"slowly I turn, step by step, inch by inch"
Charles M. Floyd
Picture Show)\
please email to charles...@lmco.com
Chris Lampton
<35fdbcbc...@news.mindspring.com>...
>Me too!
>
>"Charles M. Floyd" <charles...@lmco.com> shared with usenet this
>thought:
>
>>Trying to find the origin of this quote (not 3 stooges or Rocky Horror
>>Picture Show)\
>>
>>please email to charles...@lmco.com
This is from an old Abbott & Costello comedy routine. I haven't seen it in
years, but I seem to recall that it involved a post-hypnotic suggestion that
caused Costello (the short guy) to turn into a psycho killer whenever he
heard the words "Niagara Falls", alluding to an unfortunate incident he'd
experienced there some years earlier. When the fatal words were spoken, he
would pivot gradually (as implied in the phrase) toward the speaker (usually
Abbott, the tall guy), extend his arms in a strangling gesture, and glare
homicidally, while speaking the above words. The same phrase ("Niagara
Falls") would then turn the suggestion back off, releasing Costello from the
hypnotic suggestion, usually before Abbott had even noticed that his friend
had gone berserk (which was the central joke of the thing).
Someone with a better memory or a good reference to Abbott & Costello might
want to elaborate.
--Chris
The Sanity Inspector
"Charles M. Floyd" <charles...@lmco.com> shared with usenet this
thought:
>Trying to find the origin of this quote (not 3 stooges or Rocky Horror
>Picture Show)\
>
>please email to charles...@lmco.com
>
--
bruce
He who says there is no such thing as an honest man, you may be sure is himself a knave.
--Bishop Berkeley
Serenleono
>This is from an old Abbott & Costello comedy routine.
That's fascinating. I only remember it (or a near equivalent) from
the musical GODSPELL. "Step by step, inch by inch, moment by moment"
or the like. I don't recall the exact words. Perhaps someone will.
Seren
Only an unlit candle lasts forever.
Erick
says...
>
>"Chris Lampton" <clam...@erols.com> scripsit:
>
>>This is from an old Abbott & Costello comedy routine.
>
>That's fascinating. I only remember it (or a near equivalent) from
>the musical GODSPELL.
actually, it's a _very_ old and oft performed burlesque/vaudiville routine.
Both A&C and the stooges have done versions of it, but so did just about every
other comedy team. i seriously doubt if either of these are the true original.
any historians of '20s - '30s entertainment know?
Chris Lampton
>"Chris Lampton" <clam...@erols.com> scripsit:
>
>>This is from an old Abbott & Costello comedy routine.
>
>That's fascinating. I only remember it (or a near equivalent) from
>or the like. I don't recall the exact words. Perhaps someone will.
It sounds like you may be thinking of the song "Day by Day" from Godspell,
which is something _very_ different.
--Chris
Frank Lynch
Very different, true, but not what he's talking about. "Slowly I turn..." IS
in Godspell. Saw a revival of it a month ago in Manhattan; as I recall, it's
in a section where 'Stephen' is admonishing his followers for not forgiving
others trespasses soon enough.
Frank Lynch
--
The Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Page is at:
http://www.samueljohnson.com/
Chris Lampton
>Chris Lampton wrote:
>
>> Serenleono wrote in message <35ff18f2...@news.mindspring.com>...
>> >"Chris Lampton" <clam...@erols.com> scripsit:
>> >
>> >>This is from an old Abbott & Costello comedy routine.
>> >
>> >That's fascinating. I only remember it (or a near equivalent) from
>> >the musical GODSPELL. "Step by step, inch by inch, moment by moment"
>> >or the like. I don't recall the exact words. Perhaps someone will.
>>
>> It sounds like you may be thinking of the song "Day by Day" from
Godspell,
>> which is something _very_ different.
>
IS
>in Godspell. Saw a revival of it a month ago in Manhattan; as I recall,
it's
>in a section where 'Stephen' is admonishing his followers for not forgiving
>others trespasses soon enough.
I'll be darned! (Somehow, in discussing Godspell, I can't bring myself to
use stronger language. :) Actually, this doesn't surprise me. Godspell is a
melange of both New Testament and pop cultural references and quite
deliberately steals from both the best and worst sources. Unfortunately,
it's been 25 years since I last saw it done on stage. :)
--Chris
Serenleono
>i seriously doubt if either of these are the true original.
Oh, I was quite sure it hadn't originated with GODSPELL, but that's
where I remember the phrase.
Serenleono
>Very different, true, but not what he's talking about. "Slowly I turn..." IS
>in Godspell. Saw a revival of it a month ago in Manhattan; as I recall, it's
>in a section where 'Stephen' is admonishing his followers for not forgiving
>others trespasses soon enough.
Thanks for defending my memory. I was positive I remembered at least
an approximation of the phrase we're discussing used in one of the
stage versions I've seen -- and certainly in the film adaptation
(which I really enjoy and would like to own on video). The John/Judas
character at one point swore, "Jesus Christ!", and the others,
shocked, turned on him whilst replying, "Slowly I turn! Step by step!
Inch by inch! Moment by moment!" (or something close, perhaps
abbreviated or in a different order).
Certainly I couldn't have mistaken the phrase for any of the lyrics
from the lovely song, "Day by Day":
Day by day.
Day by day.
Oh, dear Lord,
Three things I pray:
To see thee more clearly,
Love thee more dearly,
Follow thee more nearly.
Day by day.
-- "Day by Day", GODSPELL, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
Grr. This is under my skin, now, and I'll have to keep searching
until I know whence the quote comes. But while I'm at it, I can break
out my movie soundtrack on CD and experience it all again. <sigh>
"On the Willows" is my favourite song from the musical -- er,
probably, -- or perhaps "By My Side", with lyrics by Peggy Gordon.
It's hard to pick a favourite from among so many great tunes.
Serenleono
>Godspell is a melange of both New Testament and pop cultural
>references and quite deliberately steals from both the best and
>worst sources. Unfortunately, it's been 25 years since I last saw
>it done on stage. :)
The last time I saw GODSPELL on stage was two or three years ago, in
London, I believe, on my birthday. In keeping with the flavour of the
original -- i.e. borrowing from the pop culture of the day, as you
mentioned above -- two of the disciples shouted, "Run, Forrest! Run!"
during one of the parables. It broke up the house, and I loved it.
Chris Lampton
>The last time I saw GODSPELL on stage was two or three years ago, in
>London, I believe, on my birthday. In keeping with the flavour of the
>original -- i.e. borrowing from the pop culture of the day, as you
>mentioned above -- two of the disciples shouted, "Run, Forrest! Run!"
>during one of the parables. It broke up the house, and I loved it.
I saw a couple of different productions of Godspell back in the early
seventies, each several times. It was often difficult to tell how much was
in the script and how much had been improvised during rehearsal, though
you'd start to figure this out if you saw the show more than once. Even the
same production would transmute slowly over time, as though the cast and
director occasionally got together and said, "Okay, what catch phrases have
you heard this week?", which made the show pretty rewatchable.
"Slowly I turn" was an extremely popular gag in the neighborhood where I
grew up in the sixties. Some kids saw Abbott and Costello do it on TV one
day -- I didn't see it until a bit later -- and started acting out their
favorite parts while we were playing on the street. (I lived on a dead end
with almost no traffic.) The rest of us would guffaw knowingly when somebody
would get a strange expression on their face and intone, "Sloooooooowly I
turn...."
I remember the scene in Godspell where John exclaims, "Jesus Christ!" but
had forgotten the response. Are you _sure_ this wasn't the lead-in to the
song "Day by Day"? <g>
--Chris
Serenleono
>I remember the scene in Godspell where John exclaims, "Jesus Christ!" but
>had forgotten the response. Are you _sure_ this wasn't the lead-in to the
>song "Day by Day"? <g>
I'm only sure it was in response to John's blasphemy; I don't recall
at what point in the musical that occurred. As soon as the lawyers
finish wrangling over copyright issues and re-release the film
adaptation on video (or DVD), I'll buy it and check. :-)
Frank Lynch
I'll do the group one better. I'll contact the director of the revival I
recently saw... I'm sure it's emblazened in his memory.
Serenleono
> I'll do the group one better. I'll contact the director of the revival I
> recently saw... I'm sure it's emblazened in his memory.
That would be marvelous, Frank. I'm glad you thought of it and are
generous enough to check. I have so many reasons to believe I'm mad
already; it would be a relief to know that my memory of this quote in
GODSPELL isn't just another fantastic delusion. ;-)
Seren (Ian)
Frank Lynch
Speaking of delusions, I thought I HAD posted the reply, but now I don't see
it. Here's the word (no pun intended):
"The Godspell moment happens in Act 1, When Jesus says to the actor who
portrays John the baptist (and will later portray Judas) that when a person
strikes you on one cheek...turn and offer them the other cheek as well. The
"Baptist Actor" then says ... "Oh Jesus Christ" and the rest of the cast turns
and steps towards him saying the "slowly I turn" line. Hope this helps."
Serenleono
>"The Godspell moment happens in Act 1, When Jesus says to the actor who
>portrays John the baptist (and will later portray Judas) that when a person
>strikes you on one cheek...turn and offer them the other cheek as well. The
>"Baptist Actor" then says ... "Oh Jesus Christ" and the rest of the cast turns
>and steps towards him saying the "slowly I turn" line.
It does indeed. Thanks, Frank. I managed to find a copy of the film
adaptation of GODSPELL last evening. So, to expound just slightly...
The moment occurs just *after* the singing of "Day By Day".
JESUS
Now, you have heard that they were told 'an eye
for an eye, a tooth for a tooth', but what I tell you
is this: never set yourself against the man who
wrongs you. So, if someone slaps you on your
right cheek, turn and offer him your left.
JOHN/JUDAS
(not convinced this is a good policy)
Oh, Jesus Chr---
Someone covers his mouth before the whole blasphemy is uttered.
JESUS (and the others)
(turning)
Slowly I turn . . .
(then striding toward John/Judas
with exaggerated steps)
. . . step by step, inch by inch, . . . nyuh nyuh!
What I had remembered as "moment by moment" was actually the final
"nyuh nyuh", the kind of fierce ejaculation one might make whilst
stabbing into something, sounding a bit like the "mmm, mmm" from the
old Campbell Soup ads.
JohnnK
I'm sorry, I may have entered this discussion too late, but the "Slowly I turn,
step by step ... comes from a vaudeville routine immortalized on celluloid by
those great theologians Larry , Moe, and Curly, the Three Stooges (or is the
the Three Apostles--I get confused.). The premise is that a madman becomes
violent at the mention of a placename (such as Niagara Falls) where his wife
left him. Naturally, the heros of the movie keep saying the place name over
and over again. (The Stooges may have stolen this bit from Abbot and Costello,
or vice versa ... it probably was invented by some unknown act that no one
remembers anymore.
John Koch (Joh...@aol.com or KO...@macc.wisc.edu)
H.
> JESUS (and the others)
> (turning)
> Slowly I turn . . .
> (then striding toward John/Judas
> with exaggerated steps)
> . . . step by step, inch by inch, . . . nyuh nyuh!
You sure that isn't "nyuk nyuk" ?? (For the women in the audience,
that's a patented Curly/Curly Joe Three Stooges laugh.)
H.
=> The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Moe.
Serenleono
>You sure that isn't "nyuk nyuk" ?? (For the women in the audience,
>that's a patented Curly/Curly Joe Three Stooges laugh.)
Oh, a wise guy, eh? ;-)
H.
Ronald Todt
: I'm sorry, I may have entered this discussion too late, but the "Slowly
Also sorry to enter the discussion late, but I also remember reading that
this was an old vaudeville routine. It was, however, first filmed long
before Godspell and the Stooges; blv I saw it in one of the old Bob
Hope-Bing Crosby "Road to (wherever)" movies. Sry, but I don't remember
which one and don't have my Halliwell's Film Guide handy. Rgds.
Ron
H.
> comes from a vaudeville routine immortalized on
> celluloid by : those great theologians Larry , Moe, and Curly, the Three
> Stooges (or is the : the Three Apostles--I get confused.).
Well, if you want to get theological, there were Six Stooges.
H
=> ObQuote: "Nyuk Nyuk." [Curley]
Lancer
H. wrote:
Gentlemen:
I watched an "Abbott & Costello" movie the other night (I hate to admit it,
but I cannot recall the name) wherein something very similar was contained. I
have spoken to a Film Professor at my University, and he confirms this (But he
can't remember the name either) This quote came from Abbott & Costello, NOT
the everlovin' Stooges. It actually went like this
"Pocomoko....Slowly I crept, step by step... I reached out and GRABBED you"
and was part of a scene where A & C were being held prisoner in a dungeon of
some sort...
Hope this clarifies your thoughts some
Keep the Faith
Lancer.
H.
> Hope this clarifies your thoughts some
If we were the kind of people whose thoughts were clear, would we care
about the Stooges?
BTW, since there was a dungeon in the A&C movie, it had to be "Abbott
and Costello meet [insert monster]."
H.
=> Nyuk Nyuk.
H.
> I believe the Stooges did the routine in the movie Gents without Cents" (1944)
Having closely examined that erudite compendium of Stoogelore, the
Soitenly Stooges catalogue (1-800-378-6643), I conclude that there is a
strong likelihood that you are correct.
H.
Woo Woo Woo
roo...@my-dejanews.com
joh...@aol.com (JohnnK) wrote:
>
> I'm sorry, I may have entered this discussion too late, but the "Slowly I
turn,
> those great theologians Larry , Moe, and Curly, the Three Stooges ...
> John Koch (Joh...@aol.com or KO...@macc.wisc.edu)
The Stooges?? Godspell?? Children's games??? Yeah, and Bobby Darrin
originated "Mac the Knife" too ;-)
All of these only adopted the routine. "Slowly I Turn" was originated by
Vaudeville and Burlesque star Joey Faye. It was later popularized by Abbott &
Costello and also by the sometime team of Ben Blue and Sid Fields.
I believe the Stooges did the routine in the movie Gents without Cents" (1944)
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Serenleono
>The Stooges?? Godspell?? Children's games??? Yeah, and Bobby Darrin
>originated "Mac the Knife" too ;-)
>
>All of these only adopted the routine. "Slowly I Turn" was originated by
>Vaudeville and Burlesque star Joey Faye.
Just for the record, I don't think anyone was claiming that any of
these movies or musicals were the original source of the phrase, just
that some of us first heard it spoken in these productions. That
aside, though, thank you for putting a name to the routine.
Oh, by the way, I think McDonald's created the song "Mac the Knife".
<chuckle>
david_r_varg
the boys did this routine? Was it 1944 "Gents with no sense"? I would but I'm
afraid they'll react like I do whenever I read a post here asking who is the
author of the quote about learning from history or we're bound to repeat it.
Dave
Chris Lampton
>Has anybody visited alt.comedy.slapstick.3-stooges and asked them when it
was
>the boys did this routine? Was it 1944 "Gents with no sense"? I would but
I'm
>afraid they'll react like I do whenever I read a post here asking who is
the
>author of the quote about learning from history or we're bound to repeat
it.
Actually, a better news server would probably save you from repeating
history. A couple of messages back, "rootsie" identified the Stooges film as
"Gents Without Cents" (1944).
--Chris
Daniel P. B. Smith
>>originated "Mac the Knife" too ;-)
>Oh, by the way, I think McDonald's created the song "Mac the Knife".
You do remember that miserable ad campaign they had a few years back when
they wanted to convince people to have _dinner_ at McDonald's? A
Ray-Charles-like character with the face of a crescent moon singing a
bastardized version of the song, with the words "It's Mac tonight?"
--
Daniel P. B. Smith
dpbs...@world.std.com
Serenleono
>You do remember that miserable ad campaign they had a few years back
>when they wanted to convince people to have _dinner_ at McDonald's? A
>Ray-Charles-like character with the face of a crescent moon singing a
>bastardized version of the song, with the words "It's Mac tonight?"
Yes! Precisely what I was thinking about. <g> Sad, wasn't it? But
kinda catchy, too. I heard that during one of my earlier trips to the
United States, before moving here -- or perhaps I heard it at home
(I'm not sure; some Vespuccian commercials actually do make their way
to West Sussex). I heard later that a lawsuit forced McDonald's to
revise their campaign. I don't know if that was true.
Jo Ann Malina
: In article <360cfcfb...@news.mindspring.com>,: >>
: >>All of these only adopted the routine. "Slowly I Turn" was originated by
: >>Vaudeville and Burlesque star Joey Faye.
: >
: >Just for the record, I don't think anyone was claiming that any of
: >these movies or musicals were the original source of the phrase, just
: >that some of us first heard it spoken in these productions. That
: >aside, though, thank you for putting a name to the routine.
: >Oh, by the way, I think McDonald's created the song "Mac the Knife".
: ><chuckle>
: >
: Has anybody visited alt.comedy.slapstick.3-stooges and asked them when it was
: the boys did this routine? Was it 1944 "Gents with no sense"? I would but I'm
: afraid they'll react like I do whenever I read a post here asking who is the
: author of the quote about learning from history or we're bound to repeat it.
I've always thought of this routine as "Niagara Falls!" because the
first time I saw it, Danny Thomas was doing it one of his sitcoms
(either "The Danny Thomas Show" or "Make Room For Daddy" -- pretty much
the same show, one with older kids). No matter how quietly or casually
someone would say the trigger words, he would shout "NI-agara Falls!"
and then relive the assault, generally on the same unhappy person.
Perhaps when we get one of the moldy oldy questions, we should just post
a cryptic "Niagara Falls!" (or "Buffalo!" or "Pokonoko!") and let them
figure it out.
--
Jo Ann Malina, jma...@hooked.net
"The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it."
-- Henry David Thoreau
Jo Ann Malina
: > comes from a vaudeville routine immortalized on
: > celluloid by : those great theologians Larry , Moe, and Curly, the Three
:
: Well, if you want to get theological, there were Six Stooges.
Ah, but the Six were in actuality Three, as any theologian can explain.
: => ObQuote: "Nyuk Nyuk." [Curley]
Quiet, knucklehead! -- Moe
H.
> Jo Ann Malina wrote:
> >
> snip
> >
> > Quiet, knucklehead! -- Moe
> >
> 'wake up and go to sleep!' -- moe, again
Oh no
moe moe!
[Winner of the 1998 Short Poem Award]
H.