All New ! All Wild ! All Fun !

Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde1953 | B&W | 76 Minutes | 1:37:1 | NR | Comedy/Horror | Mono | Universal Pictures

Director:

Charles Lamont

Writers: 

Lee Loeb

Stars:
Bud Abbott
Lou Costello
Boris Karloff

Bud and Lou appear to be in some sort of enforcement exchange program, as they are part of the Scotland Yard force- a department currently preoccupied with some sort of maniac on the loose, who has killed a prominent doctor! A crusading reporter happens upon a woman’s rights demonstration (which, naturally , gets out of hand with the aid of Bud and Lou- and some loutish men who don’t agree with equality for ladies) and becomes very interested in the young woman leading it- a pretty showgirl who also happens to be the ward of the eminent Dr. Jekyll! In the fray, all four are arrested- with Bud and Lou losing their standing with the police. Jekyll arrives to bail out his ward, and, consequently, getting a little miffed at the attention the reporter is paying to her.

Our two “heroes” decide that they must collar a criminal to get back in Scotland Yard’s good graces- Bud opts for the maniac, but Lou would rather collar a burglar they spot (unfortunately- it turns out that it IS the maniacal Mr. Hyde!) In pursuit of him, they end up in a wax museum (with some familiar figures from one of their most famous flicks) and think they have Hyde trapped- but, along the way, he reverts to Jekyll, and Bud and Lou are again treated with disdain by their old police supervisor. The wily Jekyll asks the boys to accompany him home, and will pay them to stay overnight as “protection”- which leads to discoveries and mayhem- and, as the reporter becomes closer to the ward, Jekyll’s jealousy brings out the beast in him- literally!

It’s always a plus to have Karloff in a film- and, we get the added pleasure of Craig Stevens, TV’s “Peter Gunn” as the reporter. We’ll fill you in on more cast and details, and,there’s one particular Sven bit of business, playing off a daytime TV personality, that has become a favorite of Sven fans.

“Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde” runs tonight on Me-TV at the usual 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central, or, if you’re not sure of time in your area, please check your local listings. In Chicago, viewers get a rematch of “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” at 11 am on WCIU, the U.

By the way-thanks to the huge crowd that showed up at the Lincoln Park Zoo AAZK “Bowling for Rhinos” event this past week- we’re told it was their biggest turn-out to date, with a record-breaking amount of funds brought in for the protection and preservation of rhinos in the wild. (Source Svengoolie.com )