Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)

As a kid I loved watching the Abbott and Costello films on a Sunday afternoon T V, back in the 70's. Dated for today's standards, but still funny. Abbott and Costello still could deliver the lines and timing which make the two golden. Predictable, but funny. The no I don't want you have it toss and object back and forth never gets old. Planet with women is funny! Good special effects for the 50's. The usual get into trouble ending is a good formula. Abbott and Costello Go to Mars ages well. 6 out of ten stars.

One of the better later entries of the A&C series. The boys appear motivated which was not always the case as their careers wound down, (they separated in 1957). They've got two productive shticks here—the Mardi Gras and the planet Venus. Those costumed Mardi Gras characters are a real hoot and a good chance for Costello to react in his inimitable way. The clownish figures also show how close at times the comedic can be to the grotesque. And catch that parade of pulchritude inhabiting Venus. I'm getting my outer space reservations right away. Looks like Universal hired every tall, shapely starlet in Hollywood for this sequence, including notables Ekberg and Hyer. Then too, the special effects may be cheesy, as expected, but they are elaborate. But what's with the fat Jack Khruschen character, Harry. He comes across as a dopey counterpart to Costello, as though one dim-witted funnyman is not enough. I wonder what the story is there. As in most slapstick, plot doesn't mean much here, just a rack to hang the sketches on. All in all, it's an entertaining 80-minutes of A&C nonsense, with the boys in pretty good form.

Abbott and Costello accidentally take off in a rocketship. First they land in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and mistakenly believe it's Mars. Here they become mixed up with a couple of escaped convicts. Then they launch into space and wind up on Venus, which is entirely inhabited by women. Somehow, Lou becomes their king!Don't get why this movie has such a bad rep. Maybe some folks should lighten up. The boys made a few clunkers I admit, but this isn't one of them. It's not their best but it is still entertaining. It's a silly bit of nonsense that's also quite a bit of fun. They never do make it to Mars, though.

This film has been referred to numerous times as "the worst of Abbott and Costello". I haven't seen that many A & C pictures so far, but from those that I HAVE seen I'd say "Comin' Round the Mountain" and "Lost in Alaska" and maybe even "Meet the Keystone Kops" are worse than this one, therefore the above statement cannot be true. The best thing about "Go to Mars" are the special effects, which are creative and at times even ingenious; before you complain about them from a "modern" perspective, consider that they are about on the same level with those of, say, "Superman IV" - and that was made 34 years later! Unfortunately, much like "Meet the Keystone Kops", this film gives you the impression that more time was spent on the technical tricks and effects than on providing enough funny material and routines for Abbott and Costello. The funniest exchange in the movie comes early on: Dr. Orvilla: "Why did you tell them that you are Dr. Orvilla?" Lou: "I didn't tell them, THEY told ME!". And although the absence of songs is welcome, the two escaped convicts who eventually join A & C in their trip to Venus get too much screen time on their own. (**)