Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

Directed by Charles Barton. Starring Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Béla Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Lenore Aubert, Jane Randolph, Glenn Strange, Frank Ferguson, Charles Bradstreet.

As the title states, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello meet Frankenstein…except they don’t. Instead, they cross paths with the monster (Strange) that Frankenstein created, and even then, they spend more time dealing with Dracula (Lugosi) and the Wolf Man (Chaney Jr.). Plot doesn’t matter, of course—just an excuse to bring together a trio of classic Universal monsters for a tidy swan song, and let Bud and Lou do their thing. A little of Lou and his mugging goes a long way, and they repeat the same joke to increasingly diminishing returns until it flatlines (Lou sees a monster, Bud doesn’t believe him). Does contain a handful of genuinely funny bits (barricading a bedroom door, “You take Mary,” etc.), but the writing and pacing could have used a punch-up. Rates as okay entertainment, but diehard fans of the comedy duo will doubtlessly rate this higher (it’s widely considered one of their best movies). Listen for a voice cameo from another horror movie icon at the very end.

56/100