Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949)

Director:

Charles Barton

Writers:

Hugh Wedlock Jr. (story) &
Howard Snyder (story) ...

Release Date:

1 February 1950 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Yipes! Those Killer-Dillers are out to get the King of the Killers !

Plot:

Two employees of a secluded hotel investigate a murder on the premises in which the goofy bellboy is the prime suspect.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Hotel | Bellhop | Hotel Room | Idiot

Cast

Bud Abbott	...	Casey Edwards
Lou Costello	...	Freddie Phillips
Boris Karloff	...	Swami Talpur
Lenore Aubert	...	Angela Gordon
Gar Moore	...	Jeff Wilson
Donna Martell	...	Betty Crandall
Alan Mowbray	...	Melton
James Flavin	...	Insp. Wellman
Roland Winters	...	T. Hanley Brooks
Nicholas Joy	...	Amos Strickland
Mikel Conrad	...	Sgt. Stone
Morgan Farley	...	Gregory Milford
Victoria Horne	...	Mrs. Hargreave
Percy Helton	...	Abernathy
Claire Du Brey	...	Mrs. Grimsby

Also Known As:

Abbot and Costello Meet the Killer
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff (USA) (long title)
Meet the Killer

Runtime:

84 min | Argentina:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1950) | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

This was originally intended as a vehicle for Bob Hope. After the huge success of Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), Universal-International wanted another "horror" comedy with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, so the script was rewritten for them. Oddly enough, the role played by Boris Karloff was originally written for a woman.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Mr. Strickland turns over a bit when Freddy finds him after the murder.

Quotes:

Insp. Wellman: Someone in this room knows a lot more than he or she is admitting, and I intend to find out who it is.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Monsterama Sci-Fi Late Night Creature Feature Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V)

Murderous Mayhem

One of my favourite Abbott and Costello films, Abbott and Costello Meets the Killer tells about a series of murders that take place in a ski hotel near a large lost caverns. The impossible bellboy, played by Lou, is suspected of murder, and the house dick, played by Bud, is his friend and sometimes character reference. It seems that a lawyer was going to write his memoirs, and lots of people did not want that to happen. A menagerie of misfits and blatant suspects people the hotel. A woman who poisoned her lovers, deftly played by the sultry Lenore Aubert of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein fame, and a phony swami played by the ever affable but eerie Boris Karloff lead the cast of irregulars. Also along for the fun is serious character actor Alan Mowbray. There are a lot of hits and misses in this one, but definitely when the laughs hit, they hit hard! Lou dressed as a parlour maid and being hit on by that lovable character actor Percy Helton has to be one of the highlights as well as Lou in the lost caverns. Lots of good, old-fashioned fun!