Abbott y Costello en Venus

"Go to Mars" has been unfairly maligned as Abbott and Costello's worst film. A careful comparison to "Mexican Hayride" or "Dance With Me, Henry" would certainly prove this point. While it doesn't rate in their Top 10, "Go to Mars" has many funny and wonderful moments.

Among the great gags: Costello asking Abbott for a nickel to go through the Lincoln Tunnel; The Statue of Liberty ducking out of the way of the rocket. Costello's reactions to space flight are also funny.

What drags the film down for me in the rankings are the following two items. First, the "space map" the rocket scientist uses to point out Venus and Mars; How can he find the two small planets among numerous pictures of large galaxies? If the map were accurate, Venus and Mars would not be in the Solar System, they would be two stars between galaxies! If these nitwits were in charge of the space program we would have never gotten to the moon! Second, the last 20 or so minutes are rushed compared to the rest of the film. It seems that in no time at all, Costello has gone from a prisoner on Venus to king. And then, just as quickly, is dethroned. This portion of the film is over too quickly, especially considering the bevy of Venus beauties we get to see!

Take a quick look: that's Harry Shearer of "The Simpsons" and "Spinal Tap" fame in an uncredited role as a boy at the orphanage early in the film.

Not their best, but certainly not their worst. 6 out of 10.

Often cited as the team's worst film (which it's not!), this will likely fall in the `guilty pleasure' category for most fans. Vigorous juvenile slapstick merges with Freudian sci-fi in this late entry for the comedy duo (only a handful of movies remained on their Universal contract). Sci-fi elements are of the Saturday matinee variety, totally implausible and full of hokum (eg. CAT WOMEN OF THE MOON). Yet somehow, this provides the appropriate blend for A&C's `dumb and dumber' charades, in which camp elements become a part of the parody and the results are unbridled fantasy nonsense (populating the planet with Miss Universe contestants only adds to the fun). Universal would soon become a heavyweight contributer to the pulp sci-fi cycle of the 50's, yet surprisingly, this surreal spoof pre-dates them all! Thus far, this film has only been issued on VHS, the quality being overall quite good, in keeping with MCA's generally high standards for this format ... however a DVD would be most welcome.

Nicely cast comedy infringing on Science Fiction. It would have been better had a bit more money were spent, upgrading the production. Still, the comedy is classic Abbott & Costello, and the beauty queens are lovely to look at, a preposition! I used to be a professional photographer, so beauty is good to behold. I gave this a good 6, wish it could be higher.

Abbott and Costello Go To Mars sees the popular duo tackle a sci-fi theme that was to be so prevalent in the 50s. It's directed by Charles Lamont and the co-star line up features Robert Paige, Horace McMahon, Mari Blanchard, Martha Hyer & Jack Kruschen. The plot sees Bud & Lou as Lester and Orville respectively, who accidentally find themselves on a rocket-ship bound for Mars. However, they actually land in New Orleans during the Mardi Gras and confusion reigns. Then an encounter with a couple of escaped convicts leads to another blast off, to Venus. A planet populated by a bevy of beauties.

They were three years away from making what would be their last film together, but history dictates that the best of the film outings for Bud & Lou were long since past. However, "Go To Mars" and "Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (also 1953) are worthy pieces showcasing the comic talent and irrepressible charm of two fine entertainers. Sure the plot is as thin as some of the sets are for "Go To Mars," but there's enough chaos and comedy schtick to keep the smile on ones face. We get Costello doing an Italian accent-badly, which in turn leads to a slapathon. Then there's stunts with magnetic moon-boots, a triple bed fall down, gravitational larks and Mardi Gras strangeness. There's even a cheeky aside in favour of the ladies (the Venusian female race being contestants of Miss Universe) as the new male arrivals on Venus are compared to beefcake Adonis types on Venusian TV.

Far from their best work but certainly enough good here to shoot down those "worst of the series" tags. 6/10

This film has been referred to numerous times as "the worst of Abbott and Costello". I haven't seen that many A & C pictures so far, but from those that I HAVE seen I'd say "Comin' Round the Mountain" and "Lost in Alaska" and maybe even "Meet the Keystone Kops" are worse than this one, therefore the above statement cannot be true. The best thing about "Go to Mars" are the special effects, which are creative and at times even ingenious; before you complain about them from a "modern" perspective, consider that they are about on the same level with those of, say, "Superman IV" - and that was made 34 years later! Unfortunately, much like "Meet the Keystone Kops", this film gives you the impression that more time was spent on the technical tricks and effects than on providing enough funny material and routines for Abbott and Costello. The funniest exchange in the movie comes early on: Dr. Orvilla: "Why did you tell them that you are Dr. Orvilla?" Lou: "I didn't tell them, THEY told ME!". And although the absence of songs is welcome, the two escaped convicts who eventually join A & C in their trip to Venus get too much screen time on their own. (**)