Abbott and Costello Go to Mars

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.

Your appreciation or otherwise of this little flick might depend on your level of whimsy and whether or not you were actually AROUND in the 50's and can recall the fervor of anticipated space travel and the films of those days. DESTINATION MOON, THIS ISLAND EARTH, TOBOR THE GREAT, WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE - there were so many! To see it now and compare it ..probably unfairly, with A & C's work of the late 40's, it indeed falls short of the standards they set for themselves. However as many have correctly commented, the younger viewer still finds it funny and gets something out of it.

The film was NOT made on the cheap and indeed many of the sets hold up rather well today. The title remains a misnomer in that Bud and Lou only THINK their comandeered rocket has landed on Mars. As it turns out, it is in fact just a mardi gras in southern Louisiana. This sequence was the highlight of the movie. By the time they wing their bumbling way to Venus, there is only 27 minutes of the film left.

Probably fair to say that ABBOTT AND COSTELLO GO TO MARS was made during the downside of their career and the "Space setting" was intended to net them a new generation of fans. In that regard it probably was not the success they would have hoped for. Still....ANY opportunity to see Anita Ekberg, even for a glimpse, was always worth the price of admission.

Probably not held up as classic A & C but still it is part of their legacy and should be viewed with some affection.

Bud and Lou play maintenance men who accidentally blast off in an experimental rocket. Despite the movie's title, they don't actually go to Mars, they go to Venus -- and only during the last twenty-five minutes of the film. Before they get there they waste thirty minutes of the story by landing in New Orleans -- which they think is Mars because of all the weird Mardi Gras costumes (a painfully unfunny gag).

Two escaped criminals stowaway aboard the ship and try to hi-jack the rocket after a second accidental lift-off, but the boys outwit them and the finally lands on Venus.

Admittedly Venus is worth the wait; all the Venusians are gorgeous contestants from the Miss Universe Pageant, and their queen is Maria Blanchard (`She Devil'). The men were defeated long ago in a war with the females, but some of the girls miss them so badly that even Bud and Lou look go to them. Queen Maria wants Bud to be her king!

Anita Ekberg (Miss Sweden) is one of the gals, but you'll have to look quick to spot her. Sets, props, and special effects are excellent. Watch for several props which were also used in other Universal sci-fi films (the death ray device in `It Came from Outer Space' and the bullet car from `This Island Earth'). Not the funniest A & C comedy, but decidedly enjoyable for 1950s sci-fi fans. The prerecorded tape looks good.

One of the better later entries of the A&C series. The boys appear motivated which was not always the case as their careers wound down, (they separated in 1957). They've got two productive shticks here—the Mardi Gras and the planet Venus. Those costumed Mardi Gras characters are a real hoot and a good chance for Costello to react in his inimitable way. The clownish figures also show how close at times the comedic can be to the grotesque. And catch that parade of pulchritude inhabiting Venus. I'm getting my outer space reservations right away. Looks like Universal hired every tall, shapely starlet in Hollywood for this sequence, including notables Ekberg and Hyer. Then too, the special effects may be cheesy, as expected, but they are elaborate. But what's with the fat Jack Khruschen character, Harry. He comes across as a dopey counterpart to Costello, as though one dim-witted funnyman is not enough. I wonder what the story is there. As in most slapstick, plot doesn't mean much here, just a rack to hang the sketches on. All in all, it's an entertaining 80-minutes of A&C nonsense, with the boys in pretty good form.

"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.