Walter Koide of Foster Village is monitoring public reaction to the new "Three Stooges" movie with some trepidation.

He’s not worried so much the Farrelly Brothers film that opened Friday will sully the comic genius of the original Moe, Larry and Curly as he is about sharing his obsession.

"If it’s very popular then everyone is going to be collecting Three Stooges things, and I’ll be like everybody else," he said.

Well, maybe.

The city golf course mechanic is a die-hard Stooges fan from way back. His collection includes dolls, clocks, coffee mugs, T-shirts, ties, suspenders, a lunch box, a shower curtain, golf balls, a talking bottle opener and a novelty six-pack of Three Stooges beer a friend hand-carried to Hawaii from Indiana. There’s also a room in Koide’s home with a Stooges border print on the walls, posters and other items immortalizing the vintage comedy trio.

Stored away are the pins and other memorabilia Koide and his wife, Joy Yama­uchi, used to decorate a tree at Christmastime that served as a backdrop for the couple’s holiday greeting card.

"It’s just pure, basic slapstick comedy, and there are a lot of funny one-liners that people miss," said Koide, 51, explaining his love for all things Stooges.

Koide recalls first watching the former vaudevillians as a child planted in front of the television. His devotion carried over to the early days of cable TV when Stooges reruns were a late-night staple.

"It used to be on at 1 in the morning, and I’d stay up to watch … when she’d let me," Koide said, nodding at his wife.

Now he has a collection of 190 of the trio’s short-subject films on DVD and VHS and revels in the occasional "Three Stooges" marathon on AMC.

"He watches a lot. I can hear him cracking up and laughing by himself," said Yama­uchi, 48. "He’ll call me to come and watch an episode or a certain scene."

When asked the question posed to every serious Stooges fan — Team Curly or Team Shemp? — Koide was hesitant at first to answer.

"I like ’em all. I don’t want to be prejudiced. Even the replacements, they were funny," he said.

But when threatened with a two-finger eye poke, he relented.

"If you’re gonna make me pick, it has to be Curly. He made the show."