SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

JohnHowardReid For over twenty-five years, California's number two (and sometimes top) commercial network used to broadcast Abbott & Costello movies on weekend afternoons. Just about all their films received a good work-out, right through from their first One Night in the Tropics (1940) to their second-last Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy (1955). Even their last, Dance With Me, Henry (1956), occasionally saw the light.But would you believe there were a few A&C titles that were never dusted off at all? The Noose Hangs High (1948), Africa Screams (1949), Jack and the Beanstalk (1952), Abbott & Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952). These of course are not Universal (or MGM) titles. But what about The Time of Their Lives? That's Universal. And it was never televised on weekend afternoons. In fact it was last aired way back in 1965, before the big A&C revival had even started. Their best film too. Their funniest, their most inventive, the wildest, most ingenious, craziest, cleverest film they ever made.Maybe because The Time of Their Lives is so brilliantly conceived and executed - with flawless production values and superlative special effects joined to an exceptionally witty, sharp-edged, New Yorker-sophisticated type of story - the television network simply didn't want to know. Maybe it's the fact that both comedians give the best performances of their careers - but not as a team. In individual character roles. They don't indulge in their usual verbal humor. In fact they don't even speak to each other, except briefly right at the beginning. Costello's straight man in this one is not a man at all, but the very attractive Marjorie Reynolds who makes a superb partner. And there's also wonderful support work by Binnie Barnes and Gale Sondergaard.Technically, The Time of Their Lives rates as simply marvelous (in both senses of that ill-used word). So much of the humor derives from breathtaking special effects work, I can't understand why this movie isn't the number one favorite of A&C vehicles today. After all, today's movie-lovers are just crazy about special effects. And the effects here represent cinema magic at its best.OTHER VIEWS: Of all the Abbott and Costello comedies, The Time of Their Lives is the most interesting. It employs a sustained plot and the humor is derived from characterizations and situations, rather than "stock routines"... Lou, as a misplaced ghost, gives the performance of his career. Bud, playing a neurotic psychiatrist, also gives his best performance and showed he was capable of being a fine character actor...Director Charles Barton created a marvelously atmospheric film. Jim Mulholland in his absolutely essential "Abbott and Costello Book" (Popular Library, New York, 1975).

utgard14 Very different Abbott and Costello movie is one of their best. It's different because the story is much better than most A&C vehicles and because Bud & Lou barely appear together. Instead, Lou spends most of his time paired up with beautiful Marjorie Reynolds. It works though as the two have great chemistry. It's also different because it spends as much time, if not more, on the dramatic plot than it does on trying to be funny. The story is about two people (Lou Costello, Marjorie Reynolds) during the Revolutionary War who are mistakenly believed to be traitors and killed. Their bodies are dumped into a well and they are cursed to remain bound to the estate until they can prove they aren't traitors. Fast-forward to 1946 and the two ghosts hope the new owner of the estate may be the key to them finding peace at last.Abbott has a lesser part in dual roles. In 1780, he plays a villainous character who is in love with Lou's girlfriend. In 1946, he plays a descendant of that man who tries to atone for his ancestor's actions by helping the ghosts. He does get to be the brunt of physical comedy for once, which was amusing to see. As I said before, Lou spends most of his time with Reynolds. But it works well due to Reynolds' underrated comedic talents. She wasn't just a pretty face. Also features the great Gale Sondergaard as a housekeeper who believes in ghosts. Any movie with Sondergaard can't be bad. A fun movie that should please anybody who watches it, even if they aren't fans of other Abbott & Costello movies.

MartinHafer In the 1946, Abbott and Costello were at each other's throats and refused to work with each other BUT would still make films. So, Universal Studios was very creative and made two films where the two comedy stars could be films together...of sorts. While they both were in LITTLE GIANT and THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES, they didn't do all that many scenes together and they definitely didn't look like a team. While many disliked these two movies (particularly LITTLE GIANT), I like them both a lot because all the films leading up to it were becoming a bit stale--with an obvious formula and predictability about them. The standard formula up to 1946 consisted of Abbott and Costello doing their thing, a separate love interest (that mostly distracted the viewers) and lots and lots of singing (again, it mostly distracted the viewers). Most people were wanting more Abbott and Costello in films and they got this in these two films--just not in the way most people wanted. THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES is less a comedy and more a character driven film with some comedy. This isn't a bad thing--just a big departure from the past. Unlike the older films, the jokes were not the most important thing, but plot development was.The film begins in 1780. Because of a mistake, Lou Costello and Marjorie Reynolds both were killed and assumed to be traitors to the revolutionary cause. Upon their death, they were cursed and their ghosts were to haunt the property forever--or until there is proof that the two were not traitors.Now, in the present day of 1946, the mansion where they'd been killed was newly restored and once again people started coming back to the property where Lou and Marjorie were stuck. Eventually, they are able to communicate, of sorts, with the present time and a search begins to locate a letter from General Washington that proves they were NOT bad guys after all.It's interesting that Bud Abbott plays dual roles (just like he did in the previous film). In the prologue, he plays an awful scoundrel who hates and betrays Lou. In the present time, he plays a psychiatrist who wants to discover the truth--even if it means his relative was a jerk. It's a nice role because it requires acting, not laughs.Overall, the film is well worth seeing, though not all that funny. This isn't a bad thing...in fact it's a welcome thing as the film is engaging from start to finish AND doesn't have any stupid song and dance numbers! Well written, acted and constructed from start to finish.

netancharlie This is my #1 favorite film. I saw it as a child in a very small movie theater in a small town in KY. It had everything. There was mystery, comedy, ghosts and a love story. And the special effects were pure delight. I would love to know any trivia others know about this story. I do know it was originally a play. I found it a Baker's play book, in the 1970 under another name. I wish I had order it. I have shown it to students ages 12 to 18 and they love it. I have shown it as an English teacher and even as a science teacher for the special effects in 1946. My 2000 era students laugh out loud and want to know more about Bud and Lou and their other movies. The theme song was the one my children let me walk down the isle to at their weddings. I hum it frequently. I have just joined and look forward to reading comments from other fans. I own the film in both VHS and DVD. I would love to see a remake, but it could never replace the original. Thanks Bud and Lou.