Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

"The laughs are twice as MONSTER-OUS as ever before!"

1953 1h 17m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🍅

67%

FRESH

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 99🍅67%Rotten Tomatoes★6.4IMDB · 5,109

ComedyHorrorMysteryScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

As American policemen in London, Bud and Lou meet up with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

“The laughs are twice as MONSTER-OUS as ever before!”

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Cast

Bud Abbott
Slim
Lou Costello
Tubby
Boris Karloff
Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
Craig Stevens
Bruce Adams
Helen Westcott
Vicky Edwards
Reginald Denny
Inspector
John Dierkes
Batley
Eddie Parker
Mr. Hyde (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Charles Lamont
Writers: John Grant, Lee Loeb, Sid Fields
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 77-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Charles Lamont, shot by George Robinson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Russell F. Schoengarth shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello and Boris Karloff carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The laughs are twice as MONSTER-OUS as ever before!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Charles Lamont directs. George Robinson behind the camera. Russell F. Schoengarth cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 77-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Made its money back 3.6× over at the box office.
473 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
5Directed by Charles Lamont, shot by George Robinson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Russell F. Schoengarth shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Bud Abbott and Lou Costello and Boris Karloff carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The laughs are twice as MONSTER-OUS as ever before!".
9IMDB entry: tt0045469 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 99 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: George Robinson
Editing: Russell F. Schoengarth
Costume design: Rosemary Odell
Makeup / hair: Jack Kevan
Runtime: 77 min · 1h 17m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $724,805
Box office: $2,616,000
Return: 361% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)
Rotten Tomatoes: 67% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 5,109 votes
MPAA: Approved

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Charles Lamont

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-03-04
★ 7/10
Middle tier A&C picture boosted by Karloff's looming presence. Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is directed by Charles Lamont and loosely based on the novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde written by Robert Louis Stevenson. It stars Bud Abbott, Lou Costello and Boris Karloff. Plot finds Bud and Lou as two coppers in old time London who become involved with the hunt for a monstrous killer. A hunt that brings them into contact with the mysterious Dr. Jekyll. It would be the fourth from last movie the popular comedy duo would make together, and the latest to see them paired with a famous monster from 30's cinema. Although it's a touch weak in the comedy stakes, and it does kind of feel like they are winding down after such a fruitful career, the film holds up well as a polished picture. The writers have varied the Jekyll & Hyde legend by actually having Jekyll himself be evil, wonderfully essayed by Karloff, and a couple of sequences are genuinely laugh out loud funny: think mouse head, think hypodermic needle; while the involvement of the Suffragettes in the story gives it some historical interest. It's also good on atmosphere, be it the moody streets of London, or Costello alone in a wax museum, Lamont and photographer George Robinson give it a creepy veneer before the anarchy breaks out. Unlikely to encourage new fans to their work, but a safe addition for those who enjoy the majority of their output. 7/10

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