Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)

Rocky and Puddin' Head are waiting tables at an inn on Tortuga when a letter given them by Lady Jane for delivery to Martingale gets switched with a treasure map. Kidd and Bonney kidnap them to Skull Island to find said treasure.

Director:

Charles Lamont

Writers:

Howard Dimsdale, John Grant

Stars:

Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Charles Laughton

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bud Abbott	...	Rocky Stonebridge
Lou Costello	...	Captain 'Puddin' head' Feathergill
Charles Laughton	...	Capt. William Kidd
Hillary Brooke	...	Capt. Bonney
Bill Shirley	...	Bruce Martingale
Leif Erickson	...	Morgan
Fran Warren	...	Lady Jane

Storyline

Rocky and Puddin' Head are waiting tables at an inn on Tortuga when a letter given them by Lady Jane for delivery to Martingale gets switched with a treasure map. Kidd and Bonney kidnap them to Skull Island to find said treasure.

---

Plot Keywords:

parody | pirate captain | spoof | abbott and costello | song | 

---

Taglines:

They're Raising Cain on the BOUNDING MAIN!

---

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Musical | Romance

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 December 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Abbott y Costello contra el Capitán Kidd

Filming Locations:

Motion Picture Center Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$450,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Woodley Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Supercinecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As Universal would not spend extra money to make an Abbott & Costello in color, the duo opted to do it themselves. Using a contractual agreement with Universal that permitted them to make one independent film per year, they made this film using Abbott's company, Woodley Productions.

---

Quotes

Capt. Bonney: If I weren't a pirate I'd cry.

---

Connections

Spoofs Captain Kidd (1945)

---

Soundtracks

"Meet Captain Kidd"
by Bob Russell and Lester Lee
Performed by Charles Laughton and chorus

User Reviews

On the Downslide

I don't mind that the movie has no plot or that it's so noisy my 90-year old grandmother complained or that Charles Laughton thinks he's the one who should supply the laughs and not the menace. What I do mind is that A&C have so little to do. They manage a few bits, but these are crowded out by the chaotic knock-about. It's like someone said we don't have a script or any routines, so let's just run around, make noise, and maybe no one will notice. Maybe the best thing is the really great special effects. The masted ships and sea battle look like they come from an A-production, which they may have. But even the explosions on the sea-shore sets are well done. Too bad the rest of the movie doesn't rise to that level. And pity the poor regally composed Hillary Brooke who looks like she's missing all the mayhem, at the same time Laughton manages more mugs per minute than a race car generates RPM's. In my little book, this is one of the least of the 5 or 6 entries in the A&C Meets... series.