The time of their lives 

August 16th 1946 :Universal

Bud:  Cuthbert Greenway/ Dr Ralph Greenway   Lou: Horatio Prim   Dir: Charles T. Barton

This video cover makes no sense what so ever to the film!.

A lot of ABBOTT AND COSTELLO fans has remarked on this one being their favourite.  It is certainly one of their best.  It's one of their most interesting works to be sure.  Abbott really shines in this picture.  During shooting, Lou told Director Barton he would quit the film he didn't get to swap places with Bud.  The film wouldn't of been as good if it had. Imagine for a moment if that had been the case.   Lou playing the bad guy at the start, Lou being a doctor and Bud being the simpleton stuck in the ever after until he has proved his innocence.  Besides, Lou and Marjorie Reynolds had good on screen chemistry together.
It has to be said though that Bud really does shine in this film.    Probably my favourite Bud performance.  He is the bad guy at the start of the film and gets to act as his usual straight-man role (though more nasty than usual) and later we see the tables being turned on him.  Not often you get to see Bud scared by Lou.  
Lou on the other hand, turned in a great performance.  There were shades of his later characters (most notably for me, Oliver from Abbott and Costello meet Captain Kidd and shades of his early performances too (Ferdinand Jones from Hold that Ghost).

The last Abbott and Costello film to have the whirling Universal logo before it changed to 'Universal International the next year.  There is a good orchestral score (as usual for ABBOTT AND COSTELLO films).  It's very lively.  Must be noted that this was Barton's first film directing the boys.  The film opens with an outdoor shot of a manor in 1780 in New York.  The revolution war was in it's 5th year.  There is a ball on with all costumes and all.  Very slow dancing.  One wanders what these people would think if they found themselves in an underground rave.  Scene cuts to 3 gentlemen admiring a picture of the lovely melody Allen (Reynolds).  Note that Superman himself is in the scene. Kirk Alyn has one line 'Who couldn't be happy with Melody Allen?  She's adorable'.  
We then see her dancing in the room.  The dance is so slow though. A man calls for Cuthbert, the servant, (Bud) who has a great line.  He is asked if a certain drink is recommended, Cuthbert replies yes <hic> 'or so the other guests have told me'.  Ironic seeing how much he used to drink in real life.  Saying  Bud used to drink is like saying the pope says the odd prayer.  We then see him go to the kitchen and help himself to another drink.  A maid, who he is after, Nora, walks in.  He has offered to get her out of there and marry her but she would rather stay as she is in love with a penniless tinker (no guesses for who THAT is!).  He says he is lazy she argues against that.  The scene cuts to a shot of Costello asleep on his horse.  The boys certainly get good introductions in this film.
Horatio wakes as he enters the barn, Nora calls out to him which he turns his head and promptly bangs it above the stable door.  Still on horseback, he enters the barn and grabs some rope and slides down it as his horse continues to move forward.  The rope yanks and opens trap doors above in which loads of hay fall on top of him.  A great scene.  Horatio, under the hay has a sneezing fit causing hat to fly everywhere.  She comes and they meet.  he tells her a story of how much trouble he has seen and how he had a "bitish with the brutish...a british with a brish with a brush... a brush with the British!" Great word play by Lou.
They kiss and fall in the hay and he lands on a pitch fork (exactly as he did in 'It ain't hay').  He notices she has bought him food.  He allows her the first bite of a turkey drumstick (romantically) and she tells him about Cuthbert pestering her.  He gives her the old line of clenching his fist and offering to give a dirty look.  The same old Costello!  He tells Nora he didn't make enough money to pay her bond and she grabs the turkey from his mouth as he is about to have a bite to eat.  He tells her about how his customers are badly off and how he gave them all his money to buy them food and he lost the remaining pennies in a card game.  Another irony seeing how much Lou lost in real life over card games!  He then tells her about a personal recommendation letter he got from George Washington.  Nora takes the letter from him to show Melody so she can help them elope.  Unfortunately, Cuthbert overhears.  Horatio is very happy and fumbles with his hat (I think the first time Lou does this in a film). He is about to eat some cake when Cuthbert stands behind him and takes it from the plate.  When Horatio learns who it is, he panics and spills the milk.  So he doesn't get any food after all!  Quite a nice touch.

Cuthbert, pretending to be nice tells Horatio he will help him elope.  Horatio says 'You're not such a bad fellow after all' and shakes him warmly by the hand.  Interesting to note the pair weren't talking to each other in real life hence the different style of movies they made in 1946.  Cuthbert ignores the handshakes, and I sometimes can't help that Bud wasn't acting!  There is a large trunk and Cuthbert tells Horatio that the key is lost and if he opens it  then it would help get him 'In well' with master Danbury.  Lou does a bit of add libbing in the scene.  The only scene they have together!  After he opens it, Cuthbert says there is a hole in the bottom of it and turns the bottom end towards the camera indicating he is lying.  Instead of checking the bottom, Horatio climbs in and Cuthbert locks him in and tells him he'll get arrested. The film certainly gets off to a quick start and there is great atmosphere already.
Tom Danberry, the master is a traitor.  As Cuthbert tries to tell him about Horatio, he throws him out the room to talk to new figures who have arrived.  They are plotting the downfall of Washington.  Tom hears Nora listening and takes Washington's letter from her and orders to be taken away. He hides the letter in a clock on the shelf.  
Melody and Tom are very much in love but when she overhears the plot, she races to the stables to go and get help. She has changed clothes and we see how beautiful Reynolds really is.   Horatio is still in there and has managed to free his head and legs from the trunk.  She points a gun at him and tells him to raise his arms.  "Are you kidding?" he asks.  When she learns he is Nora's sweetheart, she tells him she needs help and frees him.  When he learns Washington is in danger, he wants to help.  'My friend George Washington is trouble? That's all I gotta know'.  I love this line.  I can imagine Washington smiling at him being referred to him as his friend.  

Approaching the manor are Washington's men who have learned of the plot.  They come to arrest Danbury.  On horseback, Horatio and Melody see them approach them and mistake them for Danberry's men.  So they turn round and ride off the other way.  Washington's men mistake them for traitors and chase after them shooting them. They are both killed!  The General there curses their spirits to be bound at the land till they prove their innocence.   The bodies are thrown down the well.  A soldier makes a sign (has he not go more pressing things to do?) referring to the traitors and then the men finally ride off.
Smoke appears by the well, Horatio materializes from nowhere.  The music as he appears is really eerie and superb for the scene.  It can be heard is a couple of other ABBOTT AND COSTELLO films.  He sits there as Melody materializes next to him.  It really frightens him and he does all his trademark noises.  when he realises it is Melody he tells her he thought she was a ghost. Notice in the long shot, they are seated quite far apart but in the closer shot, they are sitting right next to each other.  As he laughs, he reminds me of the Costello from 'Africa Screams' and he goes to pat her on the back (a little too hard I think) but his arm passes right through her!  It is obvious his arm would pass through her, not because they are ghosts but because how fast he goes to pat her. They get scared.  He then does the old drinking water gag where it spills out the side of him (he has just been shot remember) and they remember what happened. They read the sign and spot their bodies down the well. They also remember the curse.  They try to leave the grounds but can't.  An invisible force bounces Horatio back in every time he tries to run out.  Lou's pantomime skills are fantastic in this scene.  Notice that Reynolds's doesn't try it.
They sus that the letter will prove their innocence (a good job he didn't have it on him or it would of ended up in the well!).  The soldiers burn the house down and loot all the furniture.  Now there is no hope of getting the letter.  Cuthbert is seen leaving the grounds on Horatio's horse. 

There is a montage of trees in different weather indicating a passage of time.  The next scene shows Horatio and Melody getting friendly with each other.  She is coming on too him - after 165 years!  He just wants her to scratch his back.  She gets mad and pushes him off the tree they are sitting on.  The scene is just there to see how they are getting on.  

The next scene shows broad daylight - the first time in the film.  A man and 2 ladies drive up to the house.  It has been restored and the man, Sheldon, is planning to live there.  He is getting over a nervous breakdown (but you can't tell that from his character, he's in his early 30s and good looking).  one of the ladies is his fiancé and the other her loud mouth Aunt.  He tells them a brief history of the house and knocks on the door.  The housekeeper answers.  The housekeeper is played by a marvelous Gale Sondergaard. Her character's name is Emily.  Naturally, she is stony faced (mostly) and psychic.                                                                                                      
They all enter and he talks about the house.  He has had it restored to it's old state with all the furniture (convenient don't you think?).  Abbott, driving a car in the only 'time of his life', pulls up and Sheldon explains he has invited is psychiatrist for the weekend.  He is played by Bud and appears to be well known.  The loud mouth Aunt certainly disapproves of his presence, her name is Mrs. Prescott btw.  The fiancé's name is June.

Bud looks incredibly young in the next scene.  he is playing a Doctor and we don't get to see him play this type of character often.  he is really good and I wish he'd of made another film with different characters.  There is a slight air of 'camp' at first but he delivers his lines beautifully.  He probably looks younger in his first scene here than he ever did in his movies.  He explains he is Cuthbert's great-great-great grandson.  He also explains it was his idea to restore the place.  As a new plaque arrives with the 'here lies two traitors sign', they talk about the ghosts and how no one found out who they were.   But every now and again, they throw the sign over the wall - but it gets replaced.

Horatio decides to haunt the house that night as he reads the new plaque.  

That night as all the residents are in bed, Horatio peers through the window.  He tiptoes to the door as a loud PPsst is heard.  He turns and sees melody appear.  'Don't do that', he says 'You almost scared the life out of me'.  Melody is still interested in him. She apologizes.  She wants to stay with him.  They go back to the window and realize it's locked.  She notices the interior looks the same and wants to go in.  He says they can't as the window is locked.  A lazy bit of writing follows as she says why don't we go in the same way we go up and down the tree.  She does a little shimmy and disappears.  She then reappears inside.  He tries but his trousers fall down.  Distracted, he grabs them.  He disappears and gets stuck halfway though.  The special effects are really quite good as she grabs him by the ear and pulls him in.
She is amazed how similar looks.  All I want to know is, why didn't they look when the house was being rebuilt? With all the builders, they would of wandered in an out.  They wouldn't of just ignored it.  It's like they have been up the tree all this time and just got down to have a look at house.  This bit doesn't really make much sense.  Horatio tries to light the lights with a candle.  He accidentally turns a lamp on which scares them.  As they step back she discovers the light switch. She turns the lights on and off which wakes Ralph.  He consoles himself with his catchphrase "Be calm, be reasonable". Horatio is scared now and wants to go back to the tree.  But she is having fun and wants to explore.  Melody spots a book (convenient) called 'Thomas Danburry's memoirs'.  As if that book would be just lying around.  Horatio sits on a table and it collapses, making a noise which again wakes Ralph.  She reads aloud how Tom dedicates the book to his country and to Melody.  Horatio spots the picture of Tom on the wall.  She notices the harpsichord looks the same too and sits down to play it.
Meanwhile, Ralph is smoking and consoling himself by talking in the mirror. "Why don't you practice what you preach?"  Then he hears the harpsichord been played so goes downstairs to investigate.
Horatio picks up a phone and hears the operator and runs off scared.  She notices how a note always did stick.  Ralph comes in but Horatio can't manifest.  They both Think Ralph is Cuthbert.  Ralph looks at the instrument then walks around the room. Horatio tells Melody that he can't see him and tries out his theory.   He whistles and no response.  Great scene by Bud and Lou. Also very peculiar.  As Cuthbert goes to sit down, Horatio kicks him in the rear and sends him flying.
Emily enters the room in a trance.  Horatio says "Zounds!  what well did she come out off?".  Cuthbert thinks Emily kicked her.  Emily tells her she can hear them and  someone must of offended the ghosts.  She can also hear Horatio laughing.  She tells him she is physic.   I always wonder how she can hear them laugh in this scene but later they can only communicate by knocking on a table.  She can hear them laugh but can't hear them talk!  Bud and Gale are great in this scene.  She leaves and they scare him again.  Bud is sensational in these scenes
Melody then susses that all the furniture is original. She then realizes the letter could be in the house and if they find it they could prove their innocence.  They decide to look in the library.  She leave and Horatio runs to the window to shout to Nora that 'It won't be long now'.  It's not hard to interpret this scene.
Horatio is searching the library and Melody is admiring a picture of herself.  Melody asks Horatio if he has searched the clock.  Irritatingly for the audience, he tells her that no one ever put a secret compartment in a clock!  They continue to search the library.  They come across the radio and a broadcast starts.  The men you can hear are universal bit players.  One had a brief scene in Little giant as one of the salesmen and was in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO meet the Invisible man as the man in the bar Tommy punches.  Also the program is called 'The Phantom menace' which raised a smile.  Thinking it is real, they get scared and disappear.  Loud gunshots are heard - waking all the residents.  They disappear and Horatio is holding a candlestick he runs out  the room holding it  and it knocks Sheldon on the head and knocks him out.  It's quite a funny scene.  The 2 ladies find him unconscious.  The Millie (the loud Aunt) has a ludicrous line "Well, that's a fine place to take a nap!".  They wake him and  take him to the library room.  Emily and Ralph enters. The 2 ghosts get out of a trunk the were hiding in and decide to search the rest of the house.
Sheldon has a hard time explaining what happens.  They all row but Emily tells them about the ghosts.  Ralph goes to the living room to get a Brandy 'as a stimulant' (Brandy is a depressant is it not?). Anyway, the boys have a scene where Horatio scares Ralph.  Well, Bud does most of it solo and again he is superb even doing a great double take when a lighter appears out of nowhere and lights his cigarette.  Horatio toots in his stethoscope which sends him running out the room.  He runs in the library and collapses.  Another invisible force scares Horatio.  It's melody who tells him 'he's bad boy' and tells him to continue to search the rest of the house.
Though she has a go at him for not looking for the letter, in the next scene she is seen admiring outfits and make up.  Horatio is in the cellar looking through drawers.  As he slams one, another flies open which send him flying and we see a big bottle over his head.  it's a great shot except you can easily see the string which is attached to the cork which pops off.  melody has put the dress on and is admiring herself and wishes that Tom was there to see her.
Sheldon is telling Ralph to be calm and be reasonable.  Abbott is great again as he tells him what happed.  Emily can hear the ghosts and thinks they have called her and walk out.  Emily takes the brandy and exits to go up the stairs.  Melody is walking downstairs and the dress is visible.  Emily screams and faints, they carry her to the living room.  The lights flicker on and off which scares her even more but Horatio has got stuck in the generator.  The scene goes on forever, Melody appears and tells him she is scared and is going back to the tree.  Horatio picks up a baton and conducts an imaginary audience.  They all spot the baton floating though the hall and a dog which has appeared from nowhere in the story runs after it and gets scared and runs away.  Why did we not see the dog before? It's obviously Sheldon's but he has just this one scene in the movie.
Emily appears and tells them they frightened the ghosts away.  The decide to hold a séance.  Sheldon reads out the General's report (who cursed their spirits).  Emily speaks in Latin which forces the ghosts from the tree into the living room.  Once there, they communicate through rapping on the table.  After questions, they discover the identity of Horatio and Melody (they bring in the big picture of Melody).   They also figure out that if they find the letter, the spirits will be free.  It's a great scene.
Tom then appears and speaks through Emily who tells gives them a clue to find the letter. Lou does a great scared routine that is certainly reminiscent of Hold that Ghost.  The music is superb as Tom speaks through Emily. After they get the clue, Emily leaves.  The realise the letter must be hidden in a clock.  The ghosts realize it must be the library clock.  The ghosts throw a book and open the door to the library.  It's then Sheldon explains the library clock is a reproduction.  The real one is in a museum that Sheldon has been banned from.  Horatio walks out upset.  Ralph then tells them he will go and get the clock to atone for the sins of Cuthbert.  He knows his great-great-great Grandfather was 'an old so and so'. Melody goes and tells Horatio.  Costello again looks and acts as he did in Hold that ghost.
Ralph, in the museum is told he is not allowed to examine the clock so he sneaks it out under his coat.  The police are called who go to the mansion to wait for Ralph to get back.  Emily is smiling at the thought of the ghosts being free.  The explain to the police about the ghosts and call for them but they are in the garden to try and warn the approaching Ralph.  Emily comes out and tells him to hide in the stable.  he goes in and manages to open the drawer (without him knowing) but before Horatio can grab it, the drawer closes again. Before he can try again, the police enter to take him away.
With the ghosts in the car the car can't leave the premises.  Horatio takes control of the car and their is a bit of a chase with a handcuffed Ralph in the back seat.  Finally, the car crashes which sends the clock flying.  As they retrieve it, the drawer is open.  Emily tells everyone that the ghosts are free.  Ralph is probably let off as the police can't believe what has happened.
As they exit the grounds they say goodbye.  Curiously, Melody heads in another direction to go to Tom.  In a beautiful scene, Horatio walks to heaven's gates where Nora (in her maid's outfit) is waiting.  Unfortunately, the doors are locked as it's Washington's birthday!

It's a great film though a little straightforward and a little predictable. But it's very entertaining and the cast are marvelous.  Lou is very energetic and Bud is sensational as the two characters.  I really enjoyed his performances.  He himself said it was his favourite role.  The directing, pacing and music are great.  Though I wish the scene in the basement could be cut a little.

Russell Dodd - November 2000

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