weezeralfalfa
As with many of the early films of Abbott and Costello this one is composed of 3 basic elements: 1) a budding romance, with its ups and downs 2) several lead singers, with songs dispersed through the film 3)comedy, mainly involving Bud Abbott and Lou Costello(A&C): the nominal leads. This was the last of 5 A&C films that Arthur Lubin directed. He would go on to direct most of the 'Francis the Talking Mule' comedy series, about a decade later.Along with several other A&C films, Dick Foran is the romantic lead, getting involved with pretty Anne Gwynne, and doing some singing. With her help, he's in the process of metamorphosing from a fake cowboy and writer of western novels into a real singing cowboy. Thus, he sings "Give Me my Saddle", "I'll Remember April", and "Ride 'Em Cowboy". Surprisingly, Ella Fitzgerald makes 2 cameo appearances, singing "A-Tisket A-Tasket", and "Rockin' and Reeli'",neither of which has anything to do with cowboys. The Merry Macs, consisting of 3 men and a young woman, sing several songs.The film begins with Foran , as 'Bronco' Bob Mitchell, a popular writer of western novels, being honored at a rodeo on Long Island. He's been recently criticized as never having been in the West, and not being a cowboy. He wants to show that he can ride a horse, even though he's never been on one. All goes well, until A&C accidentally let a bull out of its pen, spooking his horse, which dumps him. Anne comes to his rescue, but sustains a bad ankle sprain which knocks her out of the competition for the best female performer. Fortan takes a liking to her, and signs up as a long-term guest at her father's dude ranch in Arizona. He hopes this experience will transform him into a real cowboy, along with romancing Anne.A&C, who are selling peanuts and hotdogs at the rodeo have a series of misadventures with the customers and their boss. They run onto the train that will take Foran and Anne to Arizona just as it is taking off(What about tickets?). All get on the ranch bus. A&C are tentatively hired, but unclear what they can do. Lou is given the task of milking a cow, with occasional coaching from Bud. But Lou is a very poor student, and at the end still has no idea how to do it, pumping the tail like a hand pump. The boys encounter an open store run by Indians. Lou tries out using the bow and arrow, and puts it through the center of a heart drawn on a nearby tent. The Indians say that means he proposed to someone inside. But, Lou isn't interested, and runs away. For the remainder of the film, the Indians pursue him to make him marry her. A&C try out the ranch swimming pool, which has both high and low diving boards. However, when Lou tries to use the low board, he gets hammered on the head with people bouncing in the high board(A very poor arrangement!). Of course, he can't swim.A&C have a time with a fake Indian placed in their room. When they are out, a real Indian looking identical takes it's place(why?). Lou has a dream where he goes to Bud dressed as a doctor to tell about his fear of Indians. Lou then changes into Indian dress. The nurse looks like Anne, except she's dressed as an Indian maiden. Then , Custer and gang show up on one end of his bed, while Sitting Bull and gang show up on the other side, and shoot at each other, with him in the middle.Somehow, Lou ends up on an infamous bucking bronco, and actually stays on for a long time, never being thrown. Good stunt double work, presumably. He should have been in the rodeo! Bud gets on the bronco with Lou, but without a saddle, and somehow stays on until the end.In all, a fun experience, especially for kids. See it on the DVD set The Best of Abbott and Costello, Vol.1.
Spikeopath
Well obviously not close to that brilliant offering from Stan & Ollie, but this is a nice genre attempt from Bud & Lou.The guys here are peanut vendors at a rodeo show, after accidentally burning their boss's foot they hide away on a train heading west. They end up at the Lazy S ranch and get work despite the fact that they clearly have no idea what they are letting themselves into.That's as much as you need to know really, there is the usual mix up of songs, love interest, and pure mania that goes with the decent films from the boys considerably large CV. A running plot strand of the guys on the run from Indian's because Lou has accidentally got engaged to a squaw, makes for some great and humorous scenes, but the stand out sequence takes place at a swimming pool, wonderfully funny part of the film. The film isn't really one to win new fans to the comedic talent of the pair because the running time could be too long for some with this brand of humour, but for those already converted, the film sits nicely up at the top with the best of their work.A-ticket, a-tasket, a green and yellow basket! 7/10
classicsoncall
Abbott and Costello found themselves in a wide variety of films; "Ride 'em Cowboy" is their take on mangling the Western genre. They're aided by genuine "B" Western stars Johnny Mack Brown and Dick Foran along with pretty Anne Gwynne as the romantic interest for Foran's character, Bronco Bob Mitchell. Bronco Bob is largely a mythical character, invented by Mitchell when he was a starving writer. But his Western stories were hugely successful, so the Mitchell exploits grew larger than life until he can no longer live up to the image of his creation. Arriving at the Lazy S Ranch, Mitchell and the boys take a stab at dude ranch life and try to get ready for the annual rodeo celebration, in which Mitchell has agreed to compete. Therein lies the recipe for this Abbott and Costello brand of Western fun.With no sign of the Andrews Sisters from their earlier films, the musical chores are picked up by The Merry Macs and Ella Fitzgerald. A quick peek at Ella's filmography reveals that her standard "A-Tisket, A-Tasket was performed in seven films between 1939 and 1948, and it's done here in fine fashion. Dick Foran also croons a tune as the obligatory singing cowboy.Lou Costello proved he could ride a runaway torpedo in 1941's "Keep 'Em Flying"; here he does the same on a stampeding bronco, with Bud along for the ride. The film also offers some of the same sight gags found in Warner Brothers cartoons of the era, notably Lou's having his "palm re(a)d" in a dream sequence dominated by Indians."Ride 'em Cowboy" gallops along at a fairly quick eighty six minute run, a lot of it at a frenetic pace. Abbott and Costello fans will enjoy their favorites here, as the boys show they can be at home in any setting.
