Talk:Slowly I Turned

Title of routine

The article linked on this page refers to the title solely as "Slowly I Turned", not "Slowly I turn".

Didn't this routine also appear on an episode of "I Love Lucy"?

And "The Carol Burnett Show"?

Just added "Abbott & Costello In Society" to the list of notable appearances, but I'm not 100% sure it qualifies. As I remember that was a similar sketch, but it wasn't just one person, it was *everyone* that Costello met on the street, who reacted violently to the words "Susquehana Hat Company" and "Beagle Street". Not certain if they actually used the words "Slowly I turned" or not, without re-watching the movie, but it was basically the same sketch.

In '99 (I think), the Smithsonian Institution, as part of their "Festival of American Folklife", recreated a medicine show including many original, 80+-year-old medicine show performers (including Harmonica Frank Floyd). (This event was the origin of the film "[Free Show Tonight]".) I saw one performance; one of the comedy bits seemed very familiar, a sort of proto-"Slowly I Turned". Afterwards, I chatted with some of the performers and asked about that bit, if they knew where it came from. The response was that they didn't really, but that it went back to the 1820s at least; I could easily see some variety of that bit being part of stret performances going back hundreds of years. In any case, there's no way Joey Faye or Goldman "originated" that bit. What they may have done is adapted this early "folk" version into a formal burlesque routine. (Much of burlesque and many of of Abbott & Costello's routines were derived from earlier, pre-burlesque bits, the comedy equivalents of "Froggy Went A-Courtin'".)

I also seem to recall "Slowly I Turned" showing up in an episode of "Laverne & Shirley". 75.36.163.86 01:53, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, this kind of thing does percolate into every aspect of comedy. I was just writing about the devil and angel trope that started in cartoons. It was made famous by Popeye, but apparently it had been used in cartoons for a long time before then. The Simpsons gave it new life, and subsequent animated shows continue to use it. Viriditas (talk) 23:20, 2 June 2025 (UTC)

I was looking for " Slowly I crept... " etc, which I ( thought I ) remembered from A & C, esp at the end of the film where the characters are in a car, hence no chance of escape ! Haven't seen it since childhood, John H. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.63.86.128 (talk) 10:24, 20 February 2012 (UTC)

If keeping the references in music and pop culture include also the 1980s dance track "Native Love" by Divine — Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.50.2.61 (talk) 11:58, 3 August 2012 (UTC)

Raymond Burr

I saw him do this on TV once, the trigger word was “Nantucket”. A citation is needed before this can be put in the article, though. 12.201.7.2 (talk) 21:20, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

I remember that as well. Viriditas (talk) 23:18, 2 June 2025 (UTC)

Origin / Authorship

Does anybody have more information on the authorship? The article currently says: "Comedians Harry Steppe, Joey Faye,[1] and Samuel Goldman[2] each laid claim to this routine" The citation for Joey Faye openly admits that they got their information from the web without mentioning any specific source or quote. The reference for Samuel Goldman isn't terribly good.. first the link is broken, and his claimed authorship is highly suspect. (He doesn't seem to have claimed this himself, at least not in a reference I have seen yet.) http://anthonybalducci.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-note-on-samuel-goldman-papers-and.html Obviously more research is needed, but some basic information would be nice to begin with! Thanks! :) Centerone (talk) 14:08, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

Not them.. I did a comment on chronological order by the two major acts. Abbott and Costello released it (Lost In A Harum) August 31, 1944 before Three Stooges (Gents with no Cents) September 22, 1944. The two of them are not original.

Originally done in a movie June 29, 1943 Good Luck Mr. Yates.

Gary FiveManRoadie (talk) 01:34, 25 July 2021 (UTC)

This has been discussed up above. The bit apparently is very old and predates all the claimants by a century. But the literature does give Joey Faye credit for popularizing it in the early 20th century. My guess is we should treat this like we do traditional or standard music like "Greensleeves". Comedians incorporated old bits into modern routines just as musicians incorporated "Greensleeves". I always get a kick out of hearing "Greensleeves" in the middle of a modern jazz solo. I suspect much of comedy is similar to jazz in this way, with many bits recycling older bits as cliches. It gets more interesting when you compare how the material is used. It's acceptable to use older bits, but entirely unacceptable to use the bits of other people who are still living and performing. However, if someone dies, the length of time between reusing their bits seems to be very short, even in the music world. Viriditas (talk) 23:16, 2 June 2025 (UTC)

The chronological order of

Hi There,

There is a debate as to who brought Step By Step first. 

In my research, it turns out to be Abbott and Costello routine in their movie Lost In A Harum August 31, 1944 that did it before;

The Three Stooges in their movie Gents without Cents which was released September 22, 1944

Originally appeared in movie June 29, 1943 Good Luck Mr. Yates. The screenplay by Lou Breslow & Adele Comandin but, story by Harold Jacob Smith & Sam Rudd.  So who actually wrote it from these 4, can't find the answer to that one. Not one document or historical reference to it ever being done or written by previously to the Good Luck Mr. Yates.

Very easy to verify all this.

Thanks Gary Latendresse FiveManRoadie (talk) 01:29, 25 July 2021 (UTC)

Correct title of this routine is "Slowly I Turn," not "Slowly I Turned."

Should be edited and corrected to "Slowly I Turn." Missyagogo (talk) 00:36, 21 April 2026 (UTC)