Abbott & Costello host a mock Inaugural Ball for new President Eisenhower, including a hilarious recital by Victor Borge sending up outgoing President Truman. Gisele McKenzie sings.
Colgate Comedy Hour – 1/11/53 – Victor Borge, Gisele MacKenzie, Allan Jones, The Four Pipers
Routines
- Cotton in the ears (Lou thinks Washington D.C. is too noisy, so Bud puts cotton in his ears. And now he can’t hear Abbott! So Bud takes it out, puts it in his own ears to demonstrate, and he can’t hear Costello!)
- Comedy routine with a stubborn mule — that keeps trying to eat Lou’s coat! Pushing/pulling the mule, which results in both Bud and Lou being sat on by the mule at different points.
- Lou Costello’s recipe for spaghetti (“Eat it? You can’t get near it!”)
- Stop the Music routine. Hotel manager repeatedly stops the Mexican band from playing in his lobby, slapping Lou Costello around each time! Which Bud Abbott promises to stop, but each time misses that it’s going on.
- Victor Borge does a funny piano routine
- Grace Hartman gives Lou “quick” dance lessons for the inaugural ball. Each “lesson” lasting roughly 2 musical notes! An extended routine that’s very funny, with multiple clownish bits.
- Lou doing the Mirror routine during the dance – he pretends to have an ice bucket stuck on his head, looks into the full length mirror, eventually pulls it off — but his “reflection” is still struggling with it! Later, his “reflection” comes out and starts dancing with Grace!
- Grace later does a “strip tease” (not what you think) to reveal that she & Lou are wearing matching underwear!
- At the inaugural ball, Lou accidentally is the catalyst for a fight! A very acrobatic fight!
- And at the end, after Lou’s allegedly destroyed Harry Truman’s favorite piano — Truman does a cameo, picking up some of the pieces!
Songs
- Gisele MacKenzie sings “Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes“
- Alan Jones sings “The Song in the Air“
Cast
- Bud Abbott … Self – Host
- Lou Costello … Self – Host
- Victor Borge … Self
- Allan Jones … Self – Singer
- Gisele MacKenzie … Self
- Grace Hartman … Self – Dancer
- The Four Pipers … Themselves
Additional cast
- Bobby Barber … Self – Comic Actor
- Sid Fields … Self – Comic Actor
- Al Goodman … Self – Orchestra Leader
- The Hollywood Stunt Group … Themselves
- Harry Lang … Self – Comic Actor
- Sylvia Lewis (Bedlam in Paradise) … Self – Dancer
- R.J. Otis and Abner … Themselves
- Hal Sawyer … Self – Announcer
- Peggy Gordon … Self – Dancer(uncredited)
- Jan Hollar … Self – Dancer(uncredited)
- Betty Scott … Self – Dancer(uncredited)