In case you just tuned in, I am using the Wikipedia entry on Wallace Beery — alleging that he was involved in the death of Ted Healy — as a way to explore Wikipedia’s fundamental problems with accuracy and delve into Hollywood myths.  This is a slow, paragraph by paragraph analysis and, yes, it’s tedious. I hope the research drudges in the audience will find it interesting.

Today we are going to look at the person who appears to be a main informant for the Forrester brothers’ book “The Three Stooges” in the Wallace Beery-Ted Healy yarn. It’s a fellow named Sam/Sammy Wolfe, born Samuel Glasser, who also performed as Sammy Glasser.

Wikipedia: Murder and Myth: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 

IMDB lists him in two 1937 films: “The Hit Parade” and “Swing It, Professor” as a member of the Gentle Maniacs with Paul “Mousie” Garner and Richard Hakins.

Let’s investigate The Times clips. This will be tedious. Very tedious.

Dec. 24, 1937: He is listed as Sam Wolfe in a story stating that he attended Healy’s funeral, but he is misidentified as one of the original stooges.

In all the other clips he is called Sammy.

July 26, 1940:

He performed at the Cafe Lamaze, according to a March 13, 1941, ad.

On Sept. 2, 1941, he was mentioned in a review of “Fun for the Money,” a revue at the Hollywood Playhouse called called “A Grade B attraction with Grade A pretensions.”

On May 31, 1944, he was listed as performing in “Surprises of ’44.”

“Sammy Wolfe’s clowning, while recalling the Main St. emporiums [a reference to the downtown Los Angeles burlesque houses] also had its points.”

Nine years later, for New Year’s Eve, 1953, he performed here:

Aug. 23, 1956:


Jan. 29, 1958:

May 24, 1958, he performs in a Ben Blue show with Buddy Lester:

June 14, 1958, still at Ben Blue’s:

Sept. 20, 1958, at Ben Blue’s:

Nov. 22, 1958:

Feb. 21, 1959:

March 12, 1959:

May 23, 1959: Hey look! It’s Ponce Ponce!

Aug. 1, 1959:

Aug; 15, 1959:

Feb. 27, 1960:

March 19, 1960:

Feb. 24, 1962:

April 24, 1966, with Billy Gray:

Aug. 28, 1975: Sammy Wolfe shows up in an audition for people who sound like Al Jolson to promote the rerelease of the 1946 film “The Jolson Story.” And no, he wasn’t a finalist.

June 29, 1977, he performed at the Mayfair in Santa Monica:

Aug. 20, 1979, he appears in “Go Like Sixty”:

May 24, 1984, in a tribute to Turk Prujan:

Aug. 28, 1984 – only $5.50 and everybody gets a free bottle of shampoo.

And that’s everything I could find in The Times on Mr. Sammy Wolfe.

To be continued.