COMIN’ ROUND THE MOUNTAIN is a film one’s enjoyment may come down to one thing - how seriously do you take the plot of an Abbott and Costello film? The reason I say this is because - let’s just get this out of the way at the beginning - a big part of the plot involves Lou having the hots for his cousin, played by Dorothy Shay. While Ms. Shay was in Stooge parlance known as a dish, on screen, she’s still Lou’s cousin. Oh, but it doesn’t stop there. Nay. Lou and his cousin are members of the hillbilly family known as The McCoys. It is determined it is not right that Lou, a grown man, is without wife and child. In the McCoy family, you have to be married and with child by age 16. The McCoy’s also generally marry within the family, so it’s determined Lou needs to marry another cousin than the previously mentioned one - a 14 year old cousin. Ewwwww! Cooties, cooties, cooties, cooties, coooooootieieieieieiessssssssz! Underage and incest. If you’re the type who says it’s just an Abbott and Costello film, it’s a crass hillbilly stereotype not meant to be taken seriously and even if Lou’s on screen character did marry his 14 year old cousin, he probably wouldn’t think to consummate the marriage anyway, then I guess COMIN’ ROUND THE MOUNTAIN is an OK film. There are a lot of online reviews of this one where the statutory rape incest angle is not even mentioned, so I imagine a lot of people feel this way. If what I just described above is a beyond the pale killjoy of a situation, and I can understand why it would be for some, then just stay away from this movie, review over.
Those of you who are still with me, subject matter aside, COMIN’ ROUND THE MOUNTAIN does have a pretty understandable plot for the second film in a row, so maybe we’re onto something? One thing COMIN’ ROUND THE MOUNTAIN also has that we haven’t seen in a Bud and Lou film in six years are full production musical numbers. Yup, for this one film, they’re back. They are all comic in nature and all performed by the previously mentioned Ms. Shay. She does a fine job in all of them, having a pleasant voice and screen presence as well as a bit of comic timing, but it still doesn’t change the fact that I’d rather see this replaced by Bud and Lou comedy. Just my preference but as as this kind of thing goes, not bad. If you like the musical stuff in Bud and Lou films, I see no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy these numbers.
There is one genuinely classic scene in COMIN’ ROUND THE MOUNTAIN. Lou, set to marry his 14 year old cousin, has an ally in the matriarch of the McCoy family in that she would rather see Lou marry his older and hotter cousin, who has actual normal urges and wants to marry a grown man from another family - The Winfield family The McCoys are feuding with. This is the one film where you actually want to see the attractive leading lady with the other guy instead of the comic. Anyway, Granny sends Lou to a witch doctor who makes a love potion that when ones drinks it they fall in love with the first person they lay eyes on. Think love candy in THREE MISSING LINKS, the same concept. It turns out the witch doctor is none other than The Wicked Witch of the West herself, Margaret Hamilton, playing a similar role full steam ahead to glorious results. Watching her and Lou take turns stabbing voodoo dolls of each other and trying to outdo each other in the pain and comic reaction department is the highlight of the film. Bud and Lou also get a nice “voodoo” exchange where Bud mentions the word “voodoo” and Lou plays on the concept of voo do what? It’s a standard word salad concept on a single word that Bud and Lou do so well. Glenn Strange is also in this film and is entertaining to watch, especially the way he says Lou’s character’s name - Wilbert.
So yeah, COMIN’ ROUND THE MOUNTAIN is a strange one, no doubt about it. I guess this was playing off the success of the Ma and Pa Kettle series, but man I think this will be the only film I review where choosing between adult cousin or underage cousin is the main premise.
