One very interesting aspect of this film is that most of the story is set in Sun Valley, Idaho, while the U.S. was right in the middle of World War II. The film came out in June 1943 but wasn't filmed at the Sun Valley Resort which had been closed and converted to a convalescent hospital for the U.S. Navy. It stayed that way into 1946. So, the actual filming took place at Boreal Mountain Resort in California, with footage from Sun Valley edited into the film.
By the early 1940s, the public had become fascinated with Sun Valley from the publicity about the famous ski resort. It was built by the Union Pacific Railroad in the last 1930s. While this film story is set in Sun Valley, one wonders how many of the public knew that the famous lodge had been by then for wartime use.
"Hit the Ice" is in an early group of Abbott and Costello films that had a little bit of everything - comedy, big band music, singers, and crime or mystery. But the talent list of supporters for this film is very thin. There are no big-name stars to give the film a boost. The most recognizable of the rest of the cast is Sheldon Leonard. He plays Silky Fellowsby, a sleazy criminal role for which he became known. The acting by Patric Knowles (Dr. Bill Elliot,), Ginny Simms (Marcia Manning), and Elyse Knox (nurse Peggy Osborne) is weak and lacks energy. Johnny Long and his orchestra are okay, but nothing special. And the singing by Simms and Knox is forgettable.
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello have a couple of scenes where they do their stuff together. And, one scene of a chase on skis is funny. But the rest of the comedy in group scenes is mostly flat. Audiences in 1943 might have thought skating scenes in which Lou crashes into gates and pulls awning poles down to be funny, but I'm a little skeptical even of that. When I first saw this film on TV in the 1950s, I didn't think it was very funny then.
It may be a stretch to give this film five stars. But for Abbott and Costello fans, most viewers won't find this film more than just passable.
By the early 1940s, the public had become fascinated with Sun Valley from the publicity about the famous ski resort. It was built by the Union Pacific Railroad in the last 1930s. While this film story is set in Sun Valley, one wonders how many of the public knew that the famous lodge had been by then for wartime use.
"Hit the Ice" is in an early group of Abbott and Costello films that had a little bit of everything - comedy, big band music, singers, and crime or mystery. But the talent list of supporters for this film is very thin. There are no big-name stars to give the film a boost. The most recognizable of the rest of the cast is Sheldon Leonard. He plays Silky Fellowsby, a sleazy criminal role for which he became known. The acting by Patric Knowles (Dr. Bill Elliot,), Ginny Simms (Marcia Manning), and Elyse Knox (nurse Peggy Osborne) is weak and lacks energy. Johnny Long and his orchestra are okay, but nothing special. And the singing by Simms and Knox is forgettable.
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello have a couple of scenes where they do their stuff together. And, one scene of a chase on skis is funny. But the rest of the comedy in group scenes is mostly flat. Audiences in 1943 might have thought skating scenes in which Lou crashes into gates and pulls awning poles down to be funny, but I'm a little skeptical even of that. When I first saw this film on TV in the 1950s, I didn't think it was very funny then.
It may be a stretch to give this film five stars. But for Abbott and Costello fans, most viewers won't find this film more than just passable.