One Night In The Tropics

One Night In The Tropics
Released Date: November 15, 1940
Director: A. Edward Sutherland
Actors: Allan Jones, Nancy Kelly, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Robert Cummings, Mary Boland, William Frawley, Peggy Moran, Leo Carrillo, and Don Alvarado

     By this time, Abbott and Costello had hit it big on the radio. Both Abbott and Costello were in vaudeville in the beginning of their careers. They decided to become a team, and the rest they say is history. This is the first movie they made together, and it was memorable. Just check out that cast. Most movie premieres are held in New York or California, but this movie was held in Paterson, New Jersey, which is the hometown of Lou Costello.

     We follow Jim "Lucky" Moore (Allan Jones) as he decides to help out his best friend Steve Harper (Robert Cummings). Steve is about to get married and needs to file for "Love Insurance." He is about to marry the beautiful Cynthia Merrick (Nancy Kelly) which is fast known for Steve says "Oh Cynthia" a lot in the beginning due to the happiness of his getting engaged. What does this Love Insurance entail? Well for starters Lucky's firm will lose a lot of money if Steve and Cynthia don't get married. And also that the finance man is a Night Club owner by the name of Roscoe (William Frawley). Lucky soon realizes that the money is not very important when he falls head over heels for Cynthia. Now we have a triangle? Wrong, there is a forth person in the mix. A girl that has been in love with Steve for a long time, Mickey (Peggy Moran). She's going to make it rather tricky for Steve. What will end up happening? I can tell you one thing!! You get to watch a fast version of "Who's on First."

Little Giant

Little Giant
Release Date: February 22, 1946
Director: William A. Seiter
Actors: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Brenda Joyce, Jacqueline deWit, George Cleveland, Elena Verdugo, and Mary Gordon

     Lou Costello had a son, a baby son, that died in 1943. The boy had been outside and drowned in the family pool. Grief stricken, and sadden by his loss, Costello had never had the best relationship with his wife after that. There is a book, that I have, and that you can buy online called "Lou's on First" and it is written by Costello's daughter Chris Costello. It explains the whole mess and what happened. But it sounded like Costello blamed his wife, but could not divorce since both were Catholic. Anyway, there is a scene in this film where Costello is thought to be a model and is asked to strip down. You can see a bracelet that has his son's named engraved in it. He had the bracelet welded on him so that it may never be removed.

     This laugh out loud comedy is one of my favorite Abbott and Costello movies. They have a lot of great hit movies, but this one is one of my favorites. The movie includes this amazing skit called "7 x 13 = 28" and when you watch it, you really do believe by the end of it that 7 x 13 is really 28. It makes you laugh and cry due to the amount of laughter you will have during this film. Abbott is great at throwing his partner Costello around. And you can tell they genuinely had a great time together. The movie is about a man Benny Miller (Lou Costello) that graduates with a BS degree, Bachelor of Sales. And moves to another part of his home state. He was from a small town in California and ends up in LA. He ends up at his uncles job by being a door to door salesman. When Benny ends up not selling any Vacuum Cleaners and ends up costing the team a lot of money, he is fired and ends up going to another town but with the same company. Where Benny sells a lot of Vacuum Cleaners in one day. 

Hold That Ghost

Hold That Ghost
Released Date: August 8, 1941
Directed by: Arthur Lubin
Actors: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Richard Carlson, and Joan Davis

     I have always enjoyed watching Abbott and Costello movies. I grew up watching them. I loved all of there meets and this one was, and always will be my favorite A&C movie. There is a lot of humor, music and even moments of fear that will keep you laughing out loud.

     In this film, the Abbott and Costello boys are in for a big suprise, when a man that they help at their gas station is a man most fear. They end up being in the car with Moose (the feared man) when the "cops dim his lights." That means that according to his will, whoever is with him when he dies gets all of his money. However, the only thing that anyone ever heard was that he kept his money in his head. The famous Andrews Sisters sing a few songs in this movie, as well as a few other Abbott and Costello movies. The boys end up on a wild goose chase to get the money that is left to them. Hopefully the ghost stays away long enough for the boys to get their money from the Moose's head.

     This movie was actually done and wrapped up before they put the music in. The Andrew Sisters had recorded, or should I say, filmed their scenes after the movie wrapped. The Andrew Sisters are great in this movie and keep the crowd going with their music.

     I promise that watching an Abbott and Costello movie is like chips, once you start you can't stop. And I have seen almost all of their films. Because I leterally was unable to stop watching their movies.