Starting in 1948, Abbott and Costello began appearing in several films where they were paired with monsters from the Universal Studios repertoire. The first film, ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN was the best and actually featured this monster as well as Dracula and the Wolf-Man. Next, they did a film where they were featured with the Invisible Man. Then, they did a send up of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Now, in their second to last film, they did their final monster-themed film. ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE MUMMY is certainly the least of the four films but considering the other three are so much better than a typical Abbott and Costello film, this still means that the film can be a very good one.

Klaris the mummy is about to be stolen...and brought to life by some strange cult headed by....Richard Deacon?!?! To get it, his cult members kill without remorse. Talk about strange casting--Deacon seems about as Egyptian as Bill Cosby! At the same time, a rich adventurer (Marie Windsor) is seeking a cursed amulet, as she hopes it will lead her to treasure...and she's very willing to kill to get it. So, in the midst of a fanatical cult and amoral adventuress come our two stupid heroes, Bud and Lou. At first, the police think Bud killed the Doctor (the man who had the amulet and Klaris),but later they discover the real killer. In addition to either of them killing Bud and Lou, now that Klaris has come to life, they are as good as dead. Is there any way that they'll escape and this will have a happy ending? See the film yourself to find out the answer.

What's to like about the film? Well, most importantly there isn't all that much singing (a serious problem in most Abbott and Costello films) nor is there an irrelevant romantic subplot. Also, while it's all pretty silly, the mummy sequences are pretty cool and the film actually does make you laugh.

There are some cheesy moments in the film, such as the "giant lizard" and the skeleton that is chained up in the crypt. Oddly, this "skeleton" is fully articulated and you can see the little screws holding it together!! This is one of my favorite dumb clichés, as in real life, once the tissue has been eaten away, a skeleton has nothing holding it together. Fortunately, such scenes are the exception in the film, not the rule.

Overall, a very good film. Sure, Bud and Lou are looking a bit old, but it's a nice way for the team to say goodbye to Universal Studios--there home for most of their previous films and where they got their big break.

Meet the Mummy is nowhere near Abbott and Costello's best(personal favourite is Meet Frankenstein) but while it is the weakest of their Meet...outings it is not quite one of their absolute worst. Compared to before Meet the Mummy is rather bland, but it does have a number of things that keep it from being terrible.

The good news is that Abbott and Costello still work very well together and both are still good, Costello is the funnier of the two but Abbott provides amusement too playing it straight. The supporting cast aren't too bad either, Marie Windsor coming off best, playing her villainess character with waspish authority. Michael Ansara and Dan Seymour are suitably menacing henchmen. Meet the Mummy is briskly paced(mostly) and not without funny moments, in fact the script is still smart and a lot of fun to watch, not as quotable as before but the style's the same. The physical comedy is fun if not as energetic as the best of their outings and there's plenty of enjoyable scenes, especially with the trio of mummies, the dead body hide-and-seek, the slipping the mickey-like scene with the medallion and hamburgers.

However, Meet the Mummy does have a number of problems. The plot is tired and very rarely makes sense(the whole cult idea could have been intriguing but was messily handled),and there are a couple of moments that do come across as a touch cheesy like with the iguana and skeleton in the crypt(the skeleton is a little cheap-looking). The Peggy King number was pleasant but not very memorable and it didn't add very much to the film, likewise with the dance numbers, while Richard Deacon looks rather ill at ease in his role. But the budget hindrances were the main problem, the sets are nice but the film looks a little dreary and the effects are well below the standards of the ones in many of their previous and best outings. This is especially true of the Mummy, who is by far and large the worst-looking Monster and has the worst Mummy make-up in any Universal film. The Mummy itself exudes little personality let alone menace, athletic sure but that's it really.

Overall, Abbott and Costello's last Universal pairing together is rather bland, but it has some entertaining moments is and a long way from terrible or bad. 5/10 Bethany Cox

For their final film with Universal Studios Bud Abbott and Lou Costello visit Egypt and get themselves in one beautiful mess where the police think Abbott murdered Kurt Katch and both of them get caught between two rival gangs.

The first is the cult of Klaris, an ancient mummy buried alive and still alive through many incarnations at Universal in the horror film days and a gang of treasure hunters headed by Marie Windsor doing a poor girl's Gale Sondergaard imitation. Marie is so much better in modern noir films. Her henchmen are the well cast Michael Ansara and Dan Seymour, a menacing pair as ever graced the screen.

Richard Deacon plays the cult leader, an archeology professor by day and a high priest of the ancient Egyptian religion by night. I take my hat off to him for keeping an absolutely straight face through some of this insanity.

A&C sad to say were getting old and tired. In those last few films Abbott was developing as big a paunch as Costello. The team was running out of gas and Universal was now pushing to the forefront such young juvenile stars as Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis who were the big breadwinners for the studio the way Abbott&Costello were in the previous decade.

There were still a few laughs left in them yet. In fact Abbott in this one is almost as much a target for the physical comedy as Costello. Best bit is towards the end when Abbott and Ansara both disguised in mummy bandages meet the real Klaris.

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy is nowhere near the kind of sparkle these two had in their films for Universal in the early Forties. Sad that their time had passed.