Who We Are
Hi! My name is Rich Sanner, and I am the Founder, President of The Restless Knights - 3 Stooges Fan Club, a regional Three Stooges Fan club in greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I corresponded with Stooge leader Moe Howard from the late 1960's through the mid-1970's. In December, 1971 I asked Moe for permission to start an informal Three Stooges fan club. Moe personally granted his permission, and on January 21, 1972, the Restless Knights were born! In naming the fan club, I remembered that the name of the Laurel & Hardy fan club was "The Sons of the Desert", named after one of their films. I adopted the same formula and came up with "The Restless Knights", named after a 1935 Stooge short of the same title. When I told Moe what we had accomplished, he demonstrated his appreciation by sending an autographed picture, and sheets of collectible Stooges stamps to every member of our club. The fan club continues to flourish, and recently we celebrated our 37th anniversary! What started out as a regional fan club has now grown to include members from: Florida, Indiana, Illinois, California, New York, and Minnesota. We have never charged any dues, and for many years published a quarterly newsletter. The club continues to meet at my home for Stooges film festivals, with classic Stooge comedies shown on our giant 8' x 10' screen in our "Third Street Classic Cinema". Last summer, the club celebrated the Three Stooges Hollywood Walk of Fame star 25th anniversary by screening the entire ceremony. We will continue to host Three Stooges film festivals and special events throughout the year. Our mission always has been, and will continue to be, perpetuating the memory of The Three Stooges, their lives, and their performing careers. Paul Howard, son of Moe, is an honorary member of the fan club, and continues to be a frequent contributor to our newsletter.
Yes, I have worked with The Three Stooges
In the above photo, from l to r: Jay "Moe" Novelli, Me, Ron "Curly" Hites, and Josh "Larry" Silverman. I have a blast with these guys every year at the annual Three Stooges Fan Club meeting in suburban Philadelphia, PA.
Some special friends we'd like to introduce you to:
That's my wife Nancy on the left, with Jen Howard, Paul Howard's daughter, and granddaughter of Moe.
That's me in the center getting some lessons in the finer art of eye poking from the experts - Moe's daughter, Joan Howard Maurer, and son, Paul Howard. Two very special people!
A nice photo of Joan and Paul, taken at the 2007 Philly fan club gathering.
That's me with Saxon Emil Sitka at the 2006 fan club gathering. Saxon's father Emil Sitka was probably the most familiar of all the supporting actors who worked with the Stooges. Emil had the distinction of being the only supporting actor to have worked with all six of the Three Stooges! He is generally regarded as the "Fourth Stooge". Saxon's a great guy, and a lot of fun to talk to.