The Noose Hangs High (1948)
The Noose Hangs High had been in the works at Universal as early as 1945, according to Matthew Dessem’s book, The Gag Man, but it was shelved. Abbott and Costello later bought the rights to it and had it produced independently, which was probably for the best, as The Noose Hangs High ranks as one of their best films.
Ted Higgins (Abbott) and Tommy Hinchcliffe (Costello) are window washers who are mistaken for employees of the Speedy Messenger Service by bookie Nick Craig (Joseph Calleia). A mishap results in them bungling a job for Craig that cost him $50,000, and he gives them 36 hours to get the money so he can deliver it to the man he owes the money to, J.C. McBride (Leon Errol).
The movie takes a somewhat episodic approach to it. The film actually opens not with story explanation, but instead with Costello dealing with a broken tooth and having to see a dentist. I like this approach; it kind of reminds me of The Abbott and Costello Show in a way, albeit with a slightly more focused story. Murray Leonard plays his role as the dentist in a comedic fashion, just as well as he played the derelict in Lost in a Harem. Among the crazy things he does are asking Costello to point out where his bad tooth is, only to scold him seconds later for rudely pointing, as well as taking credit for a tooth that fell out as one that he pulled. Though Calleia and Cathy Downs (who plays Carol Blair) play their roles relatively straight, the rest of the cast also adds a comedic touch to their roles as well, even the gangsters working for Craig. Again, this is somewhat reminiscent of The Abbott and Costello Show, in which Abbott and Costello were surrounded by a crazy world, as opposed to most of their films, in which they were surrounded by a mostly normal world, with the occasional crazy person.
All of the supporting cast do excellent in their roles and there are even some cameos from some top character performers such as Elvia Allman, Fred Kelsey, and Herb Vigran. The major standout, though, is Leon Errol as McBride. First off, the idea that a tough guy like Craig seems to be intimidated by Errol as McBride is a funny idea in itself. But they go all the way with Errol’s performance. Not only is he important to the plot, but he gets to do a good amount of comedy bits, working especially well off of Costello. There’s a scene where he and Costello are playing pool that is absolutely hilarious, featuring the “Mudder and Fodder” routine and some good physical comedy from Costello. Errol himself does his fair share of physical comedy, alternating with Costello in crashing into a wall while trying to enter a building, as well as attempting to deal with an uncooperative car that Costello also had trouble with earlier in the film.
But what about the songs and the side romance, you may be asking? Surely those must bog the film down. I kid you not, they are nowhere to be found. There is a small romance, but it’s between Costello and Downs’s characters. Yeah, they actually go that route, which is a very nice change of pace. The story is entirely focused around Abbott and Costello (and, to a lesser extent, Downs), so there’s never a dull stretch.
Many of the routines in this film are reused from previous films. That’s OK though, since not only are they done with a great amount of energy from our leads, but they’re also incorporated into a story that isn’t constantly being interrupted by romantic leads or songs. We get classic routines like the Mustard bit, the phone booth routine from Keep ‘Em Flying, and a hilarious variation on the “Pack/Unpack” routine from Hit the Ice. There also are some scenes that aren’t reused. There’s an especially great plot point where Abbott and Costello attempt to get themselves put in jail, but every attempt they make fails, to the point where they actually get someone else arrested.
The Noose Hangs High may be the best Abbott and Costello film. Even The Time of Their Lives, as great as it is, is not the kind of film to show to casual Abbott and Costello fans, since they’re basically separate acts in it. The Noose Hangs High is. It gets the comedy right, it gets the story structure right, and it gets the atmosphere right. If all their films had been like The Noose Hangs High, maybe their film career would be just as fondly remembered as their television career.
10 out of 10
The movie takes a somewhat episodic approach to it. The film actually opens not with story explanation, but instead with Costello dealing with a broken tooth and having to see a dentist. I like this approach; it kind of reminds me of The Abbott and Costello Show in a way, albeit with a slightly more focused story. Murray Leonard plays his role as the dentist in a comedic fashion, just as well as he played the derelict in Lost in a Harem. Among the crazy things he does are asking Costello to point out where his bad tooth is, only to scold him seconds later for rudely pointing, as well as taking credit for a tooth that fell out as one that he pulled. Though Calleia and Cathy Downs (who plays Carol Blair) play their roles relatively straight, the rest of the cast also adds a comedic touch to their roles as well, even the gangsters working for Craig. Again, this is somewhat reminiscent of The Abbott and Costello Show, in which Abbott and Costello were surrounded by a crazy world, as opposed to most of their films, in which they were surrounded by a mostly normal world, with the occasional crazy person.
All of the supporting cast do excellent in their roles and there are even some cameos from some top character performers such as Elvia Allman, Fred Kelsey, and Herb Vigran. The major standout, though, is Leon Errol as McBride. First off, the idea that a tough guy like Craig seems to be intimidated by Errol as McBride is a funny idea in itself. But they go all the way with Errol’s performance. Not only is he important to the plot, but he gets to do a good amount of comedy bits, working especially well off of Costello. There’s a scene where he and Costello are playing pool that is absolutely hilarious, featuring the “Mudder and Fodder” routine and some good physical comedy from Costello. Errol himself does his fair share of physical comedy, alternating with Costello in crashing into a wall while trying to enter a building, as well as attempting to deal with an uncooperative car that Costello also had trouble with earlier in the film.
But what about the songs and the side romance, you may be asking? Surely those must bog the film down. I kid you not, they are nowhere to be found. There is a small romance, but it’s between Costello and Downs’s characters. Yeah, they actually go that route, which is a very nice change of pace. The story is entirely focused around Abbott and Costello (and, to a lesser extent, Downs), so there’s never a dull stretch.
Many of the routines in this film are reused from previous films. That’s OK though, since not only are they done with a great amount of energy from our leads, but they’re also incorporated into a story that isn’t constantly being interrupted by romantic leads or songs. We get classic routines like the Mustard bit, the phone booth routine from Keep ‘Em Flying, and a hilarious variation on the “Pack/Unpack” routine from Hit the Ice. There also are some scenes that aren’t reused. There’s an especially great plot point where Abbott and Costello attempt to get themselves put in jail, but every attempt they make fails, to the point where they actually get someone else arrested.
The Noose Hangs High may be the best Abbott and Costello film. Even The Time of Their Lives, as great as it is, is not the kind of film to show to casual Abbott and Costello fans, since they’re basically separate acts in it. The Noose Hangs High is. It gets the comedy right, it gets the story structure right, and it gets the atmosphere right. If all their films had been like The Noose Hangs High, maybe their film career would be just as fondly remembered as their television career.
10 out of 10
Comments
Post a Comment