This film ranks among the worst Abbott and Costello films due to horrible writing. Instead of allowing the duo to be funny, the writers, obviously bereft of ideas, put Lou in the dumbest situations--so dumb they could never be funny.
The film starts off well enough, but soon moves from Bud and Lou trying to avoid the police to relocating to a women's college along with Bud's on-screen sister. They figure that it's a great place to hide but in hindsight it's a place where the laughs are quite sparse. Much of it is because this college is nothing like any real school on the planet. Again and again, the entire campus breaks out in giant sing-a-longs!! And when I say sing-a-longs, I am talking about huge production numbers that rival the biggest musicals ever made by Universal Studios. While this was pointless and silly, it was, unfortunately, the sort of thing that was present in most early Abbott and Costello films--but on a college campus?! As usual, the film has too much plot that doesn't directly involve the boys. It seems that the fuddy-duddy owner of the women's college is against all change--even though the school is foundering. So, even though he hired Larry Benson to run the place, he'll sooner close it than allow any changes. Well, Bud and Lou decide that it's up to them to somehow save the school by raising the money to buy the school. The first stunt to raise money is to have Lou fight a wrestling match. It's pretty predictable but harmless. However, the next money-raising stunt is one that just made me cringe. It seems that their school, Bixby, is playing Carlton in basketball. The odds are 20-1 against Bixby, so they bet all the money on winning the game.
As for the game...it's a stupid mess. At first, Bixby is doing well. However, after halftime, a group of obviously professional women ball players arrive--yet no one questions an entirely new team. And, when these Amazons (that's the real name of the pro-players' team) begin to play, they literally beat the crap out of the Bixby team--knocking out four players and the ref within the first minute. There is no way in the world such a thing could happen. Surely, it couldn't get any worse! Well, if this is what you think, then you are wrong. With not enough girls left on the Bixby team to play, they let Lou play--even though he does have a penis (something you should not have if you play on a women's team). He looks nothing like a girl and he sounds like a guy and keeps calling himself 'Orville'! And when he plays, he doesn't even bother to dribble and the game degenerates to a sad burlesque of the sport. With 12480 different NCAA rules violations, it's totally ridiculous--and not in a good way. But, it gets worse. When Lou gets bashed on the head, he gets amnesia and thinks he's the greatest female ball player in the world--and plays like it at times (Lou Costello really did make a few nice shots during these scenes). But, naturally, he keeps getting bonked on the head again and again--losing and gaining this new persona repeatedly. In the end, he makes a shot so obviously fake and done with wires that at that point I am ready to throw something at the screen!! In the end, the crooked opponents (or should I say opponents who were even more crooked than the Bixby team) win all the money bet on the game. Lou steals it and this then leads to one of the dumber chase scenes in history--with Lou using a sailboat on the highway to evade the gamblers working for Carlton. DUMB! But, in the end, the day is saved and everyone is happy...aside from the audience who is left wondering how Universal Pictures could have thought people would like this film! The problem is that the film is one long contrived mess--with little time for Abbott and Costello to be funny. Too much time is spent on the basketball game, the chase and all the many huge production numbers to allow them any time to make us laugh--unless you like laughing at these sad antics.
I really think The Three Stooges would have blanched at such an obvious and unfunny script. And, speaking of the Stooges, the oyster stew bit Lou did in the film was also done in at least three Stooges shorts as well.
The film starts off well enough, but soon moves from Bud and Lou trying to avoid the police to relocating to a women's college along with Bud's on-screen sister. They figure that it's a great place to hide but in hindsight it's a place where the laughs are quite sparse. Much of it is because this college is nothing like any real school on the planet. Again and again, the entire campus breaks out in giant sing-a-longs!! And when I say sing-a-longs, I am talking about huge production numbers that rival the biggest musicals ever made by Universal Studios. While this was pointless and silly, it was, unfortunately, the sort of thing that was present in most early Abbott and Costello films--but on a college campus?! As usual, the film has too much plot that doesn't directly involve the boys. It seems that the fuddy-duddy owner of the women's college is against all change--even though the school is foundering. So, even though he hired Larry Benson to run the place, he'll sooner close it than allow any changes. Well, Bud and Lou decide that it's up to them to somehow save the school by raising the money to buy the school. The first stunt to raise money is to have Lou fight a wrestling match. It's pretty predictable but harmless. However, the next money-raising stunt is one that just made me cringe. It seems that their school, Bixby, is playing Carlton in basketball. The odds are 20-1 against Bixby, so they bet all the money on winning the game.
As for the game...it's a stupid mess. At first, Bixby is doing well. However, after halftime, a group of obviously professional women ball players arrive--yet no one questions an entirely new team. And, when these Amazons (that's the real name of the pro-players' team) begin to play, they literally beat the crap out of the Bixby team--knocking out four players and the ref within the first minute. There is no way in the world such a thing could happen. Surely, it couldn't get any worse! Well, if this is what you think, then you are wrong. With not enough girls left on the Bixby team to play, they let Lou play--even though he does have a penis (something you should not have if you play on a women's team). He looks nothing like a girl and he sounds like a guy and keeps calling himself 'Orville'! And when he plays, he doesn't even bother to dribble and the game degenerates to a sad burlesque of the sport. With 12480 different NCAA rules violations, it's totally ridiculous--and not in a good way. But, it gets worse. When Lou gets bashed on the head, he gets amnesia and thinks he's the greatest female ball player in the world--and plays like it at times (Lou Costello really did make a few nice shots during these scenes). But, naturally, he keeps getting bonked on the head again and again--losing and gaining this new persona repeatedly. In the end, he makes a shot so obviously fake and done with wires that at that point I am ready to throw something at the screen!! In the end, the crooked opponents (or should I say opponents who were even more crooked than the Bixby team) win all the money bet on the game. Lou steals it and this then leads to one of the dumber chase scenes in history--with Lou using a sailboat on the highway to evade the gamblers working for Carlton. DUMB! But, in the end, the day is saved and everyone is happy...aside from the audience who is left wondering how Universal Pictures could have thought people would like this film! The problem is that the film is one long contrived mess--with little time for Abbott and Costello to be funny. Too much time is spent on the basketball game, the chase and all the many huge production numbers to allow them any time to make us laugh--unless you like laughing at these sad antics.
I really think The Three Stooges would have blanched at such an obvious and unfunny script. And, speaking of the Stooges, the oyster stew bit Lou did in the film was also done in at least three Stooges shorts as well.
