Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Original title: Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
20K
YOUR RATING
The Wolf Man tries to warn a dimwitted porter that Dracula wants his brain for Frankenstein monster's body.The Wolf Man tries to warn a dimwitted porter that Dracula wants his brain for Frankenstein monster's body.The Wolf Man tries to warn a dimwitted porter that Dracula wants his brain for Frankenstein monster's body.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 2 nominations
Lon Chaney Jr.
- Lawrence Talbot
- (as Lon Chaney)
- …
Bobby Barber
- Waiter
- (uncredited)
George Barton
- Man at Costume Party
- (uncredited)
Harry Brown
- Photographer
- (uncredited)
Charles Irwin
- London Policeman
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
Joe Kirk
- Man at Costume Party in Fez
- (uncredited)
Howard Negley
- Harris - Insurance Man
- (uncredited)
Vincent Price
- The Invisible Man
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
Carl Sklover
- Man at Costume Party
- (uncredited)
Helen Spring
- Woman at Baggage Counter
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Charles Barton
- Walter Lantz(animation sequences) (uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaLou Costello didn't want to make the movie, declaring, "No way I'll do that crap. My little girl could write something better than this." A $50,000 advance in salary and the signing of director Charles Barton, the team's good friend and the man some call their best director, convinced him otherwise.
- GoofsAfter Wilbur knocks the bundles containing their masquerade costumes out of Chick's arms and tries to dance with him, Chick say's "Come on, pick up these bundles and get dressed." Wilbur strides out of the frame without his bundle but he has it in his hand as he strides into the next shot.
- Quotes
Chick Young: What's the matter?
Larry Talbot: I know you'll think I'm crazy, but... in a half-an-hour the moon will rise and I'll turn into a wolf.
Wilbur Grey: You and 20 million other guys!
- Crazy creditsCharles Bradstreet is credited as Dr. Stevens, but his character is never once called "Doctor." He is always referred to as Professor Stevens.
- Alternate versionsFor its original release, the Australian film board required that almost every scene involving a monster be removed before release.
- ConnectionsEdited from Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
Featured review
Scarily Funny!
There are two schools of thought regarding 'Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein'. The first holds that the movie represents the nadir of the Universal Monsters cycle, with three once-great monsters reduced to playing second-fiddle to a couple of Laurel and Hardy wannabes. The alternative view, which I hold, is that this movie is a classic comedy-horror, perhaps the best example of that hybrid sub-genre until John Landis' 'An American Werewolf In London' emerged in 1981.
'A&CMF' warrants classic status because it is probably the best Universal horror film since 'The Wolf Man' (1941); certainly it has a much stronger narrative thread, not to mention a better reason for the three monsters coming together, than either 'House Of Frankenstein'(1944) or 'House Of Dracula'(1945). The problem with those two movies is that Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and The Wolf Man's coming together seemed purely coincidental, with Dracula not even encountering the other two in 'House Of Frankenstein' (which feels like two short films cobbled together, with only Boris Karloff's Dr. Neimann & J. Carroll Naish's hunchback providing a link between them) and 'House Of Dracula' only featuring a few scenes with more than one monster. 'Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein', by having The Wolf Man pursuing Dracula and the Monster, and also having Dracula plan to put Lou Costello's brain into the Frankenstein Monster (with the help of the duplicitous Dr. Mornay) provides an extremely satisfactory reason for the various characters coming together.
As for the acting, it has often been pointed out that this film works because the monster actors (Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr & Glenn Strange) play it straight, and this is very true, with Chaney's tortured soul act contrasting well with Lou Costello's one-liners (especially the famous 'you and twenty million other guys' joke). Lugosi, playing Dracula for only the second time, is wonderfully grandiose and even Glenn Strange, who is basically only required to lumber about, does what he does well, and he has a lot more to do than in the 'House of' movies. Abbott and Costello are very funny, using fewer verbal routines than normal, but doing some highly entertaining slapstick gags, and the supporting cast do very well, notably Frank Ferguson as the blustering McDougal, barely controlling his exasperation at Lou Costello's incompetence. Lenore Aubert as Dr. Sandra Mornay does well, and it's interesting to see a female mad scientist, particularly taking into account when this film was made. Charles Bradstreet and Jane Randolph have less to do in their parts, but neither of them drags the film down
All in all, 'A&CMF' is a movie that deserves a much greater reputation than it has acquired in some circles, and is probably the high point of the Abbott and Costello filmography
'A&CMF' warrants classic status because it is probably the best Universal horror film since 'The Wolf Man' (1941); certainly it has a much stronger narrative thread, not to mention a better reason for the three monsters coming together, than either 'House Of Frankenstein'(1944) or 'House Of Dracula'(1945). The problem with those two movies is that Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and The Wolf Man's coming together seemed purely coincidental, with Dracula not even encountering the other two in 'House Of Frankenstein' (which feels like two short films cobbled together, with only Boris Karloff's Dr. Neimann & J. Carroll Naish's hunchback providing a link between them) and 'House Of Dracula' only featuring a few scenes with more than one monster. 'Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein', by having The Wolf Man pursuing Dracula and the Monster, and also having Dracula plan to put Lou Costello's brain into the Frankenstein Monster (with the help of the duplicitous Dr. Mornay) provides an extremely satisfactory reason for the various characters coming together.
As for the acting, it has often been pointed out that this film works because the monster actors (Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr & Glenn Strange) play it straight, and this is very true, with Chaney's tortured soul act contrasting well with Lou Costello's one-liners (especially the famous 'you and twenty million other guys' joke). Lugosi, playing Dracula for only the second time, is wonderfully grandiose and even Glenn Strange, who is basically only required to lumber about, does what he does well, and he has a lot more to do than in the 'House of' movies. Abbott and Costello are very funny, using fewer verbal routines than normal, but doing some highly entertaining slapstick gags, and the supporting cast do very well, notably Frank Ferguson as the blustering McDougal, barely controlling his exasperation at Lou Costello's incompetence. Lenore Aubert as Dr. Sandra Mornay does well, and it's interesting to see a female mad scientist, particularly taking into account when this film was made. Charles Bradstreet and Jane Randolph have less to do in their parts, but neither of them drags the film down
All in all, 'A&CMF' is a movie that deserves a much greater reputation than it has acquired in some circles, and is probably the high point of the Abbott and Costello filmography
helpful•799
- violencegang
- Nov 16, 2004
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $800,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $4,796,000
- Gross worldwide
- $4,812,444
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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By what name was Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) officially released in India in English?
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