Lou Costello was always the master of strangulated, speechless terror, so putting Abbott & Costello in a movie with the Wolfman, Dracula and the Frankenstein Monster was inspired. Getting Lon Chaney, Jr., Bela Lugosi and Glenn Strange to play the Terror Trio was just icing on the cake. This time around Bud and Lou play Chick Young and Wilbur Gray, a pair of railroad baggage clerks in LaMiranda, Florida, who have to deliver two large crates to MacDougal's House of Horrors. Inside are Dracula and the Frankenstein Monster, but of course they escape. To make things worse, Wilbur's beautiful girlfriend, Sandra Mornay (Lenore Aubert), is really a mad scientist who wants to put Wilbur's brain in the Monster. Fortunately, Lawrence Talbot (Chaney) has arrived from Europe on the trail of the monsters.
It is rather amazing how long this film goes with Wilbur being the only one to spot the monsters. The comedy in this movie is something of a departure for the comedy team, because it relies more on situational humor and not as much on the "Who's On First" word play. The pantomime scene with Lou on the Monster's lap is great, as is the final chase scene with the boys encountering one monster after another. "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" is the first and the best of the boy's comic team-ups, which does not deserve the reputation it has in some quarters for having made the Universal monsters creatures of ridicule. That might be true of later Abbott & Costello monster comedies, but the charge would be truer of "House of Dracula" than this film, which has the same respect for the monsters as does "Young Frankentstein." Trivia Note: While filming the scene where the Monster throws Sandra through the lab window, Strange was knocked over and broke his ankle. Chaney, who had played the Monster in "Ghost of Frankenstein," volunteered to step in and once again don the makeup and he is the one who re-shot the scene that appears in the movie.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
It seems that Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and a beautiful but diabolical lady scientist (Lenore Aubert), need a "simple, pliable" brain with which to reactivate Frankenstein's creature (Glenn Strange). The "ideal" brain belongs to the hapless Lou Costello, whom the lady doctor woos to gain his confidence and lure him to the operating table. Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.), better known as the Wolf Man, enlists Costello and his pal Bud Abbott's help in hunting down Dracula and Frankenstein's monster, who have both just been shipped to a sideshow in Florida. Throughout the film, Costello witnesses the nocturnal rituals of Dracula and the Monster, but can't convince his ever-doubting partner, until the wild climax in Dracula's castle, where the comedians are pursued by all three of the film's creatures.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is not only one of the team's best films, but also one of the best horror movie spoofs ever made. Universal Pictures took advantage of the Abbott and Costello team and the copyrighted likenesses of the Frankenstein Monster, the Wolf Man and Dracula to come up with this perfect blend of chuckles and chills. A great Saturday afternoon flick.
As a bonus, the Invisible Man (voiced by an unbilled Vincent Price) shows up for all the excitement.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - Charles T. Barton's Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Abbott and Costello also meet the Wolfman and Dracula in this amusing horror comedy.
Chick (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur (Lou Costello) are freight handlers at a delivery company. McDougal (Frank Ferguson) drops by to get his new crates for his house of horrors. They contain the bodies of Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange) and Dracula (Bela Lugosi). A Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) calls from London to try to stop the delivery, but Chick and Wilbur agree to take the crates to McDougal's.
Chubby Wilbur also has a beautiful girlfriend, the exotic Sandra (Lenore Aubert). Chick and Wilbur take the crates in, but the monsters come alive and escape. McDougal calls in insurance investigator Joan (Jane Randolph), who also takes a shine to Wilbur. Talbot arrives from Europe, during the full moon, and promptly turns into a werewolf.
Sandra works for Dr. Stevens (Charles Bradstreet), whose presence in this film is the weakest part of the story. As Dracula begins putting different cast members under his control, we find out Sandra is working with the undead in order to get Wilbur's brain for the Monster. A funny climax ensues, as the three monsters finally meet in Dracula's castle, as Chick and Wilbur try to escape.
Despite the goofy nature of the film, it is funnier than a ton of junk out there today. Lou Costello is a riot, and Bud Abbott proves he was the best straight man who ever lived. Lugosi is not given that much to do, but the makeup effects on all three monsters is wonderful. The late 1940's special effects are silly fun. The direction is a little standard, but the likable comedy team makes up for the film's short comings. A final "cameo appearance" is the last scene is truly classic.
Abbott and Costello made a lot of these types of films, but this one might be the best. I highly recommend it.