Gents Without Cents

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.