Pardon My Sarong (1942)

Director:

Erle C. Kenton

Writers:

True Boardman (screenplay) &
Nat Perrin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 August 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Adventure

Plot:

Bud and Lou play a couple of bus drivers who quickly get in trouble. |

Plot Keywords:

Bus | Bus Driver | Ship Wreck | Kidnapping | Fugitive

Cast

Bud Abbott	...	Algernon 'Algy' Shaw
Lou Costello	...	Wellington Pflug, aka Moola
Virginia Bruce	...	Joan Marshall
Robert Paige	...	Tommy Layton
Lionel Atwill	...	Dr. Varnoff
Leif Erickson	...	Whaba (as Leif Erikson)
Nan Wynn	...	Luana
William Demarest	...	Det. Kendall
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Chief Kolua
Marie McDonald	...	Ferna
Janet Warren	...	Amo (as Elaine Morey)
The Ink Spots	...	Themselves (as The Four Ink Spots)
Tip Tap & Toe	...	Themselves (as Tip Tap and Toe)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Teddy Infuhr	...	Nemo (scenes deleted)
Maria Montez	...	(scenes deleted)

Also Known As:

Road to Montezuma (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #8496)

Filming Locations:

Balboa, Newport Beach, California, USA

Company:

Mayfair Productions Inc.

Trivia:

Universal had smash hits with Abbott and Costello's service comedies. With this film, they tried to duplicate the box office success that Paramount was having with the Bing Crosby and Bob Hope "Road" pictures. The experiment worked and this film exceeded the box office grosses of their service comedies to become Abbott and Costello's biggest hit to date.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the drink switching scene between Lou Costello and the native guy Lou Costello tricks the native guy into thinking that he switched the glasses when in fact he didn't. The two take a drink and put their glasses down but in the very next shot, the glasses are back in their hands.

Soundtrack:

Island of the Moon

Pardon my loving this film

I've seen Pardon My Sarong over 10 times now and have to consider it one of Bud & Lou's best films, up there with Ride 'em cowboy, Meets Frankenstein, Hold that ghost etc. PMS is more distinctly episodic than most of their others and would present a Plot Coherency Issue with impatient first-comers, but if got through a sparkling atmospheric musical comedy lies within. The early '40's Universal Harmless Escapist Entertainment atmosphere helps a lot though, this must have been made straight after Hellzapoppin - wasn't that front porch outside the maggickan's cabaret show where Hugh Herbert's Eat At Joe's dickie blew up?

The boys are illicitly taking Robert Paige's entertainment troupe from Chicago to LA in a bus - all those women in tow and he falls for one who is out to nobble him. Tip, Tap & Toe provide some amazing dance scenes (not quite a rhythmic brainstorm though), alongside the lilting Ink Spots. Detective William Demarest briefly tries to stop them but gives up the chase when they and the plot veer toward a South Seas island. Here "Lovely Luana" & "Vingo Jingo" are put over by a gorgeous Nan Wynn, while Leif Erickson plays a stinker and Lionel Atwill as usual plays a baddie because he was one.

There's plenty of nicely contrived snappy routines for us aficionados: The old baseball story; Hiding from Demarest; "Back up! Go ahead!"; Sharing a pea for dinner etc. Not a lot for non-fans however - I think a better introduction to A&C for anyone interested would be Meets Frankenstein or maybe Time of their lives. And this one is definitely best watched sober!