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'Shemping' is a term coined by the people who made the movie Evil Dead



Actually, unless somehow they independently re-invented it on their own and used the name of a "3 Stooges" character for no real reason, that's not the origin ... or even the original meaning.

My understanding was the "to shemp" originally meant to use an uncredited actor to finish a movie when the original actor dies during production. The source of the term appears to be when producers did this to complete "3 Stooges" shorts after Shemp Howard, brother to Moe & Curly, died unexpectedly.



I believe that's the origin of the term, but it was Sam Raimi and co. who popularised it for modern audiences with the fixed 'one actor-multiple roles' meaning. If so, it would appear that the modern use of the term is totally different to the original usage (The same actor playing many roles in the same feature vs. Many actors playing the same role in the same feature).

Wow...so that artsy Bob Dylan pic they did a while back was a total Shemp-fest!

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I've also heard it used to cover when producers use similar looking replacement actors when the original leaves, such as the second Darrin in the TV series "Bewitched".





This is a new one on me...shemping, as I understand it, usually involves ridiculously bad makeup so that it is blatantly obvious that it is the same actor...i.e. white actor + instant tan + stupidly large handlebar moustache + poncho and sombrero + overexaggerated accent = Mexican bandit.

Thanks for the tip, Fatman...I'm going to research the term in a little more depth...it would seem to have multiple applicable meanings!