Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Friday, May 9, 2008

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN HOLLYWOOD


ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN HOLLYWOOD (1945). Director: S. Sylvan Simon.

Some great gags and funny sequences tied to a plot in which barbers Bud and Lou decide to become agents when they see a Hollywood hopeful, Jeff Parker (Robert Stanton), being treated miserably by the system. Frances Rafferty is an actress who also wants to help Jeff, and Jean Parker a manicurist who hopes to become a star even as Lou hopes she'll give him a date. Carleton G. Young is the established star who's threatened by Jeff's abilities, and Donald MacBride is the bristling head of the studio. Lucille Ball appears briefly as herself. Highlights include a protracted scene wherein Lou is mistaken for a movie dummy; a bit where he tries to beat insomnia by listening to a soothing voice on a record; and the climactic chase on a roller coaster. Bud Abbott, an excellent straight man, has a nice scene where he gets all cracked up when he thinks his buddy Lou is dead.

Verdict: Not a classic, but entertaining and amusing. **1/2.

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