Lester and Orville (Bud Abbott & Lou Costello) accidentally take off in an experimental spaceship and land in New Orleans during Marti Gras, thinking they are on Mars. A string of unlikely events put them back in the spaceship with a pair of bank robbers (Jack Kruschen and Horace McMahon) and headed toward Venus which is inhabited by only gorgeous women.
We have here the combination of two questionable subgenres: burlesque comedy and fem-space fantasies. Both are acquired tastes and it is likely you haven’t acquired them. Abbott and Costello had some quality routines and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is one of the best horror comedies, but their overall filmography includes far more misses than hits. Here they do their normal type comedy, but without any joke standing out. They were getting stale by ’53 and while they could occasionally elicit smiles, laughs were a thing of the past.
There’s some fun to be had in the all-female planet trope, as was displayed by the camp classic Queen of Outer Space, but not nearly enough this time. The Venusian women, played by Miss Universe contestants, are breathtaking in their space-swimwear, and their setup could supply some gags, but they don’t have enough screen time to do much.
And that’s really the problem with the film: to much is going on. There’s a long pointless opening, time spent with the drab lead scientist and his fiancée, the time in New Orleans, the comedy crooks, and finally Venus. There isn’t time for any of the situational comedy to develop. That wouldn’t matter if Abbott & Costello had some solid jokes, but without those there needed to be a better script. Still, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars is mildly entertaining, and if you like the wholesome sexually of ‘50s sci-fi pinup girls, it is a painless way to spend 77 minutes.