Sunday, August 03, 2008

Movie review – A&C #21 - “The Noose Hangs High” (1948) **

The duo shifted over to Eagle Lion for this one, which has them as cleaners who accidentally lose some gangster money and go looking for it before they are killed. The story premises of Charles Barton movies were always quite strong and this is no exception – it could work as a thriller (indeed, it was: Two Hands). The gangster who is going to kill them (Joseph Calleia, in good form) is actually quite sympathetic – he just has to repay the money himself, and he’s understandably annoyed that a woman who accidentally receives the money (Cathy Downs) has blown most of it in about a day.

A highlight is a scene where Abbott cons a dopey gangster and that gangster then tries to con Costello. And if I’m not mistaken Costello gets Downs at the end (perhaps his hottest chick of all). But this is not one of their better films. By this stage Abbott and Costello films often featured “wah wah wah…” music in the soundtrack, an irritating thing that wouldn’t be shaken for a while. There are too many rehashed routines: "you’re 40 she’s ten", Costello tries to get into gaol and keeps being thwarted, "mudda and fudda", "pack and unpack", "phone booth". There’s no romance – there is Downs but honestly she’s an idiot for wasting the money; they get out of trouble too easily.

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