Memorable, crazy movie

Masterful Movie

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The vaudeville humor as seen in the '40s comedies, the banter, Costello or Mantan Moreland, is naturally of varying charm, 'Africa Screams' has more vaudeville showcased, than slapstick, the almost nonexistent storyline, the slightly suggested plot, and so there are several good scenes: those with the crocodiles (near the boat, etc.), the lions, the cannibals, but a better plot would of helped immeasurably, anyway enjoy the movie for what it is, and for what is was meant: humble, unpretentious divertimento, where none dreamed of subtlety, a sequence of gags, less than what the opportunity for it would of afforded.Which is to state that this isn't the ultimate jungle comedy, but the likable divertimento for an evening; the opening scenes, set out of Africa, Costello at his desk in the bookshop, were better than the rest of the movie, and the map was a nice gag. Hillary Brooke, very charming in a leading role, always enjoyable on screen, is exquisite, Abbott, the insatiable coveter of diamonds, is 'Buzz'. Why such unassuming silliness gave so much pleasure to audiences 60 yrs ago is a quiz for the sociology of culture, or why has this type of innocent silliness been out-fashioned; decades later, a wholly other brand of silliness has been invented, either gross or stupid or frankly deluded.

Abbott & Costello play Buzz Johnson & Stanley Livington, two booksellers who fool customer Diana Emerson(played by Hillary Brooke) that Stanley is a great explorer who knows all about Africa. This gets them abducted by Diana and her henchmen, who force them to lead the safari into Africa, where they use it as a front to find diamonds. Along the way, they encounter crocodiles, angry tribesmen, and a giant ape...(not King Kong however) Unfunny and poorly made film was another independent production that fell into the public domain. It is on DVD in its original black & white and also in color; either way, this is among their dumbest films.

Wow! The usually frumpy Costello looks positively dapper in his snazzy salesman's suit at movie's start. Superior A&C comedy with good routines, productive premise, and unusual cast. The boys get to chase around the wilds of a Hollywood sound stage pretending (not very hard) to be adventuring in darkest Africa. Of course, Lou gets to do his slow-to-catch- on routine as crocodiles, gorillas, and other assorted man-eating critters nuzzle up in humorously menacing fashion. I love it, though, when that savage-looking kitten scares the be-Jesus out of him in a downtown department store, no less.And whose great idea was it to load up the cast with some real characters. Take the giant Baer brothers, Max and Buddy, for example. Together they look like they could tear down the Empire State building without a wreaking ball. Not exactly, your usual movie types, and when they start scuffling, you can almost feel the ground shake. Then too, what an inspiration to stick coke-bottle glasses on Shemp Howard of Three Stooges fame and turn him into a nearly blind big-game hunter! So, better hide the house pets. But I really am curious how little, fat comedian Joe Besser snuck on set when the movie already had a little, fat comedian who's a lot funnier. Add real life adventurers Clyde Beatty and Frank Buck, along with the always regal Hillary Brooke who glitters, as usual, but never gets in on the fun, and it all adds up to a lively and entertaining bunch of characters. Perhaps best of all, A&C are still looking fresh in their roles, and if some of the routines wheeze a bit, the boys are still able to give them the needed lift, something they did not do in the last few years before the final 1956 break-up. Sure, this kind of nonsense is not everyone's cup of tea. But I defy even the sourest sour-puss not to surrender a few chuckles as the boys bumble along Africa-style.

Leonard Maltin gives 3 stars to this movie, and only 1.5 star to "Abbott and Costello Go to Mars". That's strange, because not only is "Africa Screams" easily worse than "Go to Mars", it's probably one of the worst films that Abbott and Costello ever made. There are some funny moments (Lou whispering threats to the bad guys when they have their backs turned to him), a lovely leading lady (Hillary Brooke), some impressively trained animals, and some good special effects. But there are also too many tedious stretches (this is one of the longest 78 minutes you'll ever spend), and too many predictable gags (hmmm, they have made a trap for a gigantic orangutan, do you think Lou will fall in it?). In some of those gags, Lou is made to look downright retarded instead of amusingly dumb. The scene where he mugs to the camera for about 3 minutes straight because he is scared of a gorilla is more excruciating than funny. (*1/2)