This film has been referred to numerous times as "the worst of Abbott and Costello". I haven't seen that many A & C pictures so far, but from those that I HAVE seen I'd say "Comin' Round the Mountain" and "Lost in Alaska" and maybe even "Meet the Keystone Kops" are worse than this one, therefore the above statement cannot be true. The best thing about "Go to Mars" are the special effects, which are creative and at times even ingenious; before you complain about them from a "modern" perspective, consider that they are about on the same level with those of, say, "Superman IV" - and that was made 34 years later! Unfortunately, much like "Meet the Keystone Kops", this film gives you the impression that more time was spent on the technical tricks and effects than on providing enough funny material and routines for Abbott and Costello. The funniest exchange in the movie comes early on: Dr. Orvilla: "Why did you tell them that you are Dr. Orvilla?" Lou: "I didn't tell them, THEY told ME!". And although the absence of songs is welcome, the two escaped convicts who eventually join A & C in their trip to Venus get too much screen time on their own. (**)
57 Reviews
Better than its reputation suggests.
hitchcockthelegend3 July 2010
Abbott and Costello Go To Mars sees the popular duo tackle a sci-fi theme that was to be so prevalent in the 50s. It's directed by Charles Lamont and the co-star line up features Robert Paige, Horace McMahon, Mari Blanchard, Martha Hyer & Jack Kruschen. The plot sees Bud & Lou as Lester and Orville respectively, who accidentally find themselves on a rocket-ship bound for Mars. However, they actually land in New Orleans during the Mardi Gras and confusion reigns. Then an encounter with a couple of escaped convicts leads to another blast off, to Venus. A planet populated by a bevy of beauties.
They were three years away from making what would be their last film together, but history dictates that the best of the film outings for Bud & Lou were long since past. However, "Go To Mars" and "Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (also 1953) are worthy pieces showcasing the comic talent and irrepressible charm of two fine entertainers. Sure the plot is as thin as some of the sets are for "Go To Mars," but there's enough chaos and comedy schtick to keep the smile on ones face. We get Costello doing an Italian accent-badly, which in turn leads to a slapathon. Then there's stunts with magnetic moon-boots, a triple bed fall down, gravitational larks and Mardi Gras strangeness. There's even a cheeky aside in favour of the ladies (the Venusian female race being contestants of Miss Universe) as the new male arrivals on Venus are compared to beefcake Adonis types on Venusian TV.
Far from their best work but certainly enough good here to shoot down those "worst of the series" tags. 6/10
They were three years away from making what would be their last film together, but history dictates that the best of the film outings for Bud & Lou were long since past. However, "Go To Mars" and "Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (also 1953) are worthy pieces showcasing the comic talent and irrepressible charm of two fine entertainers. Sure the plot is as thin as some of the sets are for "Go To Mars," but there's enough chaos and comedy schtick to keep the smile on ones face. We get Costello doing an Italian accent-badly, which in turn leads to a slapathon. Then there's stunts with magnetic moon-boots, a triple bed fall down, gravitational larks and Mardi Gras strangeness. There's even a cheeky aside in favour of the ladies (the Venusian female race being contestants of Miss Universe) as the new male arrivals on Venus are compared to beefcake Adonis types on Venusian TV.
Far from their best work but certainly enough good here to shoot down those "worst of the series" tags. 6/10
This is not A&C's worst film
jimtinder24 June 2004
"Go to Mars" has been unfairly maligned as Abbott and Costello's worst film. A careful comparison to "Mexican Hayride" or "Dance With Me, Henry" would certainly prove this point. While it doesn't rate in their Top 10, "Go to Mars" has many funny and wonderful moments.
Among the great gags: Costello asking Abbott for a nickel to go through the Lincoln Tunnel; The Statue of Liberty ducking out of the way of the rocket. Costello's reactions to space flight are also funny.
What drags the film down for me in the rankings are the following two items. First, the "space map" the rocket scientist uses to point out Venus and Mars; How can he find the two small planets among numerous pictures of large galaxies? If the map were accurate, Venus and Mars would not be in the Solar System, they would be two stars between galaxies! If these nitwits were in charge of the space program we would have never gotten to the moon! Second, the last 20 or so minutes are rushed compared to the rest of the film. It seems that in no time at all, Costello has gone from a prisoner on Venus to king. And then, just as quickly, is dethroned. This portion of the film is over too quickly, especially considering the bevy of Venus beauties we get to see!
Take a quick look: that's Harry Shearer of "The Simpsons" and "Spinal Tap" fame in an uncredited role as a boy at the orphanage early in the film.
Not their best, but certainly not their worst. 6 out of 10.
Among the great gags: Costello asking Abbott for a nickel to go through the Lincoln Tunnel; The Statue of Liberty ducking out of the way of the rocket. Costello's reactions to space flight are also funny.
What drags the film down for me in the rankings are the following two items. First, the "space map" the rocket scientist uses to point out Venus and Mars; How can he find the two small planets among numerous pictures of large galaxies? If the map were accurate, Venus and Mars would not be in the Solar System, they would be two stars between galaxies! If these nitwits were in charge of the space program we would have never gotten to the moon! Second, the last 20 or so minutes are rushed compared to the rest of the film. It seems that in no time at all, Costello has gone from a prisoner on Venus to king. And then, just as quickly, is dethroned. This portion of the film is over too quickly, especially considering the bevy of Venus beauties we get to see!
Take a quick look: that's Harry Shearer of "The Simpsons" and "Spinal Tap" fame in an uncredited role as a boy at the orphanage early in the film.
Not their best, but certainly not their worst. 6 out of 10.
50's space-age theme.
SanDiego11 October 2003
Fans of rocket-age science fiction films will find interest in this wacky spoof. The early 1950's saw the start of the atomic age rocket ship film genre with ROCKET X-M and DESTINATION MOON in 1950 and WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE and FLIGHT TO MARS in 1951. These movies were all hits and the trend lasted through the sixties with MAROONED and JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN in 1969 (one year after 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY).
In 1953 Abbott and Costello quickly updated their old vaudeville routines to capture a younger, modern audience and try their hand at this phenomena. They had success spoofing the horror genre with A&C MEETS FRANKENSTEIN and A&C MEETS THE INVISIBLE MAN a couple years earlier and the young audiences who had watched Universal's monster films were now watching rocket films and would soon be watching alien monsters devour entire cities. Though flights to Mars were now a typical plot device, A&C GO TO MARS was ahead of the game by going to Venus six years before FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS (1959)!
Abbott and Costello start off toward Mars but end up back on Earth during New Orleans Mardi Gras. They are fooled by fanciful costumes with giant masks and believe they are on Mars. Eventually they flee to Venus populated by beautiful women and all's well that ends well.
The production values were very good, considering that studios were rushing out poorly produced imitations of ROCKET X-M and DESTINATION MOON after their success. After the quick patter routines of the duo that serviced them well in the forties had become so familiar to the audience it was refreshing to have them do something else. Though certainly not a classic and not on the list of best A & C films, for those tiring of the same routines this film is visually exciting filled with space-age fun, beautiful models and hilarious gags. Kids love the film and older adults love the 50's space-age theme. Grab the popcorn.
In 1953 Abbott and Costello quickly updated their old vaudeville routines to capture a younger, modern audience and try their hand at this phenomena. They had success spoofing the horror genre with A&C MEETS FRANKENSTEIN and A&C MEETS THE INVISIBLE MAN a couple years earlier and the young audiences who had watched Universal's monster films were now watching rocket films and would soon be watching alien monsters devour entire cities. Though flights to Mars were now a typical plot device, A&C GO TO MARS was ahead of the game by going to Venus six years before FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS (1959)!
Abbott and Costello start off toward Mars but end up back on Earth during New Orleans Mardi Gras. They are fooled by fanciful costumes with giant masks and believe they are on Mars. Eventually they flee to Venus populated by beautiful women and all's well that ends well.
The production values were very good, considering that studios were rushing out poorly produced imitations of ROCKET X-M and DESTINATION MOON after their success. After the quick patter routines of the duo that serviced them well in the forties had become so familiar to the audience it was refreshing to have them do something else. Though certainly not a classic and not on the list of best A & C films, for those tiring of the same routines this film is visually exciting filled with space-age fun, beautiful models and hilarious gags. Kids love the film and older adults love the 50's space-age theme. Grab the popcorn.
Good, as are all the A&C movies
sarge-2823 June 1999
Mardi Mars.
morrison-dylan-fan23 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
After having liked Abbott and Costello meet The Invisible Man.I was keen on seeing how this film would be.And,to my very pleasant surprise,i found this to be a very strong comedy,with some great laugh-out-loud moments. The plot:
Orville and Lester are two technicians that are doing a final check up on a rocket the is going to to be sent to Mars.(Though neither of them realise that there are two escaped prisoners hiding in the rocket.)Whilst doing the check up,one of them accidentally presses the ignition button!
When they eventually land,they discover that they have "landed on Mars".Where,everyone is very tall,and they all have spinning heads,and very long necks (though this is actually people in costume,for the New Orleans Mardi Gras festival.)Due to seeing all of these terrifying things,Orville and Lester quickly rush back to the rocket,where they are held at gun-point,by the escaped prisoners who have been hiding in the ship.The prisoners explain to them that they are still on earth,and,they are then forced by the prisoners to re-start the rocket,and are told to program it to go to Mars.When they decide to land,they all realise the they have not landed on Mars,but,have actually landed on Venus.Luclay everyone becomes very happy,when they all find out the Venus is a planet that is only populated by stunning super-model looking girls!!.Though all of them star to feel a bit uneasy,when they find out why there are no men on the planet... View on the film:
The main thing that i feel makes the film very strong is the great screenplay by John Grant and D.D. Beauchamp (who also co created the story with Howard Christie.)Which has lots of strong comedy set-ups,the really suit the great cast in the film (the Mardi Gras bank robbery and the Venus lie detector being two of the highlights.)And,the story is also surprisingly quite original,with having them not get to Mars at all in the film,but instead setting it in New Orleans and on Venus!
Final view on the film:
A great comedy,with fun performances and a very interesting story.
Orville and Lester are two technicians that are doing a final check up on a rocket the is going to to be sent to Mars.(Though neither of them realise that there are two escaped prisoners hiding in the rocket.)Whilst doing the check up,one of them accidentally presses the ignition button!
When they eventually land,they discover that they have "landed on Mars".Where,everyone is very tall,and they all have spinning heads,and very long necks (though this is actually people in costume,for the New Orleans Mardi Gras festival.)Due to seeing all of these terrifying things,Orville and Lester quickly rush back to the rocket,where they are held at gun-point,by the escaped prisoners who have been hiding in the ship.The prisoners explain to them that they are still on earth,and,they are then forced by the prisoners to re-start the rocket,and are told to program it to go to Mars.When they decide to land,they all realise the they have not landed on Mars,but,have actually landed on Venus.Luclay everyone becomes very happy,when they all find out the Venus is a planet that is only populated by stunning super-model looking girls!!.Though all of them star to feel a bit uneasy,when they find out why there are no men on the planet... View on the film:
The main thing that i feel makes the film very strong is the great screenplay by John Grant and D.D. Beauchamp (who also co created the story with Howard Christie.)Which has lots of strong comedy set-ups,the really suit the great cast in the film (the Mardi Gras bank robbery and the Venus lie detector being two of the highlights.)And,the story is also surprisingly quite original,with having them not get to Mars at all in the film,but instead setting it in New Orleans and on Venus!
Final view on the film:
A great comedy,with fun performances and a very interesting story.
The Beginning Of The End For Abbott & Costello
strong-122-47888510 July 2013
Released in 1953 - This Sci-Fi/Comedy, with its weak storyline and inferior humor, was a clear indication that the end was just around the corner for Abbott & Costello's careers as one of Hollywood's most popular, slapstick comedy-duos.
Following "Go To Mars", Abbott & Costello would go on to star in 4 more films together. With all of them being big flops, "Dance With Me, Henry" would be the last, which was released in 1956.
Playing characters Lester & Orville (respectively), our 2 dim-witted protagonists are menial lab-workers who are assigned to load supplies onto a high-tech rocket-ship.
In a state of bewilderment Orville accidentally hits the ignition switch which immediately launches the rocket into the sky.
Believing that they have actually landed on Mars (but it's really New Orleans during Mardi Gras), Orville and Lester don spacesuits and venture out of the rocket to meet the Martians (who are really just regular people wearing wild costumes).
In the meantime, 2 escaped convicts, Harry the Horse and Mugsy, find the rocket and after putting on a couple of extra spacesuits, go out and rob a bank.
As circumstances turn out, Lester, Orville, Harry and Mugsy, all end up together back inside the rocket and they blast off to Venus where they discover the planet to be inhabited by only scantily-clad women in high-heels. (All men had been banished by Queen Allura long ago)
Even though Venus appears to be a heavenly paradise for these men, it doesn't take long for the boys to get themselves back to Earth, where justice is finally served to Harry and Mugsy.
This movie actually sounds a lot better than it really is. The whole production was very rushed and noticeably inferior in every aspect.
Filmed in b&w, this film had a running time of only 77 minutes.
Following "Go To Mars", Abbott & Costello would go on to star in 4 more films together. With all of them being big flops, "Dance With Me, Henry" would be the last, which was released in 1956.
Playing characters Lester & Orville (respectively), our 2 dim-witted protagonists are menial lab-workers who are assigned to load supplies onto a high-tech rocket-ship.
In a state of bewilderment Orville accidentally hits the ignition switch which immediately launches the rocket into the sky.
Believing that they have actually landed on Mars (but it's really New Orleans during Mardi Gras), Orville and Lester don spacesuits and venture out of the rocket to meet the Martians (who are really just regular people wearing wild costumes).
In the meantime, 2 escaped convicts, Harry the Horse and Mugsy, find the rocket and after putting on a couple of extra spacesuits, go out and rob a bank.
As circumstances turn out, Lester, Orville, Harry and Mugsy, all end up together back inside the rocket and they blast off to Venus where they discover the planet to be inhabited by only scantily-clad women in high-heels. (All men had been banished by Queen Allura long ago)
Even though Venus appears to be a heavenly paradise for these men, it doesn't take long for the boys to get themselves back to Earth, where justice is finally served to Harry and Mugsy.
This movie actually sounds a lot better than it really is. The whole production was very rushed and noticeably inferior in every aspect.
Filmed in b&w, this film had a running time of only 77 minutes.
Out of the World Comedy
Grok-Huy4 October 1999
Nicely cast comedy infringing on Science Fiction. It would have been better had a bit more money were spent, upgrading the production. Still, the comedy is classic Abbott & Costello, and the beauty queens are lovely to look at, a preposition! I used to be a professional photographer, so beauty is good to behold. I gave this a good 6, wish it could be higher.
a lousy film that seems to be written for kids--adults will find it tough to sit through.
planktonrules9 November 2005
This is, perhaps, one of the worst and most unfunny Abbott and Costello films. Not only does the team look old and bored, but overall there is hardly any energy about the film. And, unlike films such as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, this movie would ONLY appeal to younger kids. Any sane adult would be annoyed by the amateurish quality of this film. It's pretty sad that the funniest(?) part of the film is everyone mistaking Costello ("Orville") with Dr. Orvilla--wow, that's funny.
Our haggard team actually never even makes it to Mars but lands on an Amazon-infested Venus. Apparently, these women must have been VERY horny and lonely to have found either of these two irresistible. I'm feeling really tired and bored just thinking about it.
I think this film has a respectable score on IMDb mostly because there are a lot of Abbott and Costello fans. While some of there films are pretty good, perhaps their love of the team may be coloring their ratings somewhat. A case in point is that this movie is not that different than CAT-WOMEN OF THE MOON and yet its overall IMDb score is half this film. Abbott and Costello have definitely done better.
Our haggard team actually never even makes it to Mars but lands on an Amazon-infested Venus. Apparently, these women must have been VERY horny and lonely to have found either of these two irresistible. I'm feeling really tired and bored just thinking about it.
I think this film has a respectable score on IMDb mostly because there are a lot of Abbott and Costello fans. While some of there films are pretty good, perhaps their love of the team may be coloring their ratings somewhat. A case in point is that this movie is not that different than CAT-WOMEN OF THE MOON and yet its overall IMDb score is half this film. Abbott and Costello have definitely done better.
"Put the hose on him, put the fire out, and put him in the dungeon."
classicsoncall7 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
"Abbott and Costello Go To Mars" is one of the better remembered films from my childhood, along with their romp with Frankenstein, and other Million Dollar Movie favorites like "Godzilla" and "King Kong". Perhaps it was the memorable New Orleans Mardi Gras setting with it's outlandish cast of costumed "martians", it would have been an even better visual treat in color. It's pure and simple fun, and doesn't use a lot of scientific mumbo jumbo to explain space flight, unless you rely on the comments by a couple of Orville's (Costello) young friends in the opening scene.
The fact that the boys never do get to Mars is easily overlooked, particularly as they get sidetracked by a couple of bank robbers and take off for Venus. There we get an early look at the 1950's version of a Star Wars type land speeder, and get to see Venusian girls testing their accuracy in a game using saucers that pre-date the Frisbee. Presiding over the man-less Venusian landscape is Queen Allura, portrayed by Mari Blanchard and looking nothing short of gorgeous. Universal could have done a lot worse than populating the movie with an array of Miss Universe contestants.
The funniest bit for me was probably meant to be serious; as the boys take off in their rocket for the second time, Dr. Wilson (Robert Paige) needs only about one second on a slide rule device to determine the ship is heading to Venus - huh, how'd he do that? Then there was the comment made by Orville when confronted by a foggy landscape in an unknown world - "Being I can't see a foot in front of me, I'd say it's Los Angeles." Wow, I didn't think L.A. became known for it's smog until the Sixties!
It's a shame that as time goes by, movies like "A & C Go To Mars" have less and less of an audience. It's charm lies in it's wholesome fare from a simpler time that doesn't have a message, without pretending to be anything more than fun. I think I'll get me a Venusian balloon.
The fact that the boys never do get to Mars is easily overlooked, particularly as they get sidetracked by a couple of bank robbers and take off for Venus. There we get an early look at the 1950's version of a Star Wars type land speeder, and get to see Venusian girls testing their accuracy in a game using saucers that pre-date the Frisbee. Presiding over the man-less Venusian landscape is Queen Allura, portrayed by Mari Blanchard and looking nothing short of gorgeous. Universal could have done a lot worse than populating the movie with an array of Miss Universe contestants.
The funniest bit for me was probably meant to be serious; as the boys take off in their rocket for the second time, Dr. Wilson (Robert Paige) needs only about one second on a slide rule device to determine the ship is heading to Venus - huh, how'd he do that? Then there was the comment made by Orville when confronted by a foggy landscape in an unknown world - "Being I can't see a foot in front of me, I'd say it's Los Angeles." Wow, I didn't think L.A. became known for it's smog until the Sixties!
It's a shame that as time goes by, movies like "A & C Go To Mars" have less and less of an audience. It's charm lies in it's wholesome fare from a simpler time that doesn't have a message, without pretending to be anything more than fun. I think I'll get me a Venusian balloon.
Venus If You Please
bkoganbing4 May 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Bud and Lou finally decide to invade outer space and interplanetary relations will never be the same after Abbott and Costello Go To Mars. And they couldn't even get that right because it's Venus they wind up on.
Bud does maintenance and deliveries at a scientific base and Lou is the oldest orphan in the world who sneaks on an army base and has to be kept there for security reason by order of Dr. Robert Paige and his assistant Martha Hyer.
Which says security on this base is lousy because Bud and Lou accidentally lift the rocket off while cleaning it and become the world's first astronauts. They arrive at New Orleans during Mardi Gras and think they're on Mars because of all the colorfully costumed people. That being done they go right back to the rocket ship and take off again this time with two escaped convicts, Horace McMahon and Jack Kruschen, who have just robbed a bank.
Then they arrive on Venus where the planet is populated by Amazons, men having been expelled hundreds of years ago. It's quite a place, but has its rules.
This jaunt to outer space by A&C is once again quite below the standards of their work in the Forties. With Universal having a new look being typified by new leading men, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, and Jeff Chandler, Bud and Lou were no longer keeping the studio on the plus side of the ledger. They were gradually being phased out and this picture and others kind of prove it.
The film provided some work for Joe Kirk who occasionally appeared as Mr. Baccagalupe on the A&C television series. Today the Italian American Anti-Defamation League would get all kinds of upset with his caricatured Italian scientist with the exaggerated accent. Nothing different from Kirk's character on television however, but you'd never get away with it today. It's a carryover from the ethnic humor of the Abbott and Costello days in burlesque where that kind of stuff was standard.
This is not a bad A&C feature, but hardly anything like Buck Privates.
Bud does maintenance and deliveries at a scientific base and Lou is the oldest orphan in the world who sneaks on an army base and has to be kept there for security reason by order of Dr. Robert Paige and his assistant Martha Hyer.
Which says security on this base is lousy because Bud and Lou accidentally lift the rocket off while cleaning it and become the world's first astronauts. They arrive at New Orleans during Mardi Gras and think they're on Mars because of all the colorfully costumed people. That being done they go right back to the rocket ship and take off again this time with two escaped convicts, Horace McMahon and Jack Kruschen, who have just robbed a bank.
Then they arrive on Venus where the planet is populated by Amazons, men having been expelled hundreds of years ago. It's quite a place, but has its rules.
This jaunt to outer space by A&C is once again quite below the standards of their work in the Forties. With Universal having a new look being typified by new leading men, Tony Curtis, Rock Hudson, and Jeff Chandler, Bud and Lou were no longer keeping the studio on the plus side of the ledger. They were gradually being phased out and this picture and others kind of prove it.
The film provided some work for Joe Kirk who occasionally appeared as Mr. Baccagalupe on the A&C television series. Today the Italian American Anti-Defamation League would get all kinds of upset with his caricatured Italian scientist with the exaggerated accent. Nothing different from Kirk's character on television however, but you'd never get away with it today. It's a carryover from the ethnic humor of the Abbott and Costello days in burlesque where that kind of stuff was standard.
This is not a bad A&C feature, but hardly anything like Buck Privates.
Great fun for kids from 8 to 80; better than fans will tell you.
opsbooks18 April 2003
This was one of the first movies I ever saw, well before television came to Australia. As a child I simply loved it, and I've not changed my views on the movie in the intervening four or more decades. It seems usual for fans of A & C to deride the movie, but I rate it as the best they made after the end of the 1940s. Of course the SF aspects left me in awe at the time as I'd seen nothing like it. I even appreciated the Miss Universe entrants :) Even now the special effects seem pretty good for the period. The scenes aboard the space ship seem pretty silly, and did way back then, but that's the only glaring fault. One either loves or hates A&C. Put me in the former group.
funny, and kids learn the ways of the world (or Venus, at the least)
potter-411 December 2002
I can't understand the generally low review of this movie. I though it was a riot. My kids were happy and laughed a lot. Many puns, sight gags, and beautiful women rounded out a mostly wonderful, no worries, romp amongst the planets. I'd like to see this one remade for the current decade (why haven't we come up with a name for the current decade, anyway?, but that's another story....)
More than disappointing
beresfordjd13 May 2016
When I was a kid I just loved Abbott & Costello as well as Laurel & Hardy. In spite of Stan and Ollie being well in advance of Bud and Lou they are still head and shoulders above them in terms of comedy. Bud and Lou have aged very badly and what I once thought was hilarious is just embarrassing now. Their best routines were , I think, on their TV shows and stage shows. It often does not work on film. The writers of this exploitative schlock churned out film after film of stomach churning awfulness, doing the stars who appeared in them no favours. There has to be some kind of reality in comedy and many of Bud & Lou's movies had no basis in reality at all.This "Mars" outing has little to recommend it to their fans.
Middling A&C
dougdoepke10 July 2016
One of the better later entries of the A&C series. The boys appear motivated which was not always the case as their careers wound down, (they separated in 1957). They've got two productive shticks here—the Mardi Gras and the planet Venus. Those costumed Mardi Gras characters are a real hoot and a good chance for Costello to react in his inimitable way. The clownish figures also show how close at times the comedic can be to the grotesque. And catch that parade of pulchritude inhabiting Venus. I'm getting my outer space reservations right away. Looks like Universal hired every tall, shapely starlet in Hollywood for this sequence, including notables Ekberg and Hyer. Then too, the special effects may be cheesy, as expected, but they are elaborate. But what's with the fat Jack Khruschen character, Harry. He comes across as a dopey counterpart to Costello, as though one dim-witted funnyman is not enough. I wonder what the story is there. As in most slapstick, plot doesn't mean much here, just a rack to hang the sketches on. All in all, it's an entertaining 80-minutes of A&C nonsense, with the boys in pretty good form.
Duck Miss Liberty
DKosty12317 January 2008
Thanks to having director Charles Lamont on this one this film actually is better than some of the other films A&C made including their much inferior A&C Meet Captain Kidd. While this one does not have Charles Laughton & a lot of terrible music to support the boys, it doesn't need either of them.
This film actually holds up better because there is less music & more A&C comedy. Both are welcome here. The slowest part of the film seems to be when they land on Venus. Even though there are a lot of attractive women on Venus, things slow down there.
A critic when this film came out said "Go To Mars- And About Time". That comment really isn't fair to A&C as the special effects in this are sleazy & the script is grade B, yet A&C pull it up to a B Plus without much to work with. I am sure Charles Lamont's Direction had a lot to do with that.
This film actually holds up better because there is less music & more A&C comedy. Both are welcome here. The slowest part of the film seems to be when they land on Venus. Even though there are a lot of attractive women on Venus, things slow down there.
A critic when this film came out said "Go To Mars- And About Time". That comment really isn't fair to A&C as the special effects in this are sleazy & the script is grade B, yet A&C pull it up to a B Plus without much to work with. I am sure Charles Lamont's Direction had a lot to do with that.
Why is this hated so much?
ericstevenson17 July 2018
I'm going to say right off the bat that this is by no means a good movie. The worst part is probably how they utilize the going to Venus thing. Yeah, they don't go to Mars. It's true that they THINK they're going to Mars, but it's actually Venus. As you might have predicted, they use the joke about it being populated entirely by women. It's interesting how they first appear in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
They think the people wearing the costumes are aliens. I thought there were a lot of good jokes in this. I even liked the romantic bit they got in at the end. Okay, it's not as good as them meeting Frankenstein, but it's still okay for what it is. I'm impressed at how prolific they were. It's just alright. **1/2
They think the people wearing the costumes are aliens. I thought there were a lot of good jokes in this. I even liked the romantic bit they got in at the end. Okay, it's not as good as them meeting Frankenstein, but it's still okay for what it is. I'm impressed at how prolific they were. It's just alright. **1/2
'Abbott and Costello Go To Mars', but land on Venus instead.
FilmWiz17 June 2003
1953's Abbot and Costello Goes To Mars has a misleading title. They got to Venus instead. Though the film had a relatively large budget, the film's plot is not saved and the special effects are average B-Movie effects. The film was definitely one of A+C's wort of all time.
The ending is at an all time worse, where the Venus women are attracted to Bud and Lou after they were defeated in a war against the females. What a plot, eh?
While this is one of the worst A+C films ever, A+C are not to be blamed. They were going through a fanatical problem with the government, which could have very well ruined their careers. The budget is not to be blamed since it was rather high, and the sets were rather lavish (especially for a B-movie!). What couldn't be saved, however, was the plot, which needed to be edited much further than it was. It was an interesting concept, but it was done without heart. A+C's talents were wasted.
MPAA Rating: NR
My Rating: 5 and up
My * Rating 5.2/10
The ending is at an all time worse, where the Venus women are attracted to Bud and Lou after they were defeated in a war against the females. What a plot, eh?
While this is one of the worst A+C films ever, A+C are not to be blamed. They were going through a fanatical problem with the government, which could have very well ruined their careers. The budget is not to be blamed since it was rather high, and the sets were rather lavish (especially for a B-movie!). What couldn't be saved, however, was the plot, which needed to be edited much further than it was. It was an interesting concept, but it was done without heart. A+C's talents were wasted.
MPAA Rating: NR
My Rating: 5 and up
My * Rating 5.2/10
be sure to watch the Venusian balloon routine and the truth detector
trobertt-15-221125 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
No Martians
Prismark1021 May 2016
Abbott and Costello were a a comedy duo whose comedy reputation outside of the USA declined rather rapidly over the years. Frankly a lot of their movies were not good enough and more importantly funny enough. I always reckoned the Marx Brothers would had joined them in the hall of shame for the unfunny but for Groucho.
Bud and Lou are hapless maintenance men messing around in a rocket ship, pressing random buttons as you do and blast off. As the rocket is in New York we see them go through Lincoln Tunnel and go pass the Statue of Liberty before it lands in New Orleans during the Mardi Gras.
Bud and Lou think they really are in Mars because of the weird costumes. Two escaped criminals get on to the rocket and this time the ship again blasts off and they all end up in Venus, a planet run by beautiful women. I think the science here was a bit off, even in them days it would had been known the planet was full of carbon dioxide and a dense atmosphere.
The production values in the film are quiet good, the film is not as bad as feared then again it is not really that funny with some of the jokes just being a riff on their who's on third shtick.
I doubt the film will gain any new Abbot and Costello fans and is unlikely to restore the duo's reputation as funny-men.
Bud and Lou are hapless maintenance men messing around in a rocket ship, pressing random buttons as you do and blast off. As the rocket is in New York we see them go through Lincoln Tunnel and go pass the Statue of Liberty before it lands in New Orleans during the Mardi Gras.
Bud and Lou think they really are in Mars because of the weird costumes. Two escaped criminals get on to the rocket and this time the ship again blasts off and they all end up in Venus, a planet run by beautiful women. I think the science here was a bit off, even in them days it would had been known the planet was full of carbon dioxide and a dense atmosphere.
The production values in the film are quiet good, the film is not as bad as feared then again it is not really that funny with some of the jokes just being a riff on their who's on third shtick.
I doubt the film will gain any new Abbot and Costello fans and is unlikely to restore the duo's reputation as funny-men.
OK A&C . . . Not their worst, yet far from their best.
ANDREWEHUNT20 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This film isn't as bad as some of its detractors claim. It's not in the same league as Hold that Ghost or A&C Meet Frankenstein, but it's still a lot of fun in places. The duo meets a couple of dim-witted crooks who are actually almost as funny as A&C themselves. The scenes during Mardi Gras are quite amusing. Costello's argument with Dr. Orvilla (Joe Kirk) is a total hoot. The special effects are loads of fun. The Venusians are real campy in a 1950s atomic space age kind of way (although I must admit, I had forgotten about what an exotic and lovely woman Mari Blanchard was until I saw the film again recently). Despite all of these good qualities, and some of the funniest sight gags in any A&C movie, the film also has lots of stale dialogue and the boys look quite tired. Except for A&C Meet the Invisible Man, there's something kind of depressing about watching A&C's 1950s movies. You sort of know they're on the downward slope (which began after they met Frankenstein), and the descent is evident in this film. And why the movie wasn't called "Abbott and Costello Go to Venus" will always be a mystery. Still, it's much better than some of their worst films (e.g., Mexican Hayride, Jack and the Beanstalk, A&C Meet Captain Kidd), and when "The End" flashes up on the screen, true fans won't feel like they've wasted their time.
Crashes & Burns.
AaronCapenBanner27 October 2013
Abbott & Costello play Lester & Orville, who somehow are on a top secret rocket-ship project. They accidentally launch it and wind up not going to Mars, but to Mardi Gras here on Earth(which they think is Mars). Two equally bumbling bank robbers named Mugsy & Harry force their way on board the ship, which does take off for outer space, though Venus, not Mars, which is inhabited by beautiful women who have banished the men, making these four guys both feared but welcome. Utterly inept and entirely unfunny farce is the team's worst; they look bored and indifferent the whole time, and there is no energy or point to this farrago at all. Just dreadful.
Journey to MARdiS gras
futuretype15 April 2018
This film was a treat! There was lots of innovative features. Landing during Mardis Gras was brilliant where A & C believed it was Mars due to all the creative costumes taken to be Martians. I don't think they have such unusual outfits today.
I don't understand other reviewers taking issue with them not actually going to Mars; they were headed there; they were going there; they thought they arrived there and the men left from there. The title was just a metaphor for going crazy.
Onto Venus where low budget special effects made future aspects looked remarkably advanced even by today's standards. There were clever foreshadowing tributes to later science fiction classics. However the giant dog was uninspired.
Having only women on the planet borrowed from the future "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus". I laughed out loud more often than their earlier classics in scenes such as when the Queen made the King sit on the truth throne and asked him questions.
Has anyone else noticed how Derek Waters (Drunk History) looks like Costello?
I don't understand other reviewers taking issue with them not actually going to Mars; they were headed there; they were going there; they thought they arrived there and the men left from there. The title was just a metaphor for going crazy.
Onto Venus where low budget special effects made future aspects looked remarkably advanced even by today's standards. There were clever foreshadowing tributes to later science fiction classics. However the giant dog was uninspired.
Having only women on the planet borrowed from the future "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus". I laughed out loud more often than their earlier classics in scenes such as when the Queen made the King sit on the truth throne and asked him questions.
Has anyone else noticed how Derek Waters (Drunk History) looks like Costello?
"What's Mars? Is that anywheres nears Hoboken?"
utgard149 March 2014
Abbott and Costello accidentally take off in a rocketship. First they land in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and mistakenly believe it's Mars. Here they become mixed up with a couple of escaped convicts. Then they launch into space and wind up on Venus, which is entirely inhabited by women. Somehow, Lou becomes their king!
Don't get why this movie has such a bad rep. Maybe some folks should lighten up. The boys made a few clunkers I admit, but this isn't one of them. It's not their best but it is still entertaining. It's a silly bit of nonsense that's also quite a bit of fun. They never do make it to Mars, though.
Don't get why this movie has such a bad rep. Maybe some folks should lighten up. The boys made a few clunkers I admit, but this isn't one of them. It's not their best but it is still entertaining. It's a silly bit of nonsense that's also quite a bit of fun. They never do make it to Mars, though.
If Abbott and Costello lived on Mars and women lived on Venus, the women would make a bomb because this movie is so heinous.
mark.waltz7 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
O. K., so there are some very funny visuals in this film, but lots of sight gags do not make an excellent film. Sure, this was made for the kiddie trade, but ultimately, it is the adults who review it.
First of all, from a scientific level: this does not teach the young the powers of good writing, because the boys never make it to Mars. They think they are on Mars for about half an hour because that's where the space ship was making its destination as before dumb Lou hit the button that made them crash, right in the middle of the Louisiana bayou.
It just so happens that it's Mardi Gras, and everybody is weird costumes with large heads that either spin around or come detached from the rest of the body. Bud and Lou's space suits go in great with the Mardi Gras crowd, and the laughs come fast and furious. The arrival of two escaped bank robbers who disguise themselves in space suits then proceed to rob a bank results in Bud and Lou being chased and the spaceship with the two robbers aboard taking off and ending up on Venus.
There, they meet man-hating queen Mari Blanchard who had all men banished centuries before because they were not faithful. Of course, her all-women army is man crazy, and even the presence of plump Lou has their hot Venus blood pumping. Lou becomes king, but the jealous queen knows he'll stray. When Lou kisses one of the women goodbye, a curse from the queen turns her back into her real age, a funny visual to watch as she becomes an old hag in gold lame' with certain body parts changing location to reflect her true age.
Having been around for well over a decade in the 1950's, by this time, Abbott and Costello were still popular but adults who enjoyed their hijinks during World War II were staying away. At least with "Buck Privates" and "Hold That Ghost", they were hysterically funny if still juvenile, but they were surrounded by actors who brought an adult mentality to the proceedings. This is not only juvenile in the sense of the age group of where it strives to be mentally, but in the fact that it presents women as jealous creatures who if they can't fully get a man's attention and manipulate them to keep them from going astray, then they will have to banish them altogether.
Of course, it's only one woman making this rule as the women underneath her will do anything to get a man's attention. Certainly, the costumes for the Mardis Gras sequence are very funny (as is a sequence involving a plate of limburger cheese) and the crystallized sets for Venus are attractive as well. But what about the giant dog who chases Bud into a cave where he discovers the women's army? It is there, then gone. Even the Three Stooges rip-off, "Have Rocket, Will Travel", would introduce freaky creatures in their Venus sequence and do something with them.
This film pretty much is a pointless comedy for little boys of a by-gone era who might look back on this as a fond childhood memory but in retrospect, leaves one longing for something so much better.
First of all, from a scientific level: this does not teach the young the powers of good writing, because the boys never make it to Mars. They think they are on Mars for about half an hour because that's where the space ship was making its destination as before dumb Lou hit the button that made them crash, right in the middle of the Louisiana bayou.
It just so happens that it's Mardi Gras, and everybody is weird costumes with large heads that either spin around or come detached from the rest of the body. Bud and Lou's space suits go in great with the Mardi Gras crowd, and the laughs come fast and furious. The arrival of two escaped bank robbers who disguise themselves in space suits then proceed to rob a bank results in Bud and Lou being chased and the spaceship with the two robbers aboard taking off and ending up on Venus.
There, they meet man-hating queen Mari Blanchard who had all men banished centuries before because they were not faithful. Of course, her all-women army is man crazy, and even the presence of plump Lou has their hot Venus blood pumping. Lou becomes king, but the jealous queen knows he'll stray. When Lou kisses one of the women goodbye, a curse from the queen turns her back into her real age, a funny visual to watch as she becomes an old hag in gold lame' with certain body parts changing location to reflect her true age.
Having been around for well over a decade in the 1950's, by this time, Abbott and Costello were still popular but adults who enjoyed their hijinks during World War II were staying away. At least with "Buck Privates" and "Hold That Ghost", they were hysterically funny if still juvenile, but they were surrounded by actors who brought an adult mentality to the proceedings. This is not only juvenile in the sense of the age group of where it strives to be mentally, but in the fact that it presents women as jealous creatures who if they can't fully get a man's attention and manipulate them to keep them from going astray, then they will have to banish them altogether.
Of course, it's only one woman making this rule as the women underneath her will do anything to get a man's attention. Certainly, the costumes for the Mardis Gras sequence are very funny (as is a sequence involving a plate of limburger cheese) and the crystallized sets for Venus are attractive as well. But what about the giant dog who chases Bud into a cave where he discovers the women's army? It is there, then gone. Even the Three Stooges rip-off, "Have Rocket, Will Travel", would introduce freaky creatures in their Venus sequence and do something with them.
This film pretty much is a pointless comedy for little boys of a by-gone era who might look back on this as a fond childhood memory but in retrospect, leaves one longing for something so much better.
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