The Abbott and Costello Show (TV Series) The Politician (1953) User Reviews

A Good Poke At American Politics in the early 1950's

[DKosty123 · 8/10 · 3 October 2010]

Lou Costello is looking for work this entire series, & after being in and out of employment for 15 episodes, Abbott finally hits on the right formula - Lou Costello running for office. Not only is it a natural but you know Lou can make stump speeches. According to the plot, Lou's 4th grade teacher is there & Lou reminds her that his hand is up & she tells him he can go. That was a long wait for Lou, I don't think I could hold it that long.

When Abbott introduces Lou, Costello's speech starts - "I am not a Republican, I am not a Democrat. I am a fusion of both parties. My party is Confusion." Sid Fields script is pretty sharp here and there are a fair number of funny moments in this political blast from the 1950's. One thing you could tell, if Lou were elected, he wouldn't have a clue what to do. Amazing, but both parties seem clueless today too. Things haven't changed.

There is a complete series DVD set of Abbott & Costello's series out, & from what I have sampled so far, especially for fans of the boys, this set is worth picking up.

Lou Costello for City Councilman

[JordanThomasHall · 8/10 · 5 July 2019]

In fighting over Hillary, Bud and Mike the Cop pretend to shoot one another, but shoot a hole through Mr. Fields' rug. Lou gets blamed and is forced to pay for the damage. Bud decides to not let Mr. Fields get away with it. He instructs Lou to throw a rock through his window and when Mr. Fields comes out, insult him until he beats Lou up. Bud will take a picture and they'll sue him for everything he's got. Comically, Bud has Lou repeat it, increasingly getting worked over worse, as Bud doesn't think it looks good enough for a picture. When Mike the Cop begins to haul Lou to jail for the offense, he is stopped by a city councilman (Charles Cane) who protects his voters as the election nears. Bud decides to have Lou run for office as a city councilman. Lou likes the idea of being over Mike the Cop and begins working on his speeches and pleasantries. While giving a speech in the park, Lou struggles to make a case for himself.