Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff (1949)

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

Director:

Charles Barton (as Charles T. Barton)

Writers:

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

Stars:

Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Boris Karloff

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Lost Caverns Hotel bellhop Freddie Phillips is suspected of murder. Swami Talpur tries to hypnotize Freddie into confessing, but Freddie is too stupid for the plot to work. Inspector Wellman uses Freddie to get the killer (and it isn't the Swami).

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Plot Keywords:

villain | actor names in title | psychotronic film | monster movie | universal monsters | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Lenore Aubert's last American movie. She signed a seven year contract with "Universal-International Studios" and her then husband sweater King and movie actor Julius Altman, was not getting as many acting jobs as his wife and since the war was over he was willing to move back to Europe. Aubert had fallen madly in love with America, became an American citizen and did not want to leave. Altman insisted, and insisted that "Universal" executives let Aubert out of her seven year contract. He had done this when she was under contracts to "Goldwyn" and "RKO" too. "RKO" put him under contract to give him the acting bug so he wouldn't pressure Aubert to break her contracts and go to New York City with him. However this time he was determined. "Universal" executives reluctantly gave in and asked him to let her do a three picture deal. "Universal" put her in two "Universal" movies and looking for a third vehicle for her decided to let her complete her contract change from a seven year contract to a three picture contract by loaning her out to "Columbia Pictures" for "Barbary Pirate (1949)," just to let her complete her three picture contract. "Universal" insisted though that the last movie she make in her contract be a "Universal-International Studios" one. And that one is "Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff (1949)."

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Freddie Phillips: Mr. Strickland! He's been murdered!
Melton: Murdered? That's impossible, we don't permit murders in this hotel!

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Crazy Credits

The film begins animated versions of Abbott & Costello on a scaffold painting their names on a wall. (The bucket is labeled "BLOOD")Then there is the sound of a car screeching to a stop, and machine gun fire. "Meet the Killer" is written in bullet holes. "Costello" yells "HaHa! You didn't dot the "I"!" Then a dagger flies in and "Dots the 'I'", while the bucket of "Blood" is spilled. Then the frame drops, following the "Blood" as it spells out "Boris Karloff", and then the rest of the credits.

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Alternate Versions

In Australia and New Zealand, every scene with a corpse was removed prior to distribution.

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Connections

Spoofs Hold That Ghost (1941)

User Reviews

Still Holds Up Fairly Well

I'm a big A&C fan and have been since I was ten. I saw this A&C film many times in the 1980s (I recorded it once and watched it over and over again). It turns out that this film is included in Volume 3 of the Best of Abbott and Costello DVD set. After purchasing the set, I had a chance to watch it again recently. There are some genuinely outstanding gags here. Of all the movies made after A&C MEET FRANKENSTEIN (the duo's high point), this is one of the best. The chase scene through the caverns is actually very well made and has withstood the test of time. It remains one of the best climaxes from an A&C movie. Unfortunately, Boris Karloff isn't put to very good use in the film. This is a surprisingly atmospheric film, though, and at times it even contains elements of noir. It reminds me of a cross between WHO DONE IT and HOLD THAT GHOST, although it's not as good as either of those films. Still, unlike A&C GO TO MARS or Africa SCREAMS, it's certainly not a blemish on their filmography.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 August 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$686,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1