Abbott and Costello in Jack and the Beanstalk (1952) starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Buddy Baer
Jack and the Beanstalk is one of the only two films that Abbott and Costello made in color. It is a children’s movie that adults can enjoy as well. The beginning and ending of the movie are filmed in black and white, with Bud and Lou playing their typical characters. Bud Abbott bosses around and takes advantage of Lou Costello. Although that changes slightly at the end of the movie. Bud having Lou work as a babysitter for an obnoxious child, who hits Lou on the head and launches the main part of the movie. Lou dreams in color of the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.
In his dream, Lou Costello is Jack, who foolishly trades the family cow to the greedy town butcher, Mr. Dinklepuss (Bud Abbott) for a few worthless beans. True to the story, the beans grow into a magic beanstalk overnight. This allows Lou to climb the beanstalk to rescue the Princess and Prince (typical “star-crossed” romance that slows the plot down slightly) from the evil Giant (by the same actor who earlier was the large beat cop that intimidated Lou in the “waking” world, Buddy Baer).
As you would expect, all ends happily ever after. The movie, although definitely a children’s movie, is entertaining Abbott and Costello in its’ own right at well. There are several funny scenes, good verbal jousting between Jack and Mr. Dinklepuss. Recommended, especially if you have children. My five-year-old son was frightened of the scenes with the giant. But now that he’s 7, he likes the film without reservation.
Editorial review of Abbott and Costello in Jack and the Beanstalk (1952), courtesy of Amazon.com
Starring Bud Abbott Lou Costello and Buddy Baer Jack and the Beanstalk features Lou as Jack and Bud as Dinklepuss. The boys are sent by an employment agency to baby-sit an obnoxious kid little sister. Jack falls asleep reading Jack and the Beanstalk and dreams himself and his friends into the fairy tale ala The Wizard of Oz. The magical story world is transformed from black and white to color.Jack and the beanstalk is a faithfully rendered version of the fable lovingly re-transferred to capture all of the high definition of the original 35 mm film. Features the song I Fear Nothing and captures all the comic genius of Abbott & Costello at their best.System Requirements: Running Time: 78 minutes
Funny movie quotes from Abbott and Costello in Jack and the Beanstalk
Villager: [the two women watch as Jack climbs the beanstalk, then the villager turns to the tearful mother] Don’t worry, Mrs Strong. He won’t be back.
[first lines]
Donald: Come in. Oh, it’s you. I’m sorry Arthur, I thought it was the babysitter.
Arthur: Just what do you have against babysitters?
Jack (Lou Costello): Mother, look, the beanstalk!
Jack (Lou Costello): [singing] I fear nothing when I am in the right / Whoever pushes me around will find me full of fight.
Arthur: [singing] Darlene a song for darling, Darlene.
Jack (Lou Costello): [about the Princess] We gotta save her.
Mr. Dinkelpuss (Bud Abbott): You’re right.
Jack (Lou Costello): There’s the castle. Let’s go.
Mr. Dinkelpuss (Bud Abbott): Come on. What am I doing? Go ahead.
[repeated line]
The Giant: Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.
The Giant: You numbskull! I can’t eat, you ruined my appetite.
Jack (Lou Costello): Oh Mr. Giant, you should eat something.
The Giant: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jack (Lou Costello): No, no,
The Giant: Oh yeah.
Jack (Lou Costello): Oh no, no. Mr. Dinkelpuss! Mr. Dinkelpuss!
Jack (Lou Costello): [to Receptionist] I like girls like you, eyes of blue and five feet two.
[repeated line]
Jack (Lou Costello): Mr. Dinkelpuss!
Chorus: [singing] Jack and the beanstalk we’ll always remember when / He chased up the stalk and killed a giant in his den.
Mr. Dinkelpuss: I managed this boy.
[last lines]
Jack Strong (Lou Costello): [singing] I fear nothing when I do nothing wrong / And so I toddle on my way and sing a merry song.
Songs
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- Written by Lester Lee and Bob Russell
- Sung over the opening credits
- Sung again by Lou Costello, Barbara Brown, and the Villagers while he is climbing the beanstalk
- Danced by Johnny Conrad and The Johnny Conrad Dancers (four women)
- Sung in the finale by Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Barbara Brown, James Alexander, Shaye Cogan, and the Villagers
- Danced by Johnny Conrad and The Johnny Conrad Dancers
- I Fear Nothing
- Written by Lester Lee and Bob Russell
- Sung by Lou Costello in a scene with Buddy Baer with animal voices provided by Mel Blanc
- Darlene
- Written by Lester Lee and Bob Russell
- Sung by James Alexander to Shaye Cogan
- Dreamer’s Cloth
- Written by Lester Lee and Bob Russell
- Sung by James Alexander and Shaye Cogan
- Comic dance by Lou Costello and Dorothy Ford
- He Never Looked Better In His Life
- Written by Lester Lee and Bob Russell
- Sung by the Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, James Alexander, Shaye Cogan, and Villagers
- Danced by Johnny Conrad and The Johnny Conrad Dancers
Cast of characters
- Bud Abbott … Mr. Dinkel / Mr. Dinkelpuss (as Abbott)
- Lou Costello … Jack / Jack Strong (as Costello)
- Buddy Baer (Africa Screams; Quo Vadis) … Police Sgt. Riley / The Giant
- Dorothy Ford (Love Laughs at Andy Hardy) … Receptionist / Polly
- Barbara Brown (You Were Never Lovelier) … Mrs. Strong
- David Stollery (The Adventures of Spin and Marty) … Donald Larkin
- William Farnum (The Mummy’s Curse; Captain Kidd ) … The King
- Johnny Conrad … Dancer
- Shaye Cogan (Comin’ Round the Mountain) … Eloise Larkin / Princess Eloise (Darlene)
- James Alexander … Arthur / Prince Arthur
Additional Cast
- Bobby Barber … Man Running Down Street (uncredited)
- Mel Blanc (Looney Tunes; Neptune’s Daughter) … Farm Animals (voice) (uncredited)
- Claire Du Brey (Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff) … Villager (uncredited)
- Joe Kirk (Buck Privates Come Home) … Villager (uncredited)
- Hank Mann (Abbott and Costello meet the Keystone Kops) … Villager (uncredited)
- Jack Perry … Villager (uncredited)
- Almira Sessions (Sullivan’s Travels; Blondie for Victory) … Mrs. Mergatroyd (uncredited)
- Jack Shea (Zombies of the Stratosphere) … Villager (uncredited)
- Arthur Shields (The Quiet Man; Daughter of Dr. Jekyll) … Patrick the Harp (uncredited)
Trivia for Abbott and Costello in Jack and the Beanstalk
- This is the first of only two color movies that Bud Abbott and Lou Costello made. The other is Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd. It begins in sepiatone and then changes to color.
- Bud Abbott and Lou Costello made an independent, two-picture deal. They agreed that this was to be “Lou’s film” and the next to be Bud’s. They retained individual ownership of the respective films.
- Early in the movie, when Jack (Lou Costello) first meets the employment agency’s receptionist (Dorothy Ford), he tells her: “I like girls like you, eyes of blue and five feet two”. This refers to the refrain of the song, Has Anybody Seen My Gal?. It’s only after she rises from her chair that he realizes he’s wrong. He’s dwarfed by Dorothy Ford’s 6″ 2″ (1.88 m) full height.
- The babysitting scene was written by Lou Costello’s brother Pat, who, got the idea while reading to his four-year-old daughter.
- William Farnum’s last movie.