Little Giant (1946)

Lou Costello plays a country bumpkin vacuum-cleaner salesman, working for the company run by the crooked Bud Abbott. To try to keep him under his thumb, Abbott convinces Costello that he's ... See full summary »

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writers:

Walter DeLeon (screenplay) (as Walter De Leon), Paul Jarrico (story)

Stars:

Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Brenda Joyce

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bud Abbott	...	Eddie L. Morrison / T.S. Chandler
Lou Costello	...	Benny Miller
Brenda Joyce	...	Miss Ruby Burke
Jacqueline deWit	...	Hazel Temple Morrison (as Jacqueline de Wit)
George Cleveland	...	Clarence Goodring
Elena Verdugo	...	Martha Hill
Mary Gordon	...	Ma Miller
Pierre Watkin	...	P.S. Van Loon
Donald MacBride	...	Bus Conductor
Victor Kilian	...	Gus Anderson - Salesman
George Chandler	...	O'Brien - Salesman
Joe Kirk	...	Salesman
Harry Brown	...	Larry, Salesman
Beatrice Gray	...	Miss King
Margaret Dumont	...	Mrs. Hendrickson

Storyline

Lou Costello plays a country bumpkin vacuum-cleaner salesman, working for the company run by the crooked Bud Abbott. To try to keep him under his thumb, Abbott convinces Costello that he's a crackerjack salesman. This comedy is somewhat like The Time of Their Lives (1946), in that Abbott and Costello don't have much screen time together and there are very few vaudeville bits woven into the plot.

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Plot Keywords:

farce | cigarette smoking | 1940s | treachery | vacuum cleaner salesman | 

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Taglines:

Also - See Alvino Rey and Orchestra in "Swinging Down Scale" (print ad - Lubbock Morning Avalanche - Tower Theatre - Lubbock, Texas - August 16, 1946)

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

William A. Seiter had previously directed The Marx Brothers and was able to get Margaret Dumont to do a cameo as one of Benny's intended customers.

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Goofs

Abbott's toupee shifts noticeably during the "7 times 13 = 28" scene. (The "shift" is due to the fact that the scene was filmed after principal photography was completed. It was felt that at least one classic "routine" had to be inserted into the picture. You will notice that Lou is also heavier during this footage. Also filmed at this time was the routine with Sidney Fields, replacing a less confrontational sequence filmed with Eddy Waller.)

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Quotes

Benny Miller: I feel like a tin can with a dog's tail tied to it.

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Connections

Featured in The World of Abbott and Costello (1965)

User Reviews

A truly unique Abbott and Costello film that I really liked...really!

This is one of Abbott and Costello's most unusual films, as it's the first of two that made where the characters were NOT friends. In addition, Bud Abbott plays dual roles--one a nice enough guy and the other a total scum-bag! Plus, and here's the oddest part, the film is a traditional story in many ways-as both play honest-to-goodness people! As a result, it really isn't a comedy per se--as the film is not built around gags but people. Sure, there are a few laughs here and there, but that is all.

While I know that the film was a bit of a flop and many people disliked its style, I frankly liked it because it was such a departure. You see, by 1946, the team had already made 16 films in only 6 years--and all but one of them (WHO DONE IT!) followed roughly the same formula. With this formula, there was a love story, some Abbott and Costello comedy and lots of singing. As far as the love story goes, this time it actually involves Lou and a girl back home. However, there is no singing and little what anyone would consider comedy.

I think one thing that bothered people is the pathos in the film. Lou plays a nice guy who gets hurt pretty badly at times in the film. You want him to win but time and again, jerks take advantage of him. Near the very end, this hit practically epic proportions, though smartly, the film didn't stay mired too long in pathos--coming to a nice and quick resolution.

The film begins with Lou living on the farm with his Mom. He wants to make good, so he's been taking a correspondence course in salesmanship. Unfortunately, he isn't very good at it and when he goes to the big city to make his mark, he makes a mess of it. He loses his job and gets another job with the same vacuum cleaner company in another town. However, in an odd twist, his co-workers play a joke on him--convincing him he's psychic. The gag works too well, as Lou is convinced it's real. The jokes on them when he turns into an amazing salesman--setting a sales record the very next day.

As for Bud, in Los Angeles, he plays a crooked and thoroughly nasty jerk. He takes pleasure in firing Lou and it's interesting to see them working against each other instead of with each other. In his next job, Lou goes to work for Bud's cousin--played once again by Bud (with a slightly different hairdo). This time, he's more of a normal guy and confides in Lou that he can't stand his stupid cousin in L.A.! It was an interesting acting challenge for Bud--as rarely did any of his characters in other film have any depth. Here, he plays two parts and quite well. In fact, it worked out well enough that they had him do the same in the next film, THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES. Another, more practical reason they did this was because Bud and Lou were having a horrible spat at the time--and they would only play in films where they acted separately!! Fortunately for the team, the managed to patch things up for other films.

One of the only comedy routines in the film was also used in one of the team's earlier films, IN THE NAVY. This is the funny math routine where Lou explains (rather convincingly) that 7x13=21! While it is a retread, it's redone well.

Overall, while this is hated by most people, I liked the film a lot--nearly giving it a 9. Why? Originality and both Bud and Lou stretched themselves--trying new things even if the public wasn't 100% ready for THIS big a change. Maybe much of the reason I respect this film so much is that I have re-seen all the Abbott and Costello films leading up to LITTLE GIANT and it just felt like a breath of fresh air seeing such a completely original film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Boy Wonder

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

C.S. Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1