Lost In Alaska (1952)

Lost In Alaska was another one of the many Abbott & Costello titles that I'd never heard of before deciding to explore as much of their filmography as I could get my hands on. I didn't expect much from it but, live and learn, it turned out to be a very enjoyable comedy with some great one-liners and at least one memorable routine (involving the duo sleeping in two hour shifts to keep a watch over a suicidal man - something that Bud manages to manipulate in his favour by winding forward the clock).

Our two leads play two volunteer firemen who make their lives more complicated when they save the life of heartbroken Nugget Joe McDermott (Tom Ewell). Joe is a gold prospector who got lucky with his prospecting but unlucky with his love life (he was rejected by Rosette, played by Mitzi Green). When his death is wrongly reported, Bud and Lou are wrongly wanted for murder and so they go with Joe when he returns to his hometown. Unfortunately, having changed his will to let people benefit from his newfound riches, Joe is wanted dead by a lot of greedy people (including Jake Stillman, played by Bruce Cabot) while Bud and Lou have to keep him alive to prove their innocence.

Directed by Jean Yarbrough, and written by Martin Ragaway and Leonard Stern, Lost In Alaska is a surprisingly top notch comedy from start to finish. Even the central contrivance that puts the leads in big trouble feels better than usual, a bit less forced despite being no less implausible.

The cast all do a great job. Mitzi Green plays a character who seems to change her mind from one scene to the next but she also shows that she's no pushover and there's a decent song from her, serving as a memorable introduction. Bruce Cabot is a decent baddie and Tom Ewell is very good as the unhappy Joe. Bud and Lou do their thing and do it well.

The finale is a bit of a disappointment but that shouldn't be enough to detract from all the fun of the first hour or so. There are some A & C movies that I'd easily watch again and some that I am just happy to have seen the once. This is one of the former.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abbott-Costello-Hit-Lost-Alaska/dp/B000GUJGRM/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1341905155&sr=8-12

Jack And The Beanstalk (1952)

Bookended by some scenes that show Abbott & Costello getting themselves a babysitting job, this colourful movie puts our comedy duo into the old fairytale. The basic story is the same, though there's the added presence of a captured princess (Shaye Cogan) and prince (James Alexander). The giant (Buddy Baer) is still a fearsome presence, all fee-fi-fo-fum and willing to eat small people he has to hand, but there's also a rather tall woman (Dorothy Ford) willing to help Bud and Lou escape his clutches.

If you seek out this movie because you're a big fan of A & C then you're likely to be disappointed but if you fancy seeing a version of Jack & The Beanstalk that happens to feature A & C then you may enjoy yourself. It sounds obvious but it's important to emphasise the point - this is the fairytale with our leads shoehorned in as opposed to a vehicle for our leads with the fairytale storyline added as an afterthought.

There are less laughs than usual, a few bland songs and a sad lack of any magic in the material, written by Nathaniel Curtis and directed by Jean Yarbrough. The supporting cast don't add any sparkle either, although Shaye Cogan is a pleasant onscreen presence and Dorothy Ford does well with what she's given.

More of a curio than anything else, I can't really think of anyone I'd particularly recommend this film to. There are better versions of the fairytale out there (okay, maybe the best one that springs to my mind has Mickey Mouse and company in it but it's still fine entertainment) and almost every other Abbott & Costello movie has better comedy material for the boys to work with.

One of their weakest outings, this just goes to show how good A & C were onscreen when allowed to play versions of themselves (or, rather, the entertainment personas that they'd perfected over the years) and how quickly the charm disappeared when they were slotted into material that just didn't fit right around them. The film still has enough to make it a pleasant time-waster but it's not something that you would go out of your way to watch or rewatch.

5/10

The film is available to view, free and legally, here - http://archive.org/details/jack_and_the_beanstalk_ipod

The Naughty Nineties (1945)

Another collaboration between Abbott & Costello and director Jean Yarbrough provides fans with another one of their better comedy outings.

The plot sees the comedy twosome working on a steamboat that's captained by the kindly Capt. Sam Jackson (Henry Travers, probably most recognised by people of all ages as Clarence the angel from It's A Wonderful Life). We get the usual knockabout first reel before the major plot development - poor Captain Jackson loses most of the rights over his boat when he's tricked by a bunch of scheming gamblers. The gamblers then go on to use the steamboat as a base of operations, fleecing crowds of people who come on board, trusting in the good name of the captain. Can the devious villains be stopped and can Bud and Lou help in any way?

It becomes clear while watching numerous A & C movies that some people just knew how to get the best out of them. Erle C. Kenton was one and Yarbrough was certainly another. The Naughty Nineties starts off amusingly enough and rattles through a number of enjoyable set-pieces en route to a fast and funny finale. The fact that it features what many people consider to be the best version of the famous "Who's On First" routine is another HUGE bonus - I could quite honestly watch that routine on a loop from now until the end of time.

Edmund L. Hartmann, John Grant, Edmund Joseph and Hal Fimberg wrote the screenplay, with some extra material from Felix Adler, and the quantity of laughs onscreen certainly benefits from the talented wordsmiths who managed to work with Abbott & Costello to add gags wherever they could. At least, that's how it seems from this perspective.

The leads are up to their usual standard (which means that if you still don't like them by now then you're never going to) while the supporting players make more of an impression than usual. Henry Travers is wonderful, Lois Collier is lovely and Alan Curtis, Rita Johnson and Joe Sawyer make a good trio of potential baddies.

This is a very enjoyable movie and the more I think about it the more I am tempted to rate it even higher. So I'll just stop now before I get carried away.

8/10

http://www.amazon.com/Costello-Society-Naughty-Nineties-Privates/dp/B0001FGBZM

Here Come The Co-eds (1945)

You'd be forgiven for thinking, from the title alone, that this was some kind of forerunner to the modern teen sex comedy but the reality is far from it. This is an Abbott & Costello vehicle and it's quite a good one. It may not be one of their best but it's certainly a welcome step back up after the dismal Lost In A Harem.

The movie begins with Bud and Lou, wouldn't you just know it, losing their jobs and coming up with a great way to get themselves located in an all-new location where they can mess things up. The duo become caretakers at an all-girl school while Bud tries to look after the best interests of his sister (Molly McCarthy, played by Martha O'Driscoll). There aren't that many laughs specifically using the location, though one great scene sees Lou getting in quite a panic while he tries to help Patty Gayle (played by Peggy Ryan) avoid being caught in his room, but there are some great set-pieces throughout this fairly enjoyable confection.

From the opening scenes, with Lou getting himself in trouble through no fault of his own, to a calamitous attempt to clean up a kitchen and then on to a joke about a whale, a stool and some apples before leading up to a grin-inducing basketball game, Here Come The Co-eds gets the balance just right for most of the runtime.

Musical interludes from Phil Spitalny And His All-Girl Orchestra and Evelyn And Her Magic Violin aren't as enjoyable as the comedy moments but they're not painful to sit through either. And the banter between Bud, Lou, O'Driscoll, Ryan and a hilariously irate Lon Chaney Jr. more than makes up for any weak patches.

John Grant returns to the writing duties, and also got a producer credit this time, and shares the load with Arthur T. Horman, building on the central concept envisaged by Edmund L. Hartmann. Jean Yarbrough has another turn at directing the boys and once again shows good judgment.

Overall, this is certainly one worth watching if you're a fan of A & C or just a fan of some fine comedy.

7/10.

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In Society (1944)

It might not have been the smoothest shoot ever compared to many other Abbott & Costello movies but, regardless of that fact, In Society stands up as yet another of the better outings for our comedy duo. It mixes some standard fast-talking exchanges with a number of hilarious set-pieces and some fun stunt work in the second half.

Bud and Lou are a pair of pretty incompetent plumbers for this outing. They end up being called out to a big job during a fancy dress party and get a lift from their friend, Elsie Hammerdingle (a female cab driver, played by Marion Hutton). Elsie is spotted by rich bachelor Peter Evans (Kirby Grant), who won't believe that she is actually a cab driver, and a relationship develops. Events conspire to get everyone attending another high society party where a valuable painting catches the eye of a greedy criminal, Lou has a thrilling time taking part in a fox hunt and everyone may well be revealed for who they really are.

Directed by Jean Yarbrough (with a couple of major scenes directed by an uncredited Erle C. Kenton), In Society showcases two stars at the height of their success, in my opinion. Bud and Lou probably won't win you over if you've never liked their style but the same can be said of almost any other comic talent of the era (and, indeed, of any era). They managed to create two comic personas that they could then slip on like a tailor-made suit and their movies really became more entertaining as the performances seemed to become easier and easier.

Marion Hutton and Peter Evans are perfectly fine in their supporting roles, while Margaret Irving, Ann Gillis, Arthur Treacher, Thomas Gomez and Murray Leonard also do very good work with a variety of characters all displaying a variety of upbringings and personal goals.

The script, involving a number of folk including the constant A & C companion John Grant, has very few weak patches and more than its fair share of absolutely brilliant moments, with the best being the whole skit about "The Susquehanna Hat Company". Even the few musical numbers are enjoyable and don't overstay their welcome.

Fans will most certainly want to see this one and will, most likely, enjoy it as much as I did.

8/10.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Film-Box-Set-Costello-Privates/dp/B000PMGRN2/ref=sr_1_8?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1328566234&sr=1-8