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Film: Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
Year: 1955
Director: Charles Lamont
Writer: John Grant
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello and Marie Windsor
Review:
This was a film that I wasn’t shocked to learn existed. That would have been when I picked up the Horror Show Guide Encyclopedia and started working my way through it. Ahead of seeing this, I know that would have been this duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello meeting Frankenstein. There were other ones as well from this run that I saw. I’ve given this a rewatch as part of my Voyage through the FiVes.
Synopsis: two bumbling Americans stumble on the discovery of a lifetime when their search for a mummy leads them to a sacred medallion that holds the key to buried treasure.
This installment takes place as you would expect in the Middle East. We have two Americans, Peter Patterson (Bud Abbott) and Freddie Franklin (Lou Costello). They are stuck here and trying to find a way back to America. They go to a club and overhears Dr. Gustav Zoomer (Kurt Katch) talking about discovering a mummy. The mummy is Klaris (Eddie Parker). What caught Peter’s attention is that he’s looking for guys to help get it to the United States. He sees his opportunity to get them home.
Now this discovery has others interested in Dr. Zoomer. Madame Rontru (Marie Windsor) wants to find the treasure that belonged to Princess Ara. Klaris was cursed to protect it. There’s another figure here, Semu (Richard Deacon) who is the leader of the cult who helps the mummy.
Peter and Freddie go to the Dr. Zoomer’s house. He is killed before they get there. They find the door unlocked, but they don’t see him anywhere. We get funny scenes of our bumbling duo searching for the doctor and the mummy. Freddie keeps seeing the dead doctor in different places. He yells and runs away every time. The body is then moved, making him look crazy. Peter devises a plan and finally sees that his friend is right. They set up the body, take pictures to give to the police, hoping they don’t get caught in the investigation. It is here they discover a medallion.
They go to a café after they send the pictures off and when a boy comes around with newspapers, Peter buys one. He sees that he is the prime suspect in the murder. They need to lay low. They go back to the doctor’s house. It is there they meet Mdm. Rontru, as she’s searching for the medallion as well.
The duo decides to sell it. This gets them in over their head as they’re taken hostage. Their captors need to prove that the medallion they have is real, the problem there is that Freddie accidentally ate it. Semu poses as an archaeologist and joins Mdm. Rontru’s crew goes to the tomb of Princess Ara. Little does she know his identity. He is also hiding another secret, Klaris still lives.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I’ll start is information, I found is that this was the last of Abbott and Costello meeting the monsters for Universal. I’m not sure that I’ve seen them all, but I know I’m close if I haven’t. It is interesting that I came to these films late. It would have been after college and even if I didn’t give these slapstick comedies high scores, they’re still enjoyable. They tend to have low runtimes which makes them nice as well. These don’t overstay their welcome.
Now that I have that set up, let’s delve more into what we’re getting here. None of these Abbott and Costello films have continuity. They tend to play different characters that get into zany situations, then need to find their way out. What is interesting is that this could be a de facto sequel to them joining the French Legions. They’re out and trying to find their way back to the United States. I don’t remember how that one ended, but it is an easy one to retcon as needed. I’ll say here that Abbott and Costello are great together. Their chemistry is on point and it makes sense why they’re up there as one of the best duos. A funny goof in this movie is that Abbott during the climax refers to Costello by his real last name, not his character’s name multiple times.
Let’s then look at this as a horror film. Like others from this run, it is lighter on the elements going more for comedy. We do have murder of multiple characters though. We have a living mummy who chases after characters. There is a dark element that our duo will be murdered by Mdm. Rontru or Semu, once they’re no longer needed. Again, the tone is lighter. I’d still toss it in here.
I think then I’ll stick with this theme and go over filmmaking aspects. The cinematography and framing do well in making this look like Egypt. It's on a set and there’s times that you can definitely tell that. It still has charm to me. This is still early enough into cinema so the filming techniques are basic. I did like the set pieces in the desert and in the temple. The look of the mummy is good. This gets duplicated a couple more times and that made me smile. Other than that, the soundtrack and design fit what was needed.
All that is left then is the acting performances. I’ve already said what I needed to for Abbott and Costello. Windsor and Deacon work as the leader of their respective groups. The people playing henchmen have good size. My only issue here is that I wish more minorities were used since they’re supposed to be Middle Eastern. Instead, they are just white people. It is the era so I’ll digress. Katch works as the doctor who made the discovery. Parker also brings good size to being the mummy. The acting fit the tone this movie needed for sure.
In conclusion, this isn't my favorite of this run. That’s not to say it isn’t worth your time. Abbott and Costello make such a great comedy duo. I like Universal having them go to the Middle East to meet the mummy. There are fun hijinks there. The acting from this duo is on point. Rest of the cast fit what was needed. I’d say that this was made well enough. The look of the mummy leading the way there and I’d also say the cinematography was solid. Going a bit darker would help, but I also acknowledge that wasn’t the intention. This is a fun installment to Abbott and Costello meeting the monsters series.
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10