Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Review #1736: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Cast: 

Bud Abbott (Chick Young), Lou Costello (Wilbur Grey), Lon Chaney Jr. (Lawrence "Larry" Talbot / The Wolf Man), Béla Lugosi (Count Dracula), Glenn Strange (Frankenstein's monster), Lenore Aubert (Dr. Sandra Mornay), Jane Randolph (Joan Raymond), Frank Ferguson (Mr. McDougal), and Charles Bradstreet (Professor Stevens) Directed by Charles Barton.

Review: 

Oh, sure, I had been waiting to do this film for a time. Technically speaking, the idea of doing a Universal horror film with tinges of comedy isn't exactly the newest concept, since a handful of the classic films had comic relief (ranging from Una O'Connor to Wallace Ford), with varying results. Of course, by the time of 1948 (now under the moniker of Universal-International), the well was starting to run a bit dry with the monsters they had brought in and used over the prevailing decade, and I'm sure you remember that House of Dracula (1946) and its middling quality of bringing in monsters with little plot to support it (the next serious horror film wasn't until Creature from the Black Lagoon). You might wonder why this is even being covered at all...well, because it is one of the more memorable features involving the studio and its monsters, and all it took was two comedians at their relative peak. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello first worked together in 1935 because Costello's regular partner was sick; as such, they would do a variety of burlesque sketches together, and they would start doing radio together in 1938, with their own show coming in 1940 (which lasted nine years). In 1940, they were signed by Universal Studios for supporting roles with One Night in the Tropics; this and The Naughty Nineties (1945) contain the two doing their most famous routine with "Who's on First?" (which I'm sure you know a little about, at least for baseball). Buck Privates (1941), their first film as stars, started them on a path of box office demand.

This wasn't exactly their first foray into comedy-horror, having ventured into it with stuff such as Hold that Ghost (1941), which had its own gag involving a candle. But it would be their first of numerous films with them encountering monsters, which would include one with Boris Karloff (named in the title as "the Killer", for some reason), one with the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Mummy (while each was made with Universal, the middle involved a character not previously featured in a Universal film). This was the 22nd collaboration between the duo in a film, for which they did 36 together from 1940 to 1956 (with 28 done at Universal), including a television and radio series. So, yea, there's that to think about. Producer Robert Arthur suggested the idea first, with Oscar Brodney and Bertram Milhauser being brought in to consult on writing before being dismissed. Ultimately, it would be written by Robert Lees and Frederic I. Rinaldo (who had written the aforementioned Ghost film along with stuff such as 1940's The Invisible Woman); Costello hated the initial idea, but a cash advance and choice of director soothed him. So yeah, we have a comedy that plays on the clichés from before without deluding into all of the cheesy failings that can come from weak efforts. In other words, it's a nice chuckler of a movie that happens to be a nice swan song for folks interested in the original Universal line (ranging from the curiosity of the actors to the fair sets and so on), complete with a budget of $800,000 that helps to show the benefits that come from not being trapped in all the B-movie elements. No matter how experienced or not one is with the comic duo or the monsters, there is something for everyone that is readily apparent and quick to please for 83 minutes, with a good majority of the gags working well. Abbott is a quality straight man, jawing his way through the odd duck stuff that happens in and offside from him, which we can appreciate. Costello plays the other side in amusement in wisecracking franticness that gels perfectly with the honed-down Abbott (because hey, seeing a monster is one thing, having other see it is another); each have their little lines to shine, with Costello getting the benefit of being paired with Aubert and Randolph for curiosity (each by the way are just fine, including a neat heel turn for one of them).

Among the actors playing monsters, the easiest highlight is Lugosi, returning to play Dracula (somehow, he had been in such a down state in his career that the studio thought he was dead at first). He was said to have liked the humor on the set (quoted by his son as laughing just as hard as others who would be around to hear the gags), although he would not be as patient if a scene was not progressing as efficiently as possible. He probably has more things to do than he did in the original movie (complete with a transformation sequence in animation by Walter Lantz), and this includes actually being involved in the climax without trouble of woodenness. Folks familiar with Chaney and his sympathetic role will find nothing too different and therefore find it suitable. Strange is nobody's idea of the ideal monster portrayal, but he fits the imposing nature needed in those short moments required (including one on his lap). The table scene near the end with Dracula and the Wolfman going after each other while someone is tied to the bed near them is pretty interesting, although the demise sequences are a little too convenient (still, continuity is a puddle). As a whole, the gags and overall pacing in horror cliches make for a worthy swan song for Lugosi and Chaney (who of course kept working, just not so much for Universal as stars) while being a favorite to have a frightful laugh with, goofy but right on target.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Next Time: The Creature Walks Among Us.