[dfwgator]

Here's the background:


The skit, which was well known on the vaudeville circuit, goes something like this: A bedraggled man buttonholes a stranger and tells him a tale of betrayal and vengeance. A rogue seduced his sweetheart. He trailed the miscreant from town to town, finally catching up with him in Niagara Falls, where he pummeled him mercilessly. The hearer of the story haplessly says the magic words, "Niagara Falls," causing the man to turn on him and mete out the same punishment.

The Three Stooges incorporated it into their short feature, Gents Without Cents. In this episode, the Stooges are out-of-work actors who meet three dancing girls in similar circumstances. They all get a job in a show, where they perform the routine. The Stooges marry the ladies and honeymoon in (where else?) Niagara Falls. This time, Curly is the Stooge who exclaims "Niagara Falls!" making himself the target of Moe and Larry's wrath.

[Petronski]

That helps. The bit I missed before was how they perform the skit early in the film, and then find themselves in that circumstance later on. Now I do get it.

I guess I'd like to see it to be sure.

[hoosiermama]

Had an uncle who told me on a trip to Niagra Falls that they turn them off at night......Was in my late twenties before I realized he was telling another on of his tall tales.

Seems to me if all the lights went off at once, someone should be able to turn them all back on at once.