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IMDbPro

The Naughty Nineties

  • 19451945
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 16m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
60,034
15,660
Bud Abbott, Lois Collier, Lou Costello, Alan Curtis, Rita Johnson, Joe Sawyer, and Henry Travers in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
Comedy
When their captain is swindled out of his riverboat by a trio of gamblers, stage show star Abbott and his bumbling sidekick Costello must put things right.When their captain is swindled out of his riverboat by a trio of gamblers, stage show star Abbott and his bumbling sidekick Costello must put things right.When their captain is swindled out of his riverboat by a trio of gamblers, stage show star Abbott and his bumbling sidekick Costello must put things right.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
60,034
15,660
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Jean Yarbrough
    • Writers
      • Edmund L. Hartmann(original screenplay)
      • John Grant(original screenplay)
      • Edmund Joseph(original screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Bud Abbott
      • Lou Costello
      • Alan Curtis
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Jean Yarbrough
    • Writers
      • Edmund L. Hartmann(original screenplay)
      • John Grant(original screenplay)
      • Edmund Joseph(original screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Bud Abbott
      • Lou Costello
      • Alan Curtis
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 30User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • Photos47

    Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
    Lou Costello in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
    Lou Costello and Bob O'Connor in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
    Lou Costello and Joe Sawyer in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
    Lou Costello and Joe Sawyer in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
    Lois Collier, Alan Curtis, Rita Johnson, Joe Sawyer, and Henry Travers in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
    Lou Costello in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
    Lois Collier in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
    Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, and Joe Sawyer in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
    Lou Costello and Joe Sawyer in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
    Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
    Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in The Naughty Nineties (1945)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bud Abbott
    Bud Abbott
    • Dexter Broadhurst
    Lou Costello
    Lou Costello
    • Sebastian Dinwiddle
    Alan Curtis
    Alan Curtis
    • Crawford
    Rita Johnson
    Rita Johnson
    • Bonita Farrow
    Henry Travers
    Henry Travers
    • Capt. Sam Jackson
    Lois Collier
    Lois Collier
    • Miss Caroline Jackson
    Joe Sawyer
    Joe Sawyer
    • Bailey
    Joe Kirk
    Joe Kirk
    • Croupier
    Bill Alcorn
    • Specialty Dancer
    • (uncredited)
    Audley Anderson
    • Card Player
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Barbee
    • Rainbow Four Member
    • (uncredited)
    Suzanne Lee Bastian
    • Baby
    • (uncredited)
    Edward Biby
    Edward Biby
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Gladys Blake
    Gladys Blake
    • Girl in Garter Gag
    • (uncredited)
    Milt Bronson
    • Gambler
    • (uncredited)
    Douglas Carter
    • Croupier
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Chefe
    • Gilded Cage Waiter
    • (uncredited)
    Jack Coffey
    • Specialty Dancer
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jean Yarbrough
    • Writers
      • Edmund L. Hartmann(original screenplay)
      • John Grant(original screenplay)
      • Edmund Joseph(original screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scene of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello doing their classic "Who's on First" routine is run continuously at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. It is regarded as the best version of this routine in existence.
    • Goofs
      Crew members can be heard laughing during the "Who's On First?" routine (who could blame them?)
    • Quotes

      Dexter Broadhurst: Strange as it may seem, they give ball players nowadays very peculiar names.

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: Funny names?

      Dexter Broadhurst: Nicknames. Nicknames.

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: Not - not as funny as my name - Sebastian Dinwiddie.

      Dexter Broadhurst: Oh, yes, yes, yes!

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: Funnier than that?

      Dexter Broadhurst: Oh, absolutely. Yes. Now, on the St. Louis team we have Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know's on third...

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: That's what I want to find out. I want you to tell me the names of the fellows on the St. Louis team.

      Dexter Broadhurst: I'm telling you. Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know's on third...

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: You know the fellows' names?

      Dexter Broadhurst: Yes.

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: Well, then, who's playin' first?

      Dexter Broadhurst: Yes.

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: I mean the fellow's name on first base.

      Dexter Broadhurst: Who.

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: The fellow playin' first base for St. Louis.

      Dexter Broadhurst: Who.

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: The guy on first base.

      Dexter Broadhurst: Who is on first.

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: Well, what are you askin' me for?

      Dexter Broadhurst: I'm not asking you - I'm telling you. Who is on first.

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: I'm asking *you* who's on first!

      Dexter Broadhurst: That's the man's name!

      Sebastian Dinwiddle: That's whose name?

      Dexter Broadhurst: Yes.

    • Crazy credits
      In many of Abbott and Costello's films, their faces are visible through the "O"'s in their names. In this one, only Costello's face is seen at first; then he silently calls, "Hey, Abb-bott!," and Abbott's face appears.
    • Connections
      Edited into Diminishing Returns: It (2017)
    • Soundtracks
      Rolling Down the River
      (uncredited)

      Music by Edgar Fairchild

      Lyrics by Jack Brooks

      Played at the first scene and sung offscreen by an unidentified male chorus

    User reviews30

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    The Naughty Nineties (1945) ***1/2
    This is the film to see if you're fairly new to Abbott and Costello, or if you just want to see a whole bunch of their best routines strung together for merry fun and entertainment! It's an easy 76 minute ride on a cheerful riverboat as Bud plays a ham actor and Lou is his zany assistant. The boat's captain is none other than dear old Henry Travers, best known from IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. When the kind-hearted Captain Jack gets swindled by a trio of crooked card sharks, they gain three quarters' possession of his ship and try to turn it into a rigged gambling operation. It's then up to Abbott and Costello to help Jack get it back.

    It's nice to see A&C in a costume "period picture", and the setting on the traveling riverboat is perfect. Lois Collier makes a beautiful vixen, and Joe Sawyer (who starred with the comedy team in other films) makes the quintessential mean guy who keeps getting foiled by the boys. There are a few little songs, but this time they fit nicely into the air of the proceedings and are never overlong.

    But best of all, THE NAUGHTY NINETIES packs more funny routines into its short running time than you can count: Lou tangles with a real bear thinking it's only Bud in costume; Costello mimics Joe Sawyer as a mirror while Sawyer tries to shave; Lou becomes a punching bag during Sawyer's violent nightmare; Costello keeps throwing back every fish he catches to snag an even bigger fish; and on and on they go. But two of the very best gags of all are incorporated into this film -- the first is a classic bit of business where Costello misinterprets stage directions from Abbott, as he tries to sing "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean", and the grand highlight is the famous "Who's On First" routine - complete and perfectly rendered in this outing. It was reportedly done in two takes because the crew could not keep from laughing. Listen closely and you can hear them trying not to break up. ***1/2 out of ****
    helpful•8
    0
    • JoeKarlosi
    • Jul 19, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 6, 1945 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Håll ångan oppe!
    • Filming locations
      • Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 16 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

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    Bud Abbott, Lois Collier, Lou Costello, Alan Curtis, Rita Johnson, Joe Sawyer, and Henry Travers in The Naughty Nineties (1945)
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    By what name was The Naughty Nineties (1945) officially released in Canada in English?
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