Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949)

Director:

Charles Barton

Writers:

Hugh Wedlock Jr. (story) &
Howard Snyder (story) ...

Release Date:

1 February 1950 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Yipes! Those Killer-Dillers are out to get the King of the Killers !

Plot:

Two employees of a secluded hotel investigate a murder on the premises in which the goofy bellboy is the prime suspect.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Hotel | Bellhop | Hotel Room | Idiot

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Bud Abbott	...	Casey Edwards
Lou Costello	...	Freddie Phillips
Boris Karloff	...	Swami Talpur
Lenore Aubert	...	Angela Gordon
Gar Moore	...	Jeff Wilson
Donna Martell	...	Betty Crandall
Alan Mowbray	...	Melton
James Flavin	...	Insp. Wellman
Roland Winters	...	T. Hanley Brooks
Nicholas Joy	...	Amos Strickland
Mikel Conrad	...	Sgt. Stone
Morgan Farley	...	Gregory Milford
Victoria Horne	...	Mrs. Hargreave
Percy Helton	...	Abernathy
Claire Du Brey	...	Mrs. Grimsby

Also Known As:

Abbot and Costello Meet the Killer
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff (USA) (long title)
Meet the Killer

Runtime:

84 min | Argentina:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1950) | Australia:G | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

This was originally intended as a vehicle for Bob Hope. After the huge success of Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), Universal-International wanted another "horror" comedy with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, so the script was rewritten for them. Oddly enough, the role played by Boris Karloff was originally written for a woman.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Mr. Strickland turns over a bit when Freddy finds him after the murder.

Quotes:

Abernathy: [referring to bridge game] What'd she bid?
Casey Edwards: Grand slam.
Abernathy: [Looking at Freddie's hand] You bid a grand slam on that hand? You know what?
Freddie Phillips: What?
Abernathy: You're going to get murdered.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff" (2006)

If you like Abbott and Costello, you should like this

Much of Abbott and Costello's late 40s/early 50s output put them in parodies of various film genres--this one is a parody of murder mysteries. I saw this as a child and liked it, although I was let down that Boris Karloff had such an insignificant role. Now that it's out on DVD as part of the third A&C boxset, I'm seeing it again, and I still think it's quite funny. There are many well-paced comic set-ups and the boys don't look bored as they do in some of their later vehicles. No great analysis is needed for a film like this--it's just classic comedy and has held up very well.