Abbott und Costello unter Kannibalen (1942)

Abbott und Costello unter Kannibalen: Directed by Erle C. Kenton. With Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Virginia Bruce, Robert Paige. A pair of bus drivers accidentally steal their own bus. With the company issuing a warrant for their arrest, they tag along with a playboy on a boat trip that finds them on a tropical island, where a jewel thief has sinister plans for them.

“PARDON MY SARONG (Universal, 1942), directed by Erle C. Kenton, with original screenplay by True Boardman, stars that wacky comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in one of their wildest romps. For their eighth released comedy, they assume the outrageous names of Algernon u0026quot;Algyu0026quot; Shaw (Abbott) and Wellington Phlug (Costello), and roles of a couple of bus drivers taking their Michigan Avenue crosstown bus full of passengers for a long distance ride to California while assisting millionaire playboy, Tommy Layton (Robert Paige) to his forthcoming yacht race on time. The president of the Chicago Municipal Bus Company (Charles Lane) hires Detective Kendall (William Demarest) to track down the bus (Number 5111) and its drivers, and through a warrant, have them placed under arrest. As they drive their bus back to Chicago with Kendall by their side, Algy and Wellington somehow end up on Tommyu0026#39;s yacht where they acquire new jobs as his able bodied seamen. Also on board is stowaway Joan (Virginia Bruce), sister of a rival yachtsman, Roger Marshall (William Cabanne), who purposely forces Tommyu0026#39;s yacht to lose its course, drifting around the ocean with limited food supply before turning up on a South Seas island inhabited with native girls, tribesmen, a native chief (Samuel S. Hinds) and the mysterious archaeologist, Doctor Varnoff (Lionel Atwill – taking time away from horror film roles as 1942u0026#39;s THE MAD DOCTOR OF MARKET STREET, which, too, took place on an unchartered island) with a hidden short wave radio in his cottage. Things get really hectic (and funnier) after this.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSomewhat inspired by the current trend of Paramountu0026#39;s three u0026quot;Road tou0026quot; adventure comedies starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, PARDON MY SARONGu0026#39;s only similarities are its wild antics and constant ad-libs between the two central characters. While Abbott is a far cry as the crooning Bing Crosby-type, they each share their conniving ways of bossing around their unsuspecting lifelong pals. As for Costello, he can be just as funny, when situations allow, than the wisecracking Hope, though both can tend to over emphasize themselves as laugh getters. Unlike Bob and Bing, Bud and Lou donu0026#39;t have any serious-minded straight woman in the tradition of u0026quot;queen of the sarongsu0026quot; Dorothy Lamour to fight over, but thereu0026#39;s Virginia Bruce as the feuding love interest opposite young yachtsman (Robert Paige). The casting of William Demarest and Lionel Atwill separately matching wits with Abbott and Costello certainly add certain interest to the story, such as it is. Other members of the cast include that of Nan Wynn (Luana); Marie McDonald (Ferna); and Jack LaRue (Tabor).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe screen treatment for PARDON MY SARONG is as contrived as its title, but it does allow for some exceptionally hilarious individual scenes during its madcap course of 83 minutes. Though Abbott and Costello routines tend to repeat themselves from time to time, thus going one better with each passing film, thereu0026#39;s some material here thatu0026#39;s not only first time enactments, but those never repeated again. Those in general are: u0026quot;The Baseball Story,u0026quot; which has nothing to do with their legendary u0026quot;Whou0026#39;s on Firstu0026quot; routine, but an original concept where Wellington tells one to con a gas station attendant (Irving Bacon) from paying $12.50 for gassing up his bus; Algy and Wellington disguising themselves as magicians to perform failed magic acts on the detective (Demarest); and the dualu0026#39;s definition for the word u0026quot;stinkeru0026quot; to the tough native, Whaba (hilariously played by Leif Erickson). Much familiar routines as u0026quot;Back up, go ahead,u0026quot; the switching duped drinks, and u0026quot;the tree of truthu0026quot; are also played out to great advantage for guaranteed laugh assurance. And what Abbott and Costello movie isnu0026#39;t complete without a show-stopping chase. Aside from Costello (in zebra striped shirt) being very much rare form here, the climatic surreal chase involving him and his seal friend, Sharky, is truly one of the great highlights.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn traditional 1940s style, song numbers are incorporated into most comedies such as this. With those composed by Don Raye, Gene DePaul, Milton Drake, Ben Oakland, Stanley Cowan and Bobby North, the musical soundtrack includes u0026quot;Do I Worry?u0026quot; (sung by The Four Ink Spots); u0026quot;Shout, Brother, Shoutu0026quot; (Ink Spots, tap dance by Tip, Tap and Toe); u0026quot;Lovely Luana,u0026quot; u0026quot;Oh Great Oneu0026quot; u0026quot;Vingle-Jingleu0026quot; (sung by Nan Wynn) and u0026quot;Vingle Jungleu0026quot; (sung during closing credits). While some sources list the Ink Spots signature number of u0026quot;If I Didnu0026#39;t Careu0026quot; as part of the movie, itu0026#39;s not visible in the final print.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs with all Abbott and Costello comedies produced from 1940 to 1956, PARDON MY SARONG was distributed to home video, and later onto the DVD format. Prior to that, it enjoyed frequent revivals on broadcast television, especially on New York Cityu0026#39;s WPIX, Channel 11, during its Sunday morning/afternoon lineup (1972-1990). Cable TV presentations include The Comedy Channel (1990s); and American Movie Classics (2001). With PARDON MY SARONG having an offbeat moment as Costellou0026#39;s suicide attempt, the movie overall is certainly impossible not to dislike. (***)”