Who Done It?

With "Who Done It?", Abbott and Costello reached their comedic peak in films. Convinced of their box-office appeal after six hits in a row, Universal got rid of the tedious romantic subplots and musical numbers and focused on the comedy team. The end result is a comic masterpiece and a film that ranks as one of their very best.

The boys play soda jerks at the lunch counter of a major radio network, dreaming of getting into the radio business. Through a hilarious series of events, Costello becomes a prime suspect in a murder. His reactions in the film are comedically superb; aiding the comedy are some funny routines, including the classic "Alexander 2222" phone bit.

Also aiding the film is the interesting lighting in the network building, particularly during the "Murder at Midnight" program. The lighting creates an intense atmosphere, and will seem to many to be a film noir look.

An additional benefit to the film is the fine supporting cast, including William Bendix, Don Porter, and Patric Knowles. Mary Wickes lends her comedic talents in the role of Juliet.

Although the film is one of their shorter ones (76 minutes, as a result of having no musical numbers), it doesn't lack good pacing or humour. A laugh riot throughout. I'm surprised that as of this writing, the film ranks less than a 6 on the IMDB. It definitely deserves a 9 out of 10.