Little-known Stoogeum in Ambler a tribute to zany trio

A nondescript building in a Lower Gwynedd office park houses one of Pennsylvania's entertainment secrets.

You wouldn't guess it from the outside, but through the front door and up a short flight of stairs is a mecca for Three Stooges fans - a three-floor museum housing an 85-seat theater and perhaps the world's largest collection of Stooges memorabilia.

Founder-owner Gary Lassin, 56, said he underplays the once-a-month, admission-free experience to prospective visitors, posting only a handful of pictures on his website, www.stoogeum.com.

But the professional-quality exhibits explain why Lassin, a native of Cheltenham whose day job is at a mail-order company, has seen his museum written about in the New York Times and voted Best of Philly by Philadelphia Magazine readers in 2008. Lassin's facility includes a touch-screen Stooges tutorial, mannequins costumed as Stooges, and a Stooge-themed pinball game.

The Stoogeum opened in 2004 as a project by Lassin, president of the Three Stooges Fan Club. Lassin, who married a grandniece of Stooge Larry Fine, took over the club, which has about 2,500 members, after the death in 1986 of its previous leader, Fine's brother Morris "Moe" Feinberg.

Lassin said he decided to build a museum around 1999 after years of accumulating Stooges memorabilia. On display are original costumes, scripts, movie props, the actors' personal effects, and instruments used for sound effects in the Stooges' live acts.

Lassin said the labor of love was originally designed for uber-fans. When it began drawing outsiders' interest as well, he added an introductory area to make it more accessible.

Nonetheless, he said, in many cases it is the die-hard fans who show up, from around the country. Lassin said the fan base is primarily baby boomers, ready to relive memories of an era when, in most cities, one of the three or four TV channels available would regularly show Stooges shorts.

"Most of the guys in the fan club grew up in the late '50s and early '60s," Lassin said. "A lot of times the father is the fan, and he drags the wife and kids along."

Entertainment is only one part of the museum. Lassin's exhibits also humanize the actors who made up the Stooges in different eras. "Stoogeology 101" invites visitors to learn about Fine's struggle to overcome a serious childhood injury or discover the business savvy of Moe Howard, who kept the troupe going after it split from organizer Ted Healy in 1934.

If Lassin gets his way, there will be more opportunities in the future for guests to discover the comedy team's history. He hopes to arrange for the museum to be open more often, possibly this year. But he cautioned that he could not promise anything.

"It's a shame I'm only open once a month," said Lassin, who said limited staff was one reason for the nonprofit museum's current schedule.

Despite its limited hours, the museum remains a priority for visiting fans, he said.

"I can't tell you how many people have come here, and they're ready to leave, and they say, 'Can you tell me directions to the Liberty Bell?' " Lassin said. "They say, 'We came up from Baltimore, we wanted to make sure we saw the Stoogeum, but since we have some extra time, we want to see the Liberty Bell.' I think, 'Wow, they've got their heads on straight!' It's never the reverse."