Wonderful character development!

Too many fans seem to be blown away

The Worst Film Ever

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Very funny Abbott & Costello comedy that has the boys crossing a bookie (Joseph Calleia) and trying to find a way to pay him back $50,000 of his money they lost. Nicely paced with one great routine after another. I don't think there were any clunkers here. Sometimes the boys used bits that felt stale like they were dusted off vaudeville routines from twenty years before, but not here. Even the reworked gags feel fresh. Bud and Lou are in top form in this one. They had me in stitches. Great support from Calleia, Leon Errol, Mike Mazurki, and Alvin Hammer as a racetrack tout in one of the more subtly funny scenes. It's one of my favorite A&C comedies that didn't have monsters or the supernatural as part of the plot.

As window washers the boys get mixed up with crooks and a missing $50,000 they're on the hook for.Sub-par A&C, at best. The 80 minutes are practically wall-to-wall routines, some of which work, but too many of which are either too thin or over-long. That dinner table routine goes on too long, but it is classic A&C with the expert timing and word gags. Speaking of word gags and semantics, Lou out-witting tough guy Mazurki is a little gem of the unexpected. I also like the sidewalk routine that trades too on the unexpected. However, the plot is scattered and lacks the usual tight situations that heighten the fun. It's almost like the boys strung together a number of routines and then made up the plot as they went along.It's also A&C's first feature apart from the resources of Universal studios and frankly it shows. Except for the window washing high above the street, the sets are dull to look at, while the action never leaves the sound stage lot. Lou also took on the big role of the film's producer, at the same time IMDb lists his mother Lolly Cristillo as a co-producer! Apparently, the boys weren't too happy with the results since they quickly signed a new contract with Universal and returned to the fold. From there, they went on to make some of their best comedies by meeting up with Universal's stable of classic monsters—Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, etc. So unless you're a die-hard A&C fan like me, skip this one since there are so many better ones.

The Noose Hangs High contains what I consider one of the funniest scenes ever in a A&C movie. Very early on Lou's toothache brings him to Dr.Richards the "painless dentist". The minute they walk into the office the patient from the next room lets out a scream and Lou is up and leaving. Abbot pulls him back and a woman exits the office with a bandage wrapped around her face. Lou gets up again and Abbott pulls him back again. Then the crazy doctor appears signaling for Lou. The next 5 minutes inside the office are amazing. The timing, sound effects, EVERYTHING is just incredible. These 5 minutes alone are worth the price of admission. Whenever I watch this scene time stops for me. This is what makes Lou Costello so enjoyable. Pure humor! The rest of the movie is classic A&C at their best. Trust me!!

If you're a fan of Abbott and Costello routines, then "The Noose Hangs High" is for you. Numerous routines are packed into this film, including "Dress/Undress," "Someplace Else," "Fodder/Mudder," etc. The boys display these routines with flair and show how much they enjoy them.The plot involves A&C as window washers mistaken as messengers by a bookie who must make good a $50,000 bet with a man who never loses a bet (played by Leon Errol). The money ends up in an envelope sent to a secretary (Cathy Downs) who spends all but $2,000 of it. The comedy and plot follows A&C and Downs as they try to raise the rest of the money."Noose Hangs High" was filmed in late 1947 at Eagle-Lion studios. A&C's new contract with Universal allowed them one independent production a year, and "Noose" was it. Not part of the Universal package when their films were syndicated to television, "Noose" has fallen through the cracks and is one of their least familiar films to moviewatchers. The fact that the film has almost no reputation does not hinder its quality; the laughs are constant and the plot is good, ranking this film among A&C's best. 8 out of 10.