It Ain’t Hay

Wilbur Hoolihan Lou Costello, a cab driver, accidentally kills a hack horse owned by King O’Hara Cecil Kellaway and his daughter, Princess O’Hara Patsy O’Connor, by feeding it candy. In hopes of raising enough money to replace it, he and his friend Grover Mockridge Bud Abbott visit a crooked gambling parlor. They win enough money, but before they can purchase a new horse, a con man swindles Wilbur out of the cash. Some touts inform Wilbur and Grover that an old horse is available for free at one of the upstate tracks. They visit the track but mistakenly take the wrong horse, a champion by the name of Tea Biscuit, and present the horse to O’Hara.

Tea Biscuit’s owner, Col. Brainard [Samuel S. Hinds], offers a reward for the return of the horse. By this time, O’Hara has taken a fare up to Saratoga. Wilbur and Grover, realizing their error, drive to Saratoga to find O’Hara. The three touts also realize that Wilbur and Grover took Tea Biscuit, and trail them hoping to recover the horse and collect the reward. Wilbur and Grover manage to find O’Hara and hide Tea Biscuit in their hotel room, but they are hounded by the house detective, Warner, who was tipped off by the touts. Fleeing Warner, Wilbur rides the horse but ends up at the track in time for a big race. The three touts and Warner converge on the track and confront Grover, who makes a deal with them to turn over the horse Wilbur riding for $100. Grover then uses that money to bet on Tea Biscuit. Before the race, Wilbur is thrown off Tea Biscuit and lands on Rhubarb, and Rhubarb’s jockey saddles up Tea Biscuit. With a real jockey aboard, Tea Biscuit wins the race while Wilbur and Rhubarb come in last. Warner and the touts take Wilbur’s horse, which they believe is Tea Biscuit, to Col. Brainard for the reward, but it is the wrong horse. Grover holds the only winning ticket on Tea Biscuit, and uses the windfall to buy O’Hara a replacement horse.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 09:31