four more films with Shemp's surviving partners, Moe...
the Old Man/Ghoul Man Tom Mason as Old Man/Ghoul Man stand-in, Lugosi's fakeShemp (uncredited) Criswell as himself/narrator Karl Johnson as Farmer Calder...
team The Three Stooges, which also featured his elder brothers Moe and Shemp Howard, as well as actor Larry Fine. In early shorts, he was billed as Curley...
and Billy Rose's Crazy Quilt. Moe, Larry, and Shemp rejoined Healy's act in late July 1932, but Shemp left on August 19 to pursue a solo career and was...
American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 118th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures...
Joe. After Shemp's death in November 1955, four entries even went so far as to use recycled footage, and a double posing as Shemp ("FakeShemp") in his...
American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 117th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures...
brothers' real life father Sol Horwitz, (the father of Moe, Curly, and Shemp Howard), makes an uncredited appearance as a member of the public audience...
Norman Maurer Hugh McCollum Christine McIntyre Frank Mitchell Joe Palma/FakeShemp Fred Sanborn Emil Sitka Greta Thyssen Elwood Ullman Jack White Jules White...
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