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So This is Washington
USA 1943
produced by Ben Hersh, Jack William Votion for Post Productions
directed by Ray McCarey
starring Lum (= Chester Lauck), Abner (= Norris Goff), Alan Mowbray, Mildred Coles, Roger Clark, Sarah Padden, Matt McHugh, Chester Conklin, Jimmie Dodd, Lloyd Ingraham, Eddie Kane, Wilbur Mack, Ben Taggart, Minerva Urecal
screenplay by Leonard Praskins, Roswell Rogers, based on a story by Roswell Rogers, Edward James, music by Lucien Moraweck
Lum and Abner, American World War II Propaganda
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Because rich businessman Chester Wallace (Alan Mowbray) has asked the
simple man for inventions to help in the war efforts and Abner seems to
have invented synthetic rubber, Lum and Abner go from their small town in
Nebraska to Washington to present their invention - but at first
Washington seems so overrun that they can't find a single bed to sleep in
and end up being tricked into sleeping in a shopwindow. Then, at Wallace's
office, they find a long line of people all waiting to present their
inventions. So they spend their days on a parkbench, and wouldn't you know
it, on the same parkbench where also some senarors spend their time (when
out of senate). And soon enough, Lum and Abnergive the politicians
invaluable advice from out of their experiences in their hick-town. Before
long, the two of them become celebrities, and eventually, Chester Wallace,
overburdened with undertalented inventors, asks their advice ... and
suddenly they are able to present him Abner's synthetic rubber.
But at a press conference, when Abner is supposed to reproduce his
rubber, he is hit on the head and loses his memory. So it's back to their
hick town for Lum and Abner, abnd Wallace, anxious to get his synthetic
rubber in order to win the war, and eventually, by another bump on the
head, Abner finds his memory again - but then Wallace gets bumped on the
head too ...
Mildly amusing comedy, that was, first and foremost, supposed to be
World War II propaganda ... and as such it's - naturally -
over-simüplistic, and often enough fails to hit its marks.
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