"The Naughty Nineties" *** (out of ****)
I've never reviewed anything by the comedy team of Abbott & Costello on this blog yet. But it is not because I don't appreciate their comedy, though I must admit, I'm not one of their biggest fans.
I've always thought of Abbott & Costello as a vaudeville comedy team. Even in their pictures they never seemed to have out grown that. They weren't really suited for the movies. All of their routines were verbal, with them standing next to each other engaged in very funny word play. But there is nothing cinematically interesting about seeing two guys stand next to each other. At least Laurel & Hardy did physical comedy. Just the image of seeing Laurel & Hardy carry a piano up 100 stairs is funny. They were more suited for film, I would guess because that was were their roots were. Abbott & Costello got their start on the stage.
Team was formed in 1935. They were an immediate hit. Vaudeville was just coming to an end, if it hadn't completely died already. By 1938 they made their radio debut on the Kate Smith Show. Two years later they found themselves replacing funnyman Fred Allen on the radio, eventually getting their own program in 1942.
But most people familiar with Abbott & Costello probably know them through their films, though they did have a popular television show in the late 40s into the early 50s. Their film debut came in 1940 with a Universal "B" picture entitled "One Night in the Tropics". The team was given supporting roles. The stars were Allan Jones and Robert Cummings. If you see the film today, Abbott & Costello are given top billing. From there they were put in "Buck Privates" (1941) their first starring vehicle. I'm not a big fan of that movie, though it is one of their most popular films and generally considered among their best. Other successful films for the team included their pairing with Universal Monsters. The best in the pack is "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948). Other adventures would include them meeting the Invisible Man, Boris Karloff, the Keystone Kops and the Mummy. Some of my personal favorites are "Hold That Ghost" (1941) and "Abbott & Costello In Hollywood" (1945).
Since I've never written about this comedy team it was difficult choosing a place to start. I normally don't like to begin with the most popular titles. I like to bring attention to lesser known works which are worth seeing. I thought about reviewing "The Noose Hangs High" (1948) or their final film "Dance With Me Henry" (1956) but I think I have much more fun watching "The Naughty Nineties" (1945).
This film, directed by Jean Yarbrough, who directed several episodes of the Abbott & Costello TV show and a few of their films, "Jack and the Beanstalk" (1952) and "Abbott & Costello In Society" (1944), has the team working on a riverboat. Bud Abbott plays Dexter Broadhurst, a second rate actor and Lou Costello as his assistant Sebastian Dinwiddle. Their boss, Capt. Sam Jackson (Henry Travers, best known for his performance as Clarence in "It's A Wonderful Life") falls into gambling debt when he meets three card sharks headed by the beautiful Bonita Farrow (Rita Johnson). She along with Mr. Crawford (Alan Curtis) and Bailey (Joe Sawyer) get Mr. Jackson drunk while playing poker making him bet his showboat in the game.
Ms. Farrow and her gang are on the run from a sheriff and think the travelling showboat would be perfect for their lifestyle. They can rig the gambling while moving on from city to city never running into the law. But Mr. Jackson and his daughter, Caroline (Lois Collier) have always prided themselves on running a clean show which families can bring their children to. But since Mr. Jackson lost control of the showboat there is little he can say.
Now much of this plot honestly has nothing to do with Abbott & Costello. Sometimes I get the feeling they aren't even in the same picture. The team merely performs their own material, which they had been doing on radio, and repeats it here. None of their humor stems from the plot of the story. Though I wouldn't have it any other way.
Abbott & Costello remind me of comedy teams such as the Marx Brothers or Wheeler & Woolsey. A plot just gets in their way. It slows them down from doing their comedy. The best films are the ones just have a simple idea behind it and let the team do their stuff. After all, that is why people are going to watch these films in the first place. No one is looking for an engaging dramatic plot. You judge these movies based upon how funny Abbott & Costello are. Their scenes will probably be the highlights.
For that reason "The Naughty Nineties" works. Here we see my favorite performance of their "Who's On First" routine on film. It is often regarded as one of the greatest comedy bits in history and this is considered their best performance of it. Though it comes out of, no pun intended, left field. There really is no reason for it to exist in this particular film. But there it is. If you listen closely you can hear giggles in the background. You may think since the team is on a stage while performing the bit, it is a pretend audience laughing. Not so. It is the crew and the director cracking up.
Other good comedy routines include Sebastian thinking a cook has served him and Dexter cat. It is difficult to explain the set-up and in my opinion wouldn't be fair if you haven't seen this film before. It is too funny to spoil. Though I saw the Three Stooges perform the same gag in one of their shorts for Columbia. I'm not sure of the year the Stooges' did it, but their is a good chance Abbott and Costello burrowed it from them. One way to explain this, besides saying everyone stole from everybody, is that Felix Adler is credited here for "additional comedy sequences". He worked with Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy and the Stooges. It was probably his routine which he lent to each team.
Watch for another famous comedy routine as Sebastian is practing singing a song Dexter is trying to adjust the background of the stage. Dexter speaks aloud, giving orders such as "move to the left", "move to the right", "higher", "lower" but Sebastian thinks he is talking to him, instructing him on how to sing. This is an old comedy routine which other people have performed.
And if you are really up to date on your comedy routines you will notice Lou Costello and Joe Sawyer do their verison of what is known as the "mirror gag". I first saw Chaplin do it in his short comedy "The Floorwalker" (1916) but is probably best known for the Marx Brothers doing it in "Duck Soup" (1933). This is when Harpo, dressed as Groucho, pretends to be Groucho's reflection. Here however the gag isn't as polished. The timing is a bit off and neither seems to be having any fun with it.
The film gets a little weak during the climax. It leaves out some information regarding the characters' fate. I suppose the viewer is just suppose to assume the best and hope for a happy ending. Another thing about the film's final comedy sequence is it seems to have been stolen from Laurel & Hardy in their comedy short "The Live Ghost" (1934), where they try to get drunks to leave a bar only to be hit on the head. Abbott & Costello perform the same bit here and as you can guess the situation becomes predictable.
So what more can I say about "The Naughty Nineties"? There isn't much. If you are looking for a story, look elsewhere. But for the life of me I can't understand why someone would expect a coherent plot in an Abbott & Costello comedy. The team has the best moments, even though they have absolutely nothing to do with this film. Still, the comedy routines here are priceless. You watch this movie only to go along with each comedy sequence. Nothing else about the film is worth while. If you've never seen an Abbott & Costello film before, this isn't a bad place to start. If you are familiar with the team, I'm sure you'd agree this film has some very good comedy routines performed by the team. Not a great picture but good for a laugh.
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