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:

The maddest spree of Ghoulish Glee since they met . . . Frankenstein !

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Film-Noir | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some of the musical cues are from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

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Goofs

When Angela comes to visit Freddie in his suite, and they sit down on the sofa, her right arm is down near her lap. Then, when the shot shifts to the side, her arm is resting behind Freddie on the back of the sofa.

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Quotes

Abernathy: [referring to bridge game] What'd she bid?
Casey Edwards: Grand slam.
Abernathy: [Looking at Freddie's hand] You bid a grand slam on that hand? You know what?
Freddie Phillips: What?
Abernathy: You're going to get murdered.

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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

References Habeas Corpus (1928)

User Reviews

Tidy comedy, great mystery!

Bud & Lou find themselves at the center of a murder mystery, the chief suspect? Why Lou Costello of course.

As a comedy, Meet The Killer offers nothing fresh to what we haven't seen before from the boys prior to this 1949 offering, not that the comedy doesn't deliver, because it does, very much so. Be it Freddie (Costello) being too stupid to be hypnotised by the shifty Swami (Boris Karloff), or a wonderful sequence of events down in the creepy caverns, it's fun and very diverting. However, the strength in "Meet The Killer" is that it works very well as a whodunit mystery, a ream of characters, all acting oddly, come and go to keep the viewer guessing right through to the cheery pay off. It's entertaining on two fronts and has a cast clearly having fun into the bargain. Super shadowy photography by Charles Van Enger as well. Enjoy!

Now, about that Tortoise? 7/10

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