While loved by millions as the frizzy-haired member of The Three Stooges AKA Porcupine, Larry Fine was truly more than just the perfect foil to the ever-bossy Moe, the off-the-wall master of slapstick comedy Curly and the dour-faced, quick-witted Shemp. For decades he delighted audiences around the world as the Middle Stooge with his masterful mix of whimsy, wonderful facial expressions and physical comedy. Yet there were other sides to the multi-talented fellow from South Philadelphia's Jewish Quarter. A gifted violinist whose parents desperately wanted to study under the European masters; he was also a gritty and determined amateur boxer known as Kid Roth, whose career was cut short before it had the chance to take off. The crowd-pleasing pugilist even won his first and only lightweight professional bout. In later years, he proved he could stand up to Moe's best theatrical and cinematic shots and eye pokes. Few knew he had more than enough pugilistic skills to be a real champ and not a human punching bag. The Fine Art of Boxing takes a fictional what if look at Larry's life had he chosen different paths along the way to stardom - a touch of alternate history exploring what else could have happened to the funny man from Philly.
GEOFF DALE was born in London, England and has been a Canadian journalist, print, broadcast and electronic, for the past 51 years. He has written two local history books and is currently the theater critic for Stratford Today in Stratford, Ontario. He has reviewed theatrical productions at the world famous Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario for numerous publications for three decades. He is also the author of Much More Than A Stooge Shemp Howard. He and his wife Elaine live in Woodstock, Ontario.