Strick am Hals (1948)

Strick am Hals: Directed by Charles Barton. With Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Joseph Calleia, Leon Errol. Two window washers mistakenly receive, and lose, $50,000 belonging to a shady bookie, and have only forty-eight hours to retrieve the money.

“THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH (Eagle-Lion, 1948) stars the comedy team of Abbott and Costello in their only independent venture outside their home base of Universal-International. Taking a western-sounding title as u0026quot;The Noose Hangs High,u0026quot; that might have turned out as a spoof taken out of context from THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (20th-Fox, 1943), but rather than placing the comedic pair as cowboys in a western town with character types, they play a couple of window washers in an unnamed city providing enough material to a slight story, guaranteeing hearty laughs in true Abbott and Costello fashion.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ePreviously filmed by Universal as FOR LOVE OR MONEY (1939), this remake revolves around Theodore u0026quot;Tedu0026quot; Higgins (Bud Abbott) and Tommy Hinchcliffe (Lou Costello), employees for the Speedy Service Window Washing Company. Upon completing their day of work by hanging up their uniforms in the hallway closet, Nick Craig (Joseph Calleia), a bookie, mistaking their uniforms for Speedy Messenger Service, hires the unwitting dual to go and collect $50,000 from a Mr. Stewart (Ben Weldon), return it to him, and get $50 a piece for the job. After getting the money, Ted and Tommy notice theyu0026#39;re being followed by Sewartu0026#39;s two henchmen hired get back the money. Clever thinking finds Tommy entering the Plaza Mailing Service where face powder samples are mailed out. As he places the money into the envelope, addressing it to Nick Craig, Tommy rushes it into the mailing chute before the thugs catch up with him. Ted and Tommy return to Craig (who by then has realized his error after meeting with the real messengers) telling him of the circumstances, and are soon forced to spend the night under the careful watch of Nicku0026#39;s thugs (Mike Mazurki and Jack Overman) until the envelope arrives. The next day, the letter does arrive, but without the money Craig owes to a J.C. McBride. The angry mobster gives the window washers 24 hours to locate the money. With the use of the companyu0026#39;s mailing list, Ted and Tommy eventually track down Carol Blair (Cathy Downs) as the one who received the money. Having only $2,000 of the $50,000, the trio, followed by Nicku0026#39;s men, set out to raise the money by betting on the horses. Along the way they are soon accompanied by an eccentric character calling himself Julius Caesar (Leon Errol), adding more to their troubles.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDevotees of Abbott and Costello will generally be please with THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH, considering how they practically have 78 minutes to themselves, never slowing down for an instant. Aside from a generous amount of tried and true Abbott and Costello burlesque routines, they are supported by gangster-types, an odd-ball character and a pretty girl, all simply adding to the situations at hand. Interestingly, some of the most famous Abbott and Costello routines are shared with others. For instance, Abbott performs the u0026quot;youu0026#39;re not hereu0026quot; routine with Mike Mazurki while the u0026quot;Mudder and Fodderu0026quot; routine goes to Costello and Leon Errol. One of my funniest and least performed is the dentist sequence where poor Lou, suffering from a toothache, finds himself at the mercy of Doctor H.G. Richards (Murray Leonard), with thick glasses and belting out a hideous laugh, as he is to try and yank out his bad tooth. This sequence was reworked again in one of the episodes of the TV series, u0026quot;The Abbott and Costello Show.u0026quot; (1951-52). Fritz Feld is captured in a hilarious bit as a psychiatrist. A true highlight occurs where Abbott and Costello re-enact several of their routines on one scene while dining at the Copper Club. This six minutes alone shows them at their finest. There will never be another team like them again.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile the Nick Craig role could have been enacted by Sheldon Leonard, Joseph Calleia shows heu0026#39;s the ideal choice, especially when playing it straight and getting laughs in the process. Cathy Downs makes a likable heroine while Leon Errol, a former headliner in the 1920s and u0026quot;The Ziegfeld Follies,u0026quot; forgotten by todayu0026#39;s standards, demonstrating how his sort of comedy hasnu0026#39;t gone out of style.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFormerly displayed on video, THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH can be found on either DVD or occasional broadcasts on Turner Classic Movies. While not as better known of the Abbott and Costello comedies, itu0026#39;s certainly one worth considering. (***)”