Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Theatrical release poster by Reynold Brown
Directed by	Charles Lamont
Screenplay by	Lee Loeb John Grant
Story by	Sid Fields Grant Garett
Based on	inspired by[1] The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886 novella) by Robert Louis Stevenson
Produced by	Howard Christie
Starring	Bud Abbott Lou Costello Boris Karloff
Cinematography	George Robinson
Edited by	Russell Schoengarth
Production company	Universal-International[1]
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	August 12, 1953 (Los Angeles)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$724,805[2]
Box office	$1.2 million (US & Canada rentals)[3]

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1953 American horror comedy film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, and co-stars Boris Karloff and directed by Charles Lamont.^[4]

Inspired by the 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, the film follows the story of two American detectives visiting Edwardian London who become involved with the hunt for Dr. Jekyll, who is responsible for a series of murders.^[5]

Plot[]

A rash of horrific murders has terrorized London and baffled police. Newspaper reporter Bruce Adams finds one murder victim, a prominent doctor, while returning home from a pub. 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, however, Dr. Jekyll has developed an injectable serum which transforms him into Mr. Hyde -- the "monster" responsible for the recent murders. Dr. Jekyll, who is secretly in love with Vicky, notices Vicky's and Bruce's mutual attraction. He injects himself to transform once again into Hyde with the intent of murdering Adams.

Meanwhile, Tubby and Slim realize that they must capture the monster in order to be reinstated on the police force. Walking down a street at night, Tubby spots Hyde (whom Slim at first mistakes for a burglar) and the boys trail him into a 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. However, by the time Tubby brings the police inspector, Adams and Slim to the scene, the monster has reverted to the respected Dr. Jekyll, and Tubby is once again rebuked by the police inspector. The "good" doctor, however, asks Slim and Tubby to escort him to his home. Once at Jekyll's home, Tubby and Slim snoop around and Tubby drinks a potion which transforms him into a large mouse. Slim and Tubby bring this news to the inspector, but the inspector refuses to believe them.

Later, Vicky announces to Jekyll her intent to marry Adams, but Jekyll does not share her enthusiasm and transforms into Hyde right in front of her 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, since both believe they are after Jekyll. The police are frustrated and confused by reports of the monster seemingly being in multiple places at once.

Adams' chase ends up back at Jekyll's home, where Hyde falls from an upstairs window to his death, then transforms to 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.

Cast[]

• Bud Abbott as Slim
• Lou Costello as Tubby
• Boris Karloff as Dr. Henry Jekyll (also incorrectly credited as Mr. Hyde)
• Craig Stevens as Bruce Adams
• Helen Westcott as Vicky Edwards
• Reginald Denny as Inspector
• John Dierkes as Batley

• Eddie Parker as Mr. Hyde (uncredited)

Production[]

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was filmed between January 26 and February 20, 1953 and received an "X" rating in Britain because of the scenes with Mr. Hyde.^[6] Furthermore, Boris Karloff (contrary to the credits) only actually played Dr. Jekyll and did not play Hyde. Once the transformation sequences were over, Hyde was played by stuntman Eddie Parker, who remained uncredited.^[7]

Reception[]

1963 magazine article depicting Dr. Jekyll's transformation into Mr. Hyde.

Many reviewers complained that, in this version, there was no struggle in the transformation between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, giving the impression that (unlike the usual take on the story) Dr. Jekyll himself was evil and enjoyed the acts of Mr. Hyde. Other reviews complained of the lack of a strong script; calling the production cheap. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 63% based on reviews from 8 critics, with an average rating of 5.86/10.^[8] Steve Crum of the Kansas City Kansan, gave the film 3/5, saying, "Bud and Lou meet another monster for infrequent laughs."^{[citation needed]}

Home media[]

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

References[]

Notes

Bibliography

• Furmanek, Bob and Palumbo, Ron (1991). Abbott and Costello in Hollywood. New York: Perigee Books. ISBN 0-399-51605-0
• Wingrove, David (1985) Science Fiction Film Source Book Longman Group Ltd.

External links[]

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

• Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at the American Film Institute Catalog
• Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at IMDb
• Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at the TCM Movie Database