Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)

 

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars has often been looked at as the nadir of the duo's career by many comedy fans. To be fair this film shows the major change in Abbott and Costello plots from the 1940's (when their most popular movies were made) to their later days and often less respected films. There are none of the verbal routines that played a major role in the duo's earlier movies but instead this movie relies more on physical slapstick and outlandish situations for its humor. While I fully understand why many Abbott and Costello fans may hate this movie, I admit to having a soft spot for it. Then again, I first saw it as a kid, when I would have loved anything with Abbott and Costello, so I have a bit of nostalgia for it. 

Despite the title Abbott and Costello never actually go to Mars in this movie. When Hideaway Orphans Home's oldest orphan, Orville (Lou Costello), hides away in a truck that is headed for a top-secret lab, he finds himself helping Lester (Bud Abbott), a lab worker load supplies on rocket ship. Naturally through being the lead characters in a slapstick comedy find themselves alone in the ship and cause it take off with them in it. This leads to them flying across the country in this ship and eventually landing in New Orleans. When they land there, they believe they are on Mars and with people being in costumes for Mardi Gras, they believe those people to be aliens. There they also have trouble when two crooks find the rocket ship and two space suits. This causes our heroes to be mistaken for the two crooks. Later in the film the duo as well as the crooks blast off in the rocket ship. They land in Venus, which is completely populated by beautiful women (played by contestants in the Miss Universe pageant). The queen there has a crush on Orville and he is safe with her as long as he stays true to her. 

Though this movie does not have a great reputation, I personally find it to be quite a bit of fun. The film moves at a fast pace and the time goes by really quick. Though this is a feature film, it feels like a short because of how quickly it goes by. Though there is no Who's on First level routine here there are some pretty good comedic set pieces here. I especially like the conversation between Orville and the professor, he is mistaken for and our heroes' mistaking people in costumes for aliens gets some pretty good laughs. This film is also one of the duo's silliest movies and I love that the storyline is so unabashedly corny and silly. There is a real charm to a movie that is proud of its own silliness and that is definitely the case here. 

I admit though that there are parts of this movie that don't reach the comedic heights they should. This is especially true of the scenes on Venus and our two heroes being in the runaway rocket. There is nothing bad about these scenes but they simply feel like they should funnier. I also admit that the two crooks are not as funny or memorable as they should be. 

This film was directed by Charles Lamont, who is too often overlooked by comedy fans. His career began in the silent era when he directed shorts for Mack Sennett and Educational Pictures. At Educational Pictures he directed many of the Juvenile Comedies, a comedy series starring Malcolm "Big Boy" Sebastian. This looks forward to probably his biggest claim to fame, he is often credited with being the one to discover Shirley Temple, and he directed here in some of the talkie Baby Burlesk comedies, a series of short films starring kids. At the same time he was making these he directed some of Buster Keaton's talkie shorts at Educational. After the closing of Educational Pictures, he briefly worked at Columbia studios where he directed Charley Chase in The Wrong Miss Wright (1937) and Calling All Doctors (1937) and The Three Stooges in Playing the Ponies (1937). For Universal Charles Lamount, would become one of the studios best comedy directors. There he directed some of the best Ma and Pa Kettle films and The Francis the Talking Mule movie, Francis in the Haunted House (1956, Lamount's last film). His work with Abbott and Costello marked some of their best later day efforts. Though he mostly directed Abbott and Costello's later films, he did direct one movie with them in their early years, Hit the Ice (1943). His 1950's work with Abbott and Costello including Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950), Comin' Round the Mountain (1951), Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951), Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952, for Warner Brothers), Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953), Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955, which featured a cameo by Lamount's former employer, Mack Sennett) and Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955). Lamount also did some TV work for Disney directed some episodes of Annette (1958), Zorro (1957-1959) and the original The Mickey Mouse Club (1955-1958).

 


The following is from a 1952 issue of The Independent Film Journal.

"Denver. - A 'date party' contest at a local Air Force base and personal appearances of starlets from the film highlighted the promotional campaign accorded to the promotional campaign accorded the premiere engagement Universal-International's 'Abbott and Costello Go to Mars' at the Paramount Theatre. 

"Contest developed by Jack Wodell, Paramount manager, and Velma Bulkely, of Wolfberg Denver Theatres, tied in with a local paper to invite airmen to send in letters of 25 words or less on why they would like a date with a U-I star on Mars. 

"Winners were awarded dates with Mari Blanchard, featured in the film, and two of the 'Miss Universe' girls. Airmen met the girls at the airport. In addition, a specular rocket ship theme was provided the Paramount. A large model of a spaceship carrying the film's title was suspended above the marquee above a gala arrangement of flags."

The following is from a 1953 issue of the Motion Picture Herald, 

"Universal will send four of the winners in their 'Miss Universe' contest as exploitation for 'Abbott and Costello Go to Mars' - and not a bad tieup with a very reasonable association of ideas. These 'heavenly bodies' are Mari Blanchard, who is featured in the picture, plus Anita Eckberg (Miss Sweden); Judy Hatula (Miss Michigan) and Renate Hoy (Miss Germany). From advance reports, they will take separate trails, so if you see all four 'heavenly bodies' you'll have to hit the road yourself. Gala premiere at the Melba Theatre, Birmingham and the Paramount Theatre, Denver, will start the migration."