mike48128 Who has seen all 32+ Abbott and Costello Movies? Certainly not me, but this is one of my favorites. An almost bloodless "Western". Marjorie Main is the "wistful" widow no one wants to marry. Costello has to take care of her after he is mistakenly blamed as her outlaw husband's killer. Similar to her famous "Ma Kettle role", she is cantankerous and has seven kids. The first half of the film is all about Bud and Lou's farm life. The widow's German Shepard Dog keeps the boys in line! The old "Oyster in the soup" vaudeville gag is very well-done as "The Frog in the Soup". Lou does all the chores and mending and Bud sits around "on his brains" due to his fake heart condition. (How ironic, as Lou really had one.) The widow wants to marry Lou. So cliché, but it all works great as a comedy Western. Plenty of shootin' up the town and the saloon. Lou plays a "fearless" sheriff and is very good at it! One of the daughters is beautiful, so naturally she falls in love with "the good guy". She becomes a dance-hall girl. (Remember, this is a family film.) The widow saves the day with her own fancy shootin' and riding. (By the stuntman) In the end, the town's women take control and stop all the violence and bloodshed. Lou misses his chance of a lifetime when the railroad actually does make an offer to buy the widow's land and she marries the crooked judge! As they both leave for California in a buckboard, Lou throws away his rifle and that riles up the Indians. As Bud explains: "You never do anything right, do you?" Great fun.

bob the moo When travelling salesmen Duke and Chester are found guilty of a murder they did not commit, they face a choice between hanging or being responsible for picking up all the dead man's debts and responsibilities. Of course they pick the latter but they didn't reckon for the size of the dead man's family or the veracity of his widow. This is the setup for the film and, having seen a lot of "formula" Abbott & Costello recently (the "lead" cast have a romantic plot of sorts while A&C do the comedy parts) I was interested to see a film where they were the main players for all of it.The result was actually one of their stronger films as the comedy is well mixed with the plot (such as it is). This means we don't have the usual reliance on wooden actors to keep the plot moving or musical numbers to fill the time out (both normal devices in these films). The laughs come from pratfalls, double-takes and clever dialogue and I must confess I was surprised by how easy the film was to enjoy. The plot is not that great but at least it is consistently moving without the stuttering effect that the other formula would often produce (wooden scene followed by funny scene) and it has much more of a flow to it than some of their films. Both Abbott and Costello are on good form and working well together but the real bonus is the casting of Main, who, from the tagline, must have been well known at the time (I know she is Ma Kettle – I just have no idea of those films whatsoever). She is great fun and she works very well with Costello in particular. The support cast are solid as they allow the stars to play off their support and generally everyone does what one would expect from them.For some reason I had low expectations for this film (perhaps the title and that I'd never heard of it) but the reality was that it was a very enjoyable film from Abbott and Costello. By having them in the front of the plot the stuttering is gone and the film flows much better than some of theirs, while the laughs are fairly frequent and come from a range of types of humour. Definitely one fans will enjoy but also good enough for the casual viewer.

MartinHafer Aside from ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, this might just be one of Abbott and Costello's best films, though it represents a great departure from their earlier films. The early films followed a clear formula in which Bud and Lou did their comedy (often reprising old Vaudeville bits), there was a romance between two pretty but bland supporting characters and lot and lots of singing--and often in the form of huge and silly production numbers. As a result, the script was rather superficial and the story was driven by these three elements. However, by the time THE WISTFUL WIDOW OF WAGON GAP came along, a newer (and in my opinion, often better) style emerged. Gone (thank goodness) were the songs, the romantic subplot was de-emphasized and Bud and Lou now appeared in character-driven plots--and their old routines were all but gone. Getting rid of the routines was a good idea, as by this film, the team kept repeating themselves--doing many versions of "Who's on First", "7x13=21" and Bud (or someone else) cheating Lou as they count out money.This film is in many ways like combining a traditional Western with an Abbott and Costello comedy and this mix worked quite well. Much of this credit is due to the writing but I think a big part of this also was having Marjorie Main in a big supporting role. She was always a funny bit player in films and here she gets more to do (like she would in her "Ma and Pa Kettle" films). Plus, I appreciate just how game she was--as many of the jokes poked fun at her homely appearance. Poor lady! It all begins with Bud and Lou coming to a Western town. Soon after arriving, Lou is accused of killing a man, though it's obvious to the audience that Lou's shot probably had nothing to do with this. The townspeople want to string him up, but in court he is saved by an obscure law that calls for the surviving person in a shootout to assume the debts and take care of the victim's family! So now, Lou is spared a hanging, but is stuck with Main and seven kids! Main wants marriage--Lou just wants to work to take care of them and just hopes everything works out somehow.Later in the film, the plot takes a funny twist. You see, all the men in town really feel sorry for Lou, as Main and her brood aren't exactly much of a catch. When Lou realizes this is an insurance policy of sorts, he realizes no one will ever try to kill him. So, he volunteers to become sheriff and is almost fearless in his duties--after all, what does he have to lose?! Seeing this change is quite funny as is the entire film. In fact, it's nice that the film actually gets better as it goes and saves some of the best stuff for last.Overall, an excellent film and quite an improvement in the series. The only prior film that seemed to come close to THE WISTFUL WIDOW in quality and fun is WHO DONE IT!--and this, also, because it abandoned the singing and stuck with comedy.

solongsuckers This is one of my favorite Abbott and Costello movies and one of their best. There really isn't that much interplay between Abbott and Costello, despite the basics, as Marjorie Main consumes (or inhales) a lot of the attention. The classic and time consuming routines are also few and far between. The script is one of the tightest in the team's movies and there aren't really any dead spots. The supporting characters are very strong and Abbott and Costello don't have to scene steal to be effective. The plot is thus: Abbott and Costello come to Wagon Gap and shoot off a gun to make a statement. A man falls dead and, faster then you can say "railroad", Costello is made the sole supporter of the dead man's family. Marjorie Main plays the less then weeping widow. She's actually a very talented comedian, her gruff, manly demeanor aside. The townsfolk are seedy vigilantes and provide a hostile setting. The humor is great, with some great, subtle lines and a very funny routine where Costello gets smacked with paint while painting a fence. The best plot twist is Costello being named sheriff because no one will touch him (much less shoot him) as they would have to provide for the gruff and nagging Main. The typical hurricane ending is less chaotic and more pleasing then the regular. A lot of fun and one of my favorite Abbott and Costello movies.