When I was younger, I too hated the Shemp shorts. I too only knew that I didn't like them because Curly was gone. When I read about Curly's life and that Shemp replaced Curly after his declining health, I developed new respect for Shemp. Now both my daughter and son love the Stooges, and they too express disappointment when "it's a Shemp one"... but they always laugh and that means Shemp was doing something right too.