Abbott y Costello en Hollywood

Abbott & Costello play two barbers in Hollywood who dream of being agents, and get their chance when a young singer they know becomes quite good, but is unknown, so the team schemes to change all that, and of course many mishaps and misunderstandings occur as a result. Last of their three films to be made at MGM is much better than "Lost In A Harem"(Never saw the other one, named "Rio Rita") Film does have some good scenes like when Lou is mistaken for a prop dummy, or they have to shave a balloon. Real actors at the studio have cameos like Lucille Ball, Preston Foster, Rags Ragland, and director Robert Z. Leonard. Still, this film isn't funny enough to succeed, and remains forgettable.

It so often seems that iconic Hollywood comedians of years' past continue to shine more brightly than their spiritual successors; it's hardly that their modern brethren can't be funny, but the likes of Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Laurel and Hardy filled their pictures with heart as much as laughs. As Bud Abbott and Lou Costelllo entered the scene in the 40s they added certain smart aleck sensibilities and specific routines to the general gags, physical comedy, situational humor, witty repartee, and paired dynamics that characterized the works of their contemporaries and predecessors. The result, as seen in this 1945 movie, is just as fabulously fun as we could ever hope of any such fare, and without the mean streak, off-color jokes, or punching down that would increasingly dominate comedy in years to come. It may not sound like much from the outside looking in, but 'Abbott and Costello in Hollywood' is fantastic, and well worth checking out!

True, this is perhaps a tad uneven insofar as the film careens from energetic hijinks to softer scenes of repose, and musical numbers; there are also some inclusions that go too over the top for their own good. The disparity is infrequent, however, and by far the length is filled with one tremendously entertaining bit after another. At its best the feature is flush with terrific stunts and effects, and while the leading duo definitely carry most of the humor all by themselves, the cast at large unreservedly embrace the zesty spirit of the production. The narrative may mostly serve as a vehicle for the shenanigans, but still Nat Perrin and Lou Breslow are to be commended for whipping up a delightful scenario that lets the cast and crew have a blast from one moment to the next. The sets are splendid in and of themselves, and in addition to fine costume design, hair, and makeup, and sharp editing and cinematography, one would be remiss not to mention the outstanding choreography that we're treated to in the climactic sequence. The scene writing is even more important as it fuels the silliness, and even just by that measure this is super.

All the way through to the end I think this would have benefited from a smidgen more consistency. If that's the worst I have to say a title, though, then it's surely done pretty well for itself. I don't think I'd go so far as to say this is a must-see, yet even if imperfect it's a good time all around. I can understand how some viewers may have a harder time engaging with older cinema, and I'd have said the same myself at one time, but much more than not this flick bears such vibrancy that I think it should skirt around such concerns. There's no disputing the honored place that Abbott and Costello have in cultural history, and while it may not be the utmost exemplar of their style, 'In Hollywood' squarely illustrates why. Don't necessarily go out of your way for it, but if you do have the chance to watch then this is great!

Being yet still in the womb and pondering my next move when this was released in the UK, it was to be several years before I actually caught up with it - during an Abbott & Costello festival at my hometown theater.

One's opinion these days depends whether you "recall it" as life WAS in the mid fifties or as an entity in its own right in 2003. Fact is, it was one funny movie and as well as being the last they actually made for MGM and remembering, that the war was not officially over during early filming, it actually had a sizeable budget allocated to it.

Way better than LOST IN A HAREM, Lou was a hoot here as a Hollywood agent (with Bud) trying to get their client the lead role in a musical. Arguably the best routine on offer was that wherein Lou remains awake listening to a record designed to make him sleep.

One of their more enduring films.

This is one of the three pictures Abbott and Costello made for MGM-- who proved with Buster Keaton, the Marx Brothers films after "A Day At the Races and Laurel and Hardy's late releases," that they really don't have much of a "touch" for this kind of comedy. Abbott and Costello fared much better at Universal with films such as "Hold That Ghost," "Buck Privates," "Who Done It?" "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," "The Time of Their Lives," etc. That's not to say that the film is terrible, it just suffers from sloppy pacing, almost no story, and somewhat weaker material for A&C (which was much sharper in the Universal films).

It definitely has its funny points, but it doesn't hold together very well as a complete film. Best to stick to the Universal's--- especially if you are a first time viewer of Abbott and Costello.

Can you imagine A Night at the Opera with only two Marx Brothers? That's essentially what you get in Abbott and Costello in Hollywood.

As good as they were, the Marx Brothers never got their names into the title of any picture they did. That's because they weren't half the box office draw that Bud and Lou were.

Like Chico and Harpo, Bud and Lou are barbers who get the idea to be agents. They decide to handle the career of Robert Stanton the same way Chico and Harpo sign up Allan Jones. And crooner Stanton does get into the picture in just about the same way Jones broke into Il Trovatore.

Too bad though that Stanton never got to sing some songs as good as Cosi-Cosa or Alone. Might have a career for him.

A&C got some good bits in. They had a good scene with MGM comedian Rags Ragland after Ragland comes in for a shave. And Costello being chased through the finale in a midway sequence is pretty funny.

This was the last of three films that Universal loaned out the boys to MGM for the glossier productions than what they were used to at Universal. My favorite of the three MGM films has always been Lost in a Harem. That has more the zany quality of the Universal films than either Abbott and Costello in Hollywood or Rio Rita has.

This one did only so-so box office as compared to the Universal product and Carl Laemmle, Jr. lent them out no more.