Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)

Director:

Charles Lamont

Writers:

Lee Loeb (story)
John Grant (writer)

Release Date:

June 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Adventure | Horror

Tagline:

It has been said that a man's best friend is his mummy...

Plot:

Bud and Lou find themselves pursued by an Egyptian cult for a special medallion linked to a walking mummy.

Plot Keywords:

Abbott And Costello | Dynamite | Explosion | Medallion | Giant Lizard

Cast

Bud Abbott	...	Bud Abbott aka Peter Patterson
Lou Costello	...	Lou Costello aka Freddie Franklin
Marie Windsor	...	Madame Rontru
Michael Ansara	...	Charlie
Dan Seymour	...	Josef
Richard Deacon	...	Semu
Kurt Katch	...	Dr. Gustav Zoomer
Richard Karlan	...	Hetsut
Mel Welles	...	Iben
George Khoury	...	Habid
Eddie Parker	...	Klaris, the Mummy (as Edwin Parker)
Chandra Kaly and His Dancers	...	Dance Troupe
Peggy King	...	Vocalist

Also Known As:

Meet the Mummy

Runtime:

79 min | Argentina:83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-16 | UK:U | USA:Unrated

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Though Bud Abbott's character in this film was named Peter Patterson and 'Costello, Lou' 's character's name was Freddie Franklin, they addressed each other by their own, real names ("Heeeeey Abbott!") throughout much of the picture.

Quotes:

Bud Abbott aka Peter Patterson: How stupid can you get?
Lou Costello aka Freddie Franklin: How stupid do you want me to be?

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Mummy's Tomb (1942)

Soundtrack:

You Came A Long Way From St. Louis

A Fond Farewell

When the murder of an archaeologist puts a valuable medallion into their hands, Abbott and Costello waste little time in trying to sell it--only to find themselves pursued by police, a slinky adventuress, an Egyptian high priest, and the mummy himself. The concept is amusing, but the real charm of any Abbott and Costello film is the charismatic comic interplay between the stars. Unfortunately, the 1955 MEET THE MUMMY finds the two at a creative low ebb.

Featuring such notable character actors as Richard Deacon and Marie Windsor, the film is competently made and very easy to watch, but to say it lacks the inspiration of Abbott and Costello's best work would be a tremendous understatement. At most, MEET THE MUMMY is mildly amusing in a broadly slapstick sort of way, good for an occasional chuckle at best. It would be their last film at Universal and their next-to-last screen appearance together, so it might be best regarded as a fond farewell.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer