Abbott and Costello may have been feuding in real life but it doesn't hurt TTOTL in which there is only one scene where they fully interact with each other. This film was directed by Charles Barton who also directed their most famous masterpiece "Meet Frankenstein", and the quality of the writing and plot is up to that standard, in fact ahead of its time. Even though it is about the supernatural, the plot is a logical framework like "Meet Frankenstein", which makes the laughs and gags so funny. It's a story of wrongful conviction and final redemption where things are put right. Costello and the supporting cast are terrific, including his female foil, Marjorie Reynolds, but what really stands out is the chemistry between Bud Abbott and Binnie Barnes whose lines with each other are as snappy and fast paced as any Abbott and Costello routine. If Abbott were to take a female partner, she was the one for him. If there is a flaw, it's the inconsistencies about what ghosts can touch, but that's forgivable. It is also a film where Abbott takes a lot of the pratfalls. That's great if you have been dying to see him get paid back for all the times he picks on Costello.
Review of The Time of Their Lives
