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The final Abbott & Costello movie sees them trying something different, with notably less emphasis on violent slapstick and more on emotional resonance. Costello is particularly subdued; his character isn't the bumbling incompetent he was in all their other pictures, and neither is he Abbott's scapegoat. It's not an entirely successful move, but it has its moments, and Costello is surprisingly effective.

While this 1956 film isn't a masterpiece, it's no slouch either as it showcases for the last time the talent of Abbott and Costello together as a comedy team.

Running an amusement park, Abbott is up to his ears in debt and is beholden to the mob. Costello has 2 adopted children, a character of a social worker played by Mary Wickes, wants to take them away and invariably Costello gets blamed for the shooting death of the D.A.

While the zany two's usual antics are missing, this is a fun film made enjoyable by the appearances of Gigi Perreau and Rusty Hamer. (Make Room for Daddy.) Ted de Corsia is at his best when he plays a gangster and he is no exception here.

the marx brothers and laurel and hardy and their fans suffered thru mediocre final films and Abboott & Costello were no different.

DANCE WITH ME, HENRY (title and tune based upon an early Etta James cover of a hank Ballard tune) has none of those records' energy but it is certainly more energetic - and better - than the critics have said it was.

number one: the story, although overly sentimental, is fun (Lou is a kind of local "pied piper" and protector of "lost" kids, always ducking and dodging the local social workers) but our heros get a chance to do a little more *acting* (Bud is effective as a real down and outer, not the usual conniver).

directed by SUPERMAN (TV) Director Charles Barton. and if U R a fan of the Danny Thomas Show, you'll see Rusty Hamer, a year or so before it premiered!

It seemed to me that this was essentially a children's film. While A and C made films that children could watch and enjoy, I think this and "Jack and the Beanstalk" were the only two films they made which were explicitly for children.

The beginning ten minutes (good set-up of a potentially funny situation) and the last ten (imagine "Home-alone" with twenty kids) are fine, but the middle is quite flabby. There are no memorable routines and very few (about ten) funny lines.

Actually, I do not know if the producers had it in mind, but the movie works well as a pilot for a T.V. series. One can imagine all sorts of great sitcom possibilities with Lou as a bachelor trying to raise two kids while owning and operating a "Kiddie land" amusement park. When this was made, Danny Thomas's "Make Room for Daddy" had been a hit show running for three years and "Bachelor Father" was about to begin its run, so a "raising kids" comedies were the type of thing a network might buy. I suppose if it had done well as a movie, it could have been developed into a television series. So, I believe that it was rather a smart career choice for A and C.

Sherry Alberoni as Boopsi and Rusty Hamer are the two stand-out kid performers. Sherry is Shirley Temple cute trying to convince the cops that she witnessed a murder and Rusty Hamer is the nicest and sincerest boy actor of that period (Ron Howard did steal his crown a few years later).

A and C fans will savor a few well done moments,(the visit of the nasty welfare worker at the beginning, for example) but on the whole only their fans will be able to sit through it.

The last shot of the movie with Costello playing the pied-piper is delightful and cute. If the rest of the movie had been so, this movie would have revived A and C's careers and fortunes.

Dance With Me Henry was Abbott and Costello's last movie together and because of that I felt it was interesting to watch. Was it a good movie for Abbott and Costello? Not really as I would rate it as only fair. However, I don't judge it as harshly as others. I thought Lou Costello looked pretty good in the movie, but it was Bud Abbott who looked a little wore out. I don't blame Bud so much because I believe his part was poorly written. He wasn't able to get into that playful verbal banter that made the boys famous because his part of a gambler seemed kind of awkward for what was going on in the movie. Overall, I think this movie should be watched by Abbott and Costello fans just to see the boys in their final movie even though most would rank it lower than most of their other movies.