From the Abbott and Costello Show episode, Alaska, we get the classic “a loan in the bank” routine, where Bud Abbot wants Lou Costello to get “a loan”, but Lou misinterprets it as “alone”. And then, since the point of the loan is to get money to go to Alaska and get some sled dogs, there’s a second misunderstanding about “mush”.
Lou: Now look, Abbott, what’s with this bank?
Bud: I want to take you down to the bank so I can get you a loan.
Lou: You want to get me alone?
Bud: I want to get you a loan in the bank!
Lou: What do you want to get me alone in the bank for? You got me …. Over in the roomer house, you got me alone. You got me alone on the street here. Now you want to get me alone in the bank. I don’t understand it.
Bud: Lou, I’ve got to get …
Lou: I like other people around me, Abbott.
Mush?
Bud: Wait a minute. But I’ve got to get you a loan. We need the money. Don’t you understand? We’ll get this money, and then when we get to Alaska, we’ll hire some dogs and a dog sled, and then we’ll start to mush.
Lou: Sure. [pause] Let me have that again.
Bud: I say, we’ll start to mush.Lou: I don’t need no dog sled to do any mushing. I do all my mushing in the car.
Bud: You can’t mush in a car!
Lou: I do all my mushing in the car.
Bud: You got to have dogs and a dog sled to do mushing! How can you do mushing in a car? Now, come on. Let’s go down to the bank.