Movie Review: Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)

Synopsis: After losing their jobs on the London police force, Slim and Tubby seek to redeem themselves by capturing the murderous Mr. Hyde.

Who's in it? The movie stars Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Boris Karloff, Craig Stevens and Helen Westcott.

Review: I came across this movie on Peacock TV a couple weeks ago and, realizing I had never seen it, put it on my "must-watch" list. I finally had a chance to do that this weekend and, overall, I was glad I did.

This is one of the comedy duo's last films together and, much like many of their older movies, it wasn't quite as good as their earlier films. But, despite that, the film still proved to be better than expected.

While some of the comedy routines were a little predictable, they still managed to be entertaining. I especially liked the scene involving Tubby (Costello) being turned into a mouse then, later, getting drunk in an attempt to recreate the incident for the authorities. My only real complaint when it came to the comedy was the film seemed to rely a little more on slapstick than their earlier films, making it, at times, seem more like Three Stooges than Abbott and Costello.

I think the thing that sold me on this movie, however, had to be Boris Karloff as Dr. Jekyll. I loved how the film decided to make Dr. Jekyll just as much of a villain as Mr. Hyde, knowingly changing himself into the monster in order to get revenge on people. Plus, Karloff played him in a way that gave him a creepy vibe, especially when it came to the way he was obsessed with the ward (Westcott) he had raised from the time she was a child. This made the movie seem a little more like a legit horror film that happened to be a comedy as well.

Final Opinion: As I said before, it isn't quite as good as earlier Abbott and Costello films. However, it is worth taking the time to watch it at least once if you are a fan of the classic comedy team and/or Boris Karloff.

My Grade: B