Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Simply Perfect

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

There is really only one reason to watch this and that's the presence of the great Boris Karloff as Dr Jekyll. Pity Universal never managed to cast him in a proper film bout Jekyll and Hyde. Instead we have yet another corny and lame Abbott and Costello comedy. I defy anyone who can actually sit through the pairs poor excuse for comedy and actually find them funny. Now I love the Marx Brothers, i adore Laurel and Hardy, they are still funny and fresh and were comedy geniuses never to be matched and pre-date A & C by over 10 years. I can even appreciate the Three stooges up to a point also. Indeed people may say Meet Dr Jekyll is one of their poorest efforts, actually there are worse believe it or not, check out the dire jack and the beanstalk for that dubious honour. I have watched Buck Privates, Who Done It?, pardon my sarong, meet the mummy and also the much heralded Meet Frankenstein all of which are suppose to be A & C at their best, all left me called cold apart from meet frankenstein and thats because of Lugosi, purely and simply. The lamest part about this particular film is the scene where Lou turns into a mouse, its so pathetically unfunny it defies belief at its sheer ineptitude.

Not one of their absolute best and inferior, with the feminist subplot being unnecessary and slowing things down a bit and it does try a little too hard for laughs towards the end. It is however one of their better declining years outings and one of their livelier ones as well. It looks handsome and atmospheric, especially the sets though the film is very competently shot as well. The score is appropriately eerie and jaunty, fitting with the creepier and comedic elements very nicely. The dialogue is witty and the gags on the most part do work especially with in the wax museum and rooftop chase scenes. As well as having comedy, there are some foreboding moments too especially with Karloff as Mr Hyde. The film is solidly directed, and the performances are good. Helen Westcott and Craig Stevens are just okay, but Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are still a great double act and their performances are appropriately pitched. Boris Karloff manages to be both hammy and menacing and most effectively, not everybody can succeed in some way making Dr Jekyll almost as sinister as Mr Hyde but Karloff does and remarkably. Overall, very entertaining and while not Abbott and Costello at their best it is worthy. 8/10 Bethany Cox

"Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is a slightly underrated entry in their series.**SPOILERS**Failing to stop a fight in a crowded park, London Police Officers Slim, (Bud Abbott) and Tubby, (Lou Costello) are kicked off the squad. When they find a serial killer at a playhouse where the leader of the fight, Vicky Edwards, (Helen Westcott) is giving a dance performance, Bruce Adams, (Craig Stevens) and them give chase and try to trap him, only to find they have instead caught Dr. Henry Jekyll, (Boris Karloff) a respected member of the community. Finding a secret lab, which they believe is the place where he conducts his experiments, which turn him into the murderous Mr. Hyde. Teaming together, they race to get the monster before it is able to escape.The Good News: This wasn't that bad of a film. The greatest thing is that Jekyll/Hyde story, which was always really a modern reworking of the werewolf myth with the mad scientist's laboratory in lieu of the full moon and silver bullets, is that this version of the Jekyll/Hyde story moves far closer to it's werewolf ancestor than most other versions. It's found in the prehensile design of the makeup and mostly in the last scene which has the monster threat being passed on to a line of police officers via a series of bites. The ending is it's most creative aspect, bringing the two mentioned themes into a film that haven't been mixed together in the past into a story that meshes them brilliantly is to be commended for it. It is also, at times, pretty funny, with plenty of great slapstick coming in throughout the film. The wax museum and dressing room gags are fall-down hilarious, and the round-robin stalking scene around a roof-top air conditioner allows for some nice laughs as well. With plenty of head-smacking, mistaken identity and pratfalls to be found as well, this can be just as funny as their other adventures. The wax museum sequence stands out as the film's highlight, as it's highly original, wonderfully played out, immensely creepy and full of energy, with nary a second wasted. It's one of the best scenes in their catalog, and remains quite good overall. The chasing at the end is a good way to end it, but lacks the energy of what came before. The opening attack, taking place in the fog-covered buildings, is suitably atmospheric and is a great opener. With a really good pace to it, this has a lot to like about it.The Bad News: There isn't a whole lot here that wasn't good. One of the problems was the feminist subplot. While introducing the love angle that was to come, it doesn't serve any purpose beyond the first fifteen minutes beyond a fleeting moment at the ending, and there was a lot of other ways of getting the two together without forcing the angle upon the viewer. The few plot-points it gets easily could've been done in other fashions, and doesn't do much of anything beyond wasting screen time. It's thankfully dropped and forgotten about quite early in the film. Another problem is the repetitiveness of everything. Searching a possible hideout, everyone splits up, leaving the easily-scared one of the group to find the one responsible, go into a hysterical fit upon this, and run away in a comical manner, to be rejoined by the others and have his story laughed away as something. It's been done in their other ones, and doesn't really do much here other than provide a few giggles the first time, but wears thin upon repeated viewings. Beyond these, though, it's a fun entry.The Final Verdict: A really underrated entry in their series, this one was a lot of fun and provides what is to be expected of these films. It provides plenty of opportunities for slapstick while giving a serious threat star treatment. At the very least, it requires a look-see for fans to give it a shot, it's not as bad.Today's Rating-PG: Violence

After ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN this is my next favorite of their "meet the monsters" movies. Thankfully it offers an added treat by starring horror legend Boris Karloff in the part of Dr. Jekyll, though when he's running around London as Mr. Hyde it is actually a stunt man in a monster mask. Bud and Lou are "Slim" and "Tubby" (okay, so the names aren't very original), two Americans who are hired as bumbling police bobbies in England. It isn't long before they're thrown off the force for their incompetence, but they have a plan to try and get their jobs back by trying to apprehend the "monster" that's been loose and murdering people. This would be Mr. Hyde, the savage alter ego of Dr. Jekyll (Karloff). As portrayed in this film, Jekyll is not very innocent himself, as he is rather a schemer who is madly in love with his young ward (Helen Westcott) who is young enough to be his own granddaughter! The comedy of Abbott and Costello this time relies more on slapstick gags than their trademark verbal "routines". Both comedians look like they did during their television show, as this feature was produced at the same time. If you're a fan of Boris Karloff, this film puts him to far better use than he was given in 1949's ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER. It also works as a straight monster movie along with the jokes. *** out of ****