Plot
Two Americans cops visiting London to study police tactics find themselves
drawn into the hunt for the murderer of a prominent physician. Their search
leads them to Dr Jekyll, who can transform himself into the
murderous Mr Hyde after injecting himself with a serum he has invented.
Review
When Universal had exhausted the rehashing of their classic monsters and
pitted them against one another in a series of ever-diminishing horror films, the studio only had the comedy spoof option
left and they allowed their popular duo of Abbott and Costello the chance to
goof around with them instead. Starting with Abbott and Costello Meet
Frankenstein in 1948, the bumbling pair also crossed paths with the
Mummy and the Invisible Man. Abbott and Costello Meet Dr Jekyll and My Hyde
is arguably the least of their antics with the Universal monsters but
features plenty of their trademark humour.
Like the other Abottt and
Costello films, the plot is simply a flimsy excuse for the comedy duo to go
through their usual slapstick motions. So if your tolerance for old school
shenanigans isn't high, then maybe it's best to skip this one. But I'm a
sucker for old school and some of the silly, juvenile comedy hits the right
notes from a time when you didn't have to rely on crude humour or gross-out
gags to entertain an audience. The duo opt for the more physical slapstick
comedy route in this one as opposed to the witty verbal exchanges of the
previous films and it's this lack of sophisticated comedy which hurts the
film in the long run. There's only so many times you can see people tripping
up, falling over, bundling themselves around and running around like silly
devils before it gets tiresome. The highlight scene of the film involves 'Tubby' (Costello) accidentally injecting himself with the serum
which then leads to all manner of mayhem as the main characters get the real Mr Hyde
and the fake one mixed up. This leads to a sometimes-funny, sometimes-groan
worthy chase through the streets and across the rooftops of London.
There's also plenty of annoying burlesque
dancing which Abbott and Costello films are unfortunately full of. It's a
bit out of place in turn-of-the-century London but when the streets are
stereotypically fog-drenched and there's fish and chips shops on every
corner, you could be forgiven for a few historical inaccuracies. To be fair,
the Gothic sets do a good job of portraying Victorian London and there are
moments when the film does strike a chord into the hearts of traditional
Universal horror fans. But then the silliness starts up again and the good
atmosphere and Gothic vibe is blown away with a series of childishly funny
gags and routines. Horror legend Boris Karloff stars as the
sinister Dr Jekyll. Unlike other versions, Jekyll is just as dangerous as Mr Hyde.
He's a schemer who is madly in love with his young ward and is overcome with
jealousy when she attracts the attentions of a dashing journalist. Jekyll
actually likes turning into Hyde here - it's not so much of a dangerous side
effect to the drugs he's experimenting with, it's as if he turns into Hyde
simply to get away with his lusts for murder. Karloff is completely wasted
in the role and seems very restrained. Thankfully the character doesn't
degenerate into camp but it's a pity Karloff's considerable acting talents
weren't put to better use. The transformation scenes do the convincing job
that they need to do and Mr Hyde looks more a little monstrous when he's
decked out in his make-up. But this film is strictly for laughs and any true
horror elements are watered down to insignificant proportions.
Verdict
You'll either love Abbott and Costello or hate them so Abbott and
Costello Meet Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is going to be a weird one for most. I'd
suggest watching the far superior Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
if you want to see the duo in their crossover prime. This one is strictly
for fans.
