I love Abbott & Costello. I will admit I like Costello more than Abbott. Abbott always seemed to be a mean older brother, but always looking out for Costello. I have all of their films on DVD and a few of the television shows and recordings of the radio programs. I know Who's on First by heart and laugh every time I hear it performed. Some of the routines are long, some are almost one liners. In their first screen performance One Night in The Tropics Lou has a cigar in his mouth.
Bud “There is no smoking in here.”
Lou “What makes you think I'm smoking?”
Bud “You have a cigar in your mouth”
Lou “I got my shoes on, but I'm not walking”.
Simple lines yet very funny. I don't remember seeing the film before, but since Abbott & Costello are billed third, it may not have been shown as an Abbott & Costello film as the others.
I finally have time to watch some films for Lou Costello. Most of the films that Abbott & Costello made were for Universal. My favorites happen to be the two they made at MGM, Lost in a Harem and Abbott & Costello in Hollywood. There is something different about these films. The characters are the same, the music sometimes break out at strange times and all the films are great. Bud and Lou are stranded in the middle east with Marilyn Maxwell a singer. They were part of a troupe that included Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra. Bud & Lou perform magic. Lou gives away the disappearing bottle trick. The club owner does not want Bud & Lou but wants Marilyn and she won't perform if they don't. The boys cause a riot and destruction of the club. The police come and take the trio to jail. In jail they meet a man who goes into the “Slowly I turn” route based on the word “Pocomoco”. This is a running gag through out the whole film. A well dressed man who is interested in Marilyn breaks them from jail and he takes them to his desert camp. The man is a prince whose uncle has usurped power to make himself King, and he has a weakness for blonds. The Prince takes the trio into the city to help bring down the King's power. The King tortures his people and hypnotizes people to do his bidding with cat's eye rings. The Prince wants the trio to steal the rings. In the city there is a parade with Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra complete with piano and other non traditional marching band instruments like the cello. When the trio go to the palace the guard tells the King that the trio are there to speak with him. The King asks if the girl is blond and the guard gives him a lock of her hair. The says first take me to her at once, then go to my treasure and tell him to give you a piece of gold then go to my executioner and tell him to give you 10 lashes for cutting the hair of my soon to be wife. Marilyn at first is able to resist the spell. The King asks the trio to look at a painting. He goes behind the wall and puts the rings in the eye sockets and hypnotizes the trio. The King takes Marilyn away, she is to become his 38th wife.
The Prince finds her and breaks the spell but she is safe where she is for now. He then finds the boys and breaks the spell. The King comes in captures the Prince but Bud & Lou get away and are hidden in the Harem. They get Marilyn out and run but are captured again. They all escape but are caught again after a chase. The Prince and the boys are put in jail and Marilyn is taken back to the Harem. The Prince and the boys escape. Bud & Lou find a cloths closet. Bud dresses up as the King and Lou dresses up as one of the wives. The King finds Lou as his wife. Bud and the King perform the mirror routine. As the King goes to the other side of the room Lou as the wife passes by the mirror with Bud walking on the other side. The King knows what is going on and goes after Lou but Bud knocks him out. They take the rings and hypnotist the King to think that he is one of the wives. When the King comes out of the trance, he is going to kill Lou. Right before the execution can happen the wives perform for him and tie up all the men. The Prince and his men come in and take care of the men. Marilyn stays with the Prince and Bud & Lou with their reward head for home. Their driver, who is a loyal subject of the Price is the same man from jail. When Lou says Pocomoco the driver stands up in the car and the boys jump out and run into the desert.
In Abbott & Costello in Hollywood, it is one gag after another. They play barbers in a Hollywood shop. They go to an agents office to give an agent a shave and shine when a young man comes in to see about getting the agent to represent him. The boys decide they want to be agents. There are a lot of backstage scenes with the studio police chasing Lou around and Lou getting into trouble. Lucille Ball has a cameo. The climax of the scene is a chase on a roller coaster that is going to be blown up for a film.
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