One Night in the Tropics is a 1940 Musical Romantic Comedy film from Universal, directed by A. Edward Sutherland and based on the 1914 novel Love Insurance by Earl Derr Biggers, best known as the creator of detective Charlie Chan. It's actually the third film adaptation of the story Hollywood did, the first two being the 1919 lost film Love Insurance, and the 1924 remake The Reckless Age. It's best known today as the big-screen debut of Abbott and Costello, although Lou Costello had had a few small parts in silent pictures years earlier. Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields wrote the film's songs.
Steve Harper (Robert Cummings) is engaged to his fiancée Cynthia Merrick (Nancy Kelly), but the relationship is in dire straits following his disastrous first meeting with her Aunt Kitty (Mary Boland). Making things even worse is the fact that Steve's ex, Mickey Fitzgerald (Peggy Moran), still isn't over him and is determined to get him back. Steve's buddy Jim "Lucky" Moore (Allan Jones), an insurance salesman, comes up with an unusual policy for his friend: "love insurance", which will pay out a million dollars if the wedding doesn't go through. (It seems Lucky has made a career out of unusual policies like this, but has never had to pay out, so it's meant to encourage his friend.) The policy is underwritten by a nightclub owner named Roscoe (William Frawley), who sends a pair of bumbling enforcers (Abbott and Costello) to make sure that the wedding goes through as planned. Meanwhile, Cynthia, frustrated at everything going on, heads off to the fictional South American country of San Marcos with Aunt Kitty. Everyone else follows her, but now Lucky has begun to develop feelings for Cynthia. And then Mickey, having found out about the "love insurance" policy, introduces herself to Cynthia. Hilarity Ensues.
While the film itself was largely seen as So Okay, It's Average at best, Abbott and Costello completely stole the show, to the point where subsequent releases on VHS and other theaters would have them as the main draw in advertising, in spite of having fairly minor parts in the film itself. This film, and the subsequent Buck Privates, would make them Hollywood stars (though they were already well-known through radio).
This film provides examples of:
- Actor Allusion: At this point in their career, Abbott and Costello were best known as radio stars, and they're heard offscreen before they're seen.
- Advertised Extra: Abbott and Costello again, but in hindsight. Despite being minor characters in the film — and not even pictured on the initial posters — later rereleases through VHS and other media tended to put them front and center, and even put their names above the title as if they're the stars.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Aunt Kitty's complaints about Steve are that he knocked her down, broke the elevator, ditched her between floors, and was born on May 12.
- As Himself: Abbott and Costello, unlike later films, where the duo would get character names.
- Beleaguered Assistant: Steve's long-suffering butler, who has to deal with everything going on with The Comically Serious aplomb of someone who thinks he's in a drama instead of a comedy.
- Born Lucky: Lucky seems to win every bet and he's never had to pay out on his unusual policies. This is why Steve takes him up on the "Love Insurance" idea, since it effectively lets his luck rub off on Steve.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: "Lucky" has made a living from selling seemingly oddball and bizarre insurance plans, but has yet to pay out any of them.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Mickey. A slightly downplayed version of the Psycho Ex-Girlfriend who, surprisingly, gets married to her target at the end.
- Coupled Couples: Steve, his fiance Cynthia, his buddy Lucky (who is developing feelings for Cynthia), and his ex, Mickey. By the end of the film, Steve has married Mickey, and Lucky is starting a relationship with Cynthia.
- Darkest Hour: The night before the wedding. Cynthia doesn't want to get married after finding out about the insurance, and Lucky's just learned that enough of his father's insurance policies have had to cash out at once that they're completely busted if it doesn't go through.
- Faint in Shock: When Steve arrives in San Marcos, he crashes into an older woman... and passes out in horror realizing he ran into Kitty again. When he comes to a moment later, he sees Mickey has followed him to San Marcos, and faints once more.
- Landline Eavesdropping: Mickey uses this method to listen in on Steve and Cynthia.
- Latin Land: San Marcos, a fictional South American country.
- Latin Lover: Rodolfo, a Dashing Hispanic bullfighter who shows great interest in Cynthia, but never gets beyond being a tertiary love interest.
- Loophole Abuse: What gives the film a happy ending: the insurance contract only says that Steve has to get married - it never says who he has to get married to.
- Love Makes You Dumb: At the very beginning, Steve is so besotted with Cynthia that he crashes into several people walking down the street, obliviously continuing on as Lucky quickly apologizes for his friend. He snaps out of it when he walks out into the road and almost gets run over by a car.
- Mr. Muffykins: Chichi, Kitty's spoiled little dog.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Aunt Kitty; she's superstitious, and dislikes Steve partly due to their birthdays "clashing" and partly due to an absolutely disastrous first meeting.
- Right Behind Me: Happens to Costello a couple times, but the most notable is when he starts bad-mouthing Roscoe just as he shows up in San Marcos.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Lucky gets out of a hefty court fine by replying his employer has him insured for just about anything - then insures the judge for her upcoming promotion, to the frustration of a cop he'd punched.
- Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Abbott and Costello play a relatively minor role as a pair of bumbling enforcers. However, contemporary critics generally saw them as the film's biggest draw, the movie is best remembered for being their big film debut, and VHS covers and posters and such released years later tended to advertise them front and center.
- Stalker with a Crush: Mickey. And how.
- Sticky Fingers: Costello is a surprisingly competent pickpocket in his first appearance, despite his boss scolding him for it, claiming they've gone legitimate. He lifts Lucky's wallet, and when Lucky asks for it back, he dumps a couple dozen wallets on the table and asks him to pick it out. This is after he lifted said boss's wallet... and Abbott's, too.
- This Is Gonna Suck: One of Abbott and Costello's scenes features the "You're 40, She's 10" routine, where Abbott asks Costello to imagine a scenario where he's a forty-year-old man in love with a ten-year-old girl. Costello's reaction is that he's going to be in trouble.Costello: This one's gonna be a pip...
Abbott: Well now, wait a minute while I finish!
Costello: Now, I'm goin' around with a ten-year-old girl.
Abbott: Well now, wait a minute.
Costello: I got a good idea where I'm gonna wind up...
