- Born
- Died
- Height5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
- Orphaned at twelve, Sitka caught the acting bug while living with a priest in Pittsburgh. He rode the rails as a hobo for years during the Depression before arriving in Hollywood in 1936. Theatre work, including directing, eventually brought him to the attention of a talent scout, who contracted him to Columbia Studios. Famous for his character roles in slapstick comedy (he claims to have appeared in 450 movies), he became a regular in shorts and feature films with the Three Stooges, making thirty-five shorts with the boys before 1958. He holds the further distinction of appearing with each of the six Stooges (Moe, Shemp, and Curly Howard; Larry Fine; Joe Besser; and Joe DeRita). Sitka's most famous role, as a justice of the peace who begins every service with the words, "Hold hands, you love birds", brought him lasting fame among Stooge fans, who would sometimes ask him to repeat the phrase during their own wedding ceremonies.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tony Adam <anthony-adam@tamu.edu>
- This tall, gangling man, a bit player in hundreds of Hollywood films, achieved comparative immortality through his appearances as favorite foil of The Three Stooges (see Ted Healy) in so many of their two-reelers. (Although one might well wonder whether that source of immortality would not drive its recipient to imbibe to excess.) Having debuted with the Stooges in Half-Wits Holiday (1947), Sitka almost became the seventh actor to portray one Stooge or other, the others over the years being Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Moe's brother Shemp Howard, Moe's other brother, Curly (Jerome) Howard; Joe Besser and "Curly-Joe" DeRita. Larry had suffered a stroke in 1970 and Sitka, under contract to replace him in the Stooges act, would join Moe and Curly-Joe in a feature planned for 1974 or 1975. But with Moe's death in '75, the film was never made.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Bill Takacs <kinephile@aol.com>
- SpouseDonna D. Driscoll(October 8, 1940 - ?) (7 children)
- Catchphrase: "Hold hands, you lovebirds!"
- Officially became a member of The Three Stooges in the early 1970s, replacing Larry Fine. Two planned Stooges film projects never occurred. The second, which the Stooges dropped out of when Moe Howard became too sick to work, was produced with the [two surviving] Ritz Brothers stepping into the Stooges' shoes and released as Blazing Stewardesses (1975).
- He was the last surviving member of The Three Stooges (although he never had a chance to make a film in this role). He was also the only person to have worked with all six of the Stooges.
- His license plate read STOOGES.
- Following his death, he was interred at Conejo Mountain Memorial Park in Camarillo, California. As a tribute to his tenure with the Three Stooges, his gravestone reads "Hold hands, you lovebirds!".
- Had two daughters: Eelonka Klugman and Little-Star Martotella; and four sons: Rudigor Sitka, Storm Sitka, Darrow Sitka and Saxon Sitka.
- [on working with Curly Howard in Half-Wits Holiday (1946), Howard's final film with The Three Stooges after suffering a major stroke that debilitated him] After [the stroke] occurred, Curly was just missing all of a sudden. It wasn't announced to the rest of the cast; nobody knew what happened. So, we're approaching the last scene in the picture, a big pie fight. They had a big set and they put a huge canvas all around; it was going to be like a battleground. They're getting all geared up and the script calls for all the Stooges. I see a dry run-through of the scene and there's no Curly. I thought it was just a change in the script. No one--including Moe [Moe Howard], Larry [Larry Fine] and Jules [producer Jules White]--ever told us how serious his condition was. It was only after the picture had been completed that I found out he took ill.
- [on working in the 'Clutch Cargo' series]: If you think those cartoons look strange, it was even stranger to work on them. First, they'd put makeup around my mouth and put this kind of garish lipstick on my lips. Then they'd strap me down in a chair and brace my head.
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