- Actors: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marie Windsor, Michael Ansara, Dan Seymour
- Directors: Charles Lamont
- Writers: John Grant, Lee Loeb
- Producers: Howard Christie
- Classification: U
- Studio: Universal
- VHS Release Date: 27 Jan 2003
- Run Time: 79 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004VVTR
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 12,607 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
After 15 years of hit movies, Abbott and Costello departed from Universal studios in the twilight of their partnership with 1955's Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, the last of their monster comedies. Decked out in desert safari gear, the boys go looking for a job with an Egyptologist and wind up in the middle of a conspiracy concerning the murdered professor, an ancient mummy, and a magical medallion that, true to form, bumbling Costello manages to eat for dinner. Marie Windsor, the boss lady of a gang of treasure-hunting crooks, dresses in a harem outfit to vamp for our chubby little hero, and the eternally stiff Richard Deacon hilariously plays the leader of an Egyptian mummy cult like a high school principal decked out for Halloween. Directed by longtime collaborator Charles Lamont, it's a typical Abbott and Costello farce with disappearing corpses, mistaken identities and wacky word plays ("Take your pick" riffs on "Who's on first" with garden tools). While not as clever or spirited as their original monster mash Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, the vaudeville veterans are still masters of the double-take and fast-talk patter, and the picture climaxes with a screwball chase that involves not one, not two, but three mummies skittering through the phoniest looking pyramid this side of community theatre. You were expecting realism? The boys appeared together once more on film, in Dance with Me, Henry, and then split up. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com
From the Back Cover
Abbot and Costello, stranded in Cairo apply to chaperone a mummy, discovered by an archaeologist, back to the United States. But when they arrive at the archaeologists home, they discover that he has been murdered, and the mummy seems to have disappeared. Abbot and Costello Meets the Mummy is loaded with surprises. One of the most interesting is Costello's daughter Carole appearing as a cigarette girl who pours water all over her dad. This gem of a film is filled with laughs for every member of the family-especially mummy.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
After the major success of 'A&C Meet Frankenstein' Universal Studios matched the team against a succession of other classic movie monsters over the next seven years to try and duplicate this success.
Sadly, by the time 'Meet the Mummy' was made (1955) the team were no longer big box-office draws. In addition, their contract with Universal was set to end after the completion of this picture, with the result that the time, effort and money expended on the boys in their heyday was no longer forthcoming.
Nevertheless, this film does provide some entertaining moments with the team coming into possession of an amulet which is coveted by both a gang of thieves and an ancient Egyptian cult. Poor Lou (who else!) ends up being stuck with the amulet (despite his efforts to the contrary) which also results in him being chased by the mummy. The story flags in the film's final minutes and ends somewhat arbitrarily (perhaps the budget had run out)on an anti-climactic note.
What lifts this film above a 'one-star' rating is the inclusion of some verbal quick-fire comedy routines. These routines are reminiscent of those on the team's early films, and A&C actually give the impression that they were enjoying themselves whilst performing them.
Sadly, 'Meet the Mummy' was not a big success and did not revive the team's career. One more film followed in 1956 (for an independent studio) and the team finally split. Lou Costello had a few years of limited success as a solo actor before dying in 1959. Bud Abbott did not continue in films (although he provided the voice for some A&C cartoons in the 1960s) and died in 1974.
All in all 'Meet the Mummy' was not the best ending for the team's fifteen-year relationship with Universal, and certainly does not provide a good vehicle for the team's talents. However, it is reasonably entertaining, with the verbal comedy routines providing the highlights.
Format:DVD
This is the last hurrah for Universal Pictures from the dynamic duo of Bud & Lou. Tho the film finds them long past their best, with the overall material having to be severely stretched to sustain a feature length movie, it does however have some merit. The plot sees the lads mixed up in a murder mystery with an Egyptian cult. Cue lots of Mummy like staple scenario's as our bumbling duo bluster their way thru by luck more than any sort of guile. In the hands of lesser comedians this production would have sank without trace, but such is the vibrancy and comedic knowing of the pair the film at least remains watchable to the end. It may well find them on auto-pilot, but a couple of scenes show why they were such well loved comedians. With medallion hamburgers and a triple whammy of Mummies for the typically frenetic finale, the movie, if not even close to doing justice to their great careers, does remain engaging and thankfully stays above average. 6/10
Format:VHS Tape
While in Egypt, Peter and Freddie (Abbott and Costello) get involved with a walking mummy, his cult followers, and a cursed medallion.
That's a pretty short summary, but honestly, that's all there is to this disappointing comedy. Abbott and Costello were past their prime in 1955 and the film shows it. The jokes aren't much unless you think endless jokes with punchlines with "mummy" instead of "mommy" and snake charming fake snakes are funny. Abbott yells too much at Costello and they both are barely going through the motions; in fact, they call each other "Bud" and "Lou" throughout.
The ridiculous casting of Richard Deacon ("Mel Cooley" in The Dick Van Dyke Show) and Michael Ansara (TV's "Cochise") as Egyptian mummy-worshippers makes the story even more far-fetched. It's at least thirty minutes too long and plays like a bad SNL skit. Definitely not one of their best.
That's a pretty short summary, but honestly, that's all there is to this disappointing comedy. Abbott and Costello were past their prime in 1955 and the film shows it. The jokes aren't much unless you think endless jokes with punchlines with "mummy" instead of "mommy" and snake charming fake snakes are funny. Abbott yells too much at Costello and they both are barely going through the motions; in fact, they call each other "Bud" and "Lou" throughout.
The ridiculous casting of Richard Deacon ("Mel Cooley" in The Dick Van Dyke Show) and Michael Ansara (TV's "Cochise") as Egyptian mummy-worshippers makes the story even more far-fetched. It's at least thirty minutes too long and plays like a bad SNL skit. Definitely not one of their best.
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