Hit The Ice (1943)

It would seem that by this point in their careers, Abbott & Costello had really hit their stride. The template had been set a long time ago but the fine tuning had taken a while. Thankfully, it was worth it to get entertaining movies like this one and many others.

This time around our loveable fools are a couple of photographers trying to get an exclusive that will secure them work with a local paper. Instead of a steady job they actually end up, inadvertently, watching the front doors of a bank while it is robbed. The boys are, obviously, accused of the crime and so have to set about hatching a plan that will clear their names and bring the real criminals to justice. That plan may end up involving pratfalls on ice, some fancy skiing and a few musical interludes.

There's nothing extraordinary about this film but it's just so much fun from start to finish that it's one fans of A & C should happily be able to watch again and again. The songs aren't too bad, the physical comedy is enjoyable and there are a few moments of very good, quickfire dialogue.

The leads are, well, as they always are while support comes from Ginny Simmons as the lovely Marcia Manning, Patric Knowles as a doctor, Elyse Knox as his observant nurse and Sheldon Leonard as the "patient" who comes up with the great bank robbery idea. Oh, and Johnny Long and His Orchestra are on hand to back up the singing.

Director Charles Lamont took over after Erle C. Kenton was fired and he does a good job, maintaining the quality and number of the gags in comparison to the past couple of fantastic films, that Kenton had directed, featuring the duo. True Boardman gets the credit for creating the story but Robert Lees, Frederic Rinaldo and John Grant craft the dialogue (with some uncredited input from Allen Boretz, apparently).

All in all, another fine slice of A & C hijinks.

7/10.

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It Ain't Hay (1943)

AKA Money For Jam.

A movie that was believed lost for a number of years, due to legal issues, I am one of the many Abbott & Costello fans glad to find that the movie is available because it's another one of their better outings, with Erle C. Kenton once again handling the directorial duties and a script by Allen Boretz and John Grant based on a story by Damon Runyon entitled "Princess O'Hara".

This movie takes quite a few different directions in the first half but the central storyline really kicks off when Bud and Lou find themselves on the lookout for a horse after the death of an animal that belonged to a friend. They want to make everything right but, as usual, end up making things a lot worse with an adventure that involves mistaken equine identity, a bit of gambling and the usual mugging to camera.

It may not be one classic moment after another from start to finish but It Ain't Hay has a number of scenes that hold up as great examples of A & C at their best. There is plenty of wordplay and plenty of dodgy arithmetic when it comes to financial matters. There are also a couple of sly, self-referential gags that should please fans. The reply given to the delivery of "Go answer the door. It might be Warner" is my favourite in the whole movie.

The two leads do their usual stuff, and do it well, but the supporting cast isn't really up to much, with the exception of Eugene Pallette. Grace McDonald, Cecil Kellaway, Patsy O'Connor, etc all do just fine but they're outshone by the leads and also, in one scene, by a marvellous routine performed by The Step-Brothers (AKA The Four Step-Brothers).

The movie runs out of steam in the second half but it more than makes up for it with the great first half and the quality of the gags throughout.

7/10.

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