It is commonly accepted among movie fans that the Abbott and Costello films of the 1950's were largely inferior to their films of the 1940's. This may be true but I have always retained a strong fondness for Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops. Perhaps that is because I watched it many times as a kid, or that Bud Abbott gets to be funny here as well as the straight man or maybe it is because I love both Abbott and Costello and the Keystone Kops. Whatever the reason I love this movie.
In 1912, Willie Piper (Lou Costello) and Harry Pierce (Bud Abbott) are swindled by a conman (Fred Clark) into buying a non-operating movie studio. They try to find this conman to get their money back and go out to California to find him. When they reach California, they unknowingly find themselves on a movie set and after some slapstick antics, Willie is hired as a stunt man. Unfortunately for Willie the director of the film he is doing stunt work for is the conman in disguise, who wants to kill Willie and Harry before they can expose him.
Like many of the later day Abbott and Costello films, this movie does not focus on the verbal comedy routines that populated their earlier films (as well as their TV and radio shows), but instead relies on physical slapstick. While this may have been a fault in some of their other later films, it works very well here, because this movie is a tribute to silent comedy. There are some great slapstick routines here, such as the early scene outside the movie theater, Costello disguising himself as a cop. the wild west chase and the duo up in a plane (the cutting to a couple musicians on the ground while they are up in the air made me laugh out loud). All of these routines kept a smile firmly planted on my face and even made me laugh out loud more than a few times.
Universal was originally worried about the title of this picture. They felt that the Keystone Kops might not be much of a draw for the current movie-goer. It was even assumed that younger audiences might not even know who they were. Because of this Universal purposed the title Abbott and Costello Meet the Stuntmen. It is not exactly known why the studio changed their minds and let the Keystone Kops be in the title. However some of speculated it was because of the release and success of Mack Sennett's (who produced the silent Keystone comedies, in which the cops originated) autobiography King of Comedy. That book was released the same year (1954) that this film went into production. It is said that Sennett was paid $500 for the use of the name. In reality the Kops aren't in the majority of this picture. They in fact don't really appear until towards the climatic chase. This chase is however the highlight of the film. It is filled with one slapstick gag after another. Because of this it moves a relentlessly pace and the pure comic energy is simply wonderful to watch unfold. Much of the excellence of this chase comes from director, Charles Lamont. Lamont was in fact a silent comedy veteran, who had even worked for Sennett in the 1920's. Even in the talkie era, Lamont had worked with some of the physical comedy greats including, Buster Keaton, Charley Chase and The Three Stooges. He had directed quite a few of the later day Abbott and Costello films, but this one especially played to his strengths as a comedy director. It is no wonder that this final sequence is so wonderfully made.
This film was released towards the end of Abbott and Costello's movie career. This was their next to last movie for Universal (the studio where they made their best films), as after this the comedy duo would only make Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) for the studio. They did make one more film after that, Dance With Me Henry (1956) for United Artists. After that the popular comedy team would never make another movie.
There is a nice little in-joke in the opening scene of this movie. Willie Piper (Lou Costello's character) tells a young lady, "You're cute." The young lady responds, "You're silly." Willie then tells her, "So's your old man." This young lady was played by Lou Costello's daughter, Carole. Another great cameo in this movie involves Mack Sennett. Lou Costello's character asked him, if he was really Mack Sennett. To prove this Mack throws a pie at him, which instead hits Bud Abbott's character. Lou's character is then assured that this is in fact Mack Sennett. As fans of Keystone comedies probably know that the throwing of pies was never as prominent in those silent comedies as legend has it. In fact in Keystone comedies, characters often through bricks at each other more than throwing pies. However this joke still works because it is a very clever wink at what the filmmaker had become known for. Also appearing in this film are Hennie Cocklin and Hank Mann, both of whom had worked with Sennett during the silent days.
This may not be Abbott and Costello's most cherished film, but it still a whole lot of fun to watch.
Resources Used
The Great Movie Comedians by Leonard Maltin
A-Z of Silent Film Comedy by Glenn Mitchell
Chase! A Tribute to the Keystone Cops edited by Lon and Debra Davis.
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