Main Cast: Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Cathy Downs, Joseph Calleia, Leon Errol
Release Year: 1948
Country: US
Run Time: 77 minutes
Plot
For their first independently-produced vehicle, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello chose to appear in a remake of the 1939 Universal programmer For Love or Money. Bud and Lou are cast as Ted and Tommy, two bumbling window washers hired by gangster Mike Craig (Joseph Calleila) to collect a $50,000 gambling debt. The boys manage to pick up the money, only to deliver it to the wrong person, a pretty private secretary named Carol (Cathy Downs). Ordered to retrieve the money within 24 hours "or else," Ted and Tommy trace the cash to Carol, who has mistakenly distributed it amongst the entries in a mailing list. As our heroes desperately concoct methods of escaping Craig's wrath, eccentric gambler Julius Caesar McBride (Leon Errol), the man who "never loses," comes to the rescue. Despite its seeming complexity, the plot exists merely as a peg on which to hang several of Abbott and Costello's best routines, including "Bet you 10 dollars you're not here," "Hole in the Wall," "Packing and unpacking," "Getting Arrested," and, best of all, "Mudder and Fodder." Beyond the seven credited actors, the huge unbilled supporting cast includes such reliable laugh-getters as Benny Rubin, Murray Leonard, Elvia Allman, Herb Vigran, Fred Kelsey, James Flavin, Lyle Latell, Isabel Randolph and Paul Maxey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Edward Ilou - Art Director, Charles Barton - Director, Harry Reynolds - Editor, Walter Schumann - Composer (Music Score), Irving Friedman - Musical Direction/Supervision, Ern Westmore - Makeup, Charles Van Enger - Cinematographer, Charles Barton - Producer, Armor E. Marlowe - Set Designer, Jack R. Rabin - Special Effects, George J. Teague - Special Effects, Julian Blaustein - Screen Story, John Grant - Screenwriter, Charles Grayson - Screenwriter, Arthur Horman - Screenwriter, Daniel Taradash - Screenwriter, Howard Harris - Screenwriter, Bernard Feins - Short Story Author
Ted Higgins (Bud Abbott) and Tommy Hinchcliffe (Lou Costello) work for the Speedy Service Window Washing Company. They run into a bookie named Nick Craig (Joseph Calleia), who, after mistaking them for employees of the Speedy Messenger Service, sends them to Mr. Stewart's (Ben Weldon) office to collect $50,000 owed to him. But Stewart has plans of his own: he hires two thugs to rob Ted and Tommy of the money he has just paid. Tommy flees from the robbers and takes refuge in a room with a gaggle of women who are mailing face powder samples. He hides the money in an envelope and addresses it to Craig, but it is accidentally switched with an envelope containing a powder sample. Ted and Tommy return to Craig's office and explain what happened; they assure him that the cash will arrive in the mail the next day.
When face powder (instead of cash) arrives in the mail, an irate Craig gives Ted and Tommy 24 hours to return his money. The boys attempt to contact everyone on the mailing list until they finally locate the recipient, Carol (Cathy Downs), who informs them that she spent most of the money and has only about $2,000 left. The three of them go to the race track hoping to gamble the remaining cash to win enough money to pay back Craig. They encounter a strange fellow named Julius Caesar (Leon Errol), who claims to have never lost a bet. They refuse to follow his betting advice, only to see his horse win, and they are left with nothing. Ted, abandoning hope, decides that they would be safest in jail, so they run up a huge tab in a nightclub. Just as they are about to be arrested, Craig and his henchmen show up and demand the money. After Ted and Tommy reply that they do not have it, the thugs take them to a nearby construction warehouse and begin pouring cement in which to dump them. Meanwhile, Carol and Caesar have been sitting at the bar, betting large amounts on fish at the club's aquarium. Caesar loses and hands her the $50,000 that she has just won, to her amazement. It turns out Caesar is actually an eccentric millionaire named J.C. MacBride, and they all arrive at the warehouse in time to pay back Craig.
Production
The Noose Hangs High was filmed from November 13 through December 10, 1947 under the terms of a new deal signed with Universal after completion of The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap. Those terms specified that Abbott and Costello were permitted to make one film a year with another company. Universal intended to make this film with Abbott and Costello; however, the duo decided to purchase the story from the studio and made it themselves at Eagle-Lion under the terms of their new deal.[1]
Connections to real life
The horse on which Costello bets in the film is named Lolly C, in honor of his mother, Helene 'Lolly' Cristillo.[citation needed]
Routines
Pack/Unpack, which was previously used in Hit the Ice, where Abbott goes back and forth about whether they should skip town or not with Costello packing and unpacking a suitcase as instructed.
Mudder and Fodder, where Costello is explained the meaning of different types of horses. In this case he mistakes a horse who can run well in the mud (a mudder) as 'mother' and the food that is fed to a horse (its fodder) as 'father'.
Phone Booth, where Tommy attempts to call Craig from a phone booth. He is given a number where Craig can be reached and he calls it, unaware it is the phone booth next to him. Craig answers the phone and they have an argument with each other, unaware that they are right next to each other. This routine was first used in Keep 'Em Flying.
You're 40, She's 10, where Abbott tries to explain to Costello how a girl younger than him can get closer in age to him as they get older.
DVD Release
Although filmed for Eagle-Lion, MGM Pictures currently owns the rights to this film and it is through them that this film was released on DVD on May 17, 2005.
May 17, 2005
References
^ Furmanek, Bob and Ron Palumbo (1991). Abbott and Costello in Hollywood. New York: Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-51605-0
