After Abbott and Costello ducked over to MGM to make Rio Rita, Universal rolled out the red carpet with an above average effort. The plot has our lead duo as bus drivers who, through some complicated machinations, wind up on a tropical island (this is the first of the team’s films you wish had been shot in colour). There’s a local custom involving a volcano, which Costello naturally has to jump into. Virginia Bruce is a pretty heroine (like Anne Gwynne in Ride ‘Em Cowboy she’s a bit of a feisty quasi feminist), Robert Paige a passable hero and Lionel Atwill an excellent villain (the first first-rate one for the duo).
There’s some sensational tap dancing, plus the Ink Spots sing “Do I Worry”, and some funny routines (such as Costello outwitting a servo guy and the final water skiing sequence). There’s the “I want to marry a homely girl” gag, and a hilarious “Deep in the Heart of Texas” gag (Costello sings the song and support actors just clap – was this the inspiration for the joke in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure?)
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