I DEFINITELY remember an old episode of Abbott and Costello’s TV show with Lou Costello giving Bud Abbott a massage while llistening to a recording giving instructions how to do so.
The recording says, “First, sterilize your hands with rubbing alcohol or witch hazel.” Costello asks Abbott which one to choose, and Abbott says, “Oh, just use either.” Costello gets a bottle of ether, which knocks Abbott out.
Next, the recording says, “You’ll need a bottle of liniment.” Costello doesn’t have any, so he leaves the room to get it. While he’s away, someone turns off the recording and puts on a radio show explaining how to fix dents in your car!
When Costello returns, the recording tells him, “Now, put everything away and get some sandpaper…” Costello has no idea that the recording has changed, so he follows all the new instructions. He starts sanding the unconscious Abbott, hammering him, and then painting him.
Abbott and COstello used a lot of their old movie routines in the TV show, so it’s possible that same routine was done in one of their movies.
IF boxing was relevant to the plot, the movie MAY have been Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man. The boys play a pair of boxing trainers in that one- the boxer they work with is framed for murder, and becomes invisible to find the real killers.
I remember this episode from when I was very young, maybe 4-6.
I actually got some sandpaper and rubbed it on my stomach and gave myself a nice brush burn.
I purchased some Abbott & Costello TV Show DVDs a few years back hoping I would find the scene, but no luck.
Then I just did a search on the internet and found this page and the scene from my memory. LOL.
Just reading the description by astorian made me laugh. It sounds like a skit that I’ve seen boy scouts do at a campout lately. Either someone saw the movie or it’s in a book of funny skits, and it’s silly enough (and clean humor).