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.