"Our act started at the bottom and went downhill"

This quote by Allan Sherman is a funny way of saying that the performance was not very good. It suggests that the efficiency started off badly and just became worse as it went on. It might be translated as a self-deprecating joke, as if the performer knows their own imperfections and is downplaying it. It could also be analyzed as a criticism of the efficiency, suggesting that it was not up to par. In either case, the quote is an amusing method of expressing frustration in an efficiency. It is a pointer that even the best performers can have off days, which it is necessary to take criticism in stride and gain from it.