hyped garbage

Absolutely Fantastic

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Two soda jerks desperate to break into radio to have their murder mysteries produced end up investigating the real deal in this amusing slapstick comedy that is one of Abbott and Costello's funniest. Filled with gag after gag and some great comedy performances, this jump into slapstick from the start and never lets go. Lou's getting hoodwinked by a juvenile telegram boy, first losing five cents and a bunch of glasses of orange juice, and later tickets to a radio show he believed were for a previous performance, as well as falling for the old two dimes for a nickel gag. More comedy is provided by a young Mary Wickes as the radio station secretary, and there are also amusing gags involving various takes on the old "Who on First?", including one where Lou wins a radio, turns it on and hears the real Abbott and Costello doing the routine, and being turned off by having to hear this again over and over again. Unlike other Abbott and Costello movies, this one doesn't have any musical numbers, but it focuses more on plot for a change and that makes it a bit better than some of the musical comedies they had done up to that time.

Thank the Comedy Gods. This is Proof positive that those Intrusive Musical Numbers were and will Always be, well Intrusive. This is Abbott and Costello at Their Best. The Duo takes Advantage of the Freedom and unleash a Hyper-Kinetic barrage of Slapstick, One Liners, and All-Out Anarchy that Endears the Audience and makes for a Near Masterpiece of priceless Low-Brow Humor, perhaps only Eclipsed by the "The Three Stooges" in Their many Short Subjects.The 77 Minute Movie is Filled with Laughs and the Set Design is sharply Noirish. There is even a Surreal, Expressionistic, Hallucinatory Dream Sequence, but it is too Short and goes virtually Unnoticed and is a Missed Opportunity within a Movie with very Little Missed Opportunities.Backed by a Good and supportive Cast, A&C never let a Minute go by without Milking it for all its Worth. Their Timing is Impeccable, the Jokes Work and will most likely will Ignite Spontaneous Laughter even from the most Jaded. This puts a lot of Their Output in the Shadows and is Top-Notch, Top-Tier, and Today it is a Showcase and a Touching Point to Point Out just what Made Abbott and Costello the Box-Office Kings of the 1940's. If You plan on Watching a Couple of the Couple's Movies to see what all the Fuss was about, this is a pure Representation of Their Talent and Appeal. Arguably Their Best. A Fan Favorite for Good Reason. No, for Great Reason, because this is the Team at Their Greatest.

I admire and enjoy Costello's manic energy. He may do a lot of the same things again and again but certain humorous ideas never get old. He must execute 30 double-takes throughout the movie but they're all amusing. He's like a child with constant ups and downs of excitement and confusion. He often becomes flustered and then grabs his hat, needs to be held back, bumps his head into something or falls over. It's very silly but the way he does it is inherently funny.The story here isn't of much consequence. You really have to suspend disbelief because the plot has huge gaps and the characters put up with all kinds of ridiculous things. Abbott and Costello movies seem to function by taking a standard movie format and sticking them in the middle, free to roam and tinker, create any skits or jokes they might imagine.Here they're thrown into a murder mystery, a whodunnit. They work in an ice cream parlour as a way to be close to a radio station. They like writing murder mysteries and want to get a chance to be on the air. A man is murdered during one of the night shows (about murder) and then they pretend to be detectives investigating the crime. They run into the murderer a number of times as well as many suspects. But even more often they have hijinks with the actual detectives working the case.Many of their movies feature a famous movie monster like Frankenstein or The Mummy. We still get the aspect of horror in this movie via the murderer. Abbott and Costello remind me of Scooby Doo cartoons, the way Shaggy and Scooby are constantly running into ghosts or monsters and scaring themselves silly. The format seems very similar with a lot of the same gags. Costello often becomes speechless and starts to stutter and then either faints or sprints away.Highlights would include Costello leaving silhouette outlines after bursting through doors and then getting stuck in a wall, the water bubbler bit, the accidental or intentional playback of radio recordings which someone then thinks is really happening, tricking a police officer into cuffing himself, jumping around on stage during a show as part of a chase sequence. There's also a funny bit about Watts and Volts which is reminiscent of their famous skit about baseball positions. In fact, they overhear their baseball skit on a radio at one point and Costello remarks that he doesn't like it much, that the short fat guy isn't any good.This isn't a brilliant satire or even a parody of whodunnits, it's purely a lowbrow comedy. But it's got a lot of energy and funny ideas. As long as you're willing to be patient with its silliness and not worry about the story or characters making sense, you should have a very enjoyable time. I found myself laughing at many points without knowing or caring exactly why.

Abbott & Costello play two soda jerks(old-fashioned term) named Chick Larkin & Mervin Milgrim who have a great idea for a radio mystery show they are big fans of. Patrick Knowles and Louise Albritten play bickering love interests who can't come to an agreement over his employment, leaving a big opportunity for the guys. Unfortunately, the station manager is murdered in a live radio broadcast, and Chick & Mervin are prime suspects, so they decide to investigate the murder themselves, and unmask the real culprit. Very funny comedy is briskly paced, with no musical numbers for a (welcome) change; the focus is on the comedy, with many memorable and clever scenes, like "Volts & Watts", and the madcap chase finale.