Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood (1945) User Reviews (29)

A&C's best film at MGM

[jimtinder · 7/10 · 4 February 2001]

Returning to the MGM lot in the Spring of 1945, Abbott and Costello make what would be their last, and funniest, film at the Tiffany of studios. Declining revenues during the war took its toll at MGM, and the loan-out deal with Universal was not renewed. Bud and Lou probably didn't mind, as there was a downturn in script quality at MGM -- not to mention a downturn in their salaries!!!

"In Hollywood" isn't as poor as their first two MGM films, however. "Rio Rita" and "Lost In A Harem" suffered from poor pacing; here, the pacing is fine. And it's fun to see Lou get into trouble on the MGM lot(in the film, the studio is Mammoth.) Incidentally, MGM lifted the idea of Lou's cavorting on the set from Buster Keaton's 1930 MGM film "Free and Easy." Another fun scene is on the midway set; it's ludicrous to believe that Costello is staying balanced on one wheel on the roller coaster, but, hey, that's what makes the scene funny and enjoyable to watch. The best scene in the film is the "insomnia" sketch, where Costello finds it impossible to sleep through the record that's supposed to put him to sleep (people raised only on CDs can't relate to this!)

All in all, "In Hollywood" is a few notches above A&C's other MGM films. Video collectors take note: although "The Noose Hangs High" and "Dance With Me, Henry" were released on video by MGM/UA, they were actually independent productions. "In Hollywood" was their last MGM film, and a decent one at that. 7 out of 10.

First Film With Their Names In The Title.

[AaronCapenBanner · 5/10 · 27 October 2013]

Abbott & Costello play two barbers in Hollywood who dream of being agents, and get their chance when a young singer they know becomes quite good, but is unknown, so the team schemes to change all that, and of course many mishaps and misunderstandings occur as a result. Last of their three films to be made at MGM is much better than "Lost In A Harem"(Never saw the other one, named "Rio Rita") Film does have some good scenes like when Lou is mistaken for a prop dummy, or they have to shave a balloon. Real actors at the studio have cameos like Lucille Ball, Preston Foster, Rags Ragland, and director Robert Z. Leonard. Still, this film isn't funny enough to succeed, and remains forgettable.

MGM didn't even bother to try...

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 19 August 2009]

How could MGM have made a film entitled "Abbott and Costello in Hollywood" and done such a lousy job of showing the behind the scenes workings in the movie industry?! At the time, MGM was the biggest and best studio in the world--yet the team get to meet and interact with such "stars" as Rags Ragland, Mike Mazurki, Butch Jenkins and Lucille Ball (who, at this point in her career, was a 2nd-tier actress). There are only these lame cameos and such stars as Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Greer Garson, Spencer Tracy and the like are nowhere to be seen. Considering how popular Abbott and Costello were at the time, the film was an obvious sign the studio wanted nothing to do with the team despite their popularity, and not surprisingly, this was the duo's last role for the studio (who had bought the rights from their home studio, Universal, to use Abbott and Costello). In fact, in all three films the studio made with Bud and Lou, they seemed to hold back--giving them relatively limp scripts and nothing that would bring the films up to even the quality of the Universal films (a studio with far less money and clout).

The plot, despite the production values, isn't bad. The film begins with Bud and Lou working as barbers with ambitions of becoming Hollywood agents. This plot concept is a reworking of the team's most successful film to that time, WHO DONE IT?--which had them working as soda jerks who had ambitions of becoming radio mystery writers. In this case, they are helping a young man and woman (a requirement because of the formula to have a supporting couple in all their films). However, when they go to the studio to talk to about their clients, they end up making a major nuisance of themselves and spend much of the film hiding from the studio guards--by hiding in various sound stages and interfering with the productions.

Eventually, though, their big break comes when a fat-head actor refuses a part that turns out to be perfect for Bud and Lou's male client. They sign a contract and begin celebrating--until the fat-head now agrees to the job and their client is dropped from the film. How Bud and Lou deal with this is very sleazy--and quite funny! My wife is an author and I sure wish her agent would be willing to go as far as Bud and Lou for their client!!

Unfortunately, MGM didn't really capitalize well on this dark humor--instead going into a very, very long and distracting song and dance number that just derailed the momentum. Additionally, the roller coaster chase scene was just stupid. Too many obviously rear-projected shots, impossible stunts and it appeared geared just to children--very young and undemanding children. It's reminiscent of a similar scene in the Laurel and Hardy film, DANCING MASTERS...uggh! Up until the end of the film fell apart, I was ready to give the film a 7. However, considering the ending, the lack of real stars and too many production numbers, I am very generously giving it a 5.

A & C's farewell to MGM

[uds3 · 7 November 2003]

Being yet still in the womb and pondering my next move when this was released in the UK, it was to be several years before I actually caught up with it - during an Abbott & Costello festival at my hometown theater.

One's opinion these days depends whether you "recall it" as life WAS in the mid fifties or as an entity in its own right in 2003. Fact is, it was one funny movie and as well as being the last they actually made for MGM and remembering, that the war was not officially over during early filming, it actually had a sizeable budget allocated to it.

Way better than LOST IN A HAREM, Lou was a hoot here as a Hollywood agent (with Bud) trying to get their client the lead role in a musical. Arguably the best routine on offer was that wherein Lou remains awake listening to a record designed to make him sleep.

One of their more enduring films.

Barbers as agents

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 5 November 2005]

Can you imagine A Night at the Opera with only two Marx Brothers? That's essentially what you get in Abbott and Costello in Hollywood.

As good as they were, the Marx Brothers never got their names into the title of any picture they did. That's because they weren't half the box office draw that Bud and Lou were.

Like Chico and Harpo, Bud and Lou are barbers who get the idea to be agents. They decide to handle the career of Robert Stanton the same way Chico and Harpo sign up Allan Jones. And crooner Stanton does get into the picture in just about the same way Jones broke into Il Trovatore.

Too bad though that Stanton never got to sing some songs as good as Cosi-Cosa or Alone. Might have a career for him.

A&C got some good bits in. They had a good scene with MGM comedian Rags Ragland after Ragland comes in for a shave. And Costello being chased through the finale in a midway sequence is pretty funny.

This was the last of three films that Universal loaned out the boys to MGM for the glossier productions than what they were used to at Universal. My favorite of the three MGM films has always been Lost in a Harem. That has more the zany quality of the Universal films than either Abbott and Costello in Hollywood or Rio Rita has.

This one did only so-so box office as compared to the Universal product and Carl Laemmle, Jr. lent them out no more.

Abott and Costello work hard and still shine.

[sirfire · 6/10 · 26 April 2009]

I accept that this isn't the best A&C movie ever made but you cannot blame the stars.

The script was poor and some of the co-stars either didn't want to be there or just weren't up to the skills of ability that A&C achieved.

There are some classic one on one scenes between Abbott & Costello with the best being the barber scene that will have you in stitches if you like burlesque style of humor.

I for one am a fan however if you are a first time viewer of the famous duo I would recommend a movie released in the same year "The Naughty Nineties" or my personal favourite of "Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion" This is still a must see for A&C fans however if you watch this without prior knowledge you will be disappointed and you may not appreciate just how hard A&C work to make this a half decent movie.

Thanks for the memories boys.

"The barber of yesterday is the agent of today"!

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 21 December 2010]

I caught this as part of a DVD twin-bill along with another Abbott and Costello film for MGM - "Lost in a Harem". Between them, this one struck me as the funnier of the two, with a fair amount of gags to move the story along. Probably the best of them was Lou's Western dummy routine, but like a few of the others, it kind of just ended abruptly with a scene change when the bit was over.

There was also that barber gimmick with Rags Ragland early in the picture. Ragland died before I was born and I can't say I've ever seen him in any other vehicle. He seemed to be heralded as one of the stars of this picture, but I didn't get a sense that he was all that big, even in his day. I always liked Mike Mazurki, that would be Iron Mike from his boxing and wrestling days. Probably the coolest surprise in the flick would be Lucille Ball showing up in a quick cameo. I swear she dressed down her looks for 'I Love Lucy' because in any film she appears prior to that TV run, she looks absolutely knockout.

The gags and quick pacing almost overshadow the main story, which is probably a little more gruesome than the boys should have been subjected to. That's probably a good thing, as I don't like to think of Abbott and Costello attempting to frame a guy for murder. Seriously, who came up with that idea?

Considering the title, I would like to have seen some more spot cameos of real Hollywood celebrities. Clark Gable was mentioned by name, as were one or two others who escape me now, but not a sign of any real star. Best to lower your expectations a bit going in, and laugh along with the boys as they settle into their routines.

Disappointingly weak romp for Bud & Lou

[TVholic · 4/10 · 26 June 2005]

I grew up with Abbott & Costello's movies and show (and even their cartoon) back on WPIX in the 1970s. In my eyes, they were the best comedy team ever, easily besting Laurel & Hardy, Martin & Lewis and Hope & Crosby. Having recently begun re-watching A&C movies, I was reminded of just how funny they were. That is, until I got to "A&C in Hollywood." I didn't remember having seen it before, likely because WPIX only played A&C's Universal classics.

The problem here is that more than most other A&C movies, this was a bunch of gags loosely strung together with a weak story. Many of the gags weren't very funny and several of them just went on far too long, among them Costello hiding out as a stunt dummy on the set of a western and Costello having insomnia. The latter was especially tiresome. It went on for what seemed like 10-15 minutes and didn't advance the plot at all. How many times do we need to see A&C stuffing cotton in their ears, plucking it out, then repeating the process?

Even more disturbing was their plan to eliminate their client's rival. Framing the man for a fake murder? That's definitely not A&C's style. They had always had harmless if sometimes negligent fun, but this crossed the line into outright crime.

For a better take on the basic premise of this movie (two nobodies try to break into show business, with Costello being chased by an angry villain in the climax), try "Who Done It?" That film about two soda jerks trying to become radio mystery writers, made three years before this one, was a much better effort for both of them.

Not enough time spent on interesting story

[Russell Dodd · 8/10 · 2 March 2000]

The film starts off in a Hollywood barber shop. After a brief opening scene where two hairdressers are seen bickering, the story starts where Bud and Lou are in a back room where Abbott is conning Costello out of more money. Apparently, Abbott went to barbering school but left Costello at home so he would have to pay Abbott to teach him the trade. So Abbott teaches Costello how to shave a balloon! Of course, Abbott is using the soft end of the razor and is making Lou use the razor end so Costello will continue to fail so therefore will end up having to pay Abbott more money. After getting wise to this scam, Costello 'shaves' the balloon successfully then puts it down on a heater (or something hot) whilst putting more lather on the balloon., of course after putting the razor near the balloon again, it pops. But wouldn't of Lou felt how hot it got before putting it near to the balloon? Anyway, it's a good start off scene and establishes both Bud and Lou's characters. Costello, after giving his last 5 dollars to Abbott has to then break a date with one of the girls. The dialogue here is very funny as he reminds her he asked her for a date and then she apparently said to him to see him next year 'and tonight the year is up!' She asks whether he is still falling for Abbott's scam and convinces him to shave the next customer. So Lou convinces Bud to shave the next customer while the boss is out. Rags Ragland walk in and Lou proceeds to shave him. Of course this is a Burlesque routine that has it's moments. Bud and Lou get called off to a job at a big-time agent's office. On the way to their car, they bump into their friend, Claire Warren, who used to work with them but is now a big star. Her and Costello's 'date' are roommates and best friends. Gregory Lemaise, the big crooner and big time star drives up and as he and Claire are to star in a new romance film, invites her to his beach house, presumably so he can seduce her. She turns him down (Indirectly by Lou - a good bit here) and he drives off. He is already established as the bad guy. Abbott and Costello make their way to the agent's office and get to work. Abbott is the barber and Lou is the shoe polisher. They are very impressed with how he operates his business, by producers phoning him and asking to use his clients therefore making him a lot of money without him apparently doing nothing. In walks new talent, who reminds the agent that him and his dad used to be best friends but the agent can't remember. Anyway, the kid persuades the agent to let him sing him a song and he is very successful. Lemaise walks in and threatens to pull out of the romance picture as Claire turned him down and the agent offers the kid the part. Even though Lemaise is supposed to be a big star, the kid doesn't recognise him till he sees a photo of him on the piano! As soon as The kid walks out the door, Lemaise persuades the agent to give him the part back so the agent's idea is to drop the kid. Bud and Lou then decide to become the Kid's agent and get him the part. This Abbott and Costello film has a good background story but their routines aren't up to scratch and a couple of them go on to long, thus disrupting the flow of the story. The result is an uneven film. Had they concentrated more on the story then it would have been a lot better. An unsual film for the boys. They show a bit of business acumen in an order to advance themselves. Though Lou is not as funny as he was a few years previously, he has the odd laugh here and there. The part where he runs amok in the studio lot goes on a bit to long and ends abruptly. The funniest bit is certainly the end with Lemaise chasing Lou on a roller coaster. Though the wheels don't match up to the tracks, it somehow makes it more hilarious

This is for fans only and I find that the more I watch it the more I get from it. The end musical number is entertaining with Costello on the run from the big shot actor. When A studio Policeman asks a worker if he has seen Gregory Lemaise and the worker asks 'who?', it's like asking a worker at Warner Brothers if he has seen Sylvester Stallone.

MGM was disappointed with the grosses for this film and subsequently dropped the option to produce more Abbott and Costello films. It's a shame as for better or for worse, the films done at MGM had a totally different atmosphere to the films made at Universal.

"That's dope. You wanna be a dope fiend?"

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 23 December 2014]

Abbott and Costello play bumbling barbers who become talent agents. Their first (and only) client is singer and actor Bob Haymes. They go to great lengths to make him a success. Fun but lesser outing from Bud and Lou; their last of three for MGM. The Hollywood backdrop provides for some funny gags like Lou pretending to be a stunt dummy. They don't get to meet any really big stars. Sure, there's Lucille Ball, but this is before TV. She was a B-level star at this time. In addition to her there's Preston Foster, Butch Jenkins, and Rags Ragland -- hardly the cream of MGM's crop. Rags' scene is pretty funny, though. Mike Mazurki, Warner Anderson, and Donald MacBride are all good in supporting parts. Frances Rafferty and Jean Porter provide the pretty. Haymes gets some singing numbers but nothing particularly noteworthy. Like I said, it's a fun Abbott & Costello movie but not one of their best. Certainly not something you'll regret watching. A nice way to pass the time.

Not one of A&C's best. Has it's moments, but it's not the Universals.

[ttherman-2 · 5/10 · 12 November 2012]

This is one of the three pictures Abbott and Costello made for MGM-- who proved with Buster Keaton, the Marx Brothers films after "A Day At the Races and Laurel and Hardy's late releases," that they really don't have much of a "touch" for this kind of comedy. Abbott and Costello fared much better at Universal with films such as "Hold That Ghost," "Buck Privates," "Who Done It?" "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," "The Time of Their Lives," etc. That's not to say that the film is terrible, it just suffers from sloppy pacing, almost no story, and somewhat weaker material for A&C (which was much sharper in the Universal films).

It definitely has its funny points, but it doesn't hold together very well as a complete film. Best to stick to the Universal's--- especially if you are a first time viewer of Abbott and Costello.

Very underrated

[sargonnn · 8/10 · 29 November 2021]

I don't know why this AC movie is so underrated though includes a lot of funny routines and scenes, watch the "drop dummy" one, will surely laugh a lot.

some fun scenes

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 11 September 2020]

Buzz Kurtis (Bud Abbott) and Abercrombie (Lou Costello) are working at a Hollywood salon for the stars. Abercrombie pays Buzz to teach him how to be a barber and it's not going well. They do a house call at Hollywood agent Norman Royce's office. They witness his work and decide to become agents themselves.

I love the shaving scenes. Lou is turning into full Curly. I like him with the kids. There are some very funny individual scenes. The overall story is not that important and it's not that compelling. This end with a couple of dangerous split second stunts and a fun roller coaster ride.

What Hollywood?

[richard-mason · 5/10 · 10 August 2002]

As a fan of A&C when I was a kid, I remember being very excited the first time I saw this on television. But what a letdown. Yes, there's the usual A&C schtick, but where was the promise of Hollywood glamour and stars promised in the title? If I remember right, the closest to a big star the boys run into is Lucille Ball, and this was a long time before "I Love Lucy." She and a couple of second string directors are about the only real glimpse of "Hollywood" you get, except for Lou running amok in the studio, which is hardly a surprise. Still, I suppose it's my own fault for expecting an Abbott and Costello title to live up to its promise: in Abbott and Costello Go To Mars, they go to Venus, in Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, Karloff isn't the killer (sorry, is that a Spoiler?) and in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, they don't.

These guys can do better

[soranno · 19 October 2002]

When it comes to their performances on radio, stage, and television Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are usually hilarious. Why they can't seem to fare as well in films is really strange. This 1945 series effort produced by MGM (the boys were on a loanout from Universal) sadly ranks as an overlong and dissapointing film entry for these two comic talents. MGM lost big money on this one.

A&C On the Back Lot of the Back Lot at MGM

[LeonLouisRicci · 6/10 · 3 April 2014]

Bud and Lou seem oddly Awkward at Times on the Back Lot of MGM. There are some Ups and Downs in this Mediocre Comedy with the Highlights often Coming from Special Effects oriented Chases and Lampoons with the Roller Coaster Climax amid an MGM Style Musical Number arguably the Funniest.

There are a Few other Bright Spots including, again, a wide open Western Movie Set with Costello being Flung about, using SFX as a "Dummy".

But the Banter between A&C is Not up to the Teams best and except for a Good Bit with a Sleep-Help Record there's not much else that is Prime Abbott and Costello.

Sort of a Mid Range Movie for the Team and there is Enough to Recommend for Fans but casual Viewers are likely to be a bit Bored with some of the Stiff Stuff that goes on about Agents and Their Clients.

Beyond the Studio Gates

[lugonian · 7/10 · 24 August 2015]

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN Hollywood (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1945), directed by S. Sylvan Simon, returns the dynamic dual to MGM for the third and final time, following RIO RITA (1942) and LOST IN A HAREM (1944). On loan once more from Universal, and the first of many to include their names in the title, though they don't actually play themselves, it would be a matter of time before Bud and Lou would use a movie studio as part of their comedy backdrop.

Set in Hollywood, the movie capital of the world, at Mammoth Studios, "Buzz" Kurtis (Bud Abbott) and his pal, Abercrombie (Lou Costello), are introduced as employees at the Hollywood Shop, "Barber to the Stars," with Ruthie (Jean Porter), Abercrombie's girlfriend and roommate of their closest friend, Claire Warren (Frances Rafferty), taking reservations over the telephone. Buzz is shown earning extra money for barber school, with Abercrombie as his only student for a four year course. Claire, a former manicurist, has been auditioned to appear opposite singer, Gregory LeMaise (Carlton G. Young) in his latest musical, "Romance for Two." Because she refuses to work alone with him during rehearsals, LeMaise chooses not to appear in the film. Seeing how movie agent Norman Royce (Warner Anderson) makes fast money finding actors jobs, Buzz and Abercrombie try their luck as agents themselves, selecting Jeff Parker (Robert Stanton), a former banker from Des Moines, Iowa, with a talent for singing, as their first client. When Parker gets the part working opposite Claire in the upcoming production, LeMaise, fearing he'll lose his star power over a newcomer, does his best to discourage him while attempting to retain the role and Claire for himself. Things don't go as planned with the barbers turned agents wise to his diabolical plot.

Other members of the cast are Donald MacBride (Dennis Kavanaugh, the movie director); Mike Mazurki ("Klondike Pete"); Marion Martin (Miss Malbane); along with guest stars as Lucille Ball and Preston Foster; and director Robert Z. Leonard. New songs by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin include: "As I Remember You" (sung by Robert Stanton); "I Hope the Band Keeps Playing" (a Ciro's Night Club sequence sung by The Lyttle Sisters and Robert Stanton); and "Fun on the Midway" (sung by cast). As much as the crooning might or could have been played by the up and coming Frank Sinatra, Stanton did well in the singing department, but failed to acquire the legendary status of Sinatra or a Dick Haymes.

Although not quite in the same league as the Abbott and Costello comedies produced at Universal, thanks to some really excellent material, and some repeats from their previous efforts, ... IN Hollywood is an exceedingly funny comedy. While comedy exchanges and/or routines are typically expected to be performed Bud and Lou, interestingly, there are those where Costello shares gag material with others in the cast, namely "Rags" Ragland as his first customer in the barber chair, or should I say victim; Lou making suggestions to director Robert Z. Leonard on the set that includes Lucille Ball and Preston Foster; the "Little Red Riding Hood" story Costello tells to child actors in the studio classroom, with Jackie "Butch" Jenkins and Sharon McManus hilariously interrupting him with questions; and a wild ride effectively staged during a chase between Lou and Carleton G. Young on a roller coaster being one of the true highlights. The shared material between Bud and Lou comes during its opening where Bud teaches Lou how to razor shave off lather from a facial painted balloon without popping it; another where Bud disguises himself as a studio guard to help his pal while being chased by actual studio guards. Abbott's byplay using earplugs to help his partner sleep along with record playing to "Sleeping With Doctor Snide" is classic, classic enough to be clipped in for THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT, PART II (1976). Oddly enough, Abbott disappears before the insomnia segment comes to a close. Where did he go?

Going back to 1930 when silent comedian Buster Keaton made his motion picture talking debut in FREE AND EASY (MGM) set mostly inside the movie studio, ... IN Hollywood could have been its remake of updated material for Abbott and Costello. Fortunately, unlike the Keaton carnation with songs, chases and an offbeat conclusion, ... IN Hollywood, is full-fledge comedy with song interludes in the MGM tradition, but with enough gags to go around for 84 minutes. Being one of the earliest Abbott and Costello comedies to be distributed to home video in the 1980s, IN Hollywood, also available on DVD with LOST IN THE HAREM on the flip-side. ... IN Hollywood shouldn't be a disappointment for any avid Abbott and Costello fan, especially when it broadcast from time to tome on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel. ...IN Hollywood shouldn't disappoint any avid Abbott and Costello fan. (**1/2)

Not one of this fan's favorites

[pmtelefon · 6/10 · 21 August 2022]

"Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood" is an okay effort from Bud & Lou. The boys are in fine form but the material isn't the greatest. With the exception of a dreamy Jean Porter, the supporting cast is on the weak side too. I watch Abbott & Costello movies all of the time. "...in Hollywood" is not one I reach for often. It's okay.

MGM Missed An Opportunity Here

[DKosty123 · 4/10 · 22 May 2016]

After finally looking at this movie, MGM did not seem to care about Bud & Lou. They might have done better with the studio if they had come along when Irving Thalberg was still alive, but they arrived at MGM much too late for that. It was he who recognized how the Marx Brothers who were an insanely amazing comedy team could be structured into rehearsing their movie materials in front of a live audience and then putting it into their film "A Night At The Opera". One can only wish he had gotten the chance to do that here.

Bud & Lou do get some good moments and routines into this one, early in the film. If MGM had been serious though, they would have gotten a lot more famous cameos from the top actors and actresses at the studio at that time. Other than a straight cameo from Lucille Ball, and a small moment from Hank Worden, this movie misses on that count too.

Even the writer of the story for this one (Martin A. Gosch), only wrote one other film later in the 1950's. If only MGM would have sprung to get John Grant who wrote a lot of their material here to add comedic material it would have helped. The best thing is this movie still exists. It makes the statement that even the great MGM studio had some major screw ups and missed opportunities. This movie, with some of the most forgettable music in movie history, is one of those.

Pretty good, however....

[wkozak221 · 8/10 · 6 November 2020]

I love Abbott and Costello. They always make me laugh. This is a pretty good movie. However, I can't figure out if they were trying for straight comedy or if they were trying to carry on their service comedy films. Rags should have stayed through out the film. It is a funny movie.

The Hollywood Lampoon of 1945.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 4 March 2013]

When Abbott and Costello play movie star barbers who become agents, you know that chaos is going to ensue for their clients and the studio, and in their effort to turn a small town singer into a movie star, they from another for murder. Fictioonally named movie stars join real-life actors (as themselves) Lucille Ball and Rags Ragland with cameos by Marion Martin and Mike Mazurki in a hysterical saloon scene where Costello pretends to be a prop dummy thrown around like an amateur wrestler. Don't fret for the movie actor framed for murder-he's the film's "villain", sabotaging the small-town performer to get the film role away from him.

This is high-lighted by a musical carnival sequence with Costello on a roller-coaster set up to explode, as zany as anything that Harold Lloyd ever did in silent movies. Other memorable sequences include Costello trying to shave a balloon, attempting a sleep exercise assisted by a record (which skips) and going into a costume room to hide from studio cops after which he is judged perfect in his own clothes for a filmed sequence where he is mistaken for an extra dressed as a tramp.

Ironically, Abbott is hardly around in this one-Costello dominates with his partner barely on-screen. Frances Rafferty and Jean Porter are the sole feminine actors-merely window dressing for Costello's zany antics. This was directed by S. Sylvan Simon, the man behind many of Red Skelton's zany farces.

best movie ever!

[andrewjaulewraed · 10/10 · 11 November 2010]

this truly in my opinion is their best film i do not only think this is Abbott and Costello's best film but i also regard this as the best film ever i really think this one is underrated and deserves better in my opinion lesser known films TV shows games etc. are some of the best things around and that includes this movie i'm sick of all the whining and complaining by "critics" about it being "weak" there were several great things about this movie (despite a few mistakes)#1 Lou eating the shaving cream #2 the part with rags ragland #3 the hilarious phone conversation #4 the chase through the studio #5 the western movie filming part #6 the insomnia routine #7 Abbott thinking Costello's is dead #8 the hilarious finale at the amusement park on the roller-coaster all in all it's a great movie infinity stars!

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood provide fun for them in Tinsel Town

[tavm · 7/10 · 25 April 2023]

After just reviewing the first of two Laurel & Hardy movies Lou Breslow wrote (Great Guns), I thought I'd then review the only film he co-wrote for that other comedy team I've been reviewing lately on this site-Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood. The two play barbers to the stars who also service an agent which then has them switching careers. Breslow, along with Nat Perrin, wrote some pretty funny routines for Bud & Lou without the help of their usual writer John Grant whose name is prevalent in their Universal releases. This was their third and last M-G-M one. Since this one takes place in Tinsel Town, there are some stars that appear though not Metro's biggest-Clark Gable and Judy Garland are only mentioned but one gets Rags Ragland-a studio comic who gets his unfortunate treatment from Lou in the barber chair, child star Butch Jenkins who Lou tells his version of Little Red Riding Hood with Butch interrupting with nonsense questions, and Lucille Ball-years before her TV superstardom in "I Love Lucy". Like I said, the A & C routines are funny though some probably could have been edited a little. Since this was during the early part of the comedy team's movie career, there are some musical interludes of which the amusement park sequence is a highlight with Costello on a roller coaster providing some good laughs. I especially liked the sequence where he's mistaken for a dummy! So on that note, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood is recommended. So as we leave A & C on their last M-G-M picture, we'll next review Laurel & Hardy on their first time actually starring in one actually produced by that studio called Air Raid Wardens.

Bud & Lou : The real 'players'

[george.schmidt · 24 April 2003]

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN HOLLYWOOD (1945) **1/2 Pretty funny send-up of poking fun at Tinsel Town with the boys running amok on a studio's backlot (MGM) and causing the usual problems/laughs. Think of it as a precursor to "The Player" without the irony. Look for Lucille Ball in a cameo. Best bit: Lou being used as a stunt dummy in a Western shoot.

I'm a pushover for movies set in Hollywood!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 25 February 2018]

Producer: Martin A. Gosch. Copyright 14 August 1945 by Loew's Inc. A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture. New York opening at Loew's State: 22 November 1945. U.S. release: October 1945. U.K. release: 7 January 1946. Australian release: 13 June 1946. 8 reels. 7,529 feet. 83 minutes. (Available on an excellent Warner Home Video DVD).

Alternate title: ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN HOLLYWOOD.

SYNOPSIS: Although moderately successful at the box-office, this film marked the end of Abbott and Costello's one-picture-a-year deal with M-G-M.

COMMENT: This movie is an amusing and quite glossily produced entry in the Abbott and Costello saga (their 18th in fact). I particularly enjoyed three routines: Costello masquerading as a stunt dummy in a western saloon brawl; Costello shaving Rags Ragland; Costello trying to get to sleep by listening to Dr Caswell Snide.

In addition to all the knockabout, the writers have fed the comedians some witty lines. An added pleasure of course is the M-G-M background and the appearance of a few guest stars.