Making ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN: Behind the scenes of the classic movie
The Universal Monsters classic teams the comedy legends with the official Dracula, Wolf-Man and Frankenstein Monster
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 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.
Buy Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein from Amazon
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.
The videos below talk about the historic film and its prominence among the official Universal Monsters movies.
Related link: Abbott and Costello vs. 12 Monsters—including Dracula, Mr. Hyde, and the Creature From the Black Lagoon
Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein: 10 Things You Don’t Need to Know
The video below celebrates the great musical score in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, offering a full score reduction of the monster chase scene…
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein: “Monster Chase” by Frank Skinner (Reduction and Analysis)
In the video below, movie experts offer a behind-the-scenes look at the greatest horror comedy ever made…
The Making of Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein
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