One Night in the Tropics (1940) User Reviews

Selling Love Insurance

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 6 August 2006]

Allan Jones is an insurance salesman with a streak of the riverboat gambler in him. Not surprising since he played Gaylord Ravenal in Show Boat earlier for Universal. He sells Bob Cummings a policy that guarantees him marriage. Of course father Richard Carle hits the roof and sends Jones off to a tropical paradise with Cummings and intended bride Nancy Kelly to see the nuptials go off smoothly. Around to potentially gum up the works is Peggy Moran, Cummings former girl friend.

Of course in One Night in the Tropics in the Caribbean island of San Marcos all kinds of romantic complications ensue in a plot that's totally ripped off from A Midsummer Night's Dream. If you are familiar with that work of Shakespeare you know how the story comes out. The film is taken from Earl Derr Bigger's novel Love Insurance, but there's no doubt where it all comes from originally.

One Night in the Tropics marks the film debut of Abbott and Costello and it is the only time they were ever not billed first. Allan Jones and Nancy Kelly were above them. They got OK notices here and Universal decided to star them in one of their low budget musicals called Buck Privates. That had a success no one predicted and they were above the title forever after that.

Allan Jones and Peggy Moran as our resident musical performers got to sing some Jerome Kern songs. Even mediocre Kern is better than most and one I particularly liked was Your Dream is the Same as My Dream sung first by Moran and reprised by Jones. The song served as a plot device to make sure all the couples were matched up properly.

Allan Jones has always been a personal favorite of mine. He had wonderfully pleasant tenor voice, shown to good advantage here. His musicals with Universal got gradually lower in quality after this one though. They are rarely seen, this one is because of Abbott and Costello's presence.

And a good thing too.

And introducing Bud & Lou.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 4 March 2008]

I will go slightly against the grain of most reviewers here and say that the film is enjoyable enough without the addition of Abbott & Costello. This film will forever remain the debut of that wonderful pairing, but the film isn't reliant on their input to lift it above average. Sure they have great moments, the Who's On First and Salary Deconstruction {Dollar A Day} sequences are pure joy, but they are merely seasoning in a decent enough zany comedy stew.

Allan Jones, Nancy Kelly, and a delightful turn from Robert Cummings cement the fun to be had with this daft plot line of Love Insurance, the tunes are engaging enough and the ending is one of satisfaction that concludes nicely for the viewer. Bud & Lou started here, and would go on to much better movies, but saying this film is saved by them is a disservice to the others involved. 7/10

Abbott & Costello's first movie, One Night in the Tropics, was an interesting steppingstone for their new career

[tavm · 6/10 · 25 September 2009]

This is my fourth comment of a series of them in which I attempt to connect two legendary comedy teams-Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello-with films of theirs that have something in common. For this one, there are three links. First, as A & C are making their very first movie in 1940 for what would be their home studio, Universal, L & H have released their final one for their about-to-be-former home studio of Hal Roach that same year. Second, the director is A. Edward Sutherland who the year before helmed L & H in The Flying Deuces. Third, and I wasn't aware of this until I looked up the cast list on IMDb, longtime L & H regular Charlie Hall-who made his last appearance with them in Saps at Sea, their final Hal Roach picture-made his first, of only a few, A & C appearance here as Second S. S. Atlantica Steward. I think he's the one who tells Mary Boland, "Your nuts, madam?" (He's asking if she wants them.) Boland exclaims, "I certainly am!" Okay, the plot concerns a quadrangle of Allan Jones, Nancy Kelly, Robert Cummings, and Peggy Moran. It involves love insurance and marriage. Bud and Lou play henchmen of William Frawley who are supposed to make sure a certain wedding takes place. Occasionally, the plot stops for some A & C routines, most of which you've seen or heard on various other of their movies, TV, or radio shows. One that's only in this movie is called "Paid in Full" where Abbott deducts much of Costello's salary after briefly firing him to just...well, watch the movie. Others include "Money Changing", "Jonah and the Whale", "Mustard", and an abridged version of "Who's on First?" which, according to Lou's brother Pat, was the first scene Lou and Bud ever shot. Before any of this was filmed, however, according to the picture's producer Leonard Spigelgass, Costello came to him and said, "What are we supposed to do? I don't know how to work without an audience." Spigelgass told him there was an audience-his crew. And sure enough, they laughed, so much so that either the producer or director had to yell "Cut!" and tell them to stop laughing! And it's largely because of Bud and Lou that this movie is still in circulation today. And they steal the show every time they're on screen. The rest of the cast are pretty funny by themselves and the songs by Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields, and, for one romantic number involving the four leads, Oscar Hammerstein II are pretty entertaining. But if you're an A & C fan, you'll be disappointed at the few scenes-compared to the others-they have here. And the picture didn't do well enough at the box office for the Universal brass to exhibit confidence in them yet. But when executive Matty Fox asked them what their plans were, Lou bluffed about a Paramount meeting for an Army picture and he and Bud then performed some routines that impressed Fox so much, he gave them a two-picture contract with options and had them cast in what would become Universal's biggest blockbuster at the time: Buck Privates. So while Laurel & Hardy moved to 20th Century-Fox and saw their creative control decline, Abbott & Costello would get expanded screen time at Universal and become one of the top box office stars during this time. P. S. I first watched this as a kid on late night Saturday on a local station at midnight in a 69 minute version that cut the first 13 minutes. So when I found out the complete 83 minute version was on VHS in the early '90s, I snapped it up!

Far more enjoyable than I expected.

[opsbooks · 7/10 · 26 December 2004]

My first viewing of this movie left me surprised. Why? For years I'd read that the only plus was the first screen appearance of Lou and Bud. Instead I found the story fun and the cast fine, especially Bob Cummings as a kind of good-looking Woody Allen-type character. Bob in fact takes the limelight whenever he's on the screen.

When the boys did appear, it was if they'd walked in off the lot next door with no idea of what was going on. Their routines were pure music hall. There seemed to be no effort to work them into the story. Perhaps the point that neither were sympathetic characters didn't help. So anyone with expectations of this movie should be prepared for something different.

"We each want half of the same romance..."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 7 November 2004]

Based on the novel "Love Insurance" by Charlie Chan author Earl Derr Biggers, "One Night in the Tropics" is the 1940 debut film for comedy team Abbott and Costello, although they are third billed after stars Allan Jones and Nancy Kelly. The story involves Jones' character Jim "Lucky" Moore writing an insurance policy on the too close to call marriage of his buddy Steve Harper (Bob Cummings) to Kelly's character Cynthia Merrick. If Steve and Cynthia don't get married, Lucky's firm, headed by his dad, stands to lose a million dollars. Up till now, Lucky has been just that, never having to pay off on a policy, but this scheme gets complicated when Lucky begins to fall for Steve's girl. Night club owner Roscoe (William Frawley) finances the policy for Steve and has a vested interest in the marriage going off on schedule, and has his employees Abbott and Costello keep their eye on Steve and Cynthia.

As for the comedy team, Abbott and Costello get to try out an abbreviated version of their "Who's on First" routine, along with their Jonah and the Whale story, the mustard routine, and a money changing bit. Obviously, Universal Studios and the fans liked what they saw, as the boys went on to star in their own film the following year in "Buck Privates".

The film takes it's name from the exotic destination of San Marcos where the romantic leads are headed for the wedding showdown. By this time, the tables have completely turned, with Jim/Lucky making his play for Cynthia, and Steve being lassoed by his long time admirer Mickey (Peggy Moran). It's all played fairly light hearted, with a Leo Carillo appearance thrown in for good measure as Escobar, the mayor of San Marcos performing the wedding ceremony, but you'll have to watch the film to know which one.

The only unresolved part of the film is what happens to the insurance money - presumably Lucky's firm has to pay off, but by this time it has gone belly up over some bad investments and chancy policies. If it didn't bother the writers and director, I guess it's not that important.

The film ends on a final Abbott and Costello gag, discussing the meaning of the word husband - Costello: "A husband is what's left of a sweetheart after the nerve has been killed"!

Abbott and Costello's Debut Is Not Focused On Them.

[FilmWiz · 6/10 · 25 June 2003]

A delightful movie, `One Night In the Tropic' Features Abbott and Costello in their first film together, but they are not leads. Their next film, `Buck Privates' (1941) they would save Universal and they would star in their first leading roles.

Yet anyway, this film casts Allan Jones as Jim "Lucky" Moore, an insurance salesman who comes up with the idea of selling his friend, Steve (Robert Cummings) a love insurance policy, because if his fiancée, Cynthia (Nancy Kelly) won't marry Steve, he stands to collect. Jim has Roscoe (William Frawley), a nightclub owner, finance the policy. However, complications occur when Lucky finds himself falling in love with Cynthia. Not wanting to pay off the policy, Roscoe hires his stooges, Abbott and Costello, to make sure Steve does marry Cynthia. Complications soon follow after boarding an ocean liner to San Marcos, South America.

Abbott and Costello do however; steal the show with many of their sketches, including The Mustard Routine, Money Changing, Jonah and the whale, Paid In Full and Two Tens for a Five. Who can forget `Who's On First'? Apparently the Paid in full Routine has only been in this film and the film is worth catching for this sketch alone.

I enjoyed this silly B-Musical and had a fun time with it. You will, too!

MPAA Rating: NR

My Rating: 6 and up

My * Rating: 7.2

Abbott and Costello steal the show in their debut

[hausrathman · 28 March 2004]

"Lucky" Moore, Allan Jones, an insurance salesmen, sells his friend, Steve, Robert Cummings, a million dollar love insurance policy after his fiancee, Cynthia, Nancy Kelly, calls off their wedding. Complications arise from the presence of Steve's persistent ex-girlfriend Mickey, Peggy Moran, and Lucky's growing love for Cynthia. Add a gangster whose backing the policy and his two henchmen, and you have all the ingredients of a classic screwball comedy. However, it isn't quite a classic. Why? The story is sufficient. The leads are pleasant enough, but none of them quite have the star power to push it to the next level. (The comic lead, Allan Jones, is most famous for playing the straight romantic lead in two Marx Brothers movies. Imagine this film done at the same time at MGM with William Powell in the lead backed up by Myrna Loy. Then we'd have a film that could stand on its own.) This film would be consigned to the mildly-diverting late night cable bin if it weren't for the gangster's two henchmen, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, in their film debut. Bud and Lou give the film energy every time they appear on screen. Unfortunately, it is a different energy than the rest of the film. It's like the plot lurches to a stop to let them do some routines - like the abbreviated version of the "Who's on First" routine. Not that I am complaining. Their material was better than the rest of the movie. It is a good debut, and easy to see why they would be quickly given their own film. Abbott and Costello would not prove to be my favorite comedy team, but they had many highlights ahead of them.

Nice comedy romance to introduce Abbott and Costello

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 13 January 2015]

A couple of other reviewers said it seemed as though Abbott and Costello were inserted into this film at the last minute. They certainly aren't part of the main story. "One Night in the Tropics" is a good comedy romance in which the famous comic team seem to be an add-on. Perhaps it was Universal's way to introduce them on film. The plot without them is quite funny with just the four main characters.

Bob Cummings, as Steve Harper, is the principal butt of most of the humor. Allan Jones plays his best friend, Jim Moore, and I think he gives a lot of spark to his role. Nancy Kelly is Cynthia Merrick and Peggy Moran is Mickey Fitzgerald. They are the two love interests of Steve and Jim, but nobody's sure which is for which. Sorting that out is a lot of the fun in the film. The movie is based on a novel by Earl D. Biggers who created the Charlie Chan character. Others have noted how the plot resembles Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." I surely don't decry that. I have enjoyed all of the different productions of Shakespeare plays and movies I've seen over the years. When something is that good, it should be copied or imitated. Hollywood has been doing that for years. Consequently, we've had some wonderful new films come out of old stories – as well as some stinkers.

This film has some very funny sequences of exchanges between actors with dialog and facial expressions to match. In one such scene, the four leads are attending a bullfight. Steve, "Where's the bull?" Cynthia, "Why darling, there's plenty of it around here." Mickey, looking at the matador, "Hasn't he the most beautiful legs you've ever seen?" Steve, "Who, the bull?" Cynthia, "Oh, there is a man." Steve, "Now look here, Mickey." Jim, "Uh, that's Cynthia, Mickey's here." Cynthia, "Yes, you boys are a little confused, I'm afraid."

Bud and Lou have just a small amount of time in this film. They do a couple routines, including their oft performed hilarious baseball skit, "Who's on First?" They did that routine on their later TV shows and in other movies. This one was OK but short. One of the best is in their 1945 film, "The Naughty Nineties." This is a nice little comedy romance with or without Abbott and Costello.

Forgettable Music but Unforgettable Cast

[DKosty123 · 6/10 · 31 May 2010]

The cast of this film is well known. Allan Jones is the top billed & his best known films were working as a straight singing man with the Marx brothers in A Night At The Opera & A Day At The Races. William Frawley is here as a con man & Frawley went on to do a lot of movies in support roles plus My Three Sons on Television.

Then is the first movie for Bud Abbott & Lou Costello. This is their first movie & this film led to their signing a contract with Universal. In this movie they would do a part of their Whose On First routine.

Bob Cummings is here, & he would go on to do a lot of comedy & a couple of good films with a director named Hitchcock. He would also do quite a bit of sit com work on television.

The plot is that Cummings is smitten with a young lady who is smitten with him at first. Then the relationship gets strained when Bob makes an enemy, accidentally with her favorite dotty Aunt. Jones is an Insurance salesman who sensing Cumming dilemma, sells him Love Insurance which guarantees he will marry the girl. Then he falls in love with said girl himself creating quite a dilemma for him. She falls for him too, but their is another girl nick named Mickey who has designs on Cummings.

According to legend, this film had even more adult themes in the plot, but those themes were cut from the movie released by the censors. From here, Bud & Lou, William Frawley, and others all get involved in a trip too the tropics where the million dollar wedding is supposed to be completed. The plot pretty much stays G rated.

This is more of a film to watch because of who is in the cast. The plot is secondary, but still there is enough here, especially of Bud & Lou, to make this one worth a look.

This is where it all began, and for a classic comedy team, it rarely got better than this."

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 17 September 2016]

"I'm a bad boy!" "Now you made me say a bad word!" "Give me two tens for a five!", and of course, " Who's on First?" Fresh from success on Broadway, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello stole this above average musical comedy from its leads, but don't dismiss them.

The plot line that surrounds them, interrupted by the routines of Bud and Lou was actually a decent one, not slight or forgotten than in the films that introduced the Marx Brothers, Wheeler and Woolsey and even the song and dance team of Fred and Ginger. The story-line surrounds two pals (Allan Jones and Robert Cummings) both in love with the same girl (Nancy Kelly), her dizzy, interfering horoscope reading aunt (Mary Boland) and the seemingly nasty obsessed singer (Peggy Moran) stalking Jones.

This starts off hysterically with Allan and Bob questioning couples on the street about having a happy marriage, then later an encounter between Cummings and Boland which leads to hi-jinks on a deluxe apartment elevator. Kathleen Howard has a hysterical cameo as a seemingly sour lady judge who takes a shine to defendant Jones, arrested for hitting a cop.

No matter how many variations I've heard of the "Who's on First" routine, this one is the best with the silent reactions of a sour looking cab driver, as well as Lou's slow burn in not understanding Bud. The two tens fie a five sketch gets even more laughs thanks to the interjection of William Frawley. A few decent songs add to the romantic atmosphere which remains light and fluffy throughout. Leo Carrillo adds more amusement as a hot tempered bull fighter.

Abbott & Costello's Screen Debut.

[AaronCapenBanner · 4/10 · 26 October 2013]

Abbott & Costello made their film debut in this otherwise forgettable and lightweight comedy as two "enforcers" for a nightclub owner(played by William Frawley) who has underwritten a "love insurance" policy to ensure that an engaged man(played by Robert Cummings) will marry his fiancée(played by Nancy Kelly) though his old girlfriend(played by Peggy Moran) tries to break it up, as does a disapproving aunt. Will true love prevail? Not that funny, though it is obvious why the team of Abbott & Costello took off; they provide the film's only bright spots, going on to star in many comedies for Universal Studios during the 1940's through the mid 1950's.

Love Insurance

[lugonian · 8/10 · 28 February 2001]

ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS (Universal, 1940), directed by A. Edward Sutherland, which began production under the title of "Caribbean Holiday," is a lively, but at times silly musical comedy starring Allan Jones as Jim "Lucky" Moore, an insurance salesman who comes up with the idea of selling his friend, Steve (Robert Cummings) a love insurance policy, because if his fiancée, Cynthia (Nancy Kelly) won't marry Steve, he stands to collect. Jim has Roscoe (William Frawley), a night club owner, finance the policy. However, complications occur when Lucky finds himself falling in love with Cynthia. Not wanting to pay off the policy, Roscoe hires his stooges, Abbott and Costello, to make sure Steve does marry Cynthia. Complications soon follow after boarding an ocean liner to San Marcos, South America.

In spite the fact that the story is centered mostly on Jones and Cummings, with Kelly and Peggy Moran as the girls in the picture, ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS is remembered, if at all, as the feature debut of comedy team Bud Abbott and Lou ("I'm a baaad boy!") Costello, in a rare case in which they act in the story using their own names. Bud and Lou introduce to the screen some of their most famous vaudeville routines, including the abbreviated version of "Who's on First." While Abbott and Costello are known for repeating many of their routines in other films and later TV shows, one in particular, the "Dollar a Day" routine, is presented here for the only time, and it's really funny. It focuses on the fired Costello demanding from Abbott his dollar a day pay of 365 days work, and Abbott making his deductions one at a time, thus, giving his partner the amount pay he's entitled to, which turns out to be only a buck. Aside from the merry mix-up plot and Abbott and Costello, there are songs composed by Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields and Oscar Hammerstein including "Remind Me," "Simple Philosophy," "Only You and Your Kiss," "I'm Crawling Back in My Shell," "Your Dream" and "The Parandola."

For years, ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS was presented on local TV which eliminated some 20 minutes worth of footage. In the shorter print, it would begin with its opening credits, then cutting immediately into a hotel room in which Robert Cummings is dictating a letter of apology. Apology for what I never knew. Now in the restored copy, available on video cassette (and DVD with slightly different opening and closing titles used from reissue prints), finds Cummings getting into an elevator and innocently encountering trouble with a woman (Mary Boland) who turns out to be the aunt of his fiancée. After meeting again, aunt insists niece not marry this man. Also in the missing footage was Jones' encounter with a man on the street followed by a fight and facing Judge McCracken (played by the uncredited Kathleen Howard) in hight court. With these scenes now restored, the story now makes sense.

Labeled a "B" musical, ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS resembles that of a 20th Century-Fox musical, minus Technicolor and Carmen Miranda. On and all, it's entertaining musically and comically. It made its American Movie Classics debut January 1, 2001, as part of the "WHO'S ON THE FIRST" Abbott and Costello New Year's Day marathon. For Abbott and Costello fans, this is worth viewing because they not only bring life to the story, but this is where the legend of Abbott and Costello began. A final bit of trivia. ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS is taken from the story, "Love Insurance," by Earl Derr Biggers, creator of the "Charlie Chan" mysteries. (***)

Bud & Lou are very funny in their film debut

[pmtelefon · 7/10 · 31 December 2018]

Bud & Lou are very funny in "One Night in the Tropics". They're not in as much of the movie as fans would like but their limited scenes are very funny. They do a great version of "Who's On First". The rest of the movie is pleasant enough. Robert Cummings is funny. The rest of the cast is fine. There are a few too many musical numbers. The only I like the one at the end. The rest are forgettable.

Aside from A&C, pretty awful

[Qanqor · 5/10 · 7 April 2012]

I just finished watching this movie, and then read the reviews. Pretty much to a one, they all talk mainly about Abbott and Costello. So I'm not going to say a word about them, other than to say that they were clearly the best part of the film.

Instead I want to focus on the rest of the film. It was pretty awful. It started out well enough, lighthearted and fun, with a promising, silly plot about love insurance. But after a while, the plot really got bogged down, and, frankly, off-putting.

The problem was, by the time we get deep into the movie, I found myself disliking pretty much all the characters and not really caring about what happens to them or wanting to see their story. At the beginning of the film, Steve and Cynthia seem like a great couple, truly and deeply in love, and the opposition of the obnoxious aunt only cements in the viewers mind that we want to see these two end up together. But instead, both of them turn out to be shallow and fickle, with Steve ending up with Mickie and Cynthia ending up with Lucky. Mickie was obnoxious and unlikeable from the start, so I couldn't feel happy seeing Steve end up with her. Cynthia treated Steve shamefully-- why on earth was she so offended by the insurance policy, when all it meant was that Steve loved her so much that he was willing to spend $100,000 to make sure their marriage didn't get derailed (a fear he had, by the way, because Cynthia had treated him so badly the night before)? Her love and trust proved so shallow that I ended up hating her.

And the worst part is, it all makes the ridiculous, contemptible Aunt end up vindicated and correct in the end!

So, the story gets drearier and drearier as the movie goes on (as do the songs, by the way), until by the end we just don't care about the characters or the outcome. There really is no emotional payoff *at all* when either couple ends up together. Yeah, I know this is just a silly musical comedy, not a great romance, but still. You shouldn't be left feeling like "what on earth do these people see in each other???"

So, for me, this mess rates about 2 stars. Abbott and Costello, in their minor roles, single-handedly bring it up to 5.

Two wonderful elements to be found in this movie ...

[labng · 6/10 · 29 January 2019]

The first thing to be pleased about is the the launching of the film careers of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Those gentlemen helped me happily pass many a Saturday afternoon prior to cable tv and a driver's license. The second is my introduction to the dreamy vocal stylings of Allan Jones. Either make this worth a watch.

Two Tens for a Five....

[simeon_flake · 7/10 · 11 September 2014]

I doubt anyone is watching "One Night in the Tropics" for Allan Jones and his singing. Maybe I'm wrong--but I doubt it. The obvious selling point to this feature is the on screen debut of burlesque and radio veterans Bud Abbott and Lou Costello--known for their legendary verbal banter and routines which still delight legions of fans to this day.

And "Tropics" gives us quite a few of the timeless routines A & C perfected--"Who's on First", "Mustard", "Two Tens for a Five", "Jonah and the Whale" and maybe my favorite of all of them, "Paid in Full" where poor Lou is expecting to get a year's worth of salary from Bud, but after some verbal finagling ends up with one dollar. Bud should have been working for the IRS.

Pretty Peggy Moran adds something to the proceedings as well--although this film is built around a lot of devices that would hamper many of the early A & C features; namely a lot of singing and dancing numbers and the ever popular romantic subplot.

But overall, "Tropics" is a pleasing entry in the A & C canon.

One Night in the Tropics review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 7 May 2020]

Abbott & Costello provide support to the leads in their film debut and steal every scene they're in. The story is silly, lightweight fluff in which Allan Jones falls for the fiancé of the friend to whom he's sold an insurance policy which will pay out $1 million if the wedding doesn't happen. The duo's famous 'who's on first' routine stands out amongst a number of comic skits.

One Night in the Tropics (1940) **1/2

[JoeKarlosi · 6/10 · 29 August 2006]

This was the first film to premiere Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, and they're dynamite in it, very vital and hungry in some of their sharpest routines. It's recommended viewing just to catch their young, fresh, fine-tuned antics as they go through several of their best gags (including an abbreviated version of "Who's On First?", "Jonah and the Whale", "Mustard", and other classics). However, the problem is that they're not the prominent stars of this show; the main story centers on the concept of "love insurance," as Allan Jones and Robert Cummings keep juggling a couple of women between them. One of the gals is feisty Peggy Moran from THE MUMMY'S HAND, who is very much fun to watch, though we can't help but wait to savor the infrequent Bud and Lou segments that are sprinkled about, and which are well worth waiting for. William Frawley (Fred Mertz of I LOVE LUCY) even plays one of their mentors during a comical skit concerning "Give Me Two Tens for a Five". For newbies who might be unfamiliar with the comedy hijinks of Abbott and Costello, I'd unethically break my own golden rule for movies and suggest forwarding ahead to the A&C routines; if you find you don't care for the comical duo here, then it's hard to imagine your liking them anywhere else. They've seldom been this strong. **1/2 out of ****

Old-hat script, dreary direction, hapless acting from Robert Cummings!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 17 June 2016]

Based on a 1914 novel, "Love Insurance", by Earl Derr Biggers, Abbott and Costello's first film proved to be a box office loser. That's right! On original release, it lost money, but re-issues put it firmly in the black. One reason it lost money was that it was filmed on a large budget by a director, A. Edward Sutherland, who really didn't know what he was doing, so he proceeded on what I'd call the hit or miss system. You shoot the scene one way, one day, and then next day you look at the rushes and you realize it's not right. So then you re-shoot the scene. Maybe the original angle didn't help or maybe the actors should interpret their lines differently. So you re-do the take and then you look at the rushes yet again. This system can't go on indefinitely, because sooner or later, the producer is going to lose patience and call a halt. Fortunately for Sutherland, the producer here is a writer, Leonard Spigelgass, a neophyte with just one writing credit behind him (and needless to say, after this debacle, Spigelgass was never employed as a producer again). "One Night in the Tropics" was primarily a vehicle for Alan Jones, Nancy Kelly and Robert Cummings. When I last saw the film on TV, it was missing its opening nightclub scene with these three principals, but it was still rather dreary viewing. Abbott and Costello's next film, "Buck Privates" (1941), was the film in which A&C actually began their top-billing line-up of movies.

Abbot & Costello's legacy begins here

[patrickfilbeck · 7/10 · 4 January 2022]

This first of the numerous Abbot & Costello films is actually one in which they only play supporting roles. It can certainly be said that these supporting roles are the bearers of the humorous moment of this film. But also in and of itself this crazy little romantic comedy is very nice to watch, with good songs and a good dose of charm. The conversations are clever, the acting is appropriate, and the direction is simple and skillful. All in all, not a masterpiece, but a really nice film that you can simply enjoy without any annoyance. A good start and the beginning of a great comedic legacy.

Too much singing and not enough Abbott and Costello

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 11 August 2009]

Wow. I could certainly see why this film has been relatively obscure as well as why it made Abbott and Costello stars.

When I was a kid, I watched Abbott and Costello films almost every Saturday and I can't ever recall them showing ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS. Well, it's obvious that this was because the comedy team were only on hand for comic relief--as most of the film concerned Allen Jones and Bob Cummings in a relatively insipid plot about girlfriends and a super-annoying aunt (who needed a good sock on the nose). To make things worse, Jones kept singing...and singing. And, to make matters even worse, other folks started singing as well!! Now I know that the early films of Abbott and Costello (such as BUCK PRIVATES and IN THE NAVY) had a lot of singing--but not THIS much. It really served to make the film dull and hard to care about very much. I could really see how audiences at the time felt--they just kept hoping everyone would shut up or go away and let the duo do their comedy routines.

As for Abbott and Costello, they really weren't integrated into the film very well and I wonder if perhaps their addition was something that happened late in the production. They didn't so much play characters but just walked in and out of the picture doing their familiar comedy routines, such as "Who's on First" (at least an abbreviated version) as well as a rather flat mustard scene and a few other bits involving money (which were pretty good). Overall, the team looked good and fresh--the rest of the film didn't.

This is a movie for Abbott and Costello purists and the curious. However, if you are not yet a fan of the team, try some other film--it probably won't convert you into a fan as there just isn't enough of them.

Debut Abbott and Costello Leaves You Craving More!

[cyran1031 · 9/10 · 14 July 2005]

Let me explain. This is the first film in which (what I consider to be) the greatest comedy team of all time appear. They are not the leads, but steal the show with every scene that they're in. The plot of the movie is interesting enough to hold one's attention. An insurance salesman sells his friend "Love Insurance" which insures his marriage to his fiancée. When Lucky (the salesman) falls in love with Steve's (his friend) fiancée, things get complicated. Throw in Steve's second love interest, a crooked nightclub owner and his two thugs (Bud and Lou), and a larger than life Aunt and you have yourself a twisted (but funny!) little feature. Each time Bud and Lou show up they give off a radiance and freshness that is truly a joy to watch. The gags include two tens for a five, mustard, Jonah and the Whale, an abbreviated "Who's on First?", and Lou's cut in pay. The last bit I mentioned is extremely funny and I'm not sure if it appears in any of their other films so watch for it! The rest of the cast is pretty decent and the music doesn't really help or hurt the film. It's a great way to introduce someone to the team. Recommended for A&C fans, fans of classic comedy and films, or simply someone who wants to smile a little! Just warning you though, this film will leave you craving more Bud and Lou, so have another of their films at hand. Enjoy!!

A&C's first screen appearance

[bensonmum2 · 5/10 · 18 September 2017]

Like a lot of 1930s-era romantic comedies, One Night in the Tropics has a central plot gimmick it employs in an attempt to differentiate it from the plethora of similar fare. Here, the plot device is something called "love insurance". In this case, Steve Harper (Robert Cummings) buys a policy from Jim "Lucky" Moore (Allan Jones) to insure he will marry Cynthia (Nancy Kelly) or collect on the policy. Problem is that Steve is really in love with another woman, Mickey Fitzgerald (Peggy Moran), and Cynthia falls for Lucky shortly after meeting him. That's the basic set-up - so let the comedy begin!

One Night in the Tropics will forever be remembered as Abbott and Costello's introduction to American movie screens. They've got a few funny bits (I particularly like the $1 a Day gag), but they aren't the central figures in the film Instead, A&C play second fiddle to the rather predictable melodrama I've briefly described above. It's all harmless enough entertainment, but it's really not that clever and never funny enough on its own to be much more than mediocre. No real attempt is made to incorporate A&C into the script. Their routines, regardless of how good they might be, never fit into the rest of the movie. It's 15 minutes of movie followed by 5 minutes of A&C. This pattern is repeated throughout. Another real negative for me is the singing. One song by Allan Jones is one song too many. And he has something like four or five numbers in the film. I couldn't have taken much more.

To summarize, One Night in the Tropics is harmless enough, but not great. A&C have some funny bits, but it's not an A&C movie. And, though I'm sure he has a good voice, Allan Jones sings far too much for my liking. I'll give this one a very average 5/10.

First A&C film

[www1125 · 3/10 · 3 April 2011]

It's certainly not one of Abbott and Costello's best films. But it's their first, and that makes it worth seeing and owning. It is an entertaining film, but Abbott and Costello are the main reason to see it, despite not being the main characters. They steal every scene they're in, and perform the best versions of some of their routines. This film contains my favorite versions of "JONAH AND THE WHALE" & "MUSTARD". It also contains a fun segment in which Abbott deducts Costello's pay by docking him for holidays, lunch hours, etc. Anyway, fun film, and totally worth seeing, especially if you're an A&C fan. Anyway, be sure to check this one out. It's a fun film!

The First "Who's on First" Skit

[lawprof · 8/10 · 31 March 2004]

"One Night in the Tropics" is the film debut of the great comedy team, Abbott and Costello. The story line is 1940s amusing: a rich guy is engaged to a beautiful woman but he's loudly and publicly pursued by another gorgeous gal who declares he'll be her husband - or else. The fellow's best friend winds up in love with his pal's fiancee. Guess who that fellow winds up with.

Throw in a silly plot about a newly hatched business scheme, a policy for "Love Insurance" and we're back in a simpler time for romantic comedy.

Very conventional stuff with scenes set in the tropics as not very well realized by the backlot crew.

What makes this film fun is Abbott and Costello who largely steal the show as employees of a less than scrupulous businessman (of sorts). This is the movie that introduced the most famous, probably, A & B skit, "Who's on First?" Terrific! But there's also a very funny dialogue about the properties of mustard and its crucial relationship to the enjoyment of a hot dog. These guys are still among the funniest ever in movies.

Jerome Kern composed the music and songs for "One Night in the Tropics." It's not his finest or most memorable work but ANYTHING by Kern is infinitely better than what most Hollywood film score composers and songwriters were doing in those days.

Earl Derr Biggers, creator of Charlie Chan, wrote the book on which the film is based. Many will be surprised to see this side of him. No murders, no brilliant detectives-just a bunch of fun characters lighting up the screen.

8/10.