ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948)

By the late 1940s, two of Universal-International’s biggest franchises, Frankenstein and Dracula, were on the wane. After a series of team-ups ending with House of Dracula (1945), the studio couldn’t come up with any fresh ideas for their monsters. The comic team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were declining in popularity. So, the studio took a gamble and put both franchises together with an insane plot in which Dracula (Bela Lugosi) wants to give the Frankenstein monster (Glenn Strange) a smaller, more pliable brain and thinks Costello is the perfect candidate. Throw in Larry Talbot aka the Wolfman (Lon Chaney, Jr.) on the Count’s trail (at least when the moon isn’t full), and you have the perfect mix of comedy and horror. The film was a big hit that put Bud and Lou back on top. Making the monsters comic foils didn’t revive their popularity for Universal, but it was the kick-off to Abbott & Costello’s “meet” comedies.

d. Charles Barton, 83m, 35mm

35mm print courtesy of Universal Pictures.