movie review of the Three Stooges short film Gents Without Cents (1944) starring Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Curly Howard
The Three Stooges (Moe, Larry, and Curly) are three small time actors looking for a job. Gents Without Cents begins with them practicing their classic Slowly I Turned (aka. Niagara Falls) routine, when they’re interrupted by noisy dancers from upstairs, dropping the ceiling on Curly. The Stooges go upstairs to confront those ‘guys’ only to discover that they’re three girl dancers in the same situation.
After nearly failing an audition for “Manny Weeks”, the Three Stooges and the girls get a small part in the big producers show at the shipyard, with the Stooges finally completing their classic Niagara Falls routine. When the rest of the cast doesn’t show up, the Three Stooges and the girls must put on the whole show themselves, including the Stooges in a short skit, At the Front. The show is a hit and the stooges marry the girls and head to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon. This, of course, contains their classic Slowly I Turned routine.
Niagara Falls
In a nutshell, in the Niagara Falls routine, a bum (played by Moe), tells his sad story to Curly, about how a stranger (played by Larry) stole his wife and ruined his life, and how Moe pursued him around the world, finally catching up to him in Niagara Falls, where he gets his revenge on Larry. Which he acts out upon poor Curly! Apparently, whenever Moe hears “Niagara Falls” he goes into a maniacal rage, attacking the person who said it. After Moe walks off stage, Larry walks on, and tells his side of the story, acting out his actions on Curly. Moe walks back on, and Curly waits to see Moe and Larry fight – only to have them shake hands; after all, you can’t live in the past! Until, of course, Curly mentions Niagara Falls, and both Moe and Larry attack him!
Gents Without Cents is available on DVD as part of the Three Stooges Collection Volume 3: 1943-1945
Funny movie quotes from Gents without Cents starring the Three Stooges
Moe (Moe Howard): Quiet, I’ll handle this. I’ll break their necks, I’ll bash their noses in. And if there’s a big, muscular guy in there … you handle him.
Curly (Curly Howard): Nyaah!
Curly (Curly Howard): The chandelier hit me on the head!
Flo: What an awful lump!
Curly (Curly Howard): That’s no lump, that’s my head!
Moe (Moe Howard): What’re you sitting in there for?
Curly (Curly Howard): [having fallen into a bathtub] So it ain’t a total loss, I’m takin’ a bath!
Moe (Moe Howard): Bath?
Curly (Curly Howard): Yeah!
Moe (Moe Howard): Move over.
Curly (Curly Howard): I faw down!
Moe (Moe Howard): You know, Bud, I once was a tramp like you.
Curly (Curly Howard): Congratulations!
[After Curly says Niagara Falls]
Moe (Moe Howard): Niagara Falls! Slowly I turn …step by step … inch by inch ….
Cast of characters
- Curly Howard (Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise) … Curly
- Larry Fine (Boobs in Arms) … Larry
- Moe Howard (The Three Stooges Meet Hercules) … Moe
- Lindsay Bourquin … Flo
- Laverne Thompson … Mary
- Betty Phares … Shirley
- Lynton Brent (From Nurse to Worse) … Army Officer in World War I Skit
- Judy Malcolm (G. I. Wanna Home) … Weeks’ Secretary
- John Tyrrell (A Plumbing We Will Go) … Manny Weeks
eu adoro eles, serão sempre enternos….
Gents Without Cents is a great Stooges short, although I am not fond of musicals, it’s ok when the Stooges do one. It’s great to see Curly so healthy, so late, considering that just months after this short was filmed, his health began its rapid decline with the mini-strokes he began having. If only Curly had stayed healthy and lived to have stayed the entire 24 at Columbia Pictures with Moe and Larry, then going on to doing feature length movies. It’s nice to imagine, Nyuk-Nyuk, Nyuk!