DVD Pick:-->"Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948)


"You know I'll never sleep no more.
It seem to me that it just ain't wise
Didja ever wake up in the mornin'
With a ZOMBY WOOF behind your eyes?"
Frank Zappa
NO SPOILERS:
If you're one of those who are quick to dismiss this flick as being just one of several Abbott and Costello throwaways...then you would be missing out on some classic, primo monster movie magic. Filled with chills and thrills, "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) holds up better than most monster films from that era.

Director Charles T. Barton's "A and C Meet Frankenstein" was marketed as a comedy exercise starring 40's "rage of the age" duo...Abbott & Costello, and surprisingly, became one of the biggest money making movies of the decade.

But if you rent this expecting slap your leg...laugh-a-minute entertainment...you might be disappointed. Don't get me wrong...there are a few good chucks throughout. Their bantering back and forth about women is especially amusing. But let there be no doubt about it.... this is a Monster movie! Point and fact. And pretty good stuff, too!

This unexpected box office hit throws Frankenstein at us, of course (played by the often forgotten Glenn Strange who succeeded Boris Karloff). But we are also treated to some tasty Dracula action (played by the always over-the-top Bela Lugosi),...And legendary Lon Chaney Jr. gets to do a little "Werewolves of London" reviving his trademark Wolf Man role. ("I'm a bit of a wolf, myself.")
Lon Chaney, Jr.
Best of all, these actors are obviously having a lot of fun in their monster roles and are playing their parts for real and not for laughs. That's what makes this picture work! That's why this movie kicks some haunted house butt.

Had these roles been played for camp, it would have taken away all the chills and charm created by these legends. Dir. Barton got it exactly right.

To give any more away, other than saying Bud and Lou meet up with these monsters would be spoiling your fun. Suffice it to say...MAYHEM ENSUES!

MUST SEE MOMENT:
Watch for Vincent Price to make a surprise cameo appearance. But don't ask me to point him out...he is just a little bit hard to see.

Casey

Frank Zappa-->"Zomby Woof" off Over-Nite Sensation (1973)
(Own This CD)

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