The Naughty Nineties
| The Naughty Nineties | |
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Jean Yarbrough |
| Produced by |
John Grant Edmund L. Hartmann |
| Written by |
Edmund L. Hartmann John Grant Edmund Joseph Hal Fimberg |
| Starring |
Bud Abbott Lou Costello Alan Curtis Rita Johnson |
| Music by |
Lloyd Akridge Paul Dessau |
| Edited by | Arthur Hilton |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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76 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Naughty Nineties is a 1945 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is notable for containing perhaps the best recorded rendition best of the team's classic "Who's on First?" routine. This version is shown at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown.
The time is the 1890s. Captain Sam (Henry Travers), owner of the showboat River Queen, travels along the Mississippi River bringing honest entertainment to each town. At a stop in Ironville, he meets Crawford (Alan Curtis), Bonita (Rita Johnson), and Bailey (Joe Sawyer), who are wanted by the local sheriff. Against the advice of his daughter Caroline (Lois Collier), his lead actor Dexter Broadhurst (Bud Abbott), and his chief roustabout Sebastian Dinwiddle (Lou Costello), the Captain joins them for a card game at a local gambling house.
The Captain is plied with alcohol until he is intoxicated and gets involved in a crooked card game where he loses controlling interest in the show boat to Bonita and Crawford. They turn the showboat into a floating gambling casino with every game rigged in their favor. Dexter and Sebastian help the captain regain ownership of his vessel and oust the unwanted criminals.
The line, "Who's on First?", was ranked No. 91 on American Film Institute's 100 Movie Quotes. The "Who's on First?" routine was intended to appear much earlier in the film. Costello begins the routine by saying, "When we get to St. Louis...", but at this point in the film they are already in St. Louis. The camera crew can be heard laughing in the background during the routine.
The film also contains the "Lower/Higher" routine, where Costello auditions as a singer while Abbott shouts directions to the stage crew to change the height and placement of the backdrop curtain. Costello believes Abbott is directing him, not the stagehands, and follows Abbott's instructions by singing higher or lower, or even on one foot.
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