Who Done It?

Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Patric Knowles, William Gargan, Louise Allbritton, Thomas Gomez, William Bendix, Don Porter, Jerome Cowan, Mary Wickes
Directed: Erle C. Kenton
Rating: Approved
Genre: Comedy, Mystery
1942

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two men (Bud Abbott, Lou Costello) dream of writing radio mysteries and get caught up in a real-life murder inside a radio studio.


Review:

Tim: Who Done It? is the 9th collaboration between Bud Abbott & Lou Costello for Universal Pictures (their 10th overall) and the 9th film of theirs I've seen. While you might expect the movie to be worse, simply because of the repetitive nature of the plot and approach, that isn't the case here. Sure, the movie follows basically the same formula as the other films- namely, Abbott and Costello aren't the "leads" (but they really are) and the main plot involves two good-looking people of different genders (a man and woman) who play the "lead" roles, even though their story always feels secondary. We've seen this all before. However, there's a few things here that do keep this movie feeling fresh.

The first is that the whole film is much less of a crazy adventure story than the last few of their movies. It's really set in one location and it's really a murder mystery. We haven't seen Abbott and Costello in one of those, so the genre feels fresh and exciting. The other noteworthy item is that this is their first film without a musical number. I have to admit, it's somewhat humorous when that is a "noteworthy" inclusion- honestly, I didn't even realize that was the case until I read up on the movie afterwards. But yes, I suppose that does create a different feel to the film. Each of these feels less impactful on their own, but taken as a whole, this movie does have a unique feel and tone to it. That kept me interested- even though we've seen this all before, this film feels unique and different from the 8/9 other films they've made together. So, once again, I suspect the quality of their films will decrease at some point- fatigue and repetitiveness will undoubtedly set in at some point. But, this far in their Hollywood journey, they've staved off that drop for yet another film.

As far as the movie itself, I found the mystery to be fairly intriguing. I wanted to see how it all turned out. There's some nice twists and turns to the story and it keeps us interested in the on-screen action. There are two inside jokes about the famous "Who's on First?" routine. Alluding to that felt appropriate and humorous. They do have a hilarious similar routine, this time with "Watts" and "Volts". Not quite as good as their most famous routine, but so funny regardless. The movie does have quite a few slapstick moments on a fairly consistent basis. One of the highlights of the film is when Costello mistakes a playing tape for a real person- he has an absolutely hilarious conversation playing off it. His comedic timing is impeccable and you simply marvel at his talent. The conclusion of the film is one of the most exciting, best shot sequences of any Abbott and Costello movie. It's thrilling, memorable, and effective. I loved the way the boys call for help. It certainly keeps us on the edge of our seat.

Abbott and Costello again shine in this film. I thought Abbott had several really nice moments- I've definitely felt like he is a lesser performer than Costello, but he gets a few nice sequences here. Even with that improvement, though, nothing beats seeing Costello in his element. He's a fantastic comedy performer and he's tremendous in this role. I loved watching him work here. The rest of the cast is fine, but like most of these films, a bit unremarkable. I'm not sure there were really any other standouts that registered in an especially memorable way.

I do want to give Erle C. Kenton credit- he directed this film and the previous A&C collaboration- Pardon My Sarong. The films feel very different, but are both among the more effective movies in this series. It's not a coincidence that these movies flipped expectations on their head by being surprisingly good. Kenton is a big reason why- the direction is tight, the cinematography here is effective, set design is a big plus. This is a well-directed movie and a big reason why I enjoyed it so much.

Who Done It? is a much more effective movie than I expected. Truly, it's one of my favorite Abbott and Costello movies- I think it's even an improvement over Pardon My Sarong. The changed setting and genre breathe new life into this series, delivering one of the more unique and memorable films here.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Pardon My Sarong, Hold That Ghost