Halloween Movies: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

 

           For those who don’t know, Abbott and Costello were one of the funniest comedy duos of classic Hollywood; the forties’ equivalent to Laurel and Hardy. Lou Costello was the chubby, short, ‘funny man’ while Bud Abbott was the thin, taller, ‘straight man.’ Their comedy style involved a combination of fast-paced word-play (including their famous “Who’s On First” routine), broad slapstick, and the contrast between Abbott’s mild bullying and Costello’s childishness.

            By 1949, however, their films were beginning to make less and less money. At the same time, the Universal Horror series had likewise begun to falter as after a pair of “all-star” films (House of Dracula and House of Frankenstein) there didn’t seem to be anywhere for them to go. At this point, someone at Universal had the insane, yet brilliant idea to combine the two series’ and, amazingly, inexplicably, it worked!

            The plot: Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) makes a desperate call from London to a baggage-check room in Florida. He’s answered by Wibur Grey (Lou Costello) and tries to warn him not to deliver a certain pair of packages until he can get there, but before he can explain properly the full moon rises and he transforms into the Wolf-Man (“You’re awfully silly to call all the way from London just to have your dog talk to me!”). Back in Florida, Wilbur and his partner Chick Young (Bud Abbott) deliver two large crates to McDougal’s House of Horrors. During the delivery, Wilbur witnesses Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and the Frankenstein Monster (Glenn Strange) rising from the crates and vanishing into the night. When McDougal (Frank Ferguson) finds his prize exhibits missing, he throws the pair in jail, from which they’re bailed out by a beautiful insurance investigator named Joan Raymond (Jane Randolph) who intends to seduce Wilbur into leading her to the missing exhibits.

            Meanwhile, Dracula is planning to revive the Frankenstein Monster to be his servant, but in order to avoid the mistake of Dr. Frankenstein he intends to use the simplest, meekest brain he can find. Three guesses whom he has in mind. To that end he’s working with Sandra (Lenore Aubert), who’s dating Wilbur (Chick, of course, can’t understand what all these beautiful dames see in Wilbur).

            Talbot makes contact with Wilbur and Chick and tries to convince them to help him destroy Dracula. Of course, Chick doesn’t believe him and Wilbur is too scared. From then on the boys are caught in the middle of all the different parties.

            Horror comedy, as I’ve noted before, is a famously tricky genre to do well. Indeed, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein may be the first successful attempt at it. Not only that, but it remains one of the best examples of the genre.

            The key thing is that the monsters themselves are pretty much played straight: Dracula is recognizably Dracula, Talbot is still Talbot, etc. Part of the reason that this works is that the horror characters react to the duo pretty much exactly as they should: by clearly being amazed that anyone could be so stupid. Talbot in particular loses his temper with Wilbur at least twice. The effect is literally as though Bud and Lou simply wandered into a horror film and the horror characters don’t know what to make of them, while the comedy duo are unprepared for the fact that they’re genuinely in danger.

            This dynamic pays off in a number of clever scenes that work equally well as horror and comedy set pieces, such as a bit where Wilbur wanders around Talbot’s apartment while the Wolf-Man stalks him.

            Scene for scene, it’s probably more of a comedy than a horror film, and the comedy is hilarious: Bud and Lou are in top form, with rapid-fire dialogue and note-perfect slapstick. Here are some of their funniest set-pieces, like the ‘moving candle’ bit recycled from the earlier Hold that Ghost (but still funny), or the bit where Wilbur ends up unwittingly sitting on the comatose Monster’s lap.

            At the same time, there’re some unambiguously creepy scenes, such as when Dracula decides to take a more direct route with Sandra, or when Talbot suddenly stops freeing Wilbur because he notices the full moon outside (“What's the matter? Is someone else coming after me?”). I also need to make note of the spectacular special effects on the Dracula-bat transformations, which are simply superb and render Dracula more active and convincingly powerful than ever (one startling scene has him meeting Wibur in the woods, transforming into a bat to chase him down and subdue him, then turning back into himself to hypnotise Chick all in the space of about a minute).

            As noted, Bud and Lou are in top form here. Most of the rest of the cast is no more than adequate. Lenore Aubert makes a sinister femme fatale, while Frank Ferguson has some funny moments as the blustering Mr. McDougal, but other than that the supporting cast doesn’t make much impression (though there’s also a surprise cameo by none-other than Vincent Price reprising his own first horror role). Glenn Strange as the Monster pretty much just has to walk around stiffly, as this Monster lacks a fully-functioning brain (he does get a couple of good scenes opposite Lou, however). 

Chaney and Lugosi, meanwhile, don’t seem to be trying as hard as usual, though they still play their iconic roles professionally. Chaney can do the ‘tragic loner’ act in his sleep, and here he projects a real sense of long-suffering and weariness at his curse. The impression is that hunting Dracula is pretty much his only purpose for living now, and he pursues his goal with a palpable single-mindedness (his impatience with Wilbur’s jokes is also a nice touch).

Lugosi, meanwhile, is a lot more lively (ironically enough) than he was in Dracula, but that can easily be accounted for by his having been more ‘in the world’ in the meantime. This was only the second and last time Lugosi assailed his most famous role on screen, but he inhabits the role as though he had only just played it yesterday. Lugosi’s Dracula is still as formidable, cunning, and convincingly dangerous as ever, and it’s actually somewhat touching to see him take the role one last time.

And it is the last time: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is generally considered the last of the classic Universal Horror films; the end of the story for Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Frankenstein Monster. These characters (and others) had a very long and winding road, but it’s a road that ends here. It’s a fitting climax: Dracula and the Wolf Man have their final showdown and the Monster meets his end, once again, in fire. We’ve come full circle.

So it’s doubly fitting that Lugosi should be here as Dracula: the actor and the role that began the series is here once again to see it end. 

But enough sadness and introspection. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is ideal Halloween viewing: compact, scary, atmospheric, and side-splittingly hilarious. It’s simply a good time all around.

Final Rating: 4.5/5 Highly recommended to horror fans, comedy fans, and people in general.

Memorable Quotes :

Chick: “You know people pay McDougal to come in here and get scared?”

Wilbur: “I’m cheatin’ him; I’m getting scared for nothing!”

Wilbur: “You know that person you said there was no such person? I think he’s in there – in person.”

Chick: “You’re making enough noise to wake up the dead!”

Wilbur (pointing at Dracula’s coffin): “I don’t have to wake him up; he’s up!”

Chick (about Wilbur): “I’d like to know what he’s got that I haven’t got?”

Sandra: “A brain.”

Talbot: “I came all the way from Europe because Dracula and the Monster must be destroyed!”

Wilbur: “I can’t. I’ve got a date. In fact I’ve got two dates.”

Talbot: “But you and I…have a date with destiny.”

Wilbur: “Let Chick go with destiny.”

Talbot (on the phone with Wilbur): “I believe you’re in the house of Dracula right now! You can find the Monster and I’ll…” (thud) “Hello? Hello?”

Wilbur: “You’re right; we gotta search the place! You search in the basement, I’ll search outside.”

Chick: “No you don’t!”

Wilbur: “Alright then, I’ll search the outside, you search in the basement.”

Chick: “That’s different! Come on.”

Wilbur (to the camera): “It worked!”

(To Wilbur)

Dracula: “What we need today is young bloods and brains!”

Dracula: “I have other ways of securing your cooperation.”

Sandra: “You’re wasting your time. My will is as strong as yours.”

Dracula: “Are you sure?”

Talbot: “So, we meet again, Count Dracula.”

Sandra: “You’re so full-blooded: so round, so firm…”

Wilbur (nervously): “So fully packed. And I’d like to stay that way.”

Wilbur: “Franky, don’t let ‘em do it to you! Franky, I’m telling you it’s a bad deal! I’ve had this brain for thirty years, and it hasn’t work right yet. Ask me what one-and-one is; go on, ask me! I don’t know.”

(Chased by the Monster, Wilbur and Chick run into McDougal)

McDougal: “Now I’ve got you!”

Wilbur: “You sill want your exhibits?”

McDougal: “Yes…”

Wilbur: “Well here comes one of them now!”

Chick: “Now that we’ve seen the last of Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Monster, there’s nobody to frighten us anymore.”

Voice: “Oh, that’s too bad, I was hoping to get in on the excitement.”

Chick: “Who said that?”

Voice: “Allow me to introduce myself: I’m the Invisible Man.”

Halloween Movies (Archive): Ghostbusters

                       So, on my implied suggestion you just did a marathon viewing of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. You are now sitting up very late, clutching a pillow tightly to your chest, and muttering mutinous threats at me under your breath while your eyes dart about your now extremely-well-lit room. You want to know how you’re ever going to get to sleep now, and you’re seriously considering calling me up to yell the question at me (but after watching Nightmare you don’t want to go near the phone). Well, don’t worry, I’m here to help. The perfect final film to any, er, quadruple bill horror fest is none other than the best horror-comedy of all time: Ghostbusters.
                       The story goes that three scientists (Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, and Harold Ramis playing Drs. Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler respectively) are studying parapsychology at the New York City University…or at least they were until they were fired for their unscientific methods and theories. The ‘brilliant pioneers fired by the establishment’ is a standard plot element, of course, but done with a lot more flare and humor here (in the face of the dean’s many, many accusations, summed up in the declaration “you are a poor scientist” Dr. Venkman can only answer “but the kids love us”). Putting their heads together they decide to use their research to form a kind of paranormal extermination company to investigate and deal with psychic phenomena (better known as ‘ghosts’).  After setting up shop in an abandoned fire-house (“I think this building should be condemned”), they find business to be non-existent until Sigourney Weaver’s eggs start frying themselves on her counter. This is followed by an unexpected surge of paranormal activity in Manhattan while the team slowly uncovers evidence that a very powerful evil spirit is about to make an assault on the world.
                      Comedy-Horror is famously one of the hardest genres to get right. Usually either the horror will overwhelm the comedy (i.e. are we really supposed to laugh at people making jokes about their friends’ horrible demises?) or comedy will overwhelm the horror (you really can’t be scared of something that’s completely ridiculous, as many ‘straight’ horror films have discovered to their cost) or they will both kill each other (see the Nightmare sequels…no, on second thought, don’t).  Ghostbusters leans much more towards comedy, but it maintains a nice balance by portraying the phenomena themselves mostly straight, while the humor comes from the characters reacting to them. For instance, in one scene a character is chased out of his apartment by a huge, frightening demon dog and, while running for his life, frantically notes that there aren’t supposed to be pets in the building. Another scene has a character respond to his recently-possessed girlfriend with an uncertain “are we still going out?” Meanwhile there are a couple scenes, most notably a possession scene, that are unambiguously frightening, and the threat of the end of the world is presented completely straight-faced (though admittedly with a few related wisecracks, but the key is that they’re wisecracks we can believe someone making under the circumstances).
                    Murray, Ackroyd, and Ramis carry the film and their interplay provides most of the humor, while at the same time convincingly portraying intelligent, well-educated scientists. Murray is the snarking, skeptical one, Ackroyd the enthusiastic one, Ramis the monotone smart one who gets many of the best lines (“Sorry, Venkman. I’m terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought”). Later on their joined by Ernie Hudson as Winston, the fourth Ghostbuster, who serves as a new perspective for the team and gets the best line.
                  Weaver, meanwhile, serves largely as a ‘straight-man’ foil to Murray, with whom she has excellent chemistry (she gets a lot of mileage out of basically treating him like any normal person would: by slowly pushing him out of her apartment). Weaver, of course, is no stranger to horror and brings all her natural gravitas to the movie, helping to anchor it in the real world. The impression she gives throughout the movie is of the classy elder sister caught up in the games of a bunch of imaginative preteens. It’s as if the fact they were making a comedy was scrupulously kept from her during filming, a little like Margaret Dumont in a Marx Brothers film. Also on hand are Rick Moranis as Weaver’s accountant neighbor, Annie Potts as the Ghostbusters’ secretary (who at one point complains that “I quit better jobs than this”), and William Atherton as the slimy EPA officer who inadvisably tries to shut the team down.
                  The script is excellent, but a lot of the credit must be given to the actors, who improvised large swathes of dialogue (Rick Moranis probably takes the prize here, for a rapid-fire, minute-long speech that was both entirely improvised and extremely funny). Little character moments, like the way Murray suddenly pops up when Weaver arrives at the Ghostbusters’ building, are entirely the creation of the performers. This is an actor’s movie in the best sense of the term: all the other elements do their jobs, but it is the actors who sell the story and make us believe in the characters even as we’re laughing at them. I mentioned the Marx Brother earlier, and while the leads here aren’t quite in the same league there is a kinship between them. Like the Marx Brothers, this is more than just saying funny lines, this is real performing; a tour-de-force of the craft of comedy.
                Effects wise, the film delivers well enough for what it is. There are a lot of effects in this film, and they’re generally quite good. There’s nothing to match the ingenuity of, say, Nightmare (which came out the same year), or the sheer artistry of Jekyll and Hyde, but the effects get the job done and don’t distract. There is some very nice compositing and animation on the ghosts and some decent stop-motion on the demon-dogs (though the processing that puts them in the scene could be a lot better). Part of the reason the effects don’t detract from the film even when they’re faulty is that they’re not trying to recreate nature, but the supernatural: we don’t care that the ghosts don’t look utterly real because they’re really shouldn’t look utterly real, but somewhat unreal. The effects aren’t perfect, but they’re part of the film’s charm and they certainly add to rather than detract from the experience.
            The camera work is similarly well done, with particular emphasis placed on the architecture and statuary of New York (which actually turns out to be a plot point later in the movie). A nicely eerie effect is created simply by focusing on the enigmatic stone structures around the city, giving the impression of unseen eyes watching the characters as they go about their business. The music likewise is well done (by the great Elmer Bernstein), creating a suitably eerie, supernatural atmosphere. Of course, it’s easy to overlook Bernstein’s contribution in the face of Randy Newman’s unforgettable “Who’re you gonna call?” jingle, which bursts out triumphantly at several key points, accompanied by other, less memorable songs.
            There aren’t many big ‘themes’ to this movie: it’s mostly just an exercise in spooky comedy. There is, however, an element about it that has grown more striking over time. That is how the movie, in its own way, celebrates real-life uncelebrated heroes. The Ghostbusters are like plumbers or firefighters (a connection made explicit in a scene where they ride in convoy with the police and National Guard), with their brown uniforms and clunky equipment. In the end the film shows the world being saved, not by some superhero or rouge individual, but by a team of hard-working men just doing their jobs, which, as we’ve had ample examples of in recent years, is very often what heroes are in the real world. There’s something very striking, almost moving, about the image of four men dressed in rough, service-ready jumpsuits facing down a malevolent pagan god. In its own way, the film honestly shows true heroism.
             There’s not a whole lot more to say: this is simply one of those movies that is pretty much universal in its appeal, combining hilarious comedy with genuine scares, a little romance, and high excitement. It fully deserves its classic status and comes highly recommended to anyone who hasn’t seen it already…and, frankly, to those who have. And if you’ve just scared yourself into a state of being unable to sleep, this is the ideal Halloween movie to cheer you up again and remind you that if things don’t look good, there’s someone you can call.

Final Rating: 5/5. Hands down one of the most enjoyable films of all time. Highly recommended!