Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

The Wolf Man tries to warn a dimwitted porter that Dracula wants his brain for Frankenstein monster's body.

Directors:

Charles Barton (as Charles T. Barton), Walter Lantz (uncredited)

Writers:

Robert Lees (original screenplay), Frederic I. Rinaldo (original screenplay)

Stars:

Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney Jr.

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bud Abbott	...	Chick
Lou Costello	...	Wilbur
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Lawrence Talbot / The Wolfman (as Lon Chaney)
Bela Lugosi	...	Count Dracula
Glenn Strange	...	The Frankenstein Monster
Lenore Aubert	...	Sandra Mornay
Jane Randolph	...	Joan Raymond
Frank Ferguson	...	Mr. McDougal
Charles Bradstreet	...	Dr. Stevens

Storyline

The world of freight handlers Wilbur Grey and Chick Young is turned upside down when the remains of Frankenstein's monster and Dracula arrive from Europe to be used in a house of horrors. Dracula awakens and escapes with the weakened monster, who he plans to re-energize with a new brain. Larry Talbot (the Wolfman) arrives from London in an attempt to thwart Dracula. Dracula's reluctant aide is the beautiful Dr. Sandra Mornay. Her reluctance is dispatched by Dracula's bite. Dracula and Sandra abduct Wilbur for his brain and recharge the monster in preparation for the operation. Chick and Talbot attempt to find and free Wilbur, but when the full moon rises all hell breaks loose with the Wolfman, Dracula, and Frankenstein all running rampant.

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Plot Keywords:

spoof | crate | full moon | transformation | werewolf | 

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Taglines:

Jeepers! the creepers are after somebody - and guess who!

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Allegedly, the ring Bela Lugosi wore was in the possession of Forrest J. Ackerman for many decades. However, its authenticity has recently been disputed, when close-up photos revealed notable differences between Ackerman's ring and the original. This, however, didn't stop an auction house from selling it - after putting pressure on a fan who had posted a detailed account of his investigation including photos showing the significant differences between the two - nor a collector from buying it.

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Goofs

According to "The Wolf Man," a person who is bitten by a werewolf and lives, becomes a werewolf himself. In this movie, Larry Talbot says that he was bitten by a werewolf and becomes a wolf when the moon is full. At the masquerade, McDougal was bitten by Larry Talbot. The following night, Larry Talbot turns into a wolf again, but McDougal does not.

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Quotes

Wilbur Grey: I've got a date. In fact I've got two dates.
Larry Talbot: But you and I 'have a date with destiny'.
Wilbur Grey: Let Chick go with Destiny.

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Crazy Credits

Charles Bradstreet is credited as Dr. Stevens, but his character is never once called "Doctor." He is always referred to as Professor Stevens.

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Alternate Versions

For its original release, the Australian film board required that almost every scene involving a monster be removed before release.

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Connections

Referenced in Star Trek: Enterprise: Horizon (2003)

User Reviews

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 June 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Brain of Frankenstein

Filming Locations:

Benedict Castle, Riverside, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$4,796,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,812,444

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1