Customer Reviews

Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie has taken a bum rap over the years. The vast majority of people who've seen it -- particularly Abbott and Costello fans -- don't like it. Some even hate it. The reason: they say it just is not funny.

Actually, there are some VERY funny moments...but less than a half-dozen of them. Yet, this is a film Abbott & Costello fans will want to see (and own) -- and ANYONE who is a classic horror movie fan will want to OWN IT (remember that as we move into the 21st century this is unlikely to be available so now is the time!).
Firstly, I'm a bit biased about this film. This is the very first movie I remember seeing as a kid and the first I remember seeing in a movie theater. I have not seen it since I bought it on Amazon-- and was NOT disappointed!

Why? I like horror movies. And this is less of an Abbott & Costello movie than a low-budget remake of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Boris Karloff in the title role.

If you're a Karloff fan like I am, this is a TREASURE: he is at his evil, slimiest best...even glowering at times. Special effects were clearly Universal Studios style, essentially the same effect as used in the Wolfman series. The movie seldom lags but it is made according to the Universal horror formula at the times (less like an A&C film).

View this film NOT as a hilarious Abbott & Costello comedy but a remake of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with an appearance by Abbott and Costello and you'll love it. The comedy team really doesn't do all that much in this movie and most seems derivative from their other horror spoofs. This also has far less comedy overall than those other films but as a REMAKE of this HORROR movie with A&C it is WELL worth the money.

When Costello hilariously, if predictably, gets some of the transformation formula at the end it seems more like a typical A&C movie...and the final scene with the policemen sucking their Costello-monster-bitten fingers, with the final (guess?) finale result is a classic.

As a FILM -- a remake of this story with Boris Karloff at his sleaziest best -- it rates an enthusiastic four stars. If you're absolutely looking for a hilarious A&C movie it would then be three and a half or a bit less. But it is WORTH seeing and owning -- and this lesser known entry will be hard to find...so if you see it's available grab it NOW!

This film recycles all the jokes from A and C meet Frankenstein, but this time they've lost some of their shine. Frankenstein had 3 bad guys for the boys to contend with, (Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolfman) this film, like A and C meet the mummy, suffers from its audience having already seen better. (A and C meet the Invisible Man is the only one that doesn't suffer from this, because the jokes are fresh and Original) All that aside the boys still constantly have me laughing. Anyone who loves Abbott and Costello NEED to own this movie.

Tubby (Lou) and Slim (Bud) are two police officers in London studying the English police methods. After getting kick off the force, they determine that if they can catch the monster that has been killing prominent doctors they will be able to get their jobs back. Dr. Jekyll (Karloff) is experimenting with the idea of separating "good from evil" and in his lab is transforming character traits between various animals (e.g. Tubby has a bunny rabbit snap at him). Dr. Jekyll's ward Vicky falls for a newspaperman Bruce - Jekyll has loved Vicky for years and he decides to become Mr. Hyde to get rid of Bruce. While hunting for the monster in Dr. Jekyll's home, Tubby falls on a hypodermic needle, becomes a monster, and the chase begins.

This is an excellent movie for Karloff and Abbott & Costello fans.

Boris Karloff plays the doctor in this one. And even though this is a comedy film, he plays it straight. Karloff was always good with the apparently sane doctor who actually is carrying out mad experiments as a basic mad scientist and does well here too.

But the Karloff makeup was not up to Spencer Tracy standard. The change to Mr. Hyde was done fairly well, but the Hyde mask was pretty obviously a rubber mask.

The film starts out with a general plot of our boys, Tubby & Slim (you can guess who is who) who are in Edwardian England as American cops learning the ways of the British methods of police work. Unfortunately they have a hard time breaking up a disturbance -- a group of women want the right the vote, and there are men who are yelling "Let's get them back to the kitchen!" and causing a riot.

Our boys get caught in the middle of it all and tons of slapstick ensues.

We have our star-crossed lovers as well. The woman in the mix is Vicky Edwards (played great by Helen Westcott, who had more success in Fifties TV than film - Perry Mason, etc.) as the suffragette and her boyfriend newsman Bruce Adams (who went on to play in the TV series Peter Gunn, actor Craig Stevens).

There are several chase scenes and a bit too much slapstick. There's lots of action comedy in other words, including the usual narrow escapes and the occasional murder (it is a horror movie after all) but not a lot of the comedy skits and dialogue that I've come to like about A&C.

Not a bad entry, if for the great acting performance and creepiness of Karloff, it would have been well below what the boys are known for -- great comedic dialogue and slapstick!

I made a mistake when I ordered this movie. I thought I was buying it on DVD and it was VHS, oops. My parents still have an VHS player so I gave it to them and ordered another one for me. I remember watching this movie when I was a kid in the 60's It was good then and it's great now. If you have never seen any of the Abbott & Costello "monster" movies, watch one today and show your kids so they can pass it on. (they are in black & white). Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde is becoming very hard to find so if you do find one, get it....

typical hollywood fare but abbott, costello and boris karloff make
a highly interesting tale of horror which though drab setwise for
hollywood does hold your interest. karloff's smooth delivery make his role real but the viewer sees through his cleverness of
purpose. costello fronts for the villain[karloff] unwittingly which makes for suspense and humour. abbott is the usual and delightful straight man and plays his role to the hilt.

The film opens in early 20th century London. A cloaked figure attacks and kills a person walking on the sidewalk. Another unsolved murder. Women are demonstrating for the vote - they put on a song and dance for equal rights! There is a protest from onlookers and comic violence. Bruce Adams is the reporter who covers this happening. Tubby and Slim are employed as Bobbies to study police methods. Dr. Jekyll is studying the human mind so as to control mankind for its betterment. Does he have a secret in his basement? Is there a serum that brings out the bestial nature of mankind? [Was this story a parable for alcohol prohibition?]

Tubby and Slim see someone climbing up the side of a theater; they think it is a burglar. Tubby searches for the burglar and sees the monster. There is a comic chase, but the monster escapes and lands in a wax museum. Tubby catches the monster, but it turns into a harmless person. [The police suspect nothing.] Slim and Tubby are invited to Dr. Jekyll's mansion for the night. Tubby snoops and finds a secret laboratory with strange animals. Tubby drinks some funny tasting water which affects his outlook. The police don't believe their story.

There is a new development when Bruce Adams wants to marry Vicky Edwards, Dr. Jekyll's ward; jealousy pops out. Vicky's screams bring Bruce back, and warns Tubby and Slim. Bruce uses his revolver to stop Jekyll's assistant Batley. Then they chase the fleeing monster. There are unforeseen changes in Tubby's behavior. This chase is as funny as can be. The police catch the wrong man. In the end the real monster ceases to be a problem. [Does it remind you of "The Invisible Man"?] There is a very funny ending at the police station.

This film does not seem to be as funny as their earlier films, but it is still good. They seem older and tired.

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1953)
Universal-International Pictures
Release Date: August 1, 1953
Runtime: 76 minutes

Director:
Charles Lamont

Producer:
Howard Christie

Writing Credits:
Howard Christie
Sid Fields
Grant Garett
John Grant
Lee Loeb
Robert Louis Stevenson

Cast:

Bud Abbott....Slim
Lou Costello....Tubby
Boris Karloff....Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Hyde
Craig Stevens....Bruce Adams
Helen Westcott....Vicky Edwards
Reginald Denny....Inspector
John Dierkes....Batley
Patti McKay....Dancer
Lucille Lamarr....Dancer
Marjorie Bennett....Militant Woman
Carmen De Lavallade.....Javanese Actress
Arthur Gould-Porter....Bartender
Herbert Deans....Dr. Stephen Poole
Hilda Plowright....Nursemaid
Clyde Cook....Drunk
Harry Cording....Rough Character
Donald Kerr.....Chimney Sweep
Eddie Parker....Mr. Hyde Stuntwork

Music by:
Henry Mancini
Frederick Herbert &
Arnold Hughes
Herman Stein
Johnny Green
Daniele Amfitheatrof

Cinematography by:
George Robinson

Film Editing by:
Russell F. Schoengarth

Set Decoration:
Russell A. Gausman

Costume Design by:
Rosemary Odell

Sound Department:
Milt Bronson
Leslie I. Carey

Stunts:
Eddie Parker

Other Crew:
Joseph Gershenson....musical director
Milicent Patrick....mask desinger
Kenny Williams....dance director

Plot Summary:

Slim and Tubby are American cops sent to London to study British police tactics. By their own bumbling actions, they wind up in jail. They are bailed out by Dr. Jekyll. Jekyll has been murdering fellow doctors who laughed at his experiments. The boys look to solve the recent murders to get back on the police force. Jekyll's Hyde serum ends up in Tubby's system and several police officers, causing many Hydes to run amok around London.

ROUTINES & HILARIOUS MOMENTS:
Lou is turned into a mouse
Bud and Lou running from Jekyll
Lou in a wax museum
Lou is turned into Hyde

Feeble, older, and worn-out comedians Bud and Lou prove that they can still handle their material well. A fun, classic film for the entire family that kids and adults alike can watch without feeling guilty. Not as good as their 1940s hits, but not without amusing scenes.

WONDERFUL ENTRY IN THE A&C MEET THE MONSTERS SERIES OF MOVIES. VERY GOOD SPECIAL EFFECTS OF KARLOFF CHANGING INTO MR.HYDE. KARLOFF'S PRESENCE ALONE MAKES THIS MOVIE WORTH WATCHING,BUT COUPLED WITH THE COMEDIC TALENTS OF ABBOTT & COSTELLO IN MY OPINION MAKE IT AN INSTANT CLASSIC. IF YOU ARE A FAN OF A&C OR THE UNIVERSAL MONSTER MOVIES THIS IS A MUST SEE MOVIE!!