Bud and Lou and Me and You

 

 

 (wikipedia)

ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN-1951-Bud Alexander (Bud Abbott) and Lou Francis (Lou Costello), new graduates of the Dugan Detective School, take on the case of Tommy Nelson (Arthur Franz; in THE SNIPER the next year)), a boxer accused of killing his manager. Nelson goes to his girlfriend Helen's (Nancy Guild; CAGLIOSTRO (1949)) house where her uncle, Dr. Gray (Gavin Muir) is working on the invisibility formula originally invented by John Griffin. Gray won't inject Tommy with the formula because it will drive him crazy. When no one is looking Tommy injects himself. Lou sees him fade away but no one believes him. Detective Roberts (William Frawley; just starting TV's "I Love Lucy") thinks Lou is crazy and takes him to a psychiatrist but Lou makes him fall asleep. Later they help Tommy clear his name. Lou becomes Louie the Looper, a boxer and challenges Rocky Hanlon (John Day), the boxer owned by gangster Morgan (Sheldon Leonard; also in the team's HIT THE ICE (1943)) who sends his moll Boots (Adele Jurgens; later in Corman's THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED (1955)) to set Lou up for a dive. Lou fights Hanlon with invisible Tommy helping him. Lou has some trouble when Tommy is knock unconscious. Syd Saylor, Bobby Barber, Milt Bronson and Herb Vigran have bit roles. 

Good sfx with a comical if kind of weird ending. One of 9 Abbott & Costello movies directed by Charles Lamont, who also started doing The Ma & Pa Kettle series around this time. The comedy duo made COMIN' 'ROUND THE MOUNTAIN (also directed by Lamont) the same year.

Thanks for reading!

Zombies Rule OK-Part 3

ZOMBIES ON BROADWAY-1945-Two stupid publicity agents (Alan Carney & Wally Brown) get in trouble with a gangster (Sheldon Leonard) when they promise a real life zombie will appear at the opening of his nightclub and then can’t deliver. He sends them to the island of San Sebastian to get a real zombie and they meet a mad scientist Dr. Renault (played by Bela Lugosi) who’s trying to make his own “scientific zombie” in his lab.

Darby Jones (from I WALK WITH A ZOMBIE) is Renault’s living dead servant. Also with Anne Jeffreys, Ian Wolfe and Frank Jenks.

Brown & Carney made a series of RKO comedies between 1943 and 1946. They are usually described as a “lower case Abbott & Costello” but are more like a lower case Bud Abbott & Curly Howard! 

Lugosi would be in the team’s GENIUS AT WORK the next year too. Director Gordon Douglas later helmed the giant ant fest THEM. 

Thanks for reading!