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MOVIES / ON DVD / ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

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Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

90%
67%
90%
N/A
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90 %
Reviews Counted: 20 Fresh: 18  Rotten:2 Average Rating: 7.1/10
Runtime: 83 mins
Synopsis:
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's "grand unifying monster" film and the first in their "Meet..." series, with the two bungling buddies as baggage handlers saddled with the ghoulish remains of Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange). But once they arrive at their... [More]
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's "grand unifying monster" film and the first in their "Meet..." series, with the two bungling buddies as baggage handlers saddled with the ghoulish remains of Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange). But once they arrive at their cargo's destination, a wax museum, the monsters revolt, with plans to purloin and transplant Lou's brain. The Monster is growing weak and his master Dracula has devised the perfect plan to restore his virility. The fat man takes the bait, which is in the shape of a woman. Director Charles Barton easily guides this ambitious effort which is chaotically comic throughout, despite an off-camera foot injury that confined Glenn Strange to a cast and prompted Bela Lugosi to fill in for him in one scene. This was last screen appearance of Universal's Frankenstein Monster, which had been introduced by Boris Karloff. The result is an unforgettable and unique combination of humor and horror. [Less]

Genre: Comedies

Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange

Director: Charles Barton
Screenwriter: Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo, John Grant
Producer: Robert Arthur
Story: Mary Shelley
Composer: Frank Skinner

DVD Info

Release:

May 8, 2002

[DVD Details]

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Ratings Image

The comedy duo's finest onscreen hour comes in the shape of this wonderful horror spoof which also unites all of Universal's scariest horror heroes under the same cinematic roof.

Full Review | Comment
10/16/07 03:57 PM
Channel 4 Film
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A little bit of going through the motions with this horror spoof but fans will enjoy

Full Review | Comment
10/16/07 03:56 PM
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
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No review available.

| Comment
04/15/08 10:51 AM
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
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It's ridiculous, of course, but the combination of classic monsters, dizzy sets and some of Bud and Lou's funniest bits make it a keeper.

Full Review | Comment
01/03/08 10:10 PM
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
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After this film's considerable success at the box office, Abbott and Costello made seven more pictures in which they 'met' Hollywood monsters, but none were as lively and entertaining as this one.

Full Review | Comment
10/16/07 03:56 PM
TV Guide's Movie Guide
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This 1948 effort is probably the last of their watchable films, though it's a long way from their best.

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10/16/07 03:55 PM
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
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The notion of having these two clowns run afoul of the famous screen monster is a good laugh in itself. But take this gentle warning: get the most out of that one laugh while you can, because the picture, at Loew's Criterion, does not contain many more.

Full Review | Comment
08/08/06 03:15 AM
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
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THE best of Abbott and Costello's zany films, this time with Lugosi and Chaney playing their monsters seriously, which makes A&C's reactions hilarious.

| Comment
02/16/06 08:21 PM
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan
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Classic horror movie spoof.

| Comment
09/23/05 11:06 AM
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures
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The best of all the 35 Abbott and Costello movies made between 1940 and 1956.

Full Review | Comment
07/18/05 07:59 PM
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
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No review available.

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07/03/05 05:23 AM
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
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No review available.

| Comment
02/20/04 12:35 PM
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
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No review available.

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01/30/04 06:58 PM
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
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A classic mixture of horror and comedy, one of the best in this genre and one of A&C's finest moments.

| Comment
09/20/03 03:17 PM
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
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This is one of the best of all the Abbott and Costello features.

Full Review | Comment
03/10/03 08:50 AM
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
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Superior Abbott and Costello vehicle with great Bela Lugosi Dracula performance.

| Comment
01/16/03 08:37 AM
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
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Even contemporary audiences can't help but laugh at this.

| Comment
11/29/02 07:53 AM
Michael Drakulich
Star Newspapers (Chicago, IL)
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One of the duo's most crowd-pleasing adventures.

| Comment
07/26/02 10:38 PM
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com
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Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein shows off both the comedy team and the monsters at their best, ranking in my book with Ghostbusters as one of the best horror-comedies ever.

Full Review | Comment
11/27/01 08:03 AM
David Conner
Apollo Guide
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...much of it is silly, but I think you'll find it as entertaining now as I did fifty years ago.

Full Review | Comment
01/01/00 12:00 AM
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
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