Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955)

Abbott and Costello star in the comedy film, Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955), directed by Charles Lamont. While watching a silent film called ‘Eliza and the Bloodhounds’ at a nickelodeon, Willie Piper gets kicked out for being too expressive. Outside, his friend Harry Pierce shows him an advertisement in the newspaper seeking investors for a motion picture studio. With exactly $5,000 in cash, they are drawn to the opportunity. However, they soon discover that they have been tricked by con man Joe Gorman into purchasing a deed for the West Orange Studio under false pretenses. In fact, Gorman has sold the studio multiple times and it belongs to Edison’s original studio instead of him.

Realizing they have been swindled, Willie’s attempt to leave the studio is interrupted by his foot getting stuck in a railway line. Thankfully, he narrowly avoids injury as a train approaches. Seeking transportation to California, they hitch a ride with an elderly man and his wagon pulled by horses. However, their journey takes an unexpected turn when they end up boarding a train too early and are forced to jump off. After finding themselves on a train loaded with cattle, they are eventually thrown off by the guard. Meanwhile, Gorman has taken on a new persona as European film director Sergei Toumanoff, traveling with his girlfriend Leota Van Cleef who hopes for stardom.