An absolute waste of money

A Brilliant Conflict

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

During the filming of The Time Of Their Lives and on into Little Giant Bud and Lou had come a cropper in their relationship. It looked like the team might in fact break up at that time. But Universal had both these guys signed to contracts and they weren't going to pay them for doing nothing.Given the situation both of these films were fashioned so that they were not exactly a comedy team and had only occasional scenes with each other. But in the case of The Time Of Their Lives, Universal came up with one of their best films with roles perfectly suited to their talents. In Bud Abbott's case it's two roles suitable to his talents. He plays Cuthbert Greenway a butler serving at Danbury Acres in 1780 during the Revolutionary War where the master Jess Barker is in league with Benedict Arnold and his scheme of treason. Abbott has his own scheme afoot, it's to take Anne Gillis away from tinker Horatio Prim who is played by Lou Costello. It's the usual Abbott and Costello shenanigans with a bit more bite to it as the boys were barely speaking to each other. Abbott tricks the trusting Costello into a trunk and locks it on him and takes Costello's prize possession, a letter of recommendation from George Washington himself as to Costello's honesty and patriotism. But the revolutionaries foil Arnold's plans as we know and come upon Danbury Acres and shoot both Costello and Marjorie Reynolds who is Barker's fiancé. They are cursed by the major in charge of the troop, Robert Barrat, to be bound to the Danbury Acres until crack of doom unless some evidence is found to prove they ain't traitors. Good thing he at least put an escape clause in.Fast forward six generations to 1946 and Abbott is now his own great great great grandson, a psychiatrist who's there with friends Binnie Barnes, John Shelton, and Lynn Baggett. Abbott and Shelton are now trying to restore the old mansion.Of course the ectoplasmic Costello and Reynolds are happy just to have company after 166 years. And Costello seeing his old enemy takes some ages overdue payback on the descendant. For once Abbott becomes the butt of Costello's humor. Not to say the that Costello doesn't get his share of laughs as he comes face to face with a lot of the progress of the past century and two thirds. The Time Of Their Lives is a charming fantasy where both Bud and Lou successfully manage to transcend their usual roles and still maintain their loyal fan base. Two more members of the cast who make invaluable contributions to the fun are Gale Sondergaard full time housekeeper and part time medium who is the key to solving the ghost's problems and Donald MacBride as the state police trooper who does his patented slow burn routine in the climax when the ghosts takeover his patrol car.This is one of Abbott&Costello's best films and in fact it's done without any of their burlesque routines, just on characterization alone.

Time of Their Lives, The (1946) *** (out of 4) Costello and another woman are killed and labeled traitors but 200 years later their ghosts have a chance to clear their name. I think this is a very good turning point in the A&C filmography since the two aren't working as a duo here. The film has a lot of laughs but it's also got the best storyline of any A&C film up to this point. The supporting players are very good and A&C are great as well. It's also a lot of fun seeing Costello getting to pick at Abbott since that's not something we're use to seeing.

1780: Treachery as Victory Nears Time of Their Lives opens in 1780 with the Rebels confidentally looking forward to ultimate success. Behind the scenes Tom Danbury (Jess Parker) the master of the manor is plotting to subvert the Revolution. When Melody Allen (Majorie Randolph) Danbury's fiancée, the future mistress of the great estate discovers the treason, Melody enlists Horatio Prim, a faithful tinker (Lou Costello), who can gain access to George Washington. Though a letter of recommendation from Washington to the tinker been stolen by the snide Cuthbert (Bud Abbot), Melody and Horatio Prim the Tinker set off to report Master Danbury. Accidentally, the aristocratic Melody and the commoner Horatio are cut down by friendly fire and damned to roam the grounds of the manor for eternity. Redemption From DamnationTheir chance to escape eternal damnation comes almost 150 years later, the new master of the manor falls into a spell of melancholia and is treated by a psychiatrist Dr Greenway (Bud Abbot) a great-grandson of Cuthbert, a soft, indecisive bumbling look a like for his snide ancestor. As the haunting proceeds Dr Greenway (Bud Abbot), the descendant of Prim's rival Cuthbert, accuses the unseen ghosts of being "out to get him." Meanwhile the 18th century ghosts confronted with modernity attribute all the marvels of the Twentieth Century to the genius of Ben Franklin. After all Dr Franklin "was always inventing things." Eventually, all of the quick accept a séance as the only cure for the strange rumblings around the manor. The letter from Geroge Washington is recovered in a hidden compartment in a clock along with Tom Danbury's 150-year-old confession. The Silver Path to Heaven Melody is carried to heaven on a silver ray of light, while St. Pete goes fishing and leaves the Tinker at the gate. Cultural ImpactThe film certainly is not history, even if it is unique for Abbot and Costello: no trademarked jokes, Abbot in character as Cuthbert and out of his type cast playing the namby-pam, indecisive psychiatrist Dr Greenway, and indeed little interchange between Abbot and Costello at all. Though there are funny scenes, the film is more of a fantasy or a gentle ghost story than a comedy. As a ghost story about the Revolution it was not without literary precedent among the legends of the Hudson River Valley or the old Long Island towns. As a fantasy, it was superbly acted and staged. The film is remarkable as part of the culture of the Revolution for its exposition of common American Beliefs and misbeliefs. The Tories were rich, smooth and treacherously duplicit. Old family lines may be founded by the cunning and the shrewd, but the blood wears thin and eventually flows into the inadequate. In the long run "Everyman" will triumph over evil even if it takes 150 years. It is certainly a pleasant film to watch even if what followed was not pleasant for the two greats of American comedy. Aftermath of the Film At the time, Time of Their Lives was filmed, Abbot and Costello verged on a split up. As unpleasant as the circumstances were between the two giants as filming proceeded with Times of Their Lives, each actor might have matured into separate careers in dramatic film. Unfortunately, the tragic death of Lou Costello's infant son in a pool accident impeded the rupture. Abbot stood by his partner throughout Lou's personal crisis. The team had a hit TV show in 1952, but in the movies, Abbot and Costello played together in B films which spoofed popular horror and monster movies. The glory days were over. Costello took to gambling; Abbot, the bottle. The IRS took them both "to the cleaners." After the audit wrecked the team, Costello briefly tested more dramatic roles, before his death in 1957 of heart failure. Costello who had begun in the early 1950s to dabble in Republican politics died without fulfilling his dream of scripting and playing the serious story of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, the first Italian-American mayor of a major US city. Abbot faded into obscurity until his death in 1974 revived interest in the pair. Some have tried to read a wider political theme into Time of Their Lives, putting away the ghosts of the past and getting on with the new modern age. However, other than the attempt to launch Lou Costello out of comedy and into more serious roles, the movie lacks a serious underlying message. Even without a serious undertone, Time of Their Lives remains a superior film

Most unusual A&C film starts off in the Revoluntionary War where Horatio (Bud Abbott) and Melody (Marjorie Reynolds) are shot and killed and mistakenly believed to be traitors. Because of that their spirits are forced to remain Earthbound. Only a letter from George Washington can prove their innocence--but it's hidden away. Cut to 1946 where a bunch of people renovate and move into the house--and Horatio and Melody discover the letter might still be there...but where? They decide to haunt the house and find it.Strange comedy. Abbott & Costello shave precious little screen time together--but they're still great. Abbott's screaming is a little much at times but he plays well with beautiful Reynolds. Lou Costello is given probably the best role he ever had as an intelligent psychiatrist who can't believe the haunting. He clearly is enjoying playing it straight and he's just fantastic! Also Gale Sondergaard is on hand as a sinister housekeeper--of course. The rest of the cast is just there but Binnie Barnes does have some fun lines as Millie.I saw this countless times as a child in the 1970s--a local TV station used to show A&C films every Saturday night at 7:00 for years. I loved this back then and it still holds up. It's quick, funny and the special effects actually aren't bad (if obvious and amusing). This wasn't a hit at the time of its release but is now considered one of their best features. A must-see.One great line: Binnie Barnes meets Sondergaard for the first time and says, "Didn't I see you in Rebecca?"