| Excuse My Dust | |
| Director: | Roy Rowland Edward Sedgwick |
| Producer: | Jack Cummings |
| Starring: | Red Skelton Sally Forrest Macdonald Carey William Demarest Monica Lewis Raymond Walburn |
| Music: | George Stoll |
| Cinematography: | Alfred Gilks |
| Editing: | Irvine Warburton |
| Studio: | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Distributor: | Loew's, Inc. |
| Runtime: | 82 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $1,789,000[1] |
| Gross: | $2,298,000 |
Excuse My Dust is a 1951 musical comedy film starring Red Skelton. It was directed by Roy Rowland and an uncredited Edward Sedgwick. It is based on the 1943 book of the same name by Bellamy Partridge.
Amateur inventor Joe Belden has his Indiana hometown in a tizzy over his new "horseless carriage" in 1895. It runs on gasoline, but the townspeople aren't impressed and only Joe's mom and his sweetheart Liz Bullitt are supportive.
Mechanical breakdowns make Joe even more unpopular with some, including Liz's father, who prefers his daughter's other suitor, Ivy Leaguer Cyrus Ransom, Jr.
A $5,000 first prize in a road race attracts newfangled contraptions from all over the land. Cy enters one himself that runs on ether and cheats in every way he can to drive Joe off the road. He succeeds, but Liz comes to the rescue and joins Joe all the way to the finish line—well, almost all the way.
The film was an original script by George Wells. Van Johnson was at one stage intended to star.[2]
Performed by Macdonald Carey and Male Chorus
Performed by Monica Lewis and Chorus, introduced by Herbert Anderson and Sally Forrest
Sung by Macdonald Carey, Monica Lewis, Sally Forrest, Red Skelton and Chorus
Performed by Red Skelton and Sally Forrest (dubbed by Gloria Gray)
Performed by Macdonald Carey, William Demarest and Chorus
Performed by Monica Lewis, Red Skelton and Chorus
Danced by Sally Forrest and Male Chorus, in French Apache style
Sung by Sally Forrest (dubbed by Gloria Gray)
According to MGM records, the film earned $1,645,000 in the US and Canada and $653,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $501,000.[1]