Dance with Me, Henry [Blu-ray]

Director: Charles Barton Charles Barton

Overview

Dance With Me, Henry was the screen swan song for the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Most of the action takes place in Kiddieland, an amusement park owned by soft-hearted Lou Henry (Costello). An inveterate collector of strays, Lou has adopted orphaned kids Shelley (Gigi Perreau) and Duffer (Rusty Hamer), and has also provided a safe harbor for chronic gambler Bud Flick (Abbott). Bud's enormous gambling debts bring Lou under the scrutiny of gangster Big Frank (Ted De Corsia), who in turn is being monitored by DA Proctor (Robert Shayne). When Proctor is murdered, Lou finds himself the number one suspect. The film concludes with a riotous chase through the carnival grounds, with Bud and Lou just a few steps ahead of the bad guys. Both Abbott and Costello seem tired and worn out in Dance With Me, Henry, but a few bright moments manage to seep through the malaise of moldy old jokes and half-hearted sight gags.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/21/2015
UPC:	0887090089005
Original Release:	1956
Rating:	NR
Source:	Olive
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:20:00
Sales rank:	18,729

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Bud Abbott	Bud Flick
Lou Costello	Lou Henry
Rusty Hamer	Duffer
Gigi Perreau	Shelley
Mary Wickes	Miss Mayberry
Ted de Corsia	Big Frank
Ron Hargrave	Ernie
Sherry Alberoni	Bootsie
Frank Wilcox	Father Mullahy
Richard Reeves	Mushie
Paul Sorenson	Dutch
Robert Shayne	Proctor
John Cliff	Knucks
Phil Garris	Mickey
Philip Garris	Mickey
Walter Reed	Drake
Eddie Marr	Garvey
David McMahon	Savoldi
Gil Rankin	McKay,McKay
Rod Williams	Porter
Paul Sorensen	Dutch
Robert Bice	Policeman
Jess Kirkpatrick	Policeman

Technical Credits

Devery Freeman

Charles Barton	Director
Bob Goldstein	Producer
Devery Freeman	Screenwriter
Verna Fields	Sound Effects
Earl Snyder	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Dance With Me, Henry is a fascinating artifact from the tail-end of Abbott and Costello's history. It has the ex-burlesque comics interacting with gangsters, child-welfare officials (part of the plot concerns the Costello character's serving as a foster parent for orphaned children, stray animals, etc.), and rock & roll in its early, formative stages, hence the movie's title. Parts of it are funny, and there's intrinsic humor to Costello's work when he's not being overly maudlin, but there's also a lot of sappy sentimentality here that dampens matters. Costello sincerely tries hard to make those scenes work though; he was an underrated dramatic actor, and he not only had a natural love for kids, but probably a serious emotional weak spot for them, owing to the tragic death of his first son. He's also very funny in a scene in which the cops try to sweat a confession out of him, and his behavior instead gets the detectives to crack, one by one. Abbott is the weak link comedically; once one of the top straight men in the business, his timing is shot here, and Costello is driving the act when they're together, which is another reason why this movie is so offbeat and off-putting to most longtime fans. Ironically, as his comic timing vanished, Abbott's ability to handle dramatic dialogue was enhanced, as we see in some of the serious scenes in this movie. As for the movie's connection to rock & roll, it's peripheral at best but occasionally funny, as in the opening ten minutes with a slapstick bit involving Costello and his co-star Ron Hargrave, later a minor rockabilly performer. Composer Paul Dunlap turns in an unusually lighthearted score in which he reworks the verses of the R&B standard "Dance With Me, Henry," itself a sanitized version of "Work With Me, Annie." The supporting cast includes veteran tough guys Ted De Corsia, Richard Reeves, et al, bright young players Rusty Hamer and Gigi Perreau, and '30s Broadway hands Robert Shayne and Frank Wilcox.

All Movie Guide - Bruce Eder