Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)


Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy was the last movie the duo made with Universal and the next-to-last feature overall.  The duo was getting older and the age of the screwball comedy had pretty much passed.  In fact, this entire movie, despite being quite entertaining, feels like something one would see from a decade prior.  Along with going back to the well frequently to parody the old monster films it was clear by this point that everyone involved was just phoning it in. 

Pete Patterson (Bud Abbott) and Freddie Franklin (Lou Costello) are two Americans living in Egypt.  They overhear a conversation with a Dr. Zoomer (Kurt Katch) that he has found the legendary mummy Klaris (Eddie Parker) and needs help transporting him back to the United States.  The doctor has also found a medallion on Klaris that would lead him to a treasure trove.  The problem is that Klaris is still alive and is worshipped by a cult led by Semu (Richard Deacon) who sends his henchmen to kill the doctor. 

When Pete and Freddie go to see Dr. Zoomer they find him dead and attempt to send an anonymous tip to the police.  However, they wind up being blamed for the murder.  They also find themselves in possession of the medallion, something that is sought both by Semu and by Madame Rontru (Marie Windsor), a ruthless socialite intent on finding the treasure.  They join her on the hunt with Semu pretending to be a professor and Klaris in an especially foul mood.

Klaris is based on Kharis, the role that Lon Chaney Jr. played in the Mummy series in the 1940s. This is pretty much a mishmash of those films with the usual hijinks worked in and with many of the jokes recycled from earlier Abbott and Costello films.  The result is somewhat amusing, but it is obvious that there was little inspiration left.  Despite their characters having names they refer to themselves by their real names throughout and all the sets are obviously being reused from older Universal films.

The funniest gag is a routine involving picks and shovels that plays like a rewrite of their famous "Who's on First?" skit.  Still, even routine Abbott and Costello can be fun in places, and everyone remembers to maintain the horror elements and try to play their roles as straight as possible. Too bad they decided to use a cheap rubber suit for the mummy costume rather than the bandages of yore, but by this point there wasn't much point into putting in the effort they did in the past.

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)
Time: 79 minutes
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Richard Deacon, Marie Windsor, Eddie Parker
Director: Charles Lamont 

 

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