It Ain’t Hay (1943)
It Ain’t Hay is probably the most unique Abbott and Costello film so far. It’s based off of a story by popular short story writer Damon Runyon called Princess O’Hara, and there’s a community-driven atmosphere to it, as it does stress the importance of the high standing of the characters in the town that they live in. Does it work for Abbott and Costello? For the most part, yes.
Wilbur Hoolihan (Costello) is a taxi driver who is friends with Grover Mockridge (Abbott), King O’Hara (Cecil Kellaway), his daughter Princess (Patsy O’Connor), and their horse Finnegan. After Wilbur accidentally kills Finnegan by feeding him candy, Grover and Wilbur inadvertently steal a famous race horse named Tea Biscuit in an attempt to make it up to them, and so they have to find a way to return the horse without anyone noticing.
Surprisingly, the one major problem with this is the initial set-up. It’s one of those films that kind of throws you into it. For example, Grover and Wilbur have this friend who has to raise money for a show and they try to help him raise money for it. This is fine and all, except that the only introduction to this plot point is a brief explanation from this character. Shouldn’t there have been a scene before showing how he got into this predicament? Another issue is that Wilbur is supposedly really good friends with this horse, yet he’s stupid enough to think that feeding candy to the horse was a good idea.
The songs are pretty entertaining, even if they’re not super memorable. One of them, “Glory Be,” is pretty pointless considering that it’s a response to the horse miraculously recovering, only for him to die moments later. However, the Step Brothers do a dance routine during this number that makes it worth watching.
I know it seems as though I’ve been kind of negative so far, but really, everything else is pretty good after the initial set-up. Like in Who Done It?, the romantic subplot is not very prominent, allowing for Abbott and Costello to take center stage again with little interruption. There’s a great supporting cast consisting of character actors such as Eugene Pallette, Shemp Howard, and Richard Lane and some well-staged chase sequences. The finale is pretty similar to the finale from the Marx Brothers’ A Day At the Races, though Costello is still able to make it his own.
Another unique aspect of this film is the emotional moments for Costello. There aren’t many of them, but when they happen, Costello gives it his all and shows that, had he wanted to, he probably could have done at least some dramatic acting. The scene with him and Princess lamenting the Tea Biscuit situation in particular is really effective.
If you can get past the problems with the opening, then this should be an entertaining experience. It’s more different than previous Abbott and Costello films in terms of having a bit more of a dramatic tone, but still manages to maintain good comedy throughout, especially their constant run-ins with Eugene Pallette.
8 out of 10
Wilbur Hoolihan (Costello) is a taxi driver who is friends with Grover Mockridge (Abbott), King O’Hara (Cecil Kellaway), his daughter Princess (Patsy O’Connor), and their horse Finnegan. After Wilbur accidentally kills Finnegan by feeding him candy, Grover and Wilbur inadvertently steal a famous race horse named Tea Biscuit in an attempt to make it up to them, and so they have to find a way to return the horse without anyone noticing.
Surprisingly, the one major problem with this is the initial set-up. It’s one of those films that kind of throws you into it. For example, Grover and Wilbur have this friend who has to raise money for a show and they try to help him raise money for it. This is fine and all, except that the only introduction to this plot point is a brief explanation from this character. Shouldn’t there have been a scene before showing how he got into this predicament? Another issue is that Wilbur is supposedly really good friends with this horse, yet he’s stupid enough to think that feeding candy to the horse was a good idea.
The songs are pretty entertaining, even if they’re not super memorable. One of them, “Glory Be,” is pretty pointless considering that it’s a response to the horse miraculously recovering, only for him to die moments later. However, the Step Brothers do a dance routine during this number that makes it worth watching.
I know it seems as though I’ve been kind of negative so far, but really, everything else is pretty good after the initial set-up. Like in Who Done It?, the romantic subplot is not very prominent, allowing for Abbott and Costello to take center stage again with little interruption. There’s a great supporting cast consisting of character actors such as Eugene Pallette, Shemp Howard, and Richard Lane and some well-staged chase sequences. The finale is pretty similar to the finale from the Marx Brothers’ A Day At the Races, though Costello is still able to make it his own.
Another unique aspect of this film is the emotional moments for Costello. There aren’t many of them, but when they happen, Costello gives it his all and shows that, had he wanted to, he probably could have done at least some dramatic acting. The scene with him and Princess lamenting the Tea Biscuit situation in particular is really effective.
If you can get past the problems with the opening, then this should be an entertaining experience. It’s more different than previous Abbott and Costello films in terms of having a bit more of a dramatic tone, but still manages to maintain good comedy throughout, especially their constant run-ins with Eugene Pallette.
8 out of 10
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