GGACP Rewind: Episode #27: Steve Cox

In this episode of Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast, host Gilbert Gottfried and co-host Frank Santopadre welcome pop culture historian Steve Cox, a prolific author on classic Hollywood icons. The conversation dives deep into the eccentric lives of the Three Stooges, with Cox sharing intimate, often bizarre anecdotes about Curly Joe Dorita, Joe Besser, and Vernon Dent—revealing their personal quirks, financial struggles, and the surprising legal battle over Stooges royalties that ultimately gave Curly Joe’s family control of the franchise. The discussion expands to the Munchkins of The Wizard of Oz, where Cox dispels myths about their drunkenness and pays tribute to the last surviving Munchkin, Jerry Marin, and the emotional farewell between Marin and Ruth Ducine. Cox also shares behind-the-scenes stories from The Munsters, including the tragic death of Fred Gwynn’s son and the strained relationship between Gwynn and Al Lewis. The episode further explores the darker undercurrents of Abbott and Costello’s comedy, the surreal influence of Sid Fields, and ends with a legendary, if dubious, tale about Danny Thomas’s alleged fetish, backed by a firsthand account from his friend Sid Melton. The episode is a mix of nostalgia, revelation, and dark humor, celebrating forgotten legends with a touch of absurdity. Key takeaways include: 1) The Three Stooges' legacy is now controlled by Curly Joe Dorita’s family due to a posthumous lawsuit, despite his lack of popularity during his lifetime; 2) The Munchkins were not drunks—Judy Garland’s joke about them being alcoholics became a damaging myth; 3) Jerry Marin, the last Munchkin, became a millionaire through McDonald’s commercials as Mayor McCheese; 4) The Stooges’ final member, Curly Joe Dorita, was a kind-hearted man who died in poverty, leading to a legal fight that reshaped the franchise’s ownership; 5) Danny Thomas’s alleged fetish, confirmed by his close friend Sid Melton, adds a surreal footnote to Hollywood’s most beloved sitcoms. The tone is nostalgic, irreverent, and deeply affectionate toward the forgotten figures of old Hollywood.