Although it’s not the first time someone came up with the idea of pairing horror and comedy, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) is arguably one of the best, even though legend has it the comedy duo weren’t thrilled with the idea, reinforcing screenwriter William Goldman’s quote about Hollywood, 35 years before he wrote it, that “nobody knows anything.”
Buy Abbott and Costello Meet FrankensteinChick and Wilbur (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello) work for a freight shipping line. McDougal (Frank Ferguson) is expecting the remains of Count Dracula and the body of the Frankenstein monster for his House of Horrors. Dracula (Bela Lugosi, the only time he returned to the role) uses this as cover to enter Florida, where he intends bring Frankenstein’s monster (Glenn Strange, his third time) back to life with help from Dr. Sandra Mornay (Lenore Aubert), who is seducing Wilbur in order to use his brain. Larry Talbot / the Wolfman (Lon Chaney Jr., his fourth time in the role) tries to stop Dracula’s plan.
There’s a great bit in McDougal’s as terrified Wilbur thinks he sees movement related to the Dracula’s coffin and hollers for Chick. Every time Chick returns, it’s all clear, but the audience sees what Wilbur does. There’s also a good laugh when the Monster is startled when it first sees Wilbur.
With the monsters gone, McDougal thinks Chick and Wilbur stole them and has them arrested. They are bailed out by insurance agent Joan Raymond (Jane Randolph), who does so to see if they will lead her to the stolen goods. She also turns on the charm to get close to Wilbur, confounding Chick that two women are attracted to him.
Chick, Wilbur, and Joan go to pick up Sandra at her castle (where the work by the art directors and set decorators really stands out). Secrets are revealed as Joan and Sandra learn about each other while Wilbur discovers Dracula and the Monster in the catacombs, although he fails to show them to Chick.
The climatic sequences of Wilbur’s rescue from the brain transplant are thrilling. The Wolfman and Dracula battle while the Monster pursues Chick and Wilbur through the castle. They are also funny. In particular when Wilbur is being chased, he pulls a cloth off a cabinet without disturbing anything on it. Astonished by this feat, he looks directly into the camera, as if to say “look what I did.”
A brand new HDR/Dolby Vision Master was created from a 4K Scan of the 35mm original camera negative and is displayed at an aspect ratio of 1.37:1. Blacks are rich and inky and are highlights in the work of director of photography Charles Van Enger’s team. The image is very clean, free from dirt and damage. It is also clear with a sharp focus and and very fine texture details on objects such as costumes and sets. A pleasing amount of film grain is present.
The audio is available in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Dialogue is clear. Effects are minimal. Composer Frank Skinner, who had already worked in the horror genre creating the scores for Son of Frankenstein and The Wolf Man, accentuates the thrills and chills with his music, which comes through with strong clarity. The track is free from hiss and defect.
The Special Features are:
- Three audio commentaries. Two new, one by Hats Off Entertainment‘s Joe Ramoni and the other by film historian/screenwriter Gary Gerani. There’s an archival commentary by film historian Gregory W. Mank. They provide good information about the film and its making, although there are moments of contradiction, like who was involved in the creation of the film’s animation
- Theatrical Trailer
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is highly recommend and Kino Lorber Studio Classics’ 4K UHD release delivers an impressive picture and satisfying audio.
