Well; we’ve made it to DANCE WITH ME, HENRY; the very last Abbott and Costello film. Until last night, I have never seen this movie. Every other Abbott and Costello film I’ve reviewed was at the very least on my second viewing and a lot of times more, but not here. This is very different from any other Abbott and Costello film for lots reasons and it is probably for the best it was the last film I’ve seen. I also think I saw this in the best case scenario. After viewing the entire starring feature film filmography, ending on such a different note was quite fascinating.
The first thing that is very different is the amount of drama and relative lack of comedy for an Abbott and Costello film. So yes, if you’re a beginner to Bud and Lou, I would highly suggest saving this one for last for this reason alone. Bud is actually quite a sad character in this one, a man with a gambling addiction who gets caught up with the mob and is desperate to get out of trouble. Lou is the most adult he has ever been on screen. He owns a well kept middle class house and is the single father of an adopted young boy and an adopted teenaged girl. Part of the plot involves Lou sadly trying to prove to the state he’s worthy of caring for these minors. They also get caught up with mobsters Bud knows through his gambling and get caught up in a murder and stolen money racket, trying to prove their innocence. So yes, not exactly comic material here, and these plot devices take up a good portion of the movie.
As far as the comedy, there’s really not much. In the beginning of the film there is a half hearted attempt at a verbal routine about Lou asking Bud questions and Bud being thrown off by it, but it doesn’t really work or have much wit. Bud and Lou dramatically work fine together, but with how much screen time they share, it’s really shocking how few comedy routines they have with each other. The best comic moment by far is Lou solo. After getting questioned at the police station for eighteen hours, the cops are flabbergasted Lou can stand the interrogation for so long. When they finally leave the room, Lou takes out coffee and a sandwich all hidden in his coat in a meticulous manner, even having an ink pen filled with cream to pour in the coffee. Clever gag. Not much else good in the comedy department. A little girl gets interrogated and exaggerates like only a child can and when it looks like the final slapstick finale with Bud and Lou versus the crooks is building steam, a group of kids completely takes over! I am convinced using kids like this was a a way to capitalize in The Little Rascals, who were popular on TV at the time.
For me, the most fascinating thing about DANCE WITH ME, HENRY is that it is really the only time we see Bud and Lou in 1950’s Eisenhower America. If you think about the other films of the past few years, it’s either fairy tales, horror, sci-fi or turn of the century America. Here we finally see 50’s America inhabited with Bud and Lou and it is symbolic of the world that will pass them by. The boyfriend of Lou’s adopted teen daughter speaks jive talk and likes Rock ‘n’ Roll. Whether it is Stooge films with Elvis and Beatles references, Buster Keaton in Beach Party films or Bud and Lou here, watching these men co-exist with Rock ‘n’ Roll really is the sign it’s the end. My grandparents did not fit in with rock - these comics are the generation of my great grandparents - the generation before. So yes, really fascinating seeing Bud and Lou in this teen culture environment and fitting for their last movie.
Thanks to everybody who has read and commented on these Bud and Lou reviews. I had a really good time doing this and found a few films of theirs I really liked more than I realized. Again, just about everything they did had some level of merit and considering the crazy pace these guys made movies, in addition to television and radio, the material wore out quicker than it really needed to if they just paced themselves more. Still, Bud and Lou’s chemistry and natural talent always carried anything they appeared in, these guys are legends and I’ll always be a fan. Now excuse me, I’m going to post this and watch some of their TV episodes.
