The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap

Abbott & Costello play two salesman named Duke Egan & Chester Woolley in the old west who, while visiting the rowdy town of Wagon Gap in Montana become famous after Chester is believed to have shot a notorious outlaw. Unfortunately, this means that Chester inherits his wife widow Hawkins(played by Marjorie Main) and his many children of varying ages. Duke is assigned as his guardian, and at first poor Chester is worked to death, but later realizes that, since no man envies his position, makes him the perfect sheriff, since no one dares oppose him for fear of being the new husband! This will change when it is learned the widow will soon be rich... Clever comedy uses an old obscure law for good comedic effect. Result is a most amusing and appealing film from the team, with Miss Main being their near-equal.

The prologue on this film, gives one an idea of what's ahead in "The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap." It reads, "Montana, in the days when men were men - with two exceptions." I agree with those reviewers who find this as one of the better films of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, along with "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein."

The boys play a couple of peddlers working their way to California in this comedy Western. The advertisement on their suitcase reads, "Eagan & Wooley, Household Specialties, 'Our Specialty", Home Office, Patterson, N.J." But once in the stopover town of Wagon Gap, their means of livelihood changes over night.

This film has the usual comical antics and horseplay that mark Abbott and Costello films, and it's quite funny. It has a couple of very good original scenarios (e.g., the dinner table and a frog in Lou's soup). But the best comedy comes from a script that is peppered with very funny lines. The premise of the plot drives most of the humor here.

Costello plays Chester Wooley who is charged with providing for the widow and family of a man he's accused of shooting on arriving in town. One has to see this very early scene to even comprehend that. The Widow Hawkins is played superbly by Marjorie Main who would become known in the future for her starring roles opposite Percy Kilbride in the 1950s' series of Ma and Pa Kettle films. Since every sober man (and even those who aren't) in Wagon Gap dreads such a prospect for himself, Chester becomes fearless and very successful when he is made sheriff.

Bud Abbott is mostly a sidekick to Costello and Main who carry this film. There's a little anomaly with Abbott's character - in the spelling of his name. The only time it's written in the film, it's spelled Duke Eagan on their suitcase. But the credits that role on the film, spell his last name without the first "a" - as Egan.

This is a fun film that most people should enjoy.

When travelling salesmen Duke and Chester are found guilty of a murder they did not commit, they face a choice between hanging or being responsible for picking up all the dead man's debts and responsibilities. Of course they pick the latter but they didn't reckon for the size of the dead man's family or the veracity of his widow. This is the setup for the film and, having seen a lot of "formula" Abbott & Costello recently (the "lead" cast have a romantic plot of sorts while A&C do the comedy parts) I was interested to see a film where they were the main players for all of it.

The result was actually one of their stronger films as the comedy is well mixed with the plot (such as it is). This means we don't have the usual reliance on wooden actors to keep the plot moving or musical numbers to fill the time out (both normal devices in these films). The laughs come from pratfalls, double-takes and clever dialogue and I must confess I was surprised by how easy the film was to enjoy. The plot is not that great but at least it is consistently moving without the stuttering effect that the other formula would often produce (wooden scene followed by funny scene) and it has much more of a flow to it than some of their films. Both Abbott and Costello are on good form and working well together but the real bonus is the casting of Main, who, from the tagline, must have been well known at the time (I know she is Ma Kettle – I just have no idea of those films whatsoever). She is great fun and she works very well with Costello in particular. The support cast are solid as they allow the stars to play off their support and generally everyone does what one would expect from them.

For some reason I had low expectations for this film (perhaps the title and that I'd never heard of it) but the reality was that it was a very enjoyable film from Abbott and Costello. By having them in the front of the plot the stuttering is gone and the film flows much better than some of theirs, while the laughs are fairly frequent and come from a range of types of humour. Definitely one fans will enjoy but also good enough for the casual viewer.

This Abbott & Costello outing is definitely a very much formula Comedy Western done in the late 1940's when all the movies were pretty much formula. Director Charles Barton who worked with the boys more than any other director does pretty well here. Barton never became a household name as a director but anyone who is a fan of the team knows his name was the most frequent one with them.

The best thing about this film is Marjorie Main. She is a major addition to a cast which includes Gordon Jones. Marjorie does comedy well including her Ma Kettle films but in this one she plays off and supports A&C just fine. She is the Widow here and as in the case of the Kettles has a big household of young ones. This is very much in her element of comedy.

While Abbott & Costello do not get a lot of verbal comedy in this, there is enough of them for their fans. Some of the special effects used we OK then but look dated now. At least there is not a lot of musical interruptions to annoy the viewer in this one. Overall, this one is much better than their worst outings.

This is one of my favorite Abbott and Costello movies and one of their best. There really isn't that much interplay between Abbott and Costello, despite the basics, as Marjorie Main consumes (or inhales) a lot of the attention. The classic and time consuming routines are also few and far between. The script is one of the tightest in the team's movies and there aren't really any dead spots. The supporting characters are very strong and Abbott and Costello don't have to scene steal to be effective. The plot is thus: Abbott and Costello come to Wagon Gap and shoot off a gun to make a statement. A man falls dead and, faster then you can say "railroad", Costello is made the sole supporter of the dead man's family. Marjorie Main plays the less then weeping widow. She's actually a very talented comedian, her gruff, manly demeanor aside. The townsfolk are seedy vigilantes and provide a hostile setting. The humor is great, with some great, subtle lines and a very funny routine where Costello gets smacked with paint while painting a fence. The best plot twist is Costello being named sheriff because no one will touch him (much less shoot him) as they would have to provide for the gruff and nagging Main. The typical hurricane ending is less chaotic and more pleasing then the regular. A lot of fun and one of my favorite Abbott and Costello movies.