Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff

Plot synopsis:
Prominent criminal attorney Amos Strickland (Nicholas Joy) checks into the Lost Caverns Resort Hotel. His murdered body is later discovered by the bellboy, Freddie Phillips (Lou Costello), who is implicated in the crime. Casey Edwards (Bud Abbott), the house detective, tries to clear Freddie, but Inspector Wellman (James Flavin) and Sgt. Stone (Mikel Conrad) keep him in custody.
Seven of Strickland's former clients happen to be at the resort, and they are all suspects. These former clients are Swami Talpur (Boris Karloff), Angela Gordon (Lenore Aubert), Mrs. Hargreave (Victoria Horne), T. Hanley Brooks (Roland Winters), Lawrence Crandall (Harry Hayden), Mrs. Grimsby (Claire DuBrey) and Mike Relia (Vincent Renno). They gather for a meeting and decide that they must conceal their pasts and that Freddie must take the blame for Strickland's murder. They try unsuccessfully to get Freddie to sign a confession: Angela tries to seduce him, but the police stop her when they fear she's poisoned the champagne, then the Swami attempts to hypnotize him into committing suicide but his stupidity saves him.
Freddie and the two police officers, in an attempt to draw out the real killer, inform everyone that Freddie is in possession of a blood-stained handkerchief found at the murder scene. Soon afterwards, several attempts to kill Freddie are made, including gunshots at the window of his booby-trapped room, and locking him in a steam cabinet. Eventually Freddie hears a voice that calls him to bring the handkerchief to the Lost Cavern. There he meets up with a masked figure who offers to save him from the hole he has just fallen into in exchange for the handkerchief. Freddie makes the mistake of telling the mysterious figure that he left it in his room. He is left in the hole, but is eventually rescued by the two police officers.
Back at the hotel, everyone has gathered together and Sgt. Stone returns with some muddy shoes that belong to Melton (Alan Mowbray), the hotel manager, which proves that he was the one in the caverns with Freddie. His motive for the murder was that he, Relia and Millford, Strickland's secretary, were blackmailing the owner, Mr. Crandell. When Strickland found out he came to investigate, so Melton killed him. Millford then sent down the former clients to use as decoys for the police, but Melton killed Relia and Millford to cover it all up. He attempts to escape through a window, but is caught by a booby trap previously set by Freddie.

Tags: mystery, murder

Review:
Much of Abbott and Costello's late 40s/early 50s output put them in parodies of various film genres--this one is a parody of murder mysteries.
We have here the excellent slapstick performances of straight man Bud Abbott and comic genius Lou Costello,combined with the always menacing Boris Karloff,though here he is much more lighthearted of course.Freddy Phillips(Costello)is suspected of murder.Of course we all know he didn't do it,and the hilarious journey to the real killer begins from there.
While this is not Abbott and Costello's greatest effort,it is certainly good enough,and it is a great combination of murder mystery and comedy.
Today's comedy writers and performers could learn a lot from A and C, as well as many others from their era.If you want to know what real comedy is all about,the films of Abbott and Costello are the way to go.
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello could probably have done anything, but I'm glad they turned to comedy.
One of my favourite Abbott and Costello films, Abbott and Costello Meets the Killer tells about a series of murders that take place in a ski hotel near a large lost caverns.
The impossible bellboy, played by Lou, is suspected of murder, and the house dick, played by Bud, is his friend and sometimes character reference.
A woman who poisoned her lovers, deftly played by the sultry Lenore Aubert of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein fame, and a phony swami played by the ever affable but eerie Boris Karloff lead the cast of irregulars.
Murder evidence points to Freddie Phillips(Lou Costello), a bellhop.
Because of the great success of "Abbott & Costello" Meet Frankenstein the year before, Universal decided to team their former horror star, Karloff with their top comics.
Boris Karloff played himself perfectly and with the great talents of Bud & Lou, it is a must see Classic Comedy.
Entitled ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER, BORIS KARLOFF, some purists sniff that as Karloff is not the killer in the film, the title is as misleading as the later ABBOTT & COSTELLO GO TO MARS (wherein they actually go to Venus).
Not only does he attempt to hypnotize Lou into committing suicide (which would enable the police to drop an investigation at a hotel where Karloff is stuck in), but he is also a former homicide case defendant who was acquitted thanks to his lawyer Amos Strickland (Nicholas Joy).
it is a murder mystery comedy, but here the suspicion against Lou (an incompetent bellhop) is more realistic than in the earlier film.
All of them happen to be at the resort too, so they are also suspects.The film has some nice set pieces in it, mostly handled adroitly by Costello - such as a drag sequence where he attracts an admirer, and has to play cards with a corpse.
It turns out that this film is included in Volume 3 of the Best of Abbott and Costello DVD set.
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello star in this classic "who done it" movie.
Fans of ABBOTT and COSTELLO should enjoy this entry, even if the title is a bit misleading--and even if BORIS KARLOFF doesn't get to be quite as menacing as you might want him to be.
Suspicion points to bellboy COSTELLO, and in a script that has ABBOTT as a house detective, you can see that poor Lou is gonna have a hard time proving his innocence...especially when dead bodies keep popping up everywhere wherever he goes.It's not as funny as WHO DONE IT?
Also stars Boris Karloff who sided out playing the Frankinstien monster in Abbott and Costello meet Frankinstein10/10, highly recomended..
Be it Freddie (Costello) being too stupid to be hypnotised by the shifty Swami (Boris Karloff), or a wonderful sequence of events down in the creepy caverns, it's fun and very diverting.
Abbott and Costello are one of the best comedy duos on film, and there are some great entries of theirs, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein being a contender for their best.
The gags are well-timed and funny though, especially the dressing up in drag, Costello being hypnotised by Karloff and playing cards with a corpse.
There is a very nice mix of zany comedy and suspenseful mystery elements, the dialogue is snappily written, the film looks good and is directed in a way that allows the stars to have fun and the story to breathe while not leaving things out of control.
Overall, not among the greats with Abbott and Costello but makes for good fun regardless.
This is another awesome bud Abbott and Lou Costello film and because of all the same reasons it has great comedy in it the acting is good in it the actors are good in it it has a good story line to it.
Boris Karloff does a great villain in this bud Abbott and Lou Costello film everything is good about this movie.
so i'm sure you will not be disappointed with bud Abbott and Lou Costello meet the killer.
I'm only slightly familiar with Abbott and Costello, but I enjoy seeing their movies from time to time, particularly those involving Universal horror film stars like Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., and - in this case - Boris Karloff.But, as other reviewers have noted, Karloff has only a glorified cameo in this movie.
There are simply tons of characters who drift in for a scene or two and then disappear...it's most disconcerting.But I suppose all that stuff doesn't really matter, since Costello is funny and cute and Abbott makes a good straight man.
Some of the gags are quite good, and the chase sequence in the caverns boasts some great sets and funny slapstick moments.So it ain't no classic in the final analysis, but I've passed dull evenings with plenty of worse movies..
I love the part when Swami Talpur (Boris Karloff) tries to get Freddie (Costello) to commit suicide while under hypnosis.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949) **.
As a major fan of Bud, Lou and Boris, I have tried to enjoy this film on numerous occasions over my lifetime.
It's not the worst thing Abbott & Costello ever did, but it's certainly not one of their best; and it's easily one of Karloff's least if you're interested in catching it just for him.Abbott plays a detective in a hotel who investigates dimwitted bellboy Costello, who gets tangled up in a murderous web of events.
The story is too hotel-bound most of the time and the laughs are not plentiful, especially when the favored "gag" of the picture is repeated so many times that it quickly becomes monotonous: Lou keeps finding dead people popping up all over the place.
When famous criminal lawyer Amos Strickland (Nicholas Joy) turns up dead at Crandall's Lost Caverns Hotel, bumbling busboy Freddie Phillips (Lou Costello) finds himself chief suspect, having earlier threatened the victim for getting him sacked.
With the help of hotel detective Casey Edwards (Bud Abbott), Freddie tries to prove his innocence, but finds himself getting even deeper in trouble, dead bodies turning up wherever he goes.Comedy duo Abbott and Costello go through their usual broad comedy routine, Bud playing straight man to foolish funny man Lou. If you like their schtick, you'll probably have a whale of a time with this caper, but I found it all a bit repetitive, much of the humour revolving around the dead bodies repeatedly turning up in unexpected places, with Costello struggling to remain calm.
Amusing the first time, perhaps, but wearing extremely thin after an hour of the same thing over and over again.A change of scenery for the final act is very welcome, as Costello goes to the Lost Caverns to meet the killer (who is keen to get his hands on a vital piece of evidence), but it doesn't make up for the monotony of what has gone before.
It says a lot that Universal horror star Boris Karloff, as a sinister swami, is funnier than the leading men, uttering the best line of the whole film with a marvellous deadpan delivery: "You're going to commit suicide if it's the last thing you do"..
Sixty Years Later And Still Plenty of Fun. Costello plays a bellhop who gets himself caught up in a murder and soon becomes the number one suspect.
He was the one thing missing in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, so it's nice that the boys could finally do a movie with him.
Abbott's the hotel detective and Costello's a bellboy who keeps getting into trouble.
Suddenly dead bodies are popping up all over the hotel and all clues point to poor dumb Lou. Very funny comedy murder mystery.
ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER (Universal-International, 1949), directed by Charles T.
(1942), this edition borrows heavily on their recent comedy thriller, ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948), but not to the same results.
Even though the complete title is often labeled, ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER, BORIS KARLOFF, Karloff's name, which forms together through drips of blood on the screen far beyond the title, cannot really be regarded as part of that title, at least in my point of view.
Regardless of the setup, Karloff, looking more sinister than usual, does get his first of two opportunities in an Abbott and Costello comedy, where his scenes, mostly with Costello, come ever so briefly.In true horror-like fashion, the story starts off in the dark of night during a heavy thunderstorm.
He encounters Casey Edwards (Bud Abbott), a hotel detective, and his cousin, Freddie Phillips (Lou Costello), a bumbling bellboy at the front desk.
With such an interesting premise, and perfect casting of Abbott as the cigar smoking detective and Costello the accident prone bellboy, this should have developed into a great comedy mystery.
Further moments of "black humor" occur as Karloff's turban wearing Swami attempting to have Freddie commit suicide through hypnotism; and Aubert's Angela, a reputed husband killer, tricking Freddie into signing a murderous confession by getting him drunk on what might possibly be poisoned cocktail.While the first portion of the film has its share of laugh-out-loud scenes, the second half disappoints as Costello's character becomes sillier, straining for laughs.
One funny line, "We don't permit murders in this hotel!" sounds more like Abbott but goes to Alan Mowbray.
The set up booby traps and Costello disguised as a chambermaid and being flirted by character-type Abernathy (Percy Helton) are amusing enough for an honorable mention here.As with all Abbott and Costello comedies, MEET THE KILLER has become available on both video and DVD.
THE WHITE RABBIT'S REVIEW OF ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER, BORIS KARLOFF.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff- **1/2Although occasionally funny at times, this Abbott and Costello movies seems to get really slow and boring.
Given his actual role in the movie--a role by some reports that was originally supposed to be played by a woman--it's kind of hard to argue that point.Karloff is only a minor player in the overall scheme of things--and perhaps Boris' reasons for taking the part was his way of trying to make up for not playing the part of the "Frankenstein Monster" in Abbott and Costello's legendary first "Meet" picture.In any event, as I've said elsewhere, this film was produced during that time period when A & C's feature films were becoming very hit or miss.
There are some funny scenes--particularly amusing was when the cops & Bud think Lou has been poisoned & Bud proceeds to pour a whole bunch of solutions down Costello's throat.Still, this film is very heavy on plot & seemingly light on Abbott and Costello action.
Now that I think about it, most of the "Meet" pictures, aside from the first were pretty underwhelming & this is coming from a longtime Abbott and Costello fan.5 stars.
Abbott & Costello play Casey Edwards(the hotel detective) & Freddie Phillips(the hotel bellhop) who get mixed up in murder as someone has murdered the boss, Mr. Strickland, and Freddie is the prime suspect because he had just been fired, and publicly threatened him.
Now forced to prove his innocence, he and Casey investigate the crime, which has many suspects, including Lenore Aubert and Boris Karloff(of course) who plays a swami trying to convince Freddie to kill himself, in order to stop the police from investigating.
This fails, and the real killer is pursued to a dangerous cavern in the film's spooky climax, which is really the best thing about this haphazardly structured comedy thriller.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949) ** 1/2 (out of 4) A man at a hotel gets Costello fired from his job so Costello threatens him, which doesn't sit well later when that man turns up dead.
Even though there are many strange characters at the hotel, including a swami (Boris Karloff), all the blame gets thrown towards the little fat guy.
Apparently this film was intended to be a Bob Hope comedy but after the success of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein the studio wanted another "meet" movie.
There are some very funny sequences including one where Costello has to play cards with a dead guy and another sequence where Bud and Lou must try to hide a body but things keep getting in their way.
Other scenes, like the one where Karloff tries to get Costello to kill himself, doesn't work as well as it should.
A truly diabolical "caper" with Abbott and Costello who have to be the two unfunniest men who have walked the face of the earth.Karloff plays a "swami" type and is subjected to all the obvious "are you" and "dosent he look like" jokes from the fat one.No further explanation is needed and if you are into these two outdated borish men then there is no help for you ...if you are interested in Karloff go and find a better film with him in...there are much better things to do in life than subject yourself to this claptrap like having your eyes removed with a wooden spoon and drinking sand..
Despite the title being 100% misleading, this is among Abbott and Costello's better films.
No, Boris Karloff is NOT the killer and he is only a supporting character and so putting his name on the title (as was done in many cases) was deceptive and makes this appear to be a horror flick, while it's actually a murder mystery.
As if its reputation wasn't bad enough with the help they hire there, mainly Abbott&Costello.Bud's the house detective and Lou's a bellboy.
People are always doing that to Costello, but later Joy is the first one who winds up dead.Joy was a high powered criminal defense attorney and as it happens in all these murder mysteries there's a hotel full of suspects who might have a better motive and more upstairs to plan things better than the hapless Lou. But Lou being the patsy he always is gets the attention of police detective James Flavin.
If he's not the guilty party which he isn't, than why do it?I really did like the cavern set where Lou has an extended scene with the masked murderer who is trying to get a tell tale clue from Costello.
Still Abbott and Costello Meet The Killer, Boris Karloff is not a bad one for the guys..
The movie was a little disappointing for this fan of both Abbott and Costello and Boris Karloff.
The Swami is at his best in that sequence where he tries to get Freddie Phillips (Costello) to commit suicide, but as literal as Lou's character is, things just never work out.
The story, taking place at an out of the way hotel, is loaded with murder victims and even more suspects, a lot like the Charlie Chan films of an earlier era.
Bud Abbott plays the hotel detective Casey Edwards here, and isn't nearly as antagonistic to Lou as he'd been in other movies.
Then, they play a card game with them, later dumping them on the elevator.For some reason(?), all the former clients of Mr. Strickland who have gathered at the hotel(why?)want Lou dead, even though none of them is the murderer.
Two things I just love - old murder mystery movies and Boris Karloff.
Can Bud and Lou find the killer before they're killed themselves?This isn't deep - it's just good old-fashioned fun.
One of my favorite moments has to be watching the great Boris Karloff working with Costello in the hypnosis scene.
It's hard not to like an Abbott and Costello film but this one has a rough time balancing it's themes.
For starters the film doesn't feel like Abbott and Costello were meant to be in it.
This film actually thinks people pay attention to this stuff and so Bud and Lou spend a fair amount of time talking about evidence and police work.
Good comedy needs no intricate explanation and this is the only Abbott and Costello film that really does this.
I don't really care about anyone but Bud and Lou. The film can't have it both ways.
I compare this film to 'Meets Frankenstein' in that Lou while being funny does generally look terrified.
It's hard to dislike an 'Abbott and Costello' film too much because they are so funny and deliver so much into their comedy.
Boris Karloff mention in the title play a swami and may or may not be the murderer.All sorts of other wacky characters appear in and out of the action, before me to highlight of this scene between Loul, in drag, and flirtatious hotel guest Percy Helton who won't take no for an answer and tries to interfere in a card game between Lou and four murdered men.
Yes there are some good laughs, but it's all pretty unbelievable.Lenore Aubert, who played the van in the previous years Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, is back for a second go around.