Bud and Lou and Me and You

 

 

 (wikipedia)

ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN-1951-Bud Alexander (Bud Abbott) and Lou Francis (Lou Costello), new graduates of the Dugan Detective School, take on the case of Tommy Nelson (Arthur Franz; in THE SNIPER the next year)), a boxer accused of killing his manager. Nelson goes to his girlfriend Helen's (Nancy Guild; CAGLIOSTRO (1949)) house where her uncle, Dr. Gray (Gavin Muir) is working on the invisibility formula originally invented by John Griffin. Gray won't inject Tommy with the formula because it will drive him crazy. When no one is looking Tommy injects himself. Lou sees him fade away but no one believes him. Detective Roberts (William Frawley; just starting TV's "I Love Lucy") thinks Lou is crazy and takes him to a psychiatrist but Lou makes him fall asleep. Later they help Tommy clear his name. Lou becomes Louie the Looper, a boxer and challenges Rocky Hanlon (John Day), the boxer owned by gangster Morgan (Sheldon Leonard; also in the team's HIT THE ICE (1943)) who sends his moll Boots (Adele Jurgens; later in Corman's THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED (1955)) to set Lou up for a dive. Lou fights Hanlon with invisible Tommy helping him. Lou has some trouble when Tommy is knock unconscious. Syd Saylor, Bobby Barber, Milt Bronson and Herb Vigran have bit roles. 

Good sfx with a comical if kind of weird ending. One of 9 Abbott & Costello movies directed by Charles Lamont, who also started doing The Ma & Pa Kettle series around this time. The comedy duo made COMIN' 'ROUND THE MOUNTAIN (also directed by Lamont) the same year.

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Hay Abbott!

 

 (imdb)

IT AIN'T HAY-1943-Wilbur, an inept but lovable cab driver (Lou Costello) is blamed for the death of a carriage horse owned by King O'Hara (Cecil Kellaway) and his daughter Peggy (Patsy O'Connor). With help from his friend Grover (Bud Abbott) he gets a new horse.

Unfortunately, they accidentally steal a famous racehorse Tea Biscuit, owned by Col. Brainard (Samuel S. Hinds; also in the team's RIDE 'EM COWBOY the year before). They are pursued by a man named Warner (Eugene Pallette) who they cost several jobs. Shemp Howard is Umbrella Sam and Eddie Quillan is Harry the Horse.

 IT AIN'T HAY was the third of five Abbott & Costello comedies directed by Erle C. Kenton (ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1932)) who also found time to direct several in the classic Universal horror series. This entertaining Abbott and Costello vehicle is based on a story by Damon Runyon which caused the film not to be released on DVD with the other Universal A & C comedies. A few years ago matters with Runyon's estate were cleared up and it was finally released.

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Abbott,Costello and Karloff

 

 (binged.com)

ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE-1953-Slim & Tubby (Abbott & Costello) are two Americans working as bobbies on the English police force. After they are beat up by a group of suffragettes, they are thrown off the force. Vicky (Helen Westcott), the leader of the group who is also a music hall dancer, is romantically pursued by crime reporter Bruce (Craig Stevens) who is investigating the mysterious murders credited to a monster. It turns out this is true as her guardian happens to be Dr. Henry Jekyll (Boris Karloff) who transforms into Mr. Hyde when he wants to eliminate an enemy. Tubby figures out Jekyll's secret but no one believes him, especially their ex-boss the inspector (Reginald Denny). Jekyll tricks the duo into staying overnight at his house. While Tubby is snooping around, he's menaced by scary henchman Batley (John Diekes) and discovers Jekyll's lab. Later after they escape Tubby turns into a mouse. Jekyll wants to get rid of Bruce because he's in love with Vicky. Later when the doctor is outed as the monster, a big daylight chase takes place and Tubby becomes his own Mr. Hyde. 

Good comedy ensues when A & C are on screen and the presence of Karloff brings it up a notch. Eddie Parker appears mostly as Mr. Hyde. This was one of 9 Universal comedies director Charles Lamont made with the team. Although Karloff made several TV appearances, this would be his only feature film in 1953. 

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Bud & Lou & The Noose

THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH-1948-Two inept window washers Ted (Bud Abbott) and Tubby (Lou Costello) visit a dentist to take care of Tubby's bad tooth. The nearsighted dentist (Murray Leonard) gives Tubby a pretty hard time but does pull the tooth and manages to crash Tubby  through the ceiling where his head winds up in the floor of a psychiatrist (Fritz Feld) who faints.

A mobster named Nick Craig (Joseph Calleia) mistakes the duo for messengers and dispatches them to pick up 50 thousand dollars from bookie Mr. Stewart (Ben Weldon) who plans to double cross them but Tubby hears them talking on an inter-com. To escape the two thugs sent after them Tubby comes up with a plan to have the money sent by mail but he gets the envelopes mixed up. They have to stay over night at Craig's office which leads to a variation on the team's "pack/un-pack" routine and also to hoodwink a dumb thug (Mike Mazurki) out of some money. Craig needs the 50 thousand dollars to pay off a debt to the mysterious Mr. McBride (Leon Errol). The money falls into the hands of Carol (Cathy Downs) the beleaguered assistant to a complaining old bag Mrs. Van Buren (Isabel Randolph).

The "boys" steal the mailing list and comb the city for the person who got the money. They find Carol but unfortunately she's spend most of loot. Carol suggests they bet what little money they have on a horse she  heard McBride is betting on (it's said he never loses). However unbeknown to them McBride changes his bet. Later Tubby meets McBride which leads to some funny moments together (including the "mudder-fodder" routine). The duo then figure the best place to be is in jail so they try to get arrested but no matter what they do they can't. They then decide to order a huge meal at an expensive restaurant and when they can't pay for it they'll go to jail. The "mustard" routine shows up. Fortunately McBride comes to their rescue just before Craig gives them "cement galoshes".

THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH is sometimes overlooked in the Abbott and Costello filmography. It was the team's first foray into independent production. They throw in several funny routines and having Leon Errol (who was also busy making his own short films at RKO) in the cast doesn't hurt. Luckily they hired Charles Barton to direct and having worked with A & C more than anyother director, he keeps everything tight and together. The team made two pictures for Universal the same year: the  so-so MEXICAN HAYRIDE and their classic ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (both directd by Barton!).

There's a whole slew of writers credited with the screenplay and story (not surprising on an A & C production) including their usual collaborator John Grant and Daniel Taradash who later wrote the screenplay for FROM HERE TO ENTERNITY. Female lead Cathy Downs years later played Mrs. Glen Manning in THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN.

There's small un-credited bits by many familair character actors: Elvia Allman, Ellen Corby, Jimmie Dodd (future composer of "The Mickey Mouse March"), James Flavin, Bess Flowers, Joe Kirk (Costello's brother in law), Minerva Urecal, Herb Vigran.

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Bud & Lou

HOLD THAT GHOST-1941-Classic Abbott & Costello haunted house comedy has Bud & Lou (sometimes referred as “the boys”) as incompetent waiters Chuck and Ferdy who are fired from their jobs. While working at a gas station they wind up in the backseat of a mobster Moose Mattson's car just as he's “bumped off”. Since his will stated that who was ever with him when he died would inherit all he had the duo inherit his rundown inn. Another gangster Smitty (Marc Lawrence; later in the duo's HIT THE ICE) believes the mobster's fortune is hidden somewhere in the place and plans to do away with Chuck and Ferdy who are accompanied by a radio actress (Joan Davis), a nerdy doctor (Richard Carlson) and a blonde waitress (Evelyn Ankers) after their driver strands them all together. Though the team does a few routines, a highlight is a kind of violent dance between Costello and Davis.

 Director Arthur Lubin made the first five Abbott and Costello comedies and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA remake with Claude Rains. Later he did several in the FRANCIS THE TALKING MULE series. Shemp Howard appears as a soda jerk and the Andrews Sisters show up to sing at the end. 

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Friday the 13th, Full Moon, My Birthday...

It's time for comedy!!


THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH-1948-This was Abbott & Costello's first foray into independent film making (for Eagle-Lion). "The boys" play Ted (Bud) and Tommy (Lou) who work for the Speedy Window Washing Service. A bookie named Nick Craig, (Joseph Calleia) mistakes them for a delivery service and sends them to pick up $50,000 from a guy named Stewart (Ben Weldon). When Stewart sends two of his men to get the money back Tommy puts the money in an envelope and mails it to the Craig. Of course he gets the envelopes mixed up and the money winds up with a rich woman's secretary (Cathy Downs) who promptly spends most of it. They have ten hours to raise the money so that Craig can pay off the mysterious J C McBride (Leon Errol), a gambler who "never loses". Mike Mazurki plays one of Craig's henchman. One highlight of the story is a pool game between Costello and Errol (which features the routine "Mudder and Fodder"). Although Bud and Lou do many of their famous routines, Costello and Errol have a few funny bits together too.

THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH was probably an unusual name for this comedy. It was one of 8 Abbott and Costello movies Charles Barton directed. He made their classic ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN the same year. (Earlier Barton was assistant director on the Marx brothers' DUCK SOUP).  Cathy Downs later was in many low budget horror-Sci-Fi movies of the fifties like THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN and MISSILE TO THE MOON. NOOSE also features bits by Fritz Feld, Herb Vigran, Isabel Randolph and A & C's old pals Murray Leonard and Joe Kirk.

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Lost in a Harem

I like the comedy team of Abbott and Costello a lot. Their TV show is my favorite TV show of all time! Their movies are great too. Even their less than classic ones always have some funny bits. I wasn't sure where to start but I figured to skip over their most popular ones (for now) and concentrate on their later output.




LOST IN A HAREM-1944-"The boys" play Peter Johnson (Bud) and Harvey Garvey (Lou) two inept magicians in the Middle East who wind up in jail with a beggar (Murray Leonard) who goes crazy when he hears the word "Pokomoko" during their "Slowly I Turn" routine. Marilyn Maxwell (who'd been a singer on A & C's radio show) plays their assistant Hazel. The three of them get involved in helping a Prince Ramo (John Conte) who wants to overthrow the rule of his evil Uncle Nimativ (Douglas Dumbrille who's also the villain in A & C IN THE FOREIGN LEGION). They try to steal some rings he uses to hypnotize people but he winds up hypnotizing them into thinking they're termites! There's some funny routines ("Go in and outwit him") and exchanges (Nimativ: "Eyes bad?" Costello: "Dat so?"). Nimativ puts Hazel under his power and plans to marry her. Of course since this is an Abbott and Costello comedy some time is taken up by the blooming romance between Ramo and Hazel and Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra play a few tunes (there's also a long useless dance number). Though most of that is kept at a minimum.  Lock Martin plays Bobo a huge guard who helps the team (they tell him they're Hollywood talent scouts) by hiding them in Nimativ's harem and lovable Tor Johnson is one of Nimativ's majordomos! When Nimativ throws them in a dungeon they meet up again with the beggar and his imaginary friend Mike. ("I shot him with a knife!") Later Bud dresses as Nimativ and Lou plays one of his wives. They also do short mirror bit similar to the one The Marx Bros. did in DUCK SOUP.

Bud and Lou made this at  MGM as a "loan out" from Universal. It was directed by Charles Reisner, veteran of silent movie shorts who'd directed the last Marx Brothers film THE BIG STORE in 1941.

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PS-I kind of screwed up again as I posted a review for ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN THE FOREIGN LEGION a few days ago which was made after LOST IN A HAREM which should have been posted first. Sorry for the confusion....

Abbott & Costello in The Foreign Legion

ABBOTT & COSTELLO IN THE FOREIGN LEGION-1950-"The boys" play a pair of wrestling promoters. Bud writes the script and tries to co-ordinate a match between (real  wrestlers) Abdullah (Wee Willie Davis, the same year he played the guy who caused the racetrack ruckus in Kubrick's THE KILLING)) and Bertram (Sam Menacker). After the two wrestlers "practice" on Lou, Abdullah quits and keeps the five thousand a mobster (Marc Lawrence who's also in the team's HOLD THAT GHOST) gave them to fix the fight. The pair put on pith helmets and white suits and go to Algiers to find him. It turns out Abdullah is the cousin of Sheik Halmud El Khalid (Douglas Dumbrille; also the villain in the LOST IN A HAREM) who is in cahoots with the corrupted Foreign Legion Sgt. Axman (Walter Slezak) and Prince Josef (un-billed Dan Seymour) in a railroad scheme. Lou accidentally buys six slaves girls (including Nicole Dupree (Patricia Medina), a French intelligence agent) and since they can't pay they run away. Also a gang of the Sheik's men (including Henry Corden) are after them. To escape they take refugee with the Foreign Legion and wind up joining! Of course this leads to a lot of A & C antics as Lou has to evade a bayonet attack and Sgt. Axman. Later they are targeted for death. There's a lot of jokes involving the word "oui".

In one fairly gruesome scene (for an Abbott & Costello movie) the sheik's henchman kill a troop of legionnaires (while Bud & Lou are out looking for a runaway camel). Lost in the desert they have to contend with crazy mirages (including an old time ice cream shop) and a guy (David Gorcey) selling newspapers: "Can I help it if they gave me a bad corner?"). Later on they (and Nicole) are captured by the sheik. He puts them against two wrestlers intent on killing them but one turns out to be Abdullah. The other is played by Tor Johnson! Abdullah helps them escape. Lou commandeers Axman's jeep in a very funny scene (bit man and Costello's real life friend Bobby Barber appears too).

FOREIGN LEGION is done on a lower budget then some of the team's previous efforts but it's still fun especially for fans. It doesn't really contain any of their classic routines (except briefly at the end when Bud thinks Lou is dead). Years later Patrica Medina co-starred in THE 3 STOOGES MEET SNOW WHITE! Douglas Dumbrille had been the villain in 2 Marx Brothers movies. Director Charles Lamont (born in Russia) directed most of Bud & Lou's 50's output as well Francis the Talking Mule and Ma & Pa Kettle entries.

Initial filming had to be delayed while Costello had to have a gall bladder operation but he seemed to have recovered nicely....

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ABBOTT and COSTELLO

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN-1948-This Universal production is one of the best horror comedies ever made. It's arguably Abbott and Costello's best film but unfortunately it also ushered out the era of the studios classic horror monster movies. Bud and Lou play baggage handlers Chick (Abbott) and Wilbur (Costello) who get into trouble almost immediately when they deliver two crates to "MacDougal's House of Horrors", a wax museum. The crates contain "the remains" of Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and the Frankenstein monster (Glenn Strange). Meanwhile, Larry Talbott (Lon Chaney) tries to convince "the boys"  he's the wolf-man. It turns out Wilbur's girlfriend Sandra (Lenore Aubert who's also in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER BORIS KARLOFF) is in league with the count to put Wilbur's brain inside the head of the monster! Jane Randolph (CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE) plays an insurance investigator who pretends to be sweet on Wilbur. There's lots of great bits and one liners and director Charles Barton does a great job of combining the comedy and horror. Frank Ferguson plays the owner of the museum and there are appearances by A & C "regulars" Joe Kirk and Bobby Barber. Vincent Price is the voice of the invisible man.

This is one of eight Abbott & Costello comedies directed by Charles Barton who had been assistant director on the Marx Bros. movies MONKEY BUSINESS and HORSE FEATHERS.

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