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Released March 19, 1943
Featuring Shemp Howard (Solo)
Universal
81 min. (Feature Film)

Universal's adaptation of the Damon Runyon short story Princess O'Hara casts Bud Abbott & Lou Costello as two broke NYC taxi cab drivers, friends of the neighborhood's beloved carriage driver King O'Hara (Cecil Kellaway) and his daughter Peggy "Princess" O'Hara (Patsy O'Connor). Wilbur (Lou Costello) feeds candy to O'Hara's horse Finnegan, unwittingly killing it. Determined to find a new horse for the O'Haras, Wilbur and Grover (Bud Abbott) fall for three touts' story that a local stable wants to sell an old racehorse. Temporarily short on funds after mixing it up with a crooked betting parlor and a con man, the boys head out to 'borrow' the horse in the dead of night. Unfortunately, they take off with the nag's stablemate Tea Biscuit, the # 1 racehorse in the country. Further mixups and misunderstandings ensue when Wilbur and Grover try to return the horse, which leads them to Saratoga Springs, and Wilbur riding the horse in the Sweepstakes.

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are in fine form, and the film's plot allows them to use their "mudder," "fodder" and "forelegs" routines. The betting parlor sequence with Richard Lane is a hilarious highlight. The film is almost stolen by gravel-voiced Eugene Pallette as efficiency expert Gregory Warner. Warner finds himself in a series of foiled encounters with Wilbur and Grover, each time leaving him fired from his latest job and owing money to somebody. Warner joins with the three touts (Shemp Howard, Eddie Quillan and David Hacker) to win Tea Biscuit's reward money, further digging a financial hole for himself.

One of A&C's lesser-known, under-appreciated films. It's an enjoyable mix of music (The Vagabonds), dance (The Four Step Brothers), pathos, and comedy. One of A&C's best.

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Avg. Rating: [9.00/10]
 
IT AIN'T HAY on IMDb

Bud Abbott
Grover Mockridge

Lou Costello
Wilbur Hoolihan

Eugene Pallette
Gregory Warner

Patsy O'Connor
Princess O'Hara

Cecil Kellaway
King O'Hara

Grace McDonald
Kitty McClain

Leighton Noble
Pvt. Joe Collins

Shemp Howard
Umbrella Sam

Eddie Quillan
Harry the Horse

David Hacker
Chauncey the Eye

Wade Boteler
Officer Reilly

Selmer Jackson
Herbert Grant

Sammy Stein
Cafeteria bouncer

Matt Willis
Cafeteria bouncer

Mike Mazurki
Cafeteria bouncer

Ray Miller
Deadbeat customer

John Sheehan
Pete, storekeeper

Janet Ann Gallow
Little Rege girl

Hans Herbert
Sandy, streetcleaner

The Vagabonds
Themselves

Sylvester Johnson
The Four Step Brothers

Al Williams
The Four Step Brothers

Freddie James
The Four Step Brothers

Maceo Anderson
The Four Step Brothers

Charles Bennett
SPCA driver

Charles Sherlock
Mug at door

Andrew Tombes
Big Hearted Charlie

Brooks Benedict
Betting parlor clerk

Herb Vigran
Betting parlor mike man

Ralph Peters
Betting parlor announcer

Harry Strang
Mounted policeman

Samuel S. Hinds
Col. Brainard

Charles Coleman
Saratoga Hotel doorman

James Flavin
Saratoga policeman

Herbert Heyes
Mr. Doyle

Lorin Raker
Mr. Hicks

Alex Callam
Fighter in hotel

Tom Hanlon
Race announcer

Walter Dennis
Eddie, stable boy

Barry Macollum
Hansom taxi driver

Eddie Coke
Attendant

Fred Cordova
Attendant

Hal Craig
Man in ticket line

Frank Penny
Betting window clerk

Pierre Watkin
Maj. Harper, scene deleted

William Forrest
Banker, scene deleted

James Clemens
Dancer, scene deleted

George Bruggeman
Dancer, scene deleted

Harold DeGarro
Stilt walker, scene deleted

Spec O'Donnell
Newsboy, scene deleted

Eddie Bruce
Good Humor man, scene deleted

George Humbert
Gardener, scene deleted

Robert Homans
Policeman, scene deleted

Paul Dubov
Tout, scene deleted

Bobby Watson
Clerk, scene deleted


Damon Runyon
Original Story

Allen Boretz
Screenplay

John Grant
Screenplay

Frank Gross
Film Editor

Charles Van Enger
Director of Photography

John B. Goodman
Art Director

Harold MacArthur
Associate Art Director

Russell A. Gausman
Set Decoration

A. J. Gilmore
Associate Set Decorator

Bernard B. Brown
Sound Director

Jess Moulin
Sound Technician

Charles Previn
Musical Director

Frank Skinner
Orchestrator

Danny Dare
Choreographer

Howard Christie
Assistant Director



















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