ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE 1953
Bud Abbott (Slim), Lou Costello (Tubby), Boris Karloff (Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde), Craig Stevens (Bruce Adams), Helen Westcott (Vicky Edwards), Reginald Denny (Inspector), John Dierkes (Batley)
Directed by Charles Lamont
The Short Version: The third of the A&C comedy horror monster-pieces gets the scare-tactics back on track with this entry--on par with the spook spoof classic, ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. Prat falls and visual gags are frequent, yet the film adds some unusually dark moments to the formula. Action comes as frequent and fast as the numerous time-lapse dissolve transformations of various actors into both mice and monsters. Karloff puts this one high atop the pestilent pedestal with a risibly evil interpretation as the diabolical Dr. Jekyll and his monstrous other half, Mr. Hyde. Recommended fusion of fun and frights.
Slim and Tubby, two American police officers training at London's Scotland Yard, get caught up in a mob brawl after a clutch of men scoff at a women's suffrage gathering. Bested by the fiery females, the two Keystone Cops lose their jobs and figure the best way to get them back is to catch the mysterious monster committing murders late-night on London's fog-enshrouded streets. Meanwhile, Dr. Jekyll conducts experiments--on himself--to curb man's dark side, but instead transforms into an ape-like creature who kills those who oppose him. Jekyll likewise intends to kill the ex-bumbling bobbies Slim and Tubby (now just bumbling), and a snooping reporter who has eyes on the lady the mad doctor obsesses over.
The third entry, and second best of the A&C horror-comedy combos increases its value by adding Boris Karloff among its cast. Basically a chase picture, MEET DR. JEKYLL has enough entertainment style high voltage to keep Dr. Frankenstein in business for days. Returning to the creepshow comedy routine of ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948), this third monster mash avoids the predominantly humorous tone of the previous movie, ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN (1951), opting to crank up the horror. Charles Lamont's movie is noticeably darker than the above-mentioned MEET FRANKENSTEIN from director Charles T. Barton--people die in this one. Much like the combined efforts of Chaney, Strange and Lugosi, Karloff brings a lot of prestige because of his genre affiliations.
Last seen around A&C Land in the monster-less ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER, BORIS KARLOFF (1949), the famed, and former Frankenstein Monster had retired from such roles. With no desire to spoof himself as the lumbering patchwork creation in the timeless classic ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, it would seem he had no real interest in playing Jekyll and Hyde, either. But he did, and he does a ghoulish job of being evil as the two-faced scientist.
Expectedly, Karloff makes a delightfully devilish Dr. Jekyll who is pure sadist right from the start--fully aware of his murderous tendencies (as in Stephenson's original novella). He claims a desire to quell the beast within man, but he seems more interested in releasing it while satisfying a desire of another sort. His lustful intentions towards the much younger Helen are made disturbing when he reveals, "You can't marry him, you belong to me. I've loved you ever since you were a child. Every plan I ever made I made for you!" After saying all this, when Jekyll transforms and tries to carry her off to the man-cave, the bestiality subtext is profound. Curiously, nearly all the scenes with Mr. Hyde are played for laughs while everything with Karloff is played serious. And Mr. Hyde is extremely spry, maneuvering in, around, and on top of various buildings when he's onscreen.
Naturally, it's not Karloff doing all the climbing and rooftop sprinting during the film's handful of chases; all that kinetic activity was handled by (uncredited) Uni-horror stuntman, Eddie Parker. Karloff does participate in all the scenes where he changes into his even more evil alter ego. Whatever his misgivings for doing A&C movies, Karloff's participation in two of these productions only enhances them, this one especially.
Another area of the script that takes things into a darker realm of subtext is the means by which Dr. Jekyll administers his formula; instead of drinking the serum he injects it into his bloodstream. Treating his all too frequent altered state of conscious as a drug addiction was possibly not intended, but it's not hard to draw that conclusion. Okay, now to lighten things up...
Charles Lamont's film echoes the feel of Barton's MEET FRANKENSTEIN, revisiting some of that picture's set pieces. For instance, the scene in the wax museum is a more elaborate do-over of the same one in Barton's movie; there's even a waxen model of both Frank's Monster and Dracula! The former briefly "comes to life" after a frayed electric cable hits it. With no Bud Abbott around, Lou goes it alone, being spooked by a floating head and chased by Mr. Hyde right into an Iron Maiden. It's possibly the best sequence of an already impressive lot.
Some of the jokes get repetitive, such as all the cartoon-style sneaking up behind the oblivious Lou Costello. He gets stalked multiple times by Mr. Hyde and Batley, played by John Dierkes (Dr. Chapman in THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD [1951]). You won't find quite as much comedic wordplay as in the previous movies so it's up to the visual gags to keep the pace flowing. As a result, there's lots of action and the movie never lags. There's even a big, battle of the sexes brawl that kicks things off.
Additionally, the script includes a number of transformations; some of which involve Lou Costello turning into his own version of Mr. Hyde and even a mouse! During the last 20 minutes the hijinks kick into serious overdrive with many scenes of Jekyllian style mistaken identity. There are two Hyde's running around wrecking all sorts of hilarious havoc in broad daylight. By the end, there's a whole heap o' Hyde's to contend with.
The Hyde masks recall the Fredric March film version from 1931, and the design looks forward to John Chambers work on PLANET OF THE APES (1968). Both the Hyde and mouse masks were sculpted by Chris Mueller. The Hyde disguise turned up again in Universal's TARANTULA (1955).
Without Karloff, it's doubtful MEET DR. JEKYLL would be as entertaining as it is. His scenes are played even more serious than those of the multi-monster cast in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948). A fairly thin, if seamless plot is padded with several cartoon's worth of elaborate chases. Just a small notch below that aforementioned 1948 classic, Boris and the Boys see right through 1951's Invisible Man entry; and now it's on to Egypt for the fourth and final film of the A&C monster match-ups....
This review is representative of the Universal's ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE MONSTERS 2 disc set paired with ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE MUMMY. Specs and Extras: 1.33:1; audio commentary with film historians Tom Weaver and Richard Scrivani; theatrical trailer.
ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN 1951
Bud Abbott (Bud Alexander), Lou Costello (Lou Francis), Arthur Franz (Tommy Nelson), Nancy Guild (Helen Gray), Adele Jergens (Boots Marsden), Sheldon Leonard (Morgan), William Frawley (Det. Roberts), Gavin Muir (Dr. Philip Gray), John Day (Rocky Hanlon)
Directed by Charles Lamont
The Short Version: A&C's second monster meet and greet (not counting 1949s monster-less ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER, BORIS KARLOFF) is more of a comedy gangster film than comedy horror. Likewise the tone of the invisibility sequences owes more to the lighter Invisible spin-offs like THE INVISIBLE WOMAN and INVISIBLE AGENT than to the blackly comical horror of James Whale's THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933). There's some minor horror moments early on including a nifty link to the original movie, some spook iconography and a mention of the previous A&C ghoul gathering, but that's about it. After MEET FRANKENSTEIN, this is a mild disappointment, if worthwhile viewing for A&C fans. One thing that's not unseen is a lot of laughs and a fast pace.
Bud and Lou have barely graduated from Dugan's Detective Academy when they quickly land their first case with professional boxer Tommy Nelson, whom they discover is wanted for allegedly murdering his manager. Reluctant to trust him, the green P.I.'s accompany Nelson to the residence of Dr. Philip Gray, a scientist working on a serum that renders its subject invisible. Created by Jack Griffin--a scientist who tested the drug on himself and promptly went insane--Dr. Gray refuses to inject Nelson for fear of the maniacal side-effects. With the cops hot on his tail, Nelson administers the drug on himself and, quite literally, vanishes. The two ham-fisted flatfoots join forces with the invisible Nelson to clear his name. Much camera mugging and invisible insanity ensue.
At the end of ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948), the Invisible Man makes his presence known--vocally, of course--via the signature tonality of iconic genre star Vincent Price. Eight years earlier Price made his horror movie debut in THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS (1940), so it was the perfect way to end the already amazing A&C Frank flick with his brief return to the role. Unfortunately, Price went unseen on the production of ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN (1951). Relative newcomer, Arthur Franz (INVADERS FROM MARS [1953], MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS [1958], THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE [1959]), took the role. Since the story deals with boxing (reportedly a re-worked storyline for an unmade INVISIBLE MAN sequel), Franz was most likely a better fit than Price would have been.
Even though it's a Priceless affair, Franz does fine as the framed boxer, who's rarely visible, as such; but there's no denying the unmistakable voice of Vincent is sorely missed after being teased with it in the previous picture. Like Boris Karloff, Price had a voice that made horror movies sing and MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN is off key without him. In much the same fashion, Claude Rains had an impressively demented delivery in the 1933 horror classic. Unlike Franz, 99% of THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) is carried without ever seeing Rains; and unlike Rains, Franz's character only flirts with going off the deep-end. He doesn't have that horror movie voice to identify with the likes of Rains or Price.
Not only that, but the picture never really feels even the slightest bit like a horror movie; it's more in line with INVISIBLE sequels like THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (1940) and INVISIBLE AGENT (1942). There are elements from Price's own THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS (1940), only had Price's services been acquired, the picture would feel more genre friendly. If you're expecting this second A&C Uni-horror meet and greet to have that same lovably morbid atmosphere as MEET FRANKENSTEIN, you're in for a disappointment....
Regardless, Bud and Lou's adventure with this version of the Invisible Man is frequently funny, milking the "vanishing act" for all it's worth. In some ways, it's actually more amusing than its predecessor. These gags work especially well bouncing off of Costello's maladroit style of pratfall comedy while Bud Abbott essays his usual straight-man routine. In the previous outing, Abbott didn't catch on to the monstrous goings-on till later in the picture; in this one, Abbott's "seeing" is believing occurs much earlier. Meanwhile, Costello ramps up the mugging for the camera and looking directly into it for added comedic effect. Another area that MEETS THE INVISIBLE MAN gets it right is in the pacing--it never falters.
It might not be the monster bash of before, but the script (a slew of writers had their hands in this one) links itself with James Whale's classic 1933 original. A picture of Jack Griffin (Claude Rains's insane title monster in the '33 film) hangs on the wall in doctor Gray's office. Despite the doctor's reservations, Nelson desperately wants the serum to make him disappear. And this is where our goofball gumshoes come in....
The plan to clear Tommy Nelson's name involves Lou pretending to be bulbous boxer Louie the Looper, stepping into the ring with rough-houser, Rocky Hanlon. Unknown to the gangsters with a lot of dough riding on the bout, it's really a handicapped match with the invisible Nelson ensuring a victory for the Looper. About as subtle as Tyson biting your ear off in the third round, Lou hops, skips and jumps around the ring while Tommy rings Rocky's bell with a series of powerful, perfectly paralyzing, percussion-paced punches. Ironically enough, Costello had been an amateur boxer in his earlier years.
The invisibility FX are like a highlight reel of everything that came before. David S. Horsley did the special photographic effects for this picture and all the INVISIBLE MAN sequels. Those previous vanishing acts always had some new trick to show off. The invisibility sequences in Lamont's movie offer nothing new but are a lot of fun in how they're implemented into both the narrative and Abbott and Costello's shtick.
Out of all the gags (the dinner sequence is a particularly healthy entree of specials effects and comedy), one of the best belly-acher's involves no camera tricks at all, just Costello's uniquely timed clumsiness. Entering a gym to show what he's got, Louie the Looper takes a whack at the speed bag only for the speed bag to take a whack at him. Naturally it's Nelson machine-gunning the bag with Lou barely going through the motions while a congregate of boxers and trainers stand around with mouths agape.
After a rip-roaring confrontation with the gangsters, the last sequence ends the movie with a TKO. In it, chubs is helping out a critically injured Tommy with a blood transfusion. Lou somehow getting the invisibility serum into his own bloodstream resulting in some brief silliness in a hospital ward. A similar gag closes out the next film, the superior ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1953).
Look out for William Frawley as Detective Roberts. A few of the gags are real knee-slappers because of his reactions to the shenanigans perpetrated by those oblivious to his presence; or his own cluelessness to what's right in front of him. Virtually everybody watching this will remember him as Fred Mertz on the I LOVE LUCY (1951-1957) show. You almost expect Vivian Vance to show up and call him a "fat old goat". He's a joy to watch in this, and the movie is made better with his participation.
Fans of Bud and Lou (who play characters using their first and middle names) will get the most out of this one. Uni-horror fans might be let down for the lesser accent on horror, but if you stick with it, you're likely to have a good time. ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN (1951) is, despite the lack of any Gothic trappings, very funny. Based solely on its horror content, it barely makes it to the 5th round; on its comedic qualities, it goes the distance for the whole 12. Things are back to normal, so to speak, in the next entry of the Abbott and Costello comedy-horror quartet.
This review is representative of the ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE MONSTERS 2 disc set. It shares a disc with ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. Specs and Extras for MEETS THE INVISIBLE MAN: 1.33:1; theatrical trailer.
copyright 2013. All text is the property of coolasscinema.com and should not be reproduced in whole, or in part, without permission from the author. All images, unless otherwise noted, are the property of their respective copyright owners.
Slim and Tubby, two American police officers training at London's Scotland Yard, get caught up in a mob brawl after a clutch of men scoff at a women's suffrage gathering. Bested by the fiery females, the two Keystone Cops lose their jobs and figure the best way to get them back is to catch the mysterious monster committing murders late-night on London's fog-enshrouded streets. Meanwhile, Dr. Jekyll conducts experiments--on himself--to curb man's dark side, but instead transforms into an ape-like creature who kills those who oppose him. Jekyll likewise intends to kill the ex-bumbling bobbies Slim and Tubby (now just bumbling), and a snooping reporter who has eyes on the lady the mad doctor obsesses over.
The third entry, and second best of the A&C horror-comedy combos increases its value by adding Boris Karloff among its cast. Basically a chase picture, MEET DR. JEKYLL has enough entertainment style high voltage to keep Dr. Frankenstein in business for days. Returning to the creepshow comedy routine of ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948), this third monster mash avoids the predominantly humorous tone of the previous movie, ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN (1951), opting to crank up the horror. Charles Lamont's movie is noticeably darker than the above-mentioned MEET FRANKENSTEIN from director Charles T. Barton--people die in this one. Much like the combined efforts of Chaney, Strange and Lugosi, Karloff brings a lot of prestige because of his genre affiliations.
Expectedly, Karloff makes a delightfully devilish Dr. Jekyll who is pure sadist right from the start--fully aware of his murderous tendencies (as in Stephenson's original novella). He claims a desire to quell the beast within man, but he seems more interested in releasing it while satisfying a desire of another sort. His lustful intentions towards the much younger Helen are made disturbing when he reveals, "You can't marry him, you belong to me. I've loved you ever since you were a child. Every plan I ever made I made for you!" After saying all this, when Jekyll transforms and tries to carry her off to the man-cave, the bestiality subtext is profound. Curiously, nearly all the scenes with Mr. Hyde are played for laughs while everything with Karloff is played serious. And Mr. Hyde is extremely spry, maneuvering in, around, and on top of various buildings when he's onscreen.
Charles Lamont's film echoes the feel of Barton's MEET FRANKENSTEIN, revisiting some of that picture's set pieces. For instance, the scene in the wax museum is a more elaborate do-over of the same one in Barton's movie; there's even a waxen model of both Frank's Monster and Dracula! The former briefly "comes to life" after a frayed electric cable hits it. With no Bud Abbott around, Lou goes it alone, being spooked by a floating head and chased by Mr. Hyde right into an Iron Maiden. It's possibly the best sequence of an already impressive lot. 
Some of the jokes get repetitive, such as all the cartoon-style sneaking up behind the oblivious Lou Costello. He gets stalked multiple times by Mr. Hyde and Batley, played by John Dierkes (Dr. Chapman in THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD [1951]). You won't find quite as much comedic wordplay as in the previous movies so it's up to the visual gags to keep the pace flowing. As a result, there's lots of action and the movie never lags. There's even a big, battle of the sexes brawl that kicks things off.
Additionally, the script includes a number of transformations; some of which involve Lou Costello turning into his own version of Mr. Hyde and even a mouse! During the last 20 minutes the hijinks kick into serious overdrive with many scenes of Jekyllian style mistaken identity. There are two Hyde's running around wrecking all sorts of hilarious havoc in broad daylight. By the end, there's a whole heap o' Hyde's to contend with. 
Without Karloff, it's doubtful MEET DR. JEKYLL would be as entertaining as it is. His scenes are played even more serious than those of the multi-monster cast in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948). A fairly thin, if seamless plot is padded with several cartoon's worth of elaborate chases. Just a small notch below that aforementioned 1948 classic, Boris and the Boys see right through 1951's Invisible Man entry; and now it's on to Egypt for the fourth and final film of the A&C monster match-ups....
