Joe DeRita's real name was Joseph Wardell. He was born July 12, 1909 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Joe was the only one of the Stooges to come from a show biz family. His mother, Florenz DeRita, was a dancer and his father, Frank Wardell, was a stage technician. Joe was in show business from the age of seven. Joe's roles included the title role in the stage version of "Peck's Bad Boy" with his mother and father.
In 1921 Joe went into burlesque because vaudeville was just about gone. Joe's film d