Pardon My Sarong

This is a classic of its sort, and well-remembered. What the viewer needs to know about all comedy-duo films is that they are screwball sub-genre works. In order for a comedic team to be effective in any narrative, one of them or the other has to be behaving not normally but 'normatively'--in the way a normative human should act, at any given time... If both act out-of--character for an adult, the result will be unsustainable parody. This is my favorite Abbot and Costello feature as a writer because, for once the writers, including True Boardman, Nat Perrin and John Grant gave the team a good storyline about whose solid core they can construct their funny routines. The film is a revue with an excuse or a musical played for comedy; or it is a farce with music and comedy; but note that the pace is more leisurely than one would see today, yet the purpose of the film remains clear--to entertain. The entire story-line also is a satirical look at the white-god-in-Polynesia storyline; the "god" here is short, cherubic and gormless Lou Costello. The story begins with two lower-class types in early wartime needing to make off with a city bus, then stowing away on a chartered yacht, and ending up with the others aboard on a uncharted island. Never mind why this is necessary; without all three gimmicks, they would still be on mean streets somewhere scrabbling for dimes. The musical comedy that follows is fantasy, corn, maltreatment of Costello by Abbott, sight-gags, run-ins with beautiful girls, teasing the local bully, a villain nicely-played for laughs, and interactions with the other passengers including a pair of intelligent young-lovers-in-the-making. The plot concerns Costello ending by saving the sacred ruby of Mantua from the bad guys, plus some famous songs, hilarious comedy routines, tap dancing numbers, one very sexy dance number, and Costello's attempts not to be done in by the criminals. "Vingo Jingo" is wonderful, "Lovely Luana" and "Island of the Moon" are well-staged. And much more about this charmingly-photographed film entertains; it was never intended to be taken seriously, but it was intended to take up an hour and a half of escape from WWII--which it is what it still provides, regardless of what one is trying not to notice for a while. The film has many pretty girls, good actors and a variety of visual and musical treats. The production is first-rate by anyone's standards; it was expensive and looks it. Gowns by Vera West, Milton Krasner as cinematographer, art direction by Jack Otterson, set decoration by Russell A. Gausman, and music (both original by Frank Skinner plus new songs and songs that are known) make it a feast for the eye and the ear alike. in my opinion Director Erle C. Kenton also had a good cast to work with. In addition to the comedy leads in top form--they always looked better outdoors--the cast boasts Robert Paige and Virginia Bruce, Lionel Atwill as the villain, William Demarest, Nan Wynn, Leif Ericson extremely funny as the local bully, Samuel S. Hinds, Marie McDonald, Elaine Morey, The Ink Spots, Sig Arno, the dance team of Tip, Tap and Toe, George Chandler and others. This is a very-often-imitated film, and one rediscovered whenever it is shown on television by those unused to an era of professional entertainment; it is perhaps likely to delight anyone who simply starts watching it and finds out how much innocent fun a screwball comedy-musical can be, when set where the sarong is the customary mode of dress.

PARDON MY SARONG (Universal, 1942), directed by Erle C. Kenton, with original screenplay by True Boardman, stars that wacky comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in one of their wildest romps. For their eighth released comedy, they assume the outrageous names of Algernon "Algy" Shaw (Abbott) and Wellington Phlug (Costello), and roles of a couple of bus drivers taking their Michigan Avenue crosstown bus full of passengers for a long distance ride to California while assisting millionaire playboy, Tommy Layton (Robert Paige) to his forthcoming yacht race on time. The president of the Chicago Municipal Bus Company (Charles Lane) hires Detective Kendall (William Demarest) to track down the bus (Number 5111) and its drivers, and through a warrant, have them placed under arrest. As they drive their bus back to Chicago with Kendall by their side, Algy and Wellington somehow end up on Tommy's yacht where they acquire new jobs as his able bodied seamen. Also on board is stowaway Joan (Virginia Bruce), sister of a rival yachtsman, Roger Marshall (William Cabanne), who purposely forces Tommy's yacht to lose its course, drifting around the ocean with limited food supply before turning up on a South Seas island inhabited with native girls, tribesmen, a native chief (Samuel S. Hinds) and the mysterious archaeologist, Doctor Varnoff (Lionel Atwill - taking time away from horror film roles as 1942's THE MAD DOCTOR OF MARKET STREET, which, too, took place on an unchartered island) with a hidden short wave radio in his cottage. Things get really hectic (and funnier) after this.

Somewhat inspired by the current trend of Paramount's three "Road to" adventure comedies starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, PARDON MY SARONG's only similarities are its wild antics and constant ad-libs between the two central characters. While Abbott is a far cry as the crooning Bing Crosby-type, they each share their conniving ways of bossing around their unsuspecting lifelong pals. As for Costello, he can be just as funny, when situations allow, than the wisecracking Hope, though both can tend to over emphasize themselves as laugh getters. Unlike Bob and Bing, Bud and Lou don't have any serious-minded straight woman in the tradition of "queen of the sarongs" Dorothy Lamour to fight over, but there's Virginia Bruce as the feuding love interest opposite young yachtsman (Robert Paige). The casting of William Demarest and Lionel Atwill separately matching wits with Abbott and Costello certainly add certain interest to the story, such as it is. Other members of the cast include that of Nan Wynn (Luana); Marie McDonald (Ferna); and Jack LaRue (Tabor).

The screen treatment for PARDON MY SARONG is as contrived as its title, but it does allow for some exceptionally hilarious individual scenes during its madcap course of 83 minutes. Though Abbott and Costello routines tend to repeat themselves from time to time, thus going one better with each passing film, there's some material here that's not only first time enactments, but those never repeated again. Those in general are: "The Baseball Story," which has nothing to do with their legendary "Who's on First" routine, but an original concept where Wellington tells one to con a gas station attendant (Irving Bacon) from paying $12.50 for gassing up his bus; Algy and Wellington disguising themselves as magicians to perform failed magic acts on the detective (Demarest); and the dual's definition for the word "stinker" to the tough native, Whaba (hilariously played by Leif Erickson). Much familiar routines as "Back up, go ahead," the switching duped drinks, and "the tree of truth" are also played out to great advantage for guaranteed laugh assurance. And what Abbott and Costello movie isn't complete without a show-stopping chase. Aside from Costello (in zebra striped shirt) being very much rare form here, the climatic surreal chase involving him and his seal friend, Sharky, is truly one of the great highlights.

In traditional 1940s style, song numbers are incorporated into most comedies such as this. With those composed by Don Raye, Gene DePaul, Milton Drake, Ben Oakland, Stanley Cowan and Bobby North, the musical soundtrack includes "Do I Worry?" (sung by The Four Ink Spots); "Shout, Brother, Shout" (Ink Spots, tap dance by Tip, Tap and Toe); "Lovely Luana," "Oh Great One" "Vingle-Jingle" (sung by Nan Wynn) and "Vingle Jungle" (sung during closing credits). While some sources list the Ink Spots signature number of "If I Didn't Care" as part of the movie, it's not visible in the final print.

As with all Abbott and Costello comedies produced from 1940 to 1956, PARDON MY SARONG was distributed to home video, and later onto the DVD format. Prior to that, it enjoyed frequent revivals on broadcast television, especially on New York City's WPIX, Channel 11, during its Sunday morning/afternoon lineup (1972-1990). Cable TV presentations include The Comedy Channel (1990s); and American Movie Classics (2001). With PARDON MY SARONG having an offbeat moment as Costello's suicide attempt, the movie overall is certainly impossible not to dislike. (***)

People who weren't around in 1942 - as I was - will not appreciate that, although we all loved Bud and Lou, in this fast moving wacky comedy, Forties cinema-goers worldwide wanted bags of *jazzy* Swing Music to help it along...hence the glut of songs and production numbers.

For today's latter-day critics who would seem to be complaining about *too many musical numbers* in this talkie, I would ask you to understand that - at this time - nearly every studio was working overtime to make just such musical films, and indeed it was as if the public's appetite for these lovely melodious lyrics, and catchy rhythmic tunes, could never be satisfied.

So, watch it again, and don't worry about the music: that's what made the world go round in those happier, less smart-assed, less cool and less funky days...days, when *pop* music was there to entertain and unite everyone in the entire family, as opposed to using it as a device to exclude all but one isolated age group, to the detriment of the rest, as would seem to appertain today.

Having returned to Universal following MGM's somewhat disappointing "Rio Rita," Abbott and Costello get back on track with "Pardon My Sarong," sort of their version of the Hope-Crosby "Road" pictures.

A&C play Chicago bus drivers, who through a series of funny machinations, end up on a tropic isle with evil Lionel Atwill. There are many funny moments both at sea and on the island.

If there are people who don't like Abbott and Costello, it is probably because they don't like Abbott's often callous treatment of Costello. While this is part of their characterizations, and is often funny, the screenwriters went admittedly overboard in "Sarong." While Virginia Bruce does stand up to Abbott on Costello's behalf several times, one tasteless gag includes Abbott matter-of-factly giving Costello a gun to shoot himself! Such gags have limited the duo's appeal over time, but if looked upon broadly, "Sarong" is a funny film and shows A&C at their peak, which ran roughly from 1941 to 1945. 7 out of 10.

This is pure silliness at its best. If you plan to watch, bring your sense of silly. A native dance turns into a nightclub act; Lou the bus driver gets confused by the instructions "go ahead and back up"; and many other classic bits.

Bud and Lou obviously had a great time making this movie (Lou is hysterically funny). A smile never left my face during the last half of it, even though this a 60+ year old movie now. I'm sure it was popular escapist fun for Allied troops during WWII.