Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
5/10
Just a quick hit on this iconic film... it's really hard to watch Costello seeing something "scary" and calling to Abbott to rescue him... Costello then stumbles through describing the experience and Abbott expresses disbelief and leaves... and then repeat that one hundred times. Once was funny.
The other half of the film is one of the monsters/villains nearly miss touching Costello, and Costello running from them and hiding... and then repeat that one hundred times. This near-miss-run-chase-hide running gag was reminiscent of the same gag the Three Stooges did often in some of their comedy short films from 1932 to 1946, and also The Monkees TV series in 1966 for that matter. If you like those two gags a lot... you'll love this film.
I like Lou Costello and Bub Abbott. Costello is funny and Abbott is the classic straight man. Their 'Who's On First' comedy routine is brilliantly written, performed and funny. But they did not write the script and were against the film, with Costello specifying he didn't like the script. The team did improvise some dialogue.
I have to echo the thoughts of Gary Rhodes and Bill Kaffenberger in 2016 when they said the story was a grand idea "but it was too bad that it could have been attended by persons capable of satire rather than pie-throwing comedy only".
There are certainly a mix of reviews. The film was a bankruptcy-saving hit for the studio. This film, like other Abbott/Costello films, Nick Pinkerton properly described as an all-or-nothing proposition. As New York World-Telegram wrote, if you don't have a palette for Abbott/Costello, you're in for a painful experience. I think that's partially true. My objection is the lack of satire and second level situational comedy, and the unnecessary repetition, not Costello's humor.
The film is nice looking with a quick pace by director Charles Barton. And has a good score from Frank Skinner.