''Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' is a 1953 American

horror comedy Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and sp ...

film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, co-starring

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film '' Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

, and directed by

Charles Lamont Charles Lamont (May 5, 1895 – September 11, 1993) was a prolific filmmaker, directing over 200 titles and producing and writing many others. He directed several Abbott and Costello comedies and many Ma and Pa Kettle films. Biography A Calif ...

.Furmanek and Palumbo Inspired by the 1886 novella ''

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'' by

Robert Louis Stevenson Robert Louis Stevenson (born Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson; 13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer. He is best known for works such as ''Treasure Island'', ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll a ...

, the film follows the story of two American

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

s visiting

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

London who become involved in the hunt for a monster responsible for a series of murders.Jacobs, Stephen (2011) ''Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster'', Tomahawk Press p.365

Plot

A series of horrific murders has terrorized Victorian London and baffled police. While returning home from a pub, newspaper reporter Bruce Adams finds one murder victim, a prominent doctor. The next day, two American policemen, Slim and Tubby, who are studying London police methods, respond to brawl at a women's suffrage rally in Hyde Park. Reporter Adams, young suffragette Vicky Edwards, Slim, and Tubby are all caught up in the fray and wind up in jail. Vicky's guardian, Dr. Henry Jekyll, bails Vicky and Adams out, while Tubby and Slim are kicked off the police force. Unknown to anyone, Dr. Jekyll has developed a serum which transforms him into Mr. Hyde—the "monster" who is responsible for the recent murders. Dr. Jekyll is secretly in love with Vicky, and is angered by the mutual attraction between Vicky and Bruce. He injects himself to transform once again into Hyde with the intent of murdering Bruce. Meanwhile, Tubby and Slim realize that if they capture the monster they will be reinstated on the police force. Walking down a street at night, Tubby spots Hyde and the boys trail him into the music hall where Vicky is performing and Adams is visiting. A chase ensues, and Tubby manages to trap Hyde inside a cell in a wax museum. But before Tubby can bring the police inspector, Adams and Slim to the scene, the monster has reverted to the respected Dr. Jekyll. Tubby is once again rebuked by the police inspector, but the "good" doctor asks Slim and Tubby to escort him to his home. While Slim and Tubby snoop around Jekyll's home, Tubby drinks a potion which transforms him into a large mouse. Slim and Tubby bring this extraordinary news to the inspector, but the inspector refuses to believe them. Vicky announces to Jekyll her intent to marry Adams, but Jekyll does not share her enthusiasm and transforms into Hyde right and attacks her. Adams, Slim and Tubby save her in the nick of time, but Hyde escapes. During the struggle, Jekyll's serum needle falls into a couch cushion, which Tubby accidentally falls onto, transforming him into a Hyde-like monster. Another madcap chase ensues, this time with Adams chasing Jekyll's monster and Slim pursuing Tubby's monster, who they each believe is Jekyll. Reports of the monster seemingly being in multiple places at once frustrate and confuse the London police. Adams' chase ends up back at Jekyll's home, where Hyde falls to his death from an upstairs window, then transforms back into his true identity. Meanwhile, Slim brings Tubby, who is still in monster form, to the inspector's office. Tubby bites the inspector and four officers, then reverts to his true self. Before Slim and Tubby can be reprimanded, the inspector and the officers transform into monsters. Slim and Tubby dash through a wall and out of police headquarters to escape.

Cast

Bud Abbott William Alexander "Bud" Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known as the straight man half of the comedy duo Abbott and Costello. Early life Abbott was born in Asbury Park, New J ...

as Slim *

Lou Costello Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), professionally known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer. He was best known for his double act with straight man Bud Abbott and their routine " Who's on First? ...

as Tubby *

Dr. Henry Jekyll Dr. Henry Jekyll, nicknamed in some copies of the story as Harry Jekyll, and his alternative personality, Mr. Edward Hyde, is the central character of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. In the story, ...

(also incorrectly credited as Mr. Hyde) * Craig Stevens as Bruce Adams *

Helen Westcott Helen Westcott (born Myrthas Helen Hickman, January 1, 1928 – March 17, 1998) was an American stage and screen actress and former child actress. She is best known for her work in ''The Gunfighter'' (1950). Early years Westcott was the daughte ...

as Vicky Edwards * Reginald Denny as Inspector *

John Dierkes John Dierkes (February 10, 1905 – January 8, 1975) was an American actor who appeared in a number of classic Hollywood films. Before becoming an actor, he had been an economist. Life and career Dierkes was born on February 10, 1905 in ...

as Batley * Eddie Parker as

Mr. Hyde Dr. Henry Jekyll, nicknamed in some copies of the story as Harry Jekyll, and his alternative personality, Mr. Edward Hyde, is the central character of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. In the story, ...

(uncredited)

Production

''Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' was filmed between January 26 and February 20, 1953. It received an "X" rating in Britain because of the scenes with Mr. Hyde. Karloff did not play Mr. Hyde once the transformation was complete; Hyde was played by stuntman Eddie Parker, who was uncredited. Similarly, after Costello transformed, his stunt double, Vic Parks, played the Costello version of Hyde.

Reception

Contemporaneous reviewers gave the film good marks. ''Film Daily'' reported, "If the audience reaction at a sneak preview can be taken as a criterion, then Universal-International has another big treat for the Abbott and Costello fans." The ''Los Angeles Times'' referred tongue-in-cheek to the liberties the script took with the original story: "If Robert Louis Stevenson is turning over in his grave, it's probably only so he can get in a more comfortable position for a belly laugh." On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, however, the film's grades are lower. It has an approval rating of 63% based on reviews from 8 critics, with an average rating of 5.86/10.

Home media

The film has been released three times on DVD, on ''The Best of Abbott and Costello Volume Four'', on October 4, 2005; again on October 28, 2008 as part of ''Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection''; and in the ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters Collection'' in 2015.

References

Notes Bibliography * Furmanek, Bob and Palumbo, Ron (1991). ''Abbott and Costello in Hollywood''. New York: Perigee Books. * Wingrove, David (1985) ''

Science Fiction Film Source Book ''The Science Fiction Film Source Book'' is a book by David Wingrove published in 1985. Plot summary ''The Science Fiction Film Source Book'' is a book consisting of list of science fiction film plot summaries, with information about producers, di ...

'' Longman Group Ltd.

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott And Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde 1950s English-language films Abbott and Costello films American science fiction comedy films 1953 films American black-and-white films Films directed by Charles Lamont Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films American parody films American comedy horror films American crossover films Horror crossover films Universal Pictures films 1950s science fiction comedy films 1953 horror films 1950s science fiction horror films Films set in London Films set in the 19th century 1950s comedy horror films 1950s parody films 1953 comedy films 1950s American films