In Victorian England, a series of murders terrorizes London and it’s clear from the film’s title, Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, who is responsible. Luckily, American police officers Slim and Tubby (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello) are visiting to learn British ways of policing as the stars encounter another classic monster and “meet” Boris Karloff for the second time.
Buy Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeAlso at this time in England, women seek the right to vote. At a park demonstration led by Vicky Edwards (Helen Westcott), a group of men verbally abuse the women who respond by physically abusing the men. Officers Slim and Tubby try to break it up but end up on the receiving end of a funny slapstick sequence. They get kicked off the force for their involvement in the suffrage skirmish. They figure they have to capture the murdering monster to get back in the Police Captain’s good graces.
Someone bails out all the women. It turns out to be Vicky’s guardian, Dr. Henry Jekyll (Boris Karloff), who has unrequited romantic feelings for her. He grows jealous of reporter Bruce Adams (Craig Stevens), who successfully woos Vicky. Planning to kill Bruce, Jekyll turns into Mr. Hyde (stuntman Eddie Parker not Karloff as credited in film) whose makeup makes him look more like a werewolf. Hyde goes to the theater Vicki is performing but is chased away by Slim and Tubby, leading to a thrilling rooftop chase. Tubby traps Hyde in a wax museum (where Costello has another run-in with Frankenstein’s monster), but after retrieving others, he discovers he has mistakenly trapped Jekyll.
Back at Jekyll’s lab, Tubby drinks a glass of funny-tasting water and turns into a mouseman in a bizarre sequence, and during a fight, he accidentally gets injected with the Hyde serum, leading to two chases, but will the right monster be caught?
An all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master was created from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative and is displayed at the film’s original aspect ratio of 1.37:1. Blacks are luxurious and a wide spectrum of grays can be seen, leading to a great contrast. Fine texture details are captured, such as when Bruce discovers a man lying in the bushes where the very fine pattern detail in their costumes is well captured as is the foliage. The image delivers a deep depth of field and looks free from dirt or defect. Film grain is apparent and increases when the “London fog” rolls into frame.
The audio is available in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. The dialogue is understandable but is tinged with hiss. The scene with Jekyll, Vicky, and Bruce in the horse-drawn carriage exhibits a lot of hiss. The score, which reuses music from Meet Frankenstein and other films, is imbalanced at times as the top end dominates and the bottom end gets overwhelmed.
There are two audio commentaries, one by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones, one by film historians Tom Weaver and Richard Scrivani.
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde strikes a good balance of horror and comedy even though the Jekyll/Hyde aspects of the story aren’t explored. The new 4K scan has led to impressive video. The audio is serviceable but in need of a restoration.
