Little Giant

For other uses, see Little Giant (disambiguation).

1946 film

Little Giant

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| William A. Seiter
Screenplay by| Walter DeLeon
Story by| Paul Jarrico
Richard Collins
Produced by| Joe Gershenson
Starring| Bud Abbott
Lou Costello
Brenda Joyce
Jacqueline deWit
Margaret Dumont
Cinematography| Charles Van Enger
Edited by| Fred R. Feitshans Jr.
Music by| Edgar Fairchild

Production
company

Universal Pictures

Distributed by| Universal Pictures

Release date

* February 22, 1946 (1946-02-22)

Running time

| 91 minutes
Language| English
Budget| $775,000[1]

Little Giant is a 1946 American comedy drama film directed by William A. Seiter and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello alongside Brenda Joyce and Jacqueline deWit. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was released in the United Kingdom with the alternative title On the Carpet.

## Plot

[edit]

A naïve country boy named Benny Miller, from Cucamonga, California, has been taking correspondence phonograph lessons in salesmanship. Upon completion of the course, he leaves his mother and his girlfriend Martha to pursue a career in Los Angeles. He arranges a meeting with his Uncle Clarence, a bookkeeper with the Hercules Vacuum Cleaner Company. When he arrives to ask for a job, the sales manager, Eddie Morrison, mistakes him for one of the auditioning fashion models and has him remove his clothing. Morrison's secret wife, Hazel Temple, discovers the mistake and suggests that Benny be hired to avoid an accounting scandal, as they have been "cooking the books". 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.

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 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, but accidentally takes it herself while he falls asleep from the cigar's ill effects. Morrison arrives home to find the two asleep together and fears the worst.

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, and the Hercules company president, Mr. Van Loon. They announce that Morrison has been fired, and has been replaced by Chandler. Benny is now sales manager of the Cucamonga district.

## Cast

[edit]

* Bud Abbott as Eddie L. Morrison/T. S. Chandler
* Lou Costello as Benny Miller
* Brenda Joyce as Miss Ruby Burke
* Jacqueline deWit as Hazel Temple Morrison
* George Cleveland as Clarence Goodring
* Elena Verdugo as Martha Hill
* Mary Gordon as Ma Miller
* Pierre Watkin as P. S. VanLoon
* Donald MacBride as Conductor
* Margaret Dumont as Mrs. Hendrickson
* Chester Conklin as Porter (uncredited)

## Production

[edit]

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), the comedians play separate characters instead of their usual partnership. This was due to falling box-office receipts for the team's releases in 1945, and animosity between both men that actually led them to a short split.[3]

* Abbott played a third role in this film as well, that of Chandler's and Morrison's grandmother (only seen in a painting).
* The opening scene where Costello is trying to sell Sid Fields more than just the gasoline that he came to buy was originally filmed with another actor, Eddy Waller.

## Rerelease

[edit]

The film was re-released in 1951 along with The Time of Their Lives, and in 1954 along with their first movie, One Night in the Tropics.

## Routines

[edit]

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.

## Home media

[edit]

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

[edit]

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

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Little Giant.

* Little Giant at IMDb
* Little Giant at the TCM Movie Database

* v
* t
* e

Abbott and Costello

* Bud Abbott
* Lou Costello

Films|

* One Night in the Tropics
* Buck Privates
* In the Navy
* Hold That Ghost
* Keep 'Em Flying
* Ride 'Em Cowboy
* Rio Rita
* Pardon My Sarong
* Who Done It?
* It Ain't Hay
* Hit the Ice
* In Society
* Lost in a Harem
* Here Come the Co-Eds
* The Naughty Nineties
* Abbott and Costello in Hollywood
* Little Giant
* The Time of Their Lives
* Buck Privates Come Home
* The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap
* The Noose Hangs High
* Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
* Mexican Hayride
* Africa Screams
* Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
* Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion
* Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
* Comin' Round the Mountain
* Jack and the Beanstalk
* Lost in Alaska
* Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
* Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
* Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
* Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops
* Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
* Dance with Me, Henry
* The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (Costello only)
* The World of Abbott and Costello

Shorts|

* 10,000 Kids and a Cop

Television|

* The Abbott and Costello Show (episodes)
* The Abbott and Costello Cartoon Show

Radio|

* The Abbott and Costello Show

Bits|

* "Who's on First?"

Cartoons|

* Babbit and Catstello
* A Tale of Two Kitties
* The Mouse-Merized Cat
* Tale of Two Mice
* Hollywood Canine Canteen

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by William A. Seiter

* The Kentucky Colonel (1920)
* Eden and Return (1921)
* Hearts and Masks (1921)
* The Foolish Age (1921)
* Passing Through (1921)
* Boy Crazy (1922)
* Gay and Devilish (1922)
* Up and at 'Em (1922)
* When Love Comes (1922)
* The Understudy (1922)
* The Beautiful and Damned (1922)
* Little Church Around the Corner (1923)
* Daddies (1924)
* His Forgotten Wife (1924)
* The White Sin (1924)
* Listen Lester (1924)
* The Family Secret (1924)
* Helen's Babies (1924)
* The Fast Worker (1924)
* The Mad Whirl (1925)
* Dangerous Innocence (1925)
* The Teaser (1925)
* Where Was I? (1925)
* What Happened to Jones (1926)
* Skinner's Dress Suit (1926)
* Rolling Home (1926)
* Take It from Me (1926)
* The Cheerful Fraud (1927)
* The Small Bachelor (1927)
* Thanks for the Buggy Ride (1928)
* Good Morning, Judge (1928)
* Waterfront (1928)
* Outcast (1928)
* Synthetic Sin (1929)
* Why Be Good? (1929)
* Smiling Irish Eyes (1929)
* Footlights and Fools (1929)
* The Love Racket (1929)
* Strictly Modern (1930)
* Back Pay (1930)
* The Truth About Youth (1930)
* Sunny (1930)
* Going Wild (1930)
* Kiss Me Again (1931)
* Big Business Girl (1931)
* Too Many Cooks (1931)
* Caught Plastered (1931)
* Way Back Home (1931)
* Girl Crazy (1932)
* Young Bride (1932)
* Is My Face Red? (1932)
* Hot Saturday (1932)
* If I Had a Million (segment "The Three Marines", 1932)
* Hello, Everybody! (1933)
* Diplomaniacs (1933)
* Rafter Romance (1933)
* Chance at Heaven (1933)
* Sons of the Desert (1933)
* Love Birds (1934)
* We're Rich Again (1934)
* The Richest Girl in the World (1934)
* Roberta (1935)
* The Daring Young Man (1935)
* If You Could Only Cook (1935)
* The Case Against Mrs. Ames (1936)
* The Moon's Our Home (1936)
* Dimples (1936)
* Stowaway (1936)
* Life Begins in College (1937)
* This Is My Affair (1937)
* Sally, Irene and Mary (1938)
* Room Service (1938)
* Thanks for Everything (1938)
* Susannah of the Mounties (1939)
* Allegheny Uprising (1939)
* It's a Date (1940)
* Hired Wife (1940)
* Nice Girl? (1941)
* Appointment for Love (1941)
* Broadway (1942)
* You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
* Destroyer (1943)
* A Lady Takes a Chance (1943)
* Four Jills in a Jeep (1944)
* Belle of the Yukon (1944)
* The Affairs of Susan (1945)
* That Night with You (1945)
* Little Giant (1946)
* I'll Be Yours (1947)
* Up in Central Park (1948)
* One Touch of Venus (1948)
* Borderline (1950)
* Dear Brat (1951)
* The Lady Wants Mink (1953)
* Champ for a Day (1953)
* Make Haste to Live (1954)

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