Africa Screams (1949)

Abbott & Costello search for diamonds in Africa, along the way meeting a visually-impaired gunner, a hungry lion, and a tribe of cannibals...

Director:

Charles Barton

Writer:

Earl Baldwin (original story and screenplay)

Stars:

Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Clyde Beatty

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bud Abbott	...	Buzz Johnson
Lou Costello	...	Stanley Livington
Clyde Beatty	...	Clyde Beatty
Frank Buck	...	Frank Buck
Max Baer	...	Grappler McCoy
Buddy Baer	...	Boots Wilson
Hillary Brooke	...	Diana Emerson
Shemp Howard	...	Gunner
Joe Besser	...	Harry
Burt Wenland	...	Bobo (as Burton Wenland)

Storyline

When bookseller Buzz cons Diana into thinking fellow bookseller Stanley knows a great deal about Africa they are abducted and ordered to lead Diana and her henchmen to an African tribe. After encounters with lion tamers, giant apes and a wild river, Buzz returns to America. Stanley finds diamonds and buys the store they once worked for, hiring Buzz as its elevator operator.

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Plot Keywords:

africa | exotic locale | book | safari | diamond | 

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Taglines:

Those Joy Boys are in hot water again in DARKEST LAFF-RICA!

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Genres:

Comedy | Adventure

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 May 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Don't Bring 'Em Back Alive

Filming Locations:

Nassour Studios - 5746 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Huntington Hartford Productions, Nassour Studios Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

World renowned animal trainer Clyde Beatty provided his own animals for the film.

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Goofs

The "Orangutan Gargantua" is in fact a gorilla, portrayed in exaggerated caricatured fashion. True orangutans are found only in Southeast Asia, not Africa.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Stanley Livington: Stay right where you are. Don't move, stay there now. Steady. Now sit up. Sit up. Sit up you. Up you fool. Up. Sit up I said. Sit up. Up.

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Crazy Credits

End Credit - The Gorrilla spells out The End from some lettered blocks.

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Connections

Spoofs Africa Speaks! (1930)

User Reviews

Lots of fun with the loony couple in the African jungle

The frantic duo now as library clerks (Abbott and Costello) who become involved into African adventures when an ambitious group led by a nasty , evil woman (Hillary Brooke) thinks Costello knows a treasure map . They , then , go to an Africa safari which leads a secret treasure , the king Salomon's diamonds . Stranded in Africa happens numerous humorous adventures , odds and risks .

The picture contains slapstick , simple humor , parody and results to be pretty amusing . This is an okay comedy but a cheapie production in low budget developing a sarcastic look to jungle films . Most entertainment and madcap scheme comes from the animals apparition when are frightening to Costello such as a gorilla , Croc and lions , especially when happens into a cage . This is first independently financed film that Abbott and Costello made whilst under contract with Universal , it was released by United Artists . In supporting cast appears familiar faces joined in the mayhem , thus : Hillary Brooke (acting alongside with the crazy duo in ¨Against the captain Kidd¨ too) as femme fatal , she is especially known as wicked roles (¨Woman in green¨ against Sherlock's Basil Rathbone) ; Clyde Beatty and Frank Buck , they were actually lions tamers , in fact world renowned animal trainer Clyde Beatty provided his own animals for the film ; The Baer Brothers , Max and Buddy , real life muscle men heavyweight fighters and Buddy Baer (playing a giant) starred with the mad couple ¨Jack and the bean stalk¨ ; even appears the one time ¨Stooges¨ (Howard and Besser) . Atmospheric cinematography , though a colorized copy of this film was released in 1988 and mostly shot in studio .This middling spoof film was regularly directed by usual director of their films , Charles Barton . The flick will appeal to nutty duo fans . Hilarious and humorous gags make this one of the best from barmy pair . Low-budget comedy could have been better .