Gents Without Cents

"Gents Without Cents" is another funny Three Stooges short film featuring the Three Stooges at their very best. The Three Stooges were at their best when Moe, Larry, and Curly were together (I never cared much for the films featuring Shemp or any of the other stooges that starred opposite Moe and Larry). Curly was the real deal in these Three Stooges short subjects, and "Gents Without Cents" is living proof of that. Here, the stooges play actors who act like burlesque comedians trying to find a job. They do find a job, along with three female dancers (and gymnasts), and are forced to put on a show. Uh oh, did Curly just say Niagara Falls?

September 1944's "Gents Without Cents" had an interesting gestation when a routine of theirs was cut from 1943's "Good Luck, Mr. Yates' with Claire Trevor. Their act, called the 'Niagara Falls' number, included dialogue of Moe and Larry saying, "slowly I turn...step by step...inch by inch..." Felix Adler took the excised clip from the film showing the Stooges on a stage and composed his script around the sketch. The comedy opens with the Stooges rehearsing their act when the tenants upstairs cause a racket. They march upstairs, only to find much to their surprise the female trio of Lindsay, Laverne & Betty perfecting their dancing act. The six eventually hook up, and audition for a talent agent. At this audition they make fun of the Axis leaders: Moe imitates Germany's Adolf Hitler, Curly Italy's Benito Mussolini, and Larry Japan's Hideki Tojo. A number of television stations have snipped out Larry's parody of the Japanese military leader because he uses his two fingers to spread his eyes wide.

The Stooges are hired to perform their schtick on the stage, which was the segment from 'Good Luck, Mr. Yates." The snippet producer/director Jules White was in possession of had the Niagara Falls routine. What is bizarre about the scene is Larry screws up his line after both state "Slowly I turn." While Moe is saying "step by step," Larry is heard skipping to "inch by inch." No explanation has ever been given why the mistake remained in "Cents for Gents," one of the deep mysteries in the Stooges canon.

This is a somewhat different kind of short feature from the Three Stooges, more of a variety show with some of their usual slapstick comedy added in. The boys are struggling singers/actors looking for a break, and are joined by a trio of acrobats (Flo, Mary, & Shirley), who are also hoping for stardom. There are a few slow spots in this one, although some of the non-comic parts are worth seeing. There is also a pretty good running gag that has to do with the comedy routine that the boys have been practicing. Overall, it's not as funny as many of their comedies, but it's worth a look.

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.

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.