The Naughty Nineties
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Naughty Nineties | |
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 The Naughty Nineties Theatrical Poster |
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| Directed by | Jean Yarbrough |
| Produced by | John Grant Edmund L. Hartmann |
| Written by | Edmund L. Hartmann John Grant Edmund Joseph Hal Fimberg |
| Starring | Bud Abbott Lou Costello Alan Curtis Rita Johnson |
| Music by | Lloyd Akridge Paul Dessau |
| Editing by | Arthur Hilton |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 20, 1945 |
| Running time | 76 min. |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Here Come The Co-Eds (1945) |
| Followed by | Abbott and Costello in Hollywood (1945) |
| IMDb profile | |
The Naughty Nineties is a 1945 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is significant for containing the best recorded rendition of the team's classic "Who's On First?" routine, as it is this version of the routine that is shown at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
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[edit] Plot
The time is the 1890s, and Captain Sam (Henry Travers), owner of the showboat River Queen, is travelling from port to port along the Mississippi river bringing his entertainment to each town. During one stop, in the river town of Ironville, he meets up with three individuals, Crawford (Alan Curtis), Bonita (Rita Johnson), and Bailey (Joe Sawyer), who are hiding from the local sheriff. Against the advice of his daughter Caroline (Lois Collier), his lead actor Dexter (Bud Abbott), and his chief roustabout Sebastian (Lou Costello), the Captain joins them for a card game at a local gambling house.
The Captain is fed drink after drink until he is intoxicated and gets involved in a crooked card game where he loses controlling interest in the show boat to Bonita and Crawford. They use their newfound power to turn the showboat into a floating gambling casino with every game rigged in their favor. Dexter and Sebastian help the captain regain ownership of his vessel and oust the unwanted criminals.
[edit] Trivia
- It was filmed from January 15 through March 1, 1945.
- This film was the first period piece that Abbott and Costello starred in.
- The riverboat used in the film was originally constructed for the 1936 Universal musical Show Boat.[1]
- It was re-released in 1950 along with One Night in the Tropics, which also contained the routine Who's on First?
- During the rendition of Who's on First?, the film's camera crew can be heard laughing in the background.
- The Who's on First? routine was intended to be much earlier in the film, as can been heard when Costello begins the scene by asking Abbott, "When we get to St. Louis...". By this point in the film they are already docked in St. Louis.
- The line, "Who's on First?" made it at number ninety-one on American Film Institute's 100 Movie Quotes.
- On May 13, during filming of their next film, Abbott and Costello in Hollywood for MGM Pictures, Abbott and Costello returned to Universal for reshoots on this film.
[edit] Routines
- Besides the above-mentioned Who's on First? routine, this film contains the My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean routine where Costello is singing during an audition while Abbott is shouting directions to the crew to change the location of the backdrop curtain. Costello believes the directions are for him and he follows them, by singing higher or lower, or even on one foot.
- This film also includes the Feathers in the Cake routine, where Costello accidentally bakes feathers into a cake and the pieces are fed to everyone in the saloon. When they all take a bite, they wind up coughing up the feathers until the whole room is filled with them.
- The Mirror Scene, where Costello and Sawyer mirror each other's actions can also be seen in the 1933 Marx Brothers film, Duck Soup.
[edit] DVD Release
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[edit] Reference
- ^ Furmanek, Bob and Ron Palumbo (1991). Abbott and Costello in Hollywood. New York: Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-51605-0
[edit] External links
- The Naughty Nineties at the Internet Movie Database
- Transcription of "Who's On First?" from "The Naughty Nineties" (1945).
