DANCE WITH ME HENRY (DVD/ABBOTT & COST/FF-1.33/1956/ENG-FR-SP SUB) DVD

Dance with Me, Henry
Dance With Me, Henry was the screen swan song for the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Most of the action takes place in Kiddieland, an amusement park owned by soft-hearted Lou Henry (Costello). An inveterate collector of strays, Lou has adopted orphaned kids Shelley (Gigi Perreau) and Duffer (Rusty Hamer), and has also provided a safe harbor for chronic gambler Bud Flick (Abbott). Bud's enormous gambling debts bring Lou under the scrutiny of gangster Big Frank (Ted De Corsia), who in turn is being monitored by DA Proctor (Robert Shayne). When Proctor is murdered, Lou finds himself the number one suspect. The film concludes with a riotous chase through the carnival grounds, with Bud and Lou just a few steps ahead of the bad guys. Both Abbott and Costello seem tired and worn out in Dance With Me, Henry, but a few bright moments manage to seep through the malaise of moldy old jokes and half-hearted sight gags. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Lou Costello as Lou Henry Bud Abbott as Bud Flick Rusty Hamer as Duffer Mary Wickes as Miss Mayberly Ted de Corsia as Big Frank Ron Hargrave as Ernie Sherry Alberoni as Bootsie Frank Wilcox as Father Mullahy Richard Reeves as Mushie Paul Sorenson as Dutch Robert Shayne as Proctor John Cliff as Knucks Phil Garris as Mickey Walter Reed as Drake Eddie Marr as Garvey David McMahon as Savoldi Gil Rankin as McKay Rod Williams as Porter

Crew Charles Barton - Director Robert Golden - Editor Paul Dunlap - Composer (Music Score) George Robinson - Cinematographer Bob Goldstein - Producer Leslie Kardos - Screen Story William Kozlenko - Screen Story Devery Freeman - Screenwriter

Dance with Me, Henry
Dance With Me, Henry is a fascinating artifact from the tail-end of Abbott and Costello's history. It has the ex-burlesque comics interacting with gangsters, child-welfare officials (part of the plot concerns the Costello character's serving as a foster parent for orphaned children, stray animals, etc.), and ock & roll in its early, formative stages, hence the movie's title. Parts of it are funny, and there's intrinsic humor to Costello's work when he's not being overly maudlin, but there's also a lot of sappy sentimentality here that dampens matters. Costello sincerely tries hard to make those scenes work though; he was an underrated dramatic actor, and he not only had a natural love for kids, but probably a serious emotional weak spot for them, owing to the tragic death of his first son. He's also very funny in a scene in which the cops try to sweat a confession out of him, and his behavior instead gets the detectives to crack, one by one. Abbott is the weak link comedically; once one of the top straight men in the business, his timing is shot here, and Costello is driving the act when they're together, which is another reason why this movie is so offbeat and off-putting to most longtime fans. Ironically, as his comic timing vanished, Abbott's ability to handle dramatic dialogue was enhanced, as we see in some of the serious scenes in this movie. As for the movie's connection to ock & roll, it's peripheral at best but occasionally funny, as in the opening ten minutes with a slapstick bit involving Costello and his co-star Ron Hargrave, later a minor ockabilly performer. Composer Paul Dunlap turns in an unusually lighthearted score in which he reworks the verses of the R&B standard "Dance With Me, Henry," itself a sanitized version of "Work With Me, Annie." The supporting cast includes veteran tough guys Ted De Corsia, Richard Reeves, et al, bright young players Rusty Hamer and Gigi Perreau, and '30s Broadway hands Robert Shayne and Frank Wilcox. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: none specified DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 80 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Main Title/Runaway [4:49] 2. Hideaway [5:42] 3. One Big Happy Family [6:13] 4. Miss Mayberry Visits [6:12] 5. Threatening Thugs [6:18] 6. Kiddyland Chaos [9:48] 7. Murder Investigation [4:33] 8. Fine Dining [3:27] 9. Money Matters [2:30] 10. Star Witness [2:35] 11. Set Free [1:56] 12. Big Frank's Place [7:21] 13. Bluffing [3:54] 14. Popular Record [9:12] 15. Case Closed [2:17] 16. Party/End Credits [3:09]