Here Come the Co-eds (1945)

Director:

Jean Yarbrough

Writers:

John Grant, Edmund L. Hartmann (story),

Stars:

Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Peggy Ryan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bud Abbott	...	Slats McCarthy
Lou Costello	...	Oliver Quackenbush
Peggy Ryan	...	Patty Gayle
Martha O'Driscoll	...	Molly McCarthy
June Vincent	...	Diane Kirkland
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Johnson (as Lon Chaney)
Donald Cook	...	Dean Larry Benson
Charles Dingle	...	Jonathan Kirkland
Richard Lane	...	Near-sighted Man at Ballroom
Joe Kirk	...	Honest Dan Murphy the Bookie
Bill Stern	...	Himself (sports announcer)
Phil Spitalny	...	Himself (leader, Phil Spitalny and His All-Girl Orchestra)
Evelyn Kaye Klein	...	Herself (Evelyn and Her Magic Violin)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ruth Lee	...	Miss Holford (unconfirmed)
Phil Spitalny and His All-Girl Orchestra	...	Themselves

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

kitchen | abbott and costello | exploding car | basketball | ballroom | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Music | Musical

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Abbott e Costello Desportistas

Filming Locations:

North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$717,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the first of only two Bud Abbott and Lou Costello films produced by their longtime writer John Grant.

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Goofs

The film's title is a misnomer. A "co-ed" is a female student attending a gender-mixed college -- but Bixby is an all-girl school and therefore none of its students are co-eds.

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Quotes

Oliver Quackenbush: I really don't like dancing because it's nothing but hugging set to music.
Woman in Trailer: What don't you like about it?
Oliver Quackenbush: The music.

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Connections

Edited into Kitchen Mechanics (1949)

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Soundtracks

"Some Day We Will Remember"
Lyrics by Jack Brooks
Music by Edgar Fairchild

User Reviews

Energetic A&C

Costello certainly earns his money in this lively romp. Between getting knocked into potted palms or whirled around like a spinning top, his sight gags fly thick and fast. The plot has the boys joining a girl's school as caretakers, and then working to save the school from bankruptcy by outwitting (sort of) crooked gamblers.

It's a good chance to catch teen fashions, circa 1945, as the co-eds parade around in casual wear of the day. Universal certainly stocked the screen with a crowd of young lovelies to look at. Still, my money's on the hugely talented Peggy Ryan who steals the show with her mugging and sprightly dancing. She's a perfect foil for the equally versatile Costello. Too bad her movie career was so brief. Also, there's Phil Spitalny and His All-Girl Orchestra. They're a matter of taste, but Evelyn sure knows how to saw away on her Magic Violin.

Anyway, it's a fast 90-minutes, with the boys in fine energetic form, along with an excellent supporting cast, especially with baddies like Dingle and Chaney, and the expected whirlwind finish.