Honeymoon House – The Abbott and Costello Show season 2 – originally aired April 3, 1954
In Honeymoon House, with the aid of Bud and Mr. Fields, Lou constructs a prefabricated house for his fiancée, Sally. But the new construction is sabotaged by Sally’s former boyfriend. When Sally’s parents arrive to inspect the dwelling, it’s a disaster!
Act I – Honeymoon House
Honeymoon House begins with the lovesick Lou Costello making coffee for Bud Abbott. Or at least, trying to make coffee. He’s lovesick over Sally Davis, and she’s all he can think about.
In a funny bit, Bud tries to help Lou practice proposing to Sally — with Bud acting as Sally! Then, he acts as Sally’s grumpy father, so Lou can practice asking her father for permission to marry Sally. How’s it turn out? Better than Lou’s coffee!
At Sally’s house, Lou is “helping” Sally do the dishes — and breaking the cups and saucers. And Lou’s trying to demonstrate his cooking skills as well. And in a good bit of clown humor, the chicken isn’t cooked yet! In fact, it’s alive and well in the roasting pan in the oven!
At the engagement party that evening, Sally’s mother has a debilitating case of hiccups. And Sid Fields, Bud, and Lou have various cures for Sally’s mother’s hiccups. Despite nearly knocking Mrs. Davis out cold, Lou’s cure actually works! Until he toasts his dog (where he got the cure from) — and everyone gets the hiccups!
Act II – Honeymoon House
Sally’s ex-boyfriend and his pal change the numbers on Lou’s prefabricated house — the “honeymoon house” of the title. So, it’ll be a disaster when they assemble the parts! Sid Fields and Bud Abbott have helped Lou Costello assemble the house. But it’s too dark to see the outside of the zigzag house …
The floor’s uneven, and the piano keeps running into Lou.
Of course, Sally and her parents arrive to look at the new house. It’s a series of quick slapstick issues. The door falls off when Lou opens it, the doorbell “chime” is a boat foghorn, Mrs. Davis falls from the closet into the mud, the light switches are mixed up, the sliding doors are missing parts (slapstick for Lou and Sid), Mr. Davis falls through a paper-thin wall, , later he falls through the floor into the basement, the piano rolls out a wall — and hits the Davis’ car!
Cast of characters
- Bud Abbott … Bud Abbott
- Lou Costello … Lou Costello
- Karen Sharpe (The Disorderly Orderly) … Sally Davis
- Renie Riano (Pajama Party) … Helen Davis
- Sid Fields (Mexican Hayride) … Sid Fields
- George Chandler (Roxie Hart) … Henry Davis
- Danny Morton (The Crimson Canary) … Corky Kane
- Tommy Farrell (At War with the Army) …Steve Becker
Trivia
- Clearly inspired by Buster Keaton‘s classic silent classic, “One Week“