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Movie: Abbott, Costello Meet FrankensteinBela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Glenn Strange Co-Star in 1948 Film
Bud and Lou frolic with three of Universal Pictures' most famous screen monsters in the 1948 comedy-horror film classic, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
During the 1940s and early '50s Bud Abbott and Lou Costello reigned as one of Hollywood's top comedy teams. In 1948 Bud and Lou made one of their all-time classic movies, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, with Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr. and Glenn Strange in monster support. Oh Chick! Screenplay, Director, MusicOriginally titled The Brain of Frankenstein, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was written for the screen by Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo and John Grant. When he first saw the script, Lou Costello refused to do the movie, telling the producers, "No way I'll do that crap. My little girl could write something better than this." Costello, however, eventually came around, enticed by a $50,000 salary advance and the signing of the venerable Charles T. Barton as director. Frank Skinner expertly created the manic-horror music score. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello Head CastBud Abbott (1895-1974) played Chick Young with Lou Costello (1906-1959) as Wilbur Grey. Portraying the three monsters were Bela Lugosi (Dracula), Lon Chaney Jr. (Larry Talbot/The Wolf Man) and Glenn Strange (The Frankenstein Monster). Others appearing in the film included Lenore Aubert (Dr. Sandra Mornay), Jane Randolph (Joan Raymond), Frank Ferguson (Mr. McDougal), Charles Bradstreet (Dr. Stevens), Howard Negley (Harris, the insurance man) and an uncredited Vincent Price (Voice of The Invisible Man). Budget, Filming Location, Trouble on the SetBudgeted at $800,000, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was filmed from February 5 to March 26, 1948, at Universal Studios, Universal City, California. Not all went according to plan during filming. When Glenn Strange tripped over a cable and broke his ankle, Lon Chaney Jr. stepped in, donning the latex headpiece devised by Chris Mueller and playing the Frankenstein Monster for one scene until Strange could return and finish the movie in a cast. Abbott and Costello engaged in a spat with director Charles Barton. When Barton instructed John Grant to freshen up an old Abbott and Costello routine dubbed "Pack and Unpack," the duo refused to do it, opting to perform the old one instead. Following a sarcastic exchange, Bud and Lou boycotted the set for three days, finally returning on the fourth where they finally did the new routine. Bela Lugosi, who was paid $15,000 for his services, helped liven things up off camera, engaging in pie-throwing contests with Abbott and Costello and fellow monsters Chaney and Strange. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Dracula, WolfmanAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein opens in London, where a frantic Larry Talbot phones a moving company back in the States. He reaches an employee, Wilbur Grey, instructing him not to open two wooden crates destined for McDougal's House of Horrors Wax Museum. During the call, Talbot is transformed into the Wolf Man, prompting Wilbur to comment, "You're awful silly to call me from London just to have your dog talk to me." Arriving from Europe, Talbot informs Wilbur and Chick that Dracula plans to revive the Frankenstein Monster. Aiding the Count in this endeavor is Dr. Sandra Mornay, who wants to transplant the brain of the weak-willed Wilbur into the monster in order to make the latter more compliant. Joan Raymond, an investigator for Shippers Insurance, Inc., eventually becomes involved. The contents of the two missing crates entrusted to Wilbur and Chick -- the ones containing the Dracula and monster exhibits -- were insured for $20,000. A masquerade ball, an island castle and a full moon provide the ideal background as all of the principals meet in a horrific climax. "You still want your exhibits?" Wilbur asks McDougal as they flee the castle with the Frankenstein Monster in hot pursuit. "Well, here comes one of 'em now!" Release, ReviewsAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was released in the United States on June 15, 1948. "Much of the comic invention in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is embraced in the idea and title. The notion of having these two clowns run afoul of the famous screen monster is a good laugh in itself...Get the most out of that one laugh while you can, because the picture, at Loew's Criterion, does not contain many more," reported Bosley Crowther of The New York Times (7/29/48). Box Office, DVDAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was a box-office hit, reportedly occupying the number two position on the list of Universal-International's top moneymaking films of 1948. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was first released on DVD in 2000 by Universal Studios. Source
The copyright of the article Movie: Abbott, Costello Meet Frankenstein in Classic Film Comedies is owned by William J. Felchner. Permission to republish Movie: Abbott, Costello Meet Frankenstein in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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