Deux nigauds dans une île

This is pure silliness at its best. If you plan to watch, bring your sense of silly. A native dance turns into a nightclub act; Lou the bus driver gets confused by the instructions "go ahead and back up"; and many other classic bits.

Bud and Lou obviously had a great time making this movie (Lou is hysterically funny). A smile never left my face during the last half of it, even though this a 60+ year old movie now. I'm sure it was popular escapist fun for Allied troops during WWII.

I wanted to see this film because my grandfather acted in it. His name is James Spencer. This film was very fun to see and watch the entertainment of the war years. I specially enjoyed the songs and dancing in this film. There is very little of that kind of entertainment in today's films. A great shame! "The Boys", Lou & Bud, were never better!

Having returned to Universal following MGM's somewhat disappointing "Rio Rita," Abbott and Costello get back on track with "Pardon My Sarong," sort of their version of the Hope-Crosby "Road" pictures.

A&C play Chicago bus drivers, who through a series of funny machinations, end up on a tropic isle with evil Lionel Atwill. There are many funny moments both at sea and on the island.

If there are people who don't like Abbott and Costello, it is probably because they don't like Abbott's often callous treatment of Costello. While this is part of their characterizations, and is often funny, the screenwriters went admittedly overboard in "Sarong." While Virginia Bruce does stand up to Abbott on Costello's behalf several times, one tasteless gag includes Abbott matter-of-factly giving Costello a gun to shoot himself! Such gags have limited the duo's appeal over time, but if looked upon broadly, "Sarong" is a funny film and shows A&C at their peak, which ran roughly from 1941 to 1945. 7 out of 10.

Hit comedy from Universal Pictures and director Erle C. Kenton. Chicago bus drivers Algy (Bud Abbott) and Wellington (Lou Costello) end up on a yacht with Tommy Layton (Robert Paige) and Joan Marshall (Virginia Bruce) that's participating in a trans-Pacific race. They go off course and end up on a mysterious tropical island with a tribe of natives who fear a haunted cave. Also featuring Lionel Atwill, Leif Erickson, Samuel S. Hinds, Nan Wynn, Marie McDonald, Janet Warren, Eddie Acuff, Sig Arno, Charles Lane, and William Demarest.

One knows what to expect from an Abbott & Costello movie, and this one delivers more of the same. After their run of successful military service comedies, this started a new run of parodies of different genre conventions, and this was meant to emulate the hit Road movies with Hope & Crosby over at Paramount. It was a good call by the producers, as this ended up being one of the biggest hits of 1942. It's silly, with occasional chuckles here and there, but mainly Costello yelling a lot and doing slapstick. There are a few musical numbers, and a lot of "island" girls in skimpy outfits.

I've seen Pardon My Sarong over 10 times now and have to consider it one of Bud & Lou's best films, up there with Ride 'em cowboy, Meets Frankenstein, Hold that ghost etc. PMS is more distinctly episodic than most of their others and would present a Plot Coherency Issue with impatient first-comers, but if got through a sparkling atmospheric musical comedy lies within. The early '40's Universal Harmless Escapist Entertainment atmosphere helps a lot though, this must have been made straight after Hellzapoppin - wasn't that front porch outside the maggickan's cabaret show where Hugh Herbert's Eat At Joe's dickie blew up?

The boys are illicitly taking Robert Paige's entertainment troupe from Chicago to LA in a bus - all those women in tow and he falls for one who is out to nobble him. Tip, Tap & Toe provide some amazing dance scenes (not quite a rhythmic brainstorm though), alongside the lilting Ink Spots. Detective William Demarest briefly tries to stop them but gives up the chase when they and the plot veer toward a South Seas island. Here "Lovely Luana" & "Vingo Jingo" are put over by a gorgeous Nan Wynn, while Leif Erickson plays a stinker and Lionel Atwill as usual plays a baddie because he was one.

There's plenty of nicely contrived snappy routines for us aficionados: The old baseball story; Hiding from Demarest; "Back up! Go ahead!"; Sharing a pea for dinner etc. Not a lot for non-fans however - I think a better introduction to A&C for anyone interested would be Meets Frankenstein or maybe Time of their lives. And this one is definitely best watched sober!