ALL SCI-FI

[Pow]

Mmm, I don't think that you have enough monsters on the list, Bud.

[Bud Brewster]

[The Spike]

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is directed by Charles Barton and written by Robert Lees, Frederic Rinaldo and John Grant. It stars Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney Junior, Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, Lenore Aubert and Jane Randolph. Music is by Frank Skinner and cinematography by Charles Van Enger.

It's well documented come 1948 that Abbott and Costello were becoming victims of changing times and filmic ideas. Coupled with the one time success of the Universal classic monster movies having seemingly had their day, someone at the merged Universal-International head office decided to pit the comic duo with the creature feature legends. Thus a film franchise was born and it helped reignite Bud and Lou's career.

Making the Universal monsters a viable theatre draw once again, this first teaming set a high standard that wasn't to be matched with the following "meet the monsters" series. It's a near hilarious spoof of the classic 1930s/40s horrors, where it finds Bud and Lou as hapless transport porters involved with the revival of Dracula and the Frankenstein monster.

The usual comedy staples of the comedy duo are adhered to, which is nicely countered by the monsters themselves mostly playing it straight. With the added bonus of having Lugosi once again donning the Count Dracula cape, the nostalgic value for classic horror buffs is enormous. It's of course wonderfully energetic and daft, but still not a scene is wasted.

With smart gags - both visually and orally - and a finale of great entertainment worth, this is very much a pic to embrace for a pick me up purpose. 8/10
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The quality of mercy is not strnen.

[johnnybear]

Plus you get a blink and you'll miss it shot of the Lady baddie's underwear when the Frankenstein monster hurls her through the window near the end!
JB

[Bud Brewster]

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Interesting! I guess that would an example of the rare "upskirt during a downfall"!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Gord Green]

Screenshots required Gentlemen!
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[The Spike]

[Bud Brewster]

[Pow]

The wonderfully spooky animated opening credits were designed by Walter Lantz, best known as one of the co-creators of the famous cartoon character Woody Woodpecker.

This film ignores continuity regarding Lawrence Talbot. In the previous 1945 movie "House of Dracula" we see Talbot finally cured of his werewolf transformations.

The musical score for this film by Frank Skinner is terrific.

I always wondered just what the various law enforcement agencies made of the crime scene at the castle the next day? Probably covered up the whole thing like they did on "Kolchak The Night Stalker" every week.

While the ''monster'' clearly burned up on the dock (guess he forgot his fear of fire from the earlier Frankenstein films), there are some folks who question the demise of the Wolf-Man & Count Dracula.

Would such a plunge into the ocean have really finished off both of those supernatural characters?

I thought that I read once that in Bram Stoker's classic novel of Dracula, that vampires do have a fear of water.

Every time I see the fine character actor Frank Ferguson in a movie (House of Wax with Vincent Price) or on TV (Leave It To Beaver, Land of the Giants) I yell out "McDougal!

At one point during the development of this movie they had the Mummy in it.

This was the second cheapest film produced by Universal-International in 1948. It became the studio's second highest grossing film that year.

I never thought anything ever looked cheap about this marvelous movie. The sets were beautifully done, gorgeous matte paintings, the animated morphing of Count Dracula was fantastic looking!

Overall, the make-up for the monsters was good. However, the legendary Jack Pierce who created the stunning make-ups for the Monster and the Wolf Man (not sure if he was the maestro who created the original Dracula make-up), was let go by U-I.

U-I was trying to save money and cut costs on the budget and one area they did this in was make-up for the monsters.

Pierce did more elaborate make-up which was also time-consuming in the earlier Frankenstein & Wolf Man films.

So we can only wonder how different this great movie would have looked like had they allowed Jack to work his magic?

[Bud Brewster]

[Pow]

Thoughts about A&CMF after watching it for the zillionth time on MeTV's Svengoolie show.

Wonder how Count Dracula & the monster were able to travel unnoticed from MacDougal's House of Horrors to their island castle?

The Wolf Man is one of my fav Universal monsters. Kinda unbelievable he really couldn't just bust through the door of the room that he asks Wilbur to lock him inside.

The large hunting party using bloodhounds couldn't track Chick & Lawrence Talbot at all? Riiight.

Joan Raymond (Jane Randolph) is an insurance investigator going undercover. When Dr. Sandra Mornay (Lenore Aubert) becomes suspicious of Joan, Mornay snoops in Joan's purse and discovers her insurance investigator I.D. business card.

So much for clever undercover work there, Joan.

In the scene where Chick and Wibur push the bed against the door to block the monster, you can see the wall behind Lou Costello, standing on top of the bed, shake a little once the monster comes into the bedroom.

The laboratory appears to be on the ground floor when Dracula and Dr. Mornay push the gurney that Wilbur is on to the lab for the operation.

Once all heck breaks out, and Chick & Wilbur escape the operating room, we see the battle ensue with them and the monsters and we are clearly on the second floor of the castle.

Boy, the monster has really lousy aim, doesn't he? He tosses crate after crate on the dock at Chick & Wilbur who are in a boat. The boat is tied to the dock and is only a few feet from the monster who misses them every single time.

At the conclusion of the movie we see Chick & Wilbur talking in the boat that Wilbur was finally able to untie from the dock.

Chick is rowing the boat but the boat isn't moving at all in the water.

[Krel]

[Bud Brewster]

[Pow]

More A&CMF Factoids.

Prior to this movie, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello had considered doing a Broadway show where the comic duo would have met the three classic Universal monsters.

They discussed this idea in 1942 with the legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce. However, that idea never worked out.

Bertram Milhauser wrote a 47 page treatment for A&CMF that was submitted to Universal on February 12, 1947.

The idea of placing Costello's brain inside the Frankenstein monster was not part of that story.

The plot from "Sherlock Holmes in Washington" was recycled for the Abbott & Costello film.

Plot Synopsis: The evil Dr. Fell steals a formula from Baroness von Frankenstein that will re~animate the monsters.

The Baroness tells her granddaughter, Jane, who teams up with F.B.I. agent Dan Barlowe in order to stop Fell from his nefarious scheme.

Fell is arriving in NYC on an ocean liner when he finds out that Barlowe has discovered his plans and intends to arrest him.

Fell hides the secret reanimation formula on microfilm in a matchbook.

He then tricks the ship's stewards, Bud & Lou, into carrying the matchbook covertly off the liner.

Much of the plot involves the comedy team losing, then recovering, the matchbook over and over again.

Abbott & Costello finally deliver the matchbook to the museum where Fell works and where the monsters are all on exhibit.

Jane has Fell escort her to a costume party held at the Waldorf Astoria, then leaves him trapped in an elevator while F.B.I. agent Barlowe searches for the elusive formula.

In time, Fell catches up with both Jane & Barlowe at the museum.

Bud & Lou accidentally revive the Monster by using salt and vinegar, and the Wolf Man with baked beans. They also remove the stake from Count Dracula's chest.

The monsters then chase Abbott & Costello all around the museum.

Baroness von Frankenstein arrives with an atomizer that shrinks the monsters to four inches in height.

Fell is arrested, while the boys are allowed to use the monsters in a Broadway show.

Praise the gods that this silly plot was not accepted by Universal-International for the film.

[Bud Brewster]

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How right you are, sir! That so-called plot is a hot mess, no doubt about it.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)