Abbott and Costello vs. 13 Monsters—including Dracula, Mr. Hyde, and the Creature From the Black Lagoon
Visiting both sides of the coin with the great Universal horror icons…
Universal Studios had access to one of the world’s greatest comedy teams and several of the most stunning monsters. It made perfect sense to have them meet.
With funny work on several kinds of media—including radio, film, and TV—the duo of Abbott and Costello were in command of the comedy scene for years. More amazingly, some genius at Universal Studios decided to task A&C with being the final stop for the classic line of Universal Monsters, creating a compelling mashup of comedy and terror storytelling that was often faithful to both sides of the narrative coin.
Scroll down for a list of relevant comedy/monster appearances, as the comedy duo were tasked with dealing with some of the most popular monsters of the day.
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Abbott and Costello vs. 12 Monsters
Hold That Ghost (1941)
After accidentally inheriting a fortune from a gangster, two service station attendants find themselves stranded in a haunted house. One of the pair’s earliest films, Hold That Ghost also co-starred Evelyn Ankers and Richard Carlson, both of whom have appeared in several sci-fi and/or horror movies. Among many other films, Ankers appeared in The Wolf Man (1941), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), The Mad Ghoul (1943), The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1944), and The Frozen Ghost (1945). Among many other films, Carlson appeared in The Ghost Breakers (1940), The Magnetic Monster (1953), Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), and Tormented (1960).
The Time of Their Lives (1946)
This fantasy-comedy film was a ghost story, with Costello appearing as the ghost of Horatio Prim, who was wrongly accused of treason during the Revolutionary War. Along with another accused ghost played by Marjorie Reynolds, Horatio must get the new owners of the mansion to clear their names. Abbott co-stars in two roles—as Horatio’s 18th-century rival, and as a 20th-century psychologist. The film was directed by Charles Barton, who would eventually direct eight of the comedy team’s movies, including 1948’s Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
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Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
In this beloved crossover film, the duo actually meets up with three of Universal’s most famous monsters—Frankenstein’s monster, Count Dracula, and the Wolf Man. Even more amazingly, the monsters were played by the official actors: Frankenstein’s monster was portrayed by Glenn Strange, who previously appeared as the creature in 1944’s House of Frankenstein and 1945’s House of Dracula; the vampire Count Dracula was played by Bela Lugosi, who had portrayed the count onstage in 1927, as well as in 1931’s film Dracula; and the Wolf Man, portrayed by Lon Chaney Jr., who had played the character in 1941’s The Wolf Man, plus its four sequels.
In Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, directed by Charles Barton, Count Dracula plans to revive Frankenstein’s monster with a “pliable” brain to keep the monster under his control. Dracula decides that the best choice for the brain belongs to Lou Costello’s character. By the film’s end, we see monsters trashing the laboratory, the Wolf Man fighting Dracula, and the Monster chasing down the comedy duo.
The U.S. Library of Congress selected this film for preservation in the National Film Registry. The film also ranked at number 56 on American Film Institute’s “100 Funniest American Movies.”
This was the final film in all three monsters’ original series for Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, and the Wolf Man. All three characters were revived in projects in the decades since.
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Buy the Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters Collection from Amazon
NOTE: If you buy Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein on Blu-ray or DVD (including the collection), it includes a commentary track and a behind-the-scenes feature.
More on Monster Complex
Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949)
While Boris Karloff is the most famous actor to have portrayed Frankenstein’s monster, he didn’t appear in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein because he hadn’t played the role in years. (He did, however, help them promote the film.)
Even so, it made sense that the blockbuster popularity of that film would inspire Universal to somehow bring Karloff into A&C’s film series, leading to Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff. Now, the original script had been written about a female killer, but the producers convinced Karloff to come on board—five days before shooting—and the character was changed to a swami.
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Abbott & Costello Meet The Invisible Man (1951)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man follows two private detectives investigating the murder of a boxing promoter. The film, directed by Charles Lamont, costars Nancy Guild. The film’s special effects, which depicted invisibility and other optical illusions, were created by Stanley Horsley, son of cinema pioneer David Horsley. According to Wikipedia, he also did the special effects for The Invisible Man Returns, The Invisible Woman, and Invisible Agent.
This was the final instalment in Universal’s original Invisible Man series. Decades later, the prospect was picked up again by writer/director Leigh Whannell for 2020’s The Invisible Man, which starred Elisabeth Moss and Oliver Jackson-Cohen.
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Buy the Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters Collection from Amazon
Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1953)
Once again teaming up the comedy duo with actor Boris Karloff, this film followed two American police officers visiting Edwardian London who are involved in the investigation of a series of murders. Directed by Charles Lamont, the film was inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
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Also from Monster Complex: Flashback: Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886)
Abbott & Costello Meet The Mummy (1955)
The 28th—and last—Abbott and Costello film from Universal Pictures, Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy follows two blundering Americans whose search for a mummy leads them to a sacred medallion that holds the key to buried treasure. The film was directed by Charles Lamont, and co-starred Marie Windsor, Michael Ansara, and Richard Deacon.
This was also the final Mummy film in Universal’s original series. However, Hammer picked up the baton in 1959. The series wasn’t revived at Universal until Stephen Sommers’ remake in 1999.
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Buy the Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters Collection from Amazon
Also from Monster Complex: Mummy: Complete Universal Monsters Movies
Abbott & Costello Meet the Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
This one isn’t a film, but a television sketch. A few days after The Creature from the Black Lagoon first hit theaters in 1954, Abbott and Costello appeared on The Colgate Comedy Hour. A 15-minute sketch followed them into the Universal prop room, which was filled with props related to the monsters they’d met before, including the Wolf Man, Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. While there, they crossed paths with the Invisible Man, Frankenstein’s Monster—and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The Gill-man was said to have been played by Ben Chapman, who portrayed the creature in the new film’s water sequences.
Or watch the sketch in the video below…
Abbott & Costello Meet the Creature from the Black Lagoon
30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959)
Costello starred (without Abbott) in this parody of 1958’s Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. Also starring Dorothy Provine and directed by Sidney Miller, 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock showed what happens when an amateur inventor’s fiancée is hit by radiation. (She’s turned into a giant.)
Sidenote: I barely knew this movie existed until I discovered the music video from one of Neil Finn’s solo albums. (Somehow, I had also missed the music video until just minutes ago.) Will be posting a whole article about this soon…
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Making ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN: Behind the scenes of the classic movie
‘Dracula: Dead and Loving It’—Behind the scenes of the vampire comedy
The Munsters: Is Herman Munster Really Frankenstein’s Monster? (Well…)
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Warm Bodies (2013): How the warmhearted zombie comedy embraces survival
Michael Keaton on BEETLEJUICE: “I don’t get it. Explain what you’re trying to do.”
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Related links
BOO’s On First: Abbott, Costello, And The Universal Monsters (Fangoria)
Meet the Monsters: Ranking the Monster Movies of Unlikely Horror Icons Abbott and Costello (Bloody Disgusting)
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Universal 1948) (Classic Monsters)