Comin' Round the Mountain

Comin' Round the Mountain

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Charles Lamont
Produced by Howard Christie
Written by Robert Lees
Frederic Riedel
Starring Bud Abbott
Lou Costello
Dorothy Shay
Kirby Grant
Glenn Strange
Margaret Hamilton
Music by Joseph Gershenson
Edited by Edward Curtiss
Distributed by Universal-International
Release dates
  • June 18, 1951 (1951-06-18)
Running time
 77 min.
Country United States
Language English
Budget $638,120[1]
Box office $1,550,000 (US rentals)[2]

Comin' Round The Mountain is a 1951 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.

Plot

Theatrical agent Al Stewart (Bud Abbott) has successfully booked his client, Dorothy McCoy (Dorothy Shay), "The Manhattan Hillbilly", at a New York nightclub. Unfortunately, he has also booked an inept escape artist, The Great Wilbert (Lou Costello), at the same location. During his performance, Wilbert cannot escape from his shackles and screams for help. Dorothy recognizes Wilbert's shrill scream as the "McCoy clan yell". More evidence of Wilbert's heritage, namely a photograph and concertina, are found in his dressing room, and prove that he is the long-lost grandson of "Squeeze Box" McCoy, leader of the McCoy clan. Granny McCoy (Ida Moore) has been looking for Wilbert, as she will reveal where Squeeze Box hid his gold to "kinfolk" only. Al, Dorothy and Wilbert head to Kentucky, and Granny recounts the story of the McCoy-Winfield feud that began over 60 years ago. The McCoys choose Wilbert to represent them against Devil Dan Winfield (Glenn Strange) in a turkey shoot. Wilbert has never even seen a gun before, and his carelessness leads to a revival of the feud.

Granny informs Wilbert that even though he is Squeeze Box's kin, he must get married before the location of the gold can be revealed. Wilbert proposes to Dorothy, who declines because she is in love with Clark Winfield (Kirby Grant). Wilbert then goes to Aunt Huddy (Margaret Hamilton) to obtain a love potion to use on Dorothy. While obtaining the potion, Huddy and Wilbert make voodoo dolls of each other and proceed to stick pins in them, which inflicts pain in the other person. After finally obtaining the potion, Wilbert gets on Huddy's broom (complete with windshield and wipers), flies through the door and crashes into a tree.

The potion initially works well, as Dorothy does fall for Wilbert, but unfortunately everyone gets a sip of the concoction and falls in love. The potion's effects eventually fade, and Clark and Dorothy prepare to marry. The Winfield clan soon arrives ready for a fight, during which a stray bullet breaks the love potion jar, leading Devil Dan to taste it and fall for Wilbert. Soon afterwards, a map leading to the treasure is found in Wilbert's concertina. Devil Dan helps them enter the mine, where they eventually break through the rock, finding themselves in a vault filled with gold. Armed guards arrive to arrest the hapless treasure seekers, who have just broken into Fort Knox.

Production

Comin' Round the Mountain was filmed from January 15 through February 12, 1951 and shot almost entirely in sequence.[3]

Routines

"Age has got everything to do with it. Say you're forty, and you're in love with a little girl that's ten."

"That's ridiculous!"

"You are four times as old as that little girl. Say you wait five more years. You're forty-five, she's fifteen. Now you're only three times as old as that little girl. You wait another fifteen years. She's thirty, you're sixty. Now you're only half as old as that little girl. Now, how long will it take for you and the little girl to be the same age?"

"That's ridiculous! She'll pass me by. Then, she'll have to wait for me!"

"Why should she wait for you?"

"I was nice enough to wait for her!"

DVD release

This film has been released twice on DVD. The first time, on The Best of Abbott and Costello Volume Three, on August 3, 2004, and again on October 28, 2008 as part of Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection.

References

  1. ↑ Furmanek p 213
  2. ↑ 'The Top Box Office Hits of 1951', Variety, January 2, 1952
  3. ↑ Furmanek, Bob and Ron Palumbo (1991). Abbott and Costello in Hollywood. New York: Perigee Books. ISBN 978-0-399-51605-4

External links

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