Day 4: Favorite Universal Monster Film - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is the first movie I can ever remember watching. It's always been a part of my life. This is the absolute best monster mashup film ever created. I'm a fan of Abbott and Costello (mostly Bud Abbott, if I'm being truthful, but I do love them as a comedy team) in general, but this movie was the highlight of their career. They meet Lawrence Talbot (the Wolf Man), who warns them that Dracula is trying to revive Frankenstein's monster. Together, they have to prevent this from happening. It's comedy gold. And, on top of that, when I was younger, there were scenes that actually scared me. It's not all fun and laughs. The movie stars Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man, Bela Lugosi as Dracula and Glenn Strange as the Monster. There's also a really fun cameo from Vincent Price as the Invisible Man.

There are a couple things I want to note about this film and also about Abbott and Costello's films in general.

Lon Chaney Jr. basically said that Abbott and Costello ruined the monster movies. It's interesting that he said that because...He starred in this one. And also because this movie is one of the most beloved Abbott and Costello films and Universal monster films. I completely disagree with his statement and if anything, I feel like there were some spinoffs/crossovers of the original monster films that were poorly done with lackluster stories that are completely forgettable.

The last thing I want to mention is that Abbott and Costello's films saved Universal Studios from bankruptcy. The last time I was at Universal Orlando, I went into a shop and they only had one small print of the poster from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which is now framed and hanging on my wall. (I voiced my concern over this at checkout and explained why, because I'm annoying and it upset me that they were barely even acknowledged after all they contributed to the studio.) To me, the fact that Universal even bothers to stock a product featuring that film is a testament to the fact that people still really love it.