Gents Without Cents

When I first saw this Three Stooges short as a kid watching in the late '70s, it was during the "Niagra Falls" skit. I remember laughing quite a bit at that one. I saw a little more on AMC during the '90s but now I've seen the whole thing recorded from MeTV just now. It has the boys and their girlfriends from above doing their acts for a show they hope to get in. I'll just now say that the rest of the short was also pretty entertaining but the highlight was definitely that routine that was also performed by Abbott & Costello in their feature Lost in a Harem though the location changed for their version which they performed with Murray Leonard. Worth a look for fans of Moe, Larry, and Curly.

The Three Stooges has always been some of the many actors that I have loved. I love just about every one of the shorts that they have made. I love all six of the Stooges (Curly, Shemp, Moe, Larry, Joe, and Curly Joe)! All of the shorts are hilarious and also star many other great actors and actresses which a lot of them was in many of the shorts! In My opinion The Three Stooges is some of the greatest actors ever and is the all time funniest comedy team!

This is one of My favorite Three Stooges shorts with Curly! All Appearing in this short are Lindsay Bourquin LaVerne, Betty Phares, Judy Malcolm, Eddie Borden, Lynton Brent, Bobby Burns, Lew Davis, Eddie Laughton, and John Tyrrell! This one is so hilarious! Curly has a great performance here and in My opinion its one of his best. I strongly recommend this Three Stooges short!

Gents Without Cents (1944)

** (out of 4)

Moe, Larry and Curly are practicing their act when the people above them keep making stuff from the ceiling fall. The boys go up there for a fight but are happy when they see that it's three women doing a dance act. Soon the six are trying to get on a talent show.

GENTS WITHOUT CENTS has to be the least entertaining Stooges short up to this point. Throughout the running time there are a few slaps, punches and eye-pokes but there's really not too many scenes that even attempt for laughs. The majority of the running time is devoted to a "show" that the boys put on and there certainly aren't any laughs here. Then you've got the girl's act, which is the most entertaining thing here.

One of the better stooge shorts from a period when the quality and budget of their films was declining, "Gents without Cents" will forever be immortalized for the boy's rendition of the old vaudeville staple "Slowly I Turned" (a.k.a. "Niagra Falls"). Here they collectively essay a role that most reflects what they really were -- seasoned comic players who managed somehow to bring verve and added dimension to timeworn and/or second-rate material. Their performance of this old skit is definitive.

Incidentally, I have always wondered if it was strictly coincidental that Abbott and Costello revived "Slowly I Turned" in the same year, 1944, for their MGM romp "Lost in a Harum". I don't know the answer, but it would certainly please Moe Howard (who intensely disliked Abbott and Costello) to know that the version in "Gents without Cents" is considerably better than Bud and Lou's.

The episode Gents Without Cents came out officially in Brazil, unfortunately just seven packet DVD, all remainder we still waiting for, the Stooges had a great time on this short, no one chase them, no crook around, just three wonderful dancing girls proposing marriage, they looking for a job as actors and also entertainers and got a change when the top billing show didn't show up, then they replace in great style as a true acting on a fabulous tale over a friend who stolen his girl before they go to Niagara, this words means trouble when someone talk about, meanwhile the fantastic athletic performance of the three girls, regarded as best show on The Three Stooges career, funny and a breathtaking choreography ever, amazing short!!!

Resume:

First watch: 1972 / How many: 4 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8