Main Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Virginia Grey, Luba Malina, John Hubbard
Release Year: 1948
Country: US
Run Time: 77 minutes
Plot
Cole Porter's Broadway musical Mexican Hayride was optioned by Universal in the mid-1940s, then remained in "development hell" until 1948. By the time the property made it to the screen, the entire Porter score had been removed, and the play's original star Bobby Clark was replaced by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. The story takes place South of the Border, where American fugitive from justice Joe Bascom (Costello) searches for con man Harry Lambert (Abbott), for whom Bascom had been a fall guy. Also in Mexico is Joe's hometown-sweetheart Mary (Virginia Grey), now known as Montana, the country's foremost female bullfighter. Joe catches up with Harry at the bull arena, where Montana is about to choose the "Amigo Americano" in a publicity scheme cooked up by Harry. When she spots Joe in the crowd, Montana (angry at our tubby hero for bilking her out of her life savings -- it was actually Harry's doing), furiously throws her hat at him. When Joe catches the hat, he's elected Amigo Americano and extended every hospitality that Mexico can afford. Sensing yet another opportunity to make a dishonest dollar, Harry exploits Joe's newfound celebrity to promote a phony gold-mining scheme. The gorgeous Dagmar (Luba Malina), Harry's partner in crime, romances Joe to secure his cooperation. Somehow all of this ends up back in the bull ring, with poor Joe facing a very belligerent "el toro." A bit too plot-heavy for Abbott & Costello, Mexican Hayride still has several choice moments, including a priceless verbal exchange involving gold ore ("gold or what?") and a "Mother Lode." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The Cole Porter musical upon which Mexican Hayride is based was no great shakes, but it did have the benefit of Porter's witty lyrics and his sparkling music. As was so often the case with Hollywood in the 1940s, the film jettisoned the entire score -- leaving an absolutely nothing script upon which to build a picture. The result is a pretty mediocre affair, and a surprisingly dull one given the involvement of stars Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Perhaps because the plot the writers inherited was so weak, they overcompensated by overfilling Hayride with pointless complications and detours -- none of them imaginatively conceived or capable of adding much to the proceedings. The stars do get a few chances to shine, such as in the "gold ore" sequence which plays up their verbal misunderstanding-based humor, and Costello's climactic bull fight sequence does deliver a lot of laughs, But there are also long stretches where the jokes fall flat on a consistent basis. Abbott and Costello get some comic assist from Fritz Feld and Sid Fields, but they're work is strictly supporting and can't add enough "oomph" to things. Charles Barton's direction is workmanlike, but much more is needed to make Hayride the riot it wants to be. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Pedro de Cordoba - Senor Martinez; Fritz Feld - Prof. Ganzmeyer; Tom Powers - Ed Mason; Pat Costello - Tim Williams; Frank Fenton - Gus Adamson; Chris-Pin Martin - Mariachi Leader; Sid Fields - Reporter; Mary Brewer; Argentina Brunetti - Indian Woman; Mary Castle; Lou Costello - Humphrey Fish; Joe Dominguez - Artist; Robert Elias - Mexican Boy; Lalo Encinas; Fred Hoose - Businessman; Reed Howes; Eddie Kane - Mr. Clarke; Joe Kirk - 2nd Businessman; Donna Martell - Girl; Alex Montoya; Pedro Regas - Proprietor; Julian Rivero - Ticket Seller; Tony Roux - Blanket Weaver; Cosmo Sardo - Headwaiter; Felipe Turich - Siversmith Dealer; Kippee Valez; Roque Ybarra - Basket Weaver; John Sylvester; Lucille Casey; Hans Moebus - Man; Julia Montoya - Woman; Karen Randle; Suzanne Ridgway - Artist's Model; Lorraine Crawford; Rose Marie Lopez - Mexican Child; George Mendoza - Photographer; Alfonso Pedroza - Mexican Man; Charles Rivero - Ticket Taker; Earl Spainard - Bellboy; Charles Miller - Mr. Lewis; Harry Brown - Businessman
Mexican Hayride is a 1948 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. The film is based on the 1944 Cole Porter Broadway musical of the same name starring Bobby Clark. No Cole Porter songs from the stage musical were used in the film.
Joe Bascomb (Lou Costello) chases con man Harry Lambert (Bud Abbott) to Mexico City, after Harry apparently swindled him (and some friends) in an oil stock scam back in the United States. Joe's ex-girlfriend, Mary (Virginia Grey) has hired Harry as her agent, and is going by the name 'Montana', passing herself off as a toreador. When Joe encounters Harry at a bullring arena, he also sees Mary, who is in the ring. As part of 'Amigo Americana Week', she is about to toss her hat into the crowd where the lucky recipient will be proclaimed 'goodwill ambassador'. Mary is supposed to toss the hat to Gus Adamson (Frank Fenton), another con man whom Harry has arranged to be chosen, but Mary instead throws the hat in anger at Joe. It turns out that Joe, now the 'goodwill ambassador', is also being pursued by American authorities for partaking in the oil stock scam; he uses an alias, 'Humphrey Fish', while in Mexico.
Joe is persuaded to participate in Harry's, Dagmar's (Luba Malina) and Mary's plan to sell fake silver mine stock. While giving tours of the bogus mine, Joe extols its beauty and sells stock to anyone he can. Eventually the authorities track down and incarcerate Joe, along with Harry; Joe manages to escape and, disguised as an old Mexican woman, helps Harry escape. They return to the bullring in search of Dagmar and the stock money. Joe enters the ring, only to be chased by an irate bull. Dagmar, who has the money concealed in her hat, tosses it to him. Harry enters the ring to retrieve the hat from Joe, who is still being pursued by the bull. Eventually, the money is recovered and returned to the authorities. The gang is cleared of wrongdoing involving the silver mine, but are not yet cleared in their oil stock scam back in the States. Dagmar makes reparations for those charges as well, and they are free to return home.
Production
Mexican Hayride was filmed from June 11 through August 12, 1948. Early plans for production called for the film to be made in Technicolor.
Both Costello and Abbott objected to the making of this film. Costello wanted a different cast, including Carmen Miranda and Lucille Ball, while Abbott simply hated the script. They were both suspended for a week, and filming began only 2 days behind schedule.[1]
Costello's brother Pat plays one of the detectives on his trail.
At the beginning of the film, when Joe catches up with Harry, Joe says, "Who told me there was oil in my backyard? Who got me to sell phoney stock to my friends? Who ran away with the money? Who got Mary mad at me? And if you're tired of hearing 'Who', I got a 'What' for you... on second base!", which is a reference to the comedy duo's famous routine, Who's on First?.
Silver Ore, in which Abbott tries to teach Costello about how jewelry is made.
DVD Release
This film has been released twice on DVD. The first time, on The Best of Abbott and Costello Volume Three, on August 3, 2004, and again on October 28, 2008 as part of Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection.
August 3, 2004
References
^ Furmanek, Bob and Ron Palumbo (1991). Abbott and Costello in Hollywood. New York: Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-51605-0
