Given the venue of frozen lakes and slippery slopes. Abbott and Costello go in for more than their usual amount of pratfalls and slapstick in "Hit the Ice". That's only to be expected, with Lou taking more than his share of bumps, especially in the ice skating scene. He was obviously stunted for some of the actual skating, but he was right there giving it his best in some of those sequences where he actually did hit the ice. You have to give him credit for getting up and coming back for more.
As far as villains go, this picture hit a trifecta with Sheldon Leonard, Joe Sawyer and Marc Lawrence all on board; each one had appeared at least once in another A&C film. But they're not very effective bad guys if the boys can effectively put one over on them, which is exactly the case by the time the movie winds down. As usual, most of the fun involves Lou's character Tubby, as in the pack/unpack routine and the piano bit to impress lounge singer Marcia (Ginny Simms). I read where a number of viewers frown on the song numbers plopped into these stories but I don't mind them too much. This one had it's share, and I can agree on the fact that they're mostly time fillers.
I didn't think this picture was a particularly strong entry in the A&C canon but you can still have some fun with it. Seen through an adult's eyes it appears to be more suited for the younger set who would get a kick out of Lou's double takes and sight gags. along with the other stuff I mentioned earlier. This would be a good one to watch in the winter when it's snowing outside, and you can settle back without worrying about the weather. Have a glass of brandy ready too.
As far as villains go, this picture hit a trifecta with Sheldon Leonard, Joe Sawyer and Marc Lawrence all on board; each one had appeared at least once in another A&C film. But they're not very effective bad guys if the boys can effectively put one over on them, which is exactly the case by the time the movie winds down. As usual, most of the fun involves Lou's character Tubby, as in the pack/unpack routine and the piano bit to impress lounge singer Marcia (Ginny Simms). I read where a number of viewers frown on the song numbers plopped into these stories but I don't mind them too much. This one had it's share, and I can agree on the fact that they're mostly time fillers.
I didn't think this picture was a particularly strong entry in the A&C canon but you can still have some fun with it. Seen through an adult's eyes it appears to be more suited for the younger set who would get a kick out of Lou's double takes and sight gags. along with the other stuff I mentioned earlier. This would be a good one to watch in the winter when it's snowing outside, and you can settle back without worrying about the weather. Have a glass of brandy ready too.