Safari – The Abbott and Costello Show season 1
Safari – Bingo is sick in bed with a 172 degree temperature. Lou figures that he misses his family, so the entire gang heads to the Belgian Congo to find Bingo’s father. Lou tangles with a real gorilla, thinking it’s Bud in a monkey suit.
Safari – Act I
With Bingo being sick, Lou brings the entire group to the Belgian Congo, to look for Bingo’s father? How do they afford this? Nobody knows. Why does Mike the Cop, Mr. Bacciagalupe, etc. tag along? Solely for the comedy of it, of course.
Bud sends Lou inside the tent to wash up. And Lou unintentionally tosses the water into Mr. Bacciagalupe’s face. Then, Lou accidentally shoots Mike in the rear with a gun! Next, Lou gets lost in the jungle, and …. Runs into someone selling newspapers! Then, he hears someone fallen into a pit, and Lou rescues … Bingo’s father! Then, there’s what I call a Snuffleupagus moment, when Lou sees the gorilla, and gets increasingly frightened, while Bud and Hillary don’t see anything.
Safari – Act II
Everyone in the camp thinks Lou is a coward. So Bud has a plan. He’ll dress up in a gorilla costume, and Lou can “bravely” stand up to him in front of everyone. Except, of course, while Bud’s putting on he costume, the real gorilla comes by, and Bud faints! Not knowing better, Lou stands up to the real gorilla, putting it in a cage. And going inside it with him!
Bud wrongly thinks his friend Lou has been killed, and he’s very regretful and sorrowful. He’s openly crying, and repentant over how he’s treated his best friend.Lou watches, and joins “Buddy Abbott” in weeping over his own “death”. Finally, Lou tells Bud that he’s alright. At which point Bud first checks that he’s okay. Not a mirage? No broken bones? And then he hits him! How dare Lou get him all worked up?
Comedy highlights
- Lou getting progressively more frightened of the gorilla, as Bud and Hillary are oblivious.
Jokes
Lou Costello: What are you doing all the way out here in the jungle, selling the Los Angeles Gazette?
Bobby: Can I help it if they gave me a lousy corner?
Lou Costello: Single handed, I was surrounded by ten thousand Indians …
Bud Abbott: Wait a minute. How many?
Lou Costello: A thousand Indians. And I surrounded them …
Bud Abbott: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. How many?
Lou Costello: There was 500 savage Indians, and they made a circle.
Bud Abbott: Wait a minute.
Lou Costello: I was in the middle, so I had them surrounded, and no matter which …
Bud Abbott: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. How many?
Lou Costello: There was 25 Indians in the jungle, and I’m telling you I had them surrounded. I was ready to let them have it.
Bud Abbott: How many?
Lou Costello: So I walked up to the old squaw and I bought a blanket.
Cast of characters
- Bud Abbott (The Time of their Lives) … Bud Abbott
- Lou Costello (Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein) … Lou Costello
- Hillary Brooke (The Woman in Green) … Hillary Brooke
- Gordon Jones (The Green Hornet, McLintock!) … Mike Kelly
- Sid Fields … Sid Fields
- Joe Kirk (Little Giant) … Mr. Bacciagalupe
- George Barrows (Robot Monster, Mesa of Lost Women) … Bingo’s Father (unconfirmed)
- Bobby Barber … Newspaper Vendor / Prop Man
- Bingo the Chimp … Bingo the Chimp
Trivia
- Story by Sid Fields.
- Final appearance of Bingo the Chimp, who was fired after biting Lou Costello. Although referred to as a boy, Bingo was female.
- Clearly a shout-out to Africa Screams