CLASSIC FILM REVIEW: Abbott and Costello's "Meet The Killer: Boris Karloff (1949)"

Abbott and Costello have always been a great source of entertainment and joy for me for years, and this blog only proves it, the way I keep on reviewing their films! Their 1949 escapade, however is an interesting one; it is the boy's one and only foray into a genre generally only reserved for Coen Brothers films: Black Comedy. The genre, for those unfamiliar with it, is a very dark look into topics generally dealing with death and the dark side of life. A&C only filmed one black comedy, and this is it.

After being the first to see the body of a murdered power attorney in the "Lost Canyon Hotel", Costello's character begins to be the target of several attempts on his life, all while trying to clear his name. His pal, Abbott, the house detective, helps him escape the attempts, and also helps Costello hide the bodies that are just DYING to hang around him!
The suspects in the murder case are many, and all have perfect motives (and alibis, too!). There's Lenore Aubert, the husband-poisoner who tries to help Costello to "one of her special cocktails"! There's also Boris Karloff, who, despite the fact that his name is in the title (implying that he will be a major character), is only given a relatively small bit part as a "fake Swami from Brooklyn". His classic suicide scene with Costello brings the memorable line from the film: "You'll commit suicide if it's the last thing you do!" The film begins and travels at a moderately fast pace, and the gags and dark-themed jokes are plenty. However, as the last 10-15 minutes of the film take place in a (supposedly) deserted canyon near the hotel, it only seems that the gags in this scene are stale and, thus, the film drags until the last 3 minutes when all is revealed.

FINAL RATING: 8/10. A hilarious film, except for those last 10 minutes.... I may be wrong! Am I? Use the comments button to tell me! Thanks for reading!

CLASSIC FILM REVIEW: SATAN MET A LADY (1936)

If I can ever get the opportunity, I like to get special editions of DVD's I buy. The special features and documentaries always interest me. So when I bought the special edition of the classic 1941 film "The Maltese Falcon", I knew I would be getting the stereotypical documentaries and film trailers. What I didn't know was that I would be getting a hilarious send-up of the "Falcon" film.

"Satan Met A Lady" is a delightful 1936 film starring Bette Davis and Warren William (of "The Lone Wolf" fame), respectively as the Dashell Hammett characters Ms. Wonderly and Michael Shayne (replacing the name of Philip Marlowe). Marie Wilson, of "Dinner At Eight" fame, plays "Madame Barabous"; the master thief who contracts Shayne to steal a fabled "Horn of Roland", a somewhat-adequate substitution for the Maltese Falcon.

The film proceeds through the story at a moderately quick pace, and, if it were not for the brilliant acting from Warren William and Bette Davis, the movie, in my opinion, would flop. As far as my understanding takes me, the only way you can see this film is by buying the special three-disc edition of "The Maltese Falcon", released by Warner Brothers. A quick check of Amazon finds that the DVD is still available, so do yourself a favor and watch it!!

FINAL RATING: 7.5/10