Little Giant

For other uses, see Little Giant (disambiguation).
Little Giant

Theatrical release poster
Directed by William A. Seiter
Produced by Joe Gershenson
Written by Walter DeLeon
Paul Jarrico
Richard Collins
Starring Bud Abbott
Lou Costello
Brenda Joyce
Jacqueline deWit
Margaret Dumont
Music by Edgar Fairchild
Edited by Fred R. Feitshans, Jr.
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • February 22, 1946 (1946-02-22)
Running time
 91 min.
Language English
Budget $775,000[1]

Little Giant is a 1946 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello.

Plot

A naive country boy named Benny Miller (Lou Costello), from Cucamonga, California, has been taking correspondence phonograph lessons in salesmanship. Upon completion of the course, he leaves his mother (Mary Gordon) and his girlfriend Martha (Elena Verdugo) to pursue a career in Los Angeles. He arranges a meeting with his Uncle Clarence (George Cleveland), a bookkeeper with the Hercules Vacuum Cleaner Company. When he arrives to ask for a job, the sales manager, John Morrison (Bud Abbott), mistakes him for one of the auditioning fashion models and has him remove his clothing. Morrison's secret wife, Hazel Temple (Jacqueline deWit), discovers the mistake and suggests that Benny be hired to avoid an accounting scandal, as they have been "cooking the books". Unfortunately, Benny is fired from his salesman post after only one day. Clarence transfers Benny to the company's Stockton branch, which is run by Morrison's cousin, Tom Chandler (also played by Bud Abbott).

Benny's misfortunes continue, including a prank played on him by his new coworkers when they convince him that he can read minds. However, the prank gives Benny sufficient confidence to become Hercules' 'Salesman of the Year'. He is sent back to the Los Angeles branch to receive his award, and while demonstrating his 'abilities' to Morrison, he alludes to the fact that Morrison has a secret bank account. Morrison sends his wife (Hazel) to obtain more information from Benny to determine what he actually knows. Hazel and Benny go to her apartment, where Benny becomes ill after smoking a cigar. Hazel then gives Benny a sedative, and inadvertently takes one herself. Morrison comes home to find the two asleep together, and fears that they had a tryst.

At the awards ceremony that evening, Benny learns of the mind-reading ruse, and overhears Morrison speaking ill of him. Benny returns to his mother and his girlfriend in Cucamonga, where he also encounters Chandler, his coworker Ruby (Brenda Joyce), and the Hercules company president, Mr. Van Loon (Pierre Watkin). They announce that Morrison has been fired, and has been replaced by Chandler. Benny is now sales manager of the Cucamonga district.

Production

Filming took place between November 1 through December 17, 1945. William A Seiter was paid $100,000 and the two leads $110,000.[2]

In this film, and the next Abbott and Costello film, The Time of Their Lives (1946), both have the team playing separate roles as opposed to partners. This is because there was tension between the two men that actually led them to splitting up the team for a short while in 1945.[3]

Rerelease

Routines

Abbott and Costello perform the 7x13=28 routine, where Costello attempts to prove to Abbott that 7 times 13 equals 28, 28 divided by 7 equals 13, and seven 13's added together equals 28.

DVD release

This film has been released twice on DVD. The first time, on The Best of Abbott and Costello Volume Two, on May 4, 2004, and again on October 28, 2008 as part of Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection.

References

  1. ↑ Furmanek p 135
  2. ↑ Furmanek p 135
  3. ↑ Furmanek, Bob and Ron Palumbo (1991). Abbott and Costello in Hollywood. New York: Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-51605-0
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