PIC of the Week – The Noose Hangs High
Article series by Ray Schillaci
It’s said that comedy is subjective. Not everybody is a fan of Mel Brooks or Woody Allen. Those of us who are, love their work dearly. The same can be said for some of the classic comedians of the early days of cinema from Laurel & Hardy to Abbot and Costello. You either laugh at their antics or you just don’t understand the appeal. Men more than women have found the comedy team of Abbott & Costello a great source of entertainment. From their classic vaudeville baseball parody, “Who’s on First?”, to most of their movies that include Hold That Ghost, Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein, and The Time of Their Lives.
Most of the duo’s popular films were out of Universal Studios, but Bud and Lou saw to it that they had the chance to work at other places as well. Some of their independent work was just as much fun if not more so: Rio Rita, Lost in a Harem, and A&C meet Captain Kidd, especially noteworthy in large part to a very comical performance by Charles Laughton who was known for his more serious roles including The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Some of these non-Universal movies have fallen to the low quality public domain end of home entertainment. This could be very sad, but Classicflix/Twilight Time Movies has gotten their hands on one of the more sought after titles, A&C’s first independent production, The Noose Hangs High.
Abbott and Costello, sometimes affectionately known as “the boys”, get mixed up with a bookie and some thugs. A&C as a couple of window washers get mistaken as messengers and $50,000 is entrusted to them to deliver. When they get confronted by robbers, Costello runs into a factory where women are mailing face powder, and our man slips the money into one of the envelopes for safe keeping. But, when captured, the boy’s lives are threatened unless they recover the envelope, which could be anywhere. This film had some of the boys’ first and best routines incorporated into the film including: Mustard, You’re 40, She’s 10, and Hole in the Wall.
Twilight Time has not only provided the best looking DVD of this movie, but they also have made it available on Blu-ray with a newly remastered and restored print. The video is 1080p HD with 1.37:1, and in B&W. Audio is a 1.0 DTS-HD MA. Extras include:
¥ Original trailer
¥ Image gallery with rare stills
¥ Posters and other promotional material
The laughs cannot get any less expensive than Classicflix/Twilight Time Movies discounted price of $9.98 for the Blu-ray, beating Amazon’s $19.99. TTM’s DVD – $7.98!
