Hey, Boris!

 

 (imdb)

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER, BORIS KARLOFF-1949-A lawyer named Strickland is murdered. The chief suspect is bellhop Freddy (Lou) who's helped out by hotel detective Casey (Bud) after he's fired by his manager Melton (Alan Mowbray). Inspector Wellman (James Flavin) has plenty of other suspects: suspected husband poisoner Angela (Lenore Aubert), Swami Talpur (Boris Karloff) and Hanley Brooks (Roland Winters). The funniest part is Talpur trying to hypnotize Freddy into committing suicide and when Freddy dresses as a maid (he and Casey have to hide some dead bodies) and he is chatted up by the night watchman (Percy Helton). Also with Mikel Conrad and a bit by Bobby Barber. 

Director Charles Barton made 9 movies with Abbott & Costello including perhaps their best one A & C MEET FRANKENSTEIN (also featuring Lenore Aubert) in 1948. Ironically, he would also direct the team's final film together DANCE WITH ME, HENRY in 1956, usually considered one of their worst. In the '30's he was assistant director of The Marx Brothers movies MONKEY BUSINESS and HORSE FEATHERS.

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Friday the 13th, Full Moon, My Birthday...

It's time for comedy!!


THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH-1948-This was Abbott & Costello's first foray into independent film making (for Eagle-Lion). "The boys" play Ted (Bud) and Tommy (Lou) who work for the Speedy Window Washing Service. A bookie named Nick Craig, (Joseph Calleia) mistakes them for a delivery service and sends them to pick up $50,000 from a guy named Stewart (Ben Weldon). When Stewart sends two of his men to get the money back Tommy puts the money in an envelope and mails it to the Craig. Of course he gets the envelopes mixed up and the money winds up with a rich woman's secretary (Cathy Downs) who promptly spends most of it. They have ten hours to raise the money so that Craig can pay off the mysterious J C McBride (Leon Errol), a gambler who "never loses". Mike Mazurki plays one of Craig's henchman. One highlight of the story is a pool game between Costello and Errol (which features the routine "Mudder and Fodder"). Although Bud and Lou do many of their famous routines, Costello and Errol have a few funny bits together too.

THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH was probably an unusual name for this comedy. It was one of 8 Abbott and Costello movies Charles Barton directed. He made their classic ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN the same year. (Earlier Barton was assistant director on the Marx brothers' DUCK SOUP).  Cathy Downs later was in many low budget horror-Sci-Fi movies of the fifties like THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN and MISSILE TO THE MOON. NOOSE also features bits by Fritz Feld, Herb Vigran, Isabel Randolph and A & C's old pals Murray Leonard and Joe Kirk.

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ABBOTT and COSTELLO

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN-1948-This Universal production is one of the best horror comedies ever made. It's arguably Abbott and Costello's best film but unfortunately it also ushered out the era of the studios classic horror monster movies. Bud and Lou play baggage handlers Chick (Abbott) and Wilbur (Costello) who get into trouble almost immediately when they deliver two crates to "MacDougal's House of Horrors", a wax museum. The crates contain "the remains" of Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and the Frankenstein monster (Glenn Strange). Meanwhile, Larry Talbott (Lon Chaney) tries to convince "the boys"  he's the wolf-man. It turns out Wilbur's girlfriend Sandra (Lenore Aubert who's also in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER BORIS KARLOFF) is in league with the count to put Wilbur's brain inside the head of the monster! Jane Randolph (CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE) plays an insurance investigator who pretends to be sweet on Wilbur. There's lots of great bits and one liners and director Charles Barton does a great job of combining the comedy and horror. Frank Ferguson plays the owner of the museum and there are appearances by A & C "regulars" Joe Kirk and Bobby Barber. Vincent Price is the voice of the invisible man.

This is one of eight Abbott & Costello comedies directed by Charles Barton who had been assistant director on the Marx Bros. movies MONKEY BUSINESS and HORSE FEATHERS.

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