Despite my dad being away a lot on business as I grew up, he would often make the most of his time spent with me and leave lasting impressions on my mannerisms and character to this very day. We would play baseball (even though I wasn’t very good); he would teach me about money and how to be financially sound (which for the most part I think I do OK). He would also introduce me to the things he enjoyed, like root beer floats and Abbott & Costello. Even though these days I can’t have many root beers, I can enjoy an Abbott and Costello movie almost any time I like. One of those movies I remember watching with my dad was Africa Screams. It was my distinct pleasure to watch that movie again and bring my review to you today.
Stanley Livington (played by Lou Costello) stares down a menacing creature with a gun and a whip. Except when we pan to the fearsome creature, it’s actually a small kitten. But the tiny cat does have a snarl, and it’s enough to send Stanley back into the department store from which he came. Buzz Johnson (played by Bud Abbott) comes around to tell Stanley that the cat is not that scary, but Stanley is still a little concerned.
Buzz and Stanley run a bookstore in the middle of a department clothing store. Stanley works one side of the counter and Buzz the other. Two men, Grappler McCoy (played by Max Baer) and Boots Wilson (played by Buddy Baer) approach Stanley and ask him for a book named Dark Safari by Cuddleford, a famous explorer. Unfortunately, the store sold the book. Then the two big men ask Stanley if he could remember the map inside the book and draw it for $1,000. After thinking about it for a moment, Stanley says yes. They tell him to meet them in the alley at 7:30 and leave.
Meanwhile, Buzz is approached by a lady named Diana Emerson (played by Hillary Brooke), who is looking for the same book. Buzz gives the same rundown that the book is sold, and Diana quickly offers $2,500 if they can produce the same map. Buzz quickly goes to Stanley, who confirms he can produce the map, but then Buzz goes one step further and introduces Stanley to Diana as a famous wild game hunter. Diana is delighted and invites them both to her home for later that night.
We soon learn that Diana, Grappler, and Boots are actually working together. Later on at Diana’s house we are introduced to Diana’s servant Harry (played by Joe Besser), which leads to a hilarious scene between Harry and Stanley involving a garden water spout. Buzz sneaks around at the house and is able to eavesdrop on a conversation between Diana and Clyde Beatty (playing himself) that Clyde is being paid $20,000 to capture a giant ape.
Of course, Buzz decides to renegotiate once the opportunity presents itself. He also gets himself and Stanley to go on the safari with the others. However, all of this is being sold on the fact that Stanley has big game hunter experience and can actually draw the map. As the duo gets drawn into the wilderness for a huge payday, they soon realize that they are not the only ones doing the conning, and they have been put in the middle of something bigger than either can handle.
The movie from here moves to the jungle, where of course the jokes and gags continue which include a large all-too-friendly gorilla and a cannibal tribe who like the meat on Stanley’s bones. The material flies quickly, and while some comedic bits are recycled throughout the film, it never feels stale or missing a step. The strength of this movie is clearly put on the backs of Abbott and Costello, as anybody would have guessed. But what’s interesting about this movie, which isn’t always present in many of their movies, is that this movie had a very strong supporting cast.
Think about it for a moment. We had Hillary Brooke, who had a long career in film and television. In addition, we had two actors who had been with the Three Stooges or went on to be one of the Three Stooges in Shemp Howard (who played Gunner, a nearsighted professional hunter) and Joe Besser. Then there were boxers in Max Baer and Buddy Baer, who both did rather well in their supporting roles. Finally, we even had a couple of real wildlife and jungle experts (Clyde Beatty and Frank Buck), who certainly raised the level of the show beyond corny jokes and running gags.
The film for me belongs in the top five of all Abbott and Costello movies. It sets up a simple premise in that it could have been just labelled Abbott and Costello Go to Africa. But since this was the duo’s first independent release, effort was made to distinguish it from their usual productions. The jokes were well thought out and executed flawlessly. I never felt that the picture dragged at any point, and even the ending is satisfying by bringing appropriate closure to both Bud’s and Lou’s characters.
Video
The film is shown in a 1.37:1 widescreen format. A Kickstarter was set up for the restoration of this movie (which I was happy to be a part of). The reason for this restoration was simple; it was on 35mm nitrate stock and was deteriorating quickly after 70 years (and flammable, too). The funds raised enabled the crew to conduct a 4K digital scan. This was done from the surviving 35mm elements and then they executed an in-depth frame-by-frame digital cleanup of all dirt and damage, flicker reduction, image stabilization, and grading to achieve their desired end product.
The result is a simply breathtaking piece of film that should hang somewhere to illustrate how to effectively restore a movie. The blacks, the whites, the grays all come together in a beautiful harmony. The last time I saw this particular film it was on a crappy public domain DVD that I purchased for a dollar along with Jack and the Beanstalk (another film that needs to go through a serious restoration). It was muddled and full of dirt and speckle. I assumed at the time that whatever print existed was beyond saving and this is what I was left with. This shows that was clearly not the case and honestly looks better than most of the Universal Blu-rays of Abbott and Costello movies I have seen to date.
It’s rich and pops at all of the right moments. When Bud and Lou are running their department store bookstore, I swear I could actually read the titles of the books and other fine details. The restoration breathes new life into the jungle set, and one can almost catch themselves believing that maybe the plant life and the gorillas are a little more real than they first appear to be. I have seen all types of movies from live action to animation to everything in between, and this stands as one of the best I have ever seen when considering the elements. A fine achievement.
Audio
The audio track provided is 2.0 DTS-HD Mono in English. As amazing as the video is, the sound does not fare quite as well. Sure, it sounds better than what I have been introduced to in the past, but it’s more of a subtle improvement. The volume does need to be put about 25% to 50% higher than what’s found typically in feature films. Dialog and music are fairly clear, and you shouldn’t have any real problems. However, there are moments when you are glad that English subtitles are provided. Sound effects are on the level of many other classic comedies with canned moments but do deliver some depth to make this an above average product. It’s perfect for a late night movie that you don’t want to wake up the neighbors with and still enjoy yourself.
Special Features
Commentary by Author & Abbott and Costello Historian Ron Palumbo: About thirty years ago, Ron Palumbo wrote the definitive book on Abbott and Costello, describing their films, private lives, and any other detail you could think of. Here he is giving us a rundown of every detail we could ask for regarding Africa Screams. It’s so much detail that he hardly pauses to catch a breath as he describes it blow by blow. The problem is that the commentary reads like the telephone book and unfortunately needs somebody desperately to act as a moderator or at least provide a little relief to the constant dictation. I appreciate the heck out of the commentary, but it comes off very dry.
The Rubdown Sketch 10:07: This is a restored Abbott and Costello sketch from Colgate Comedy Hour called The Rubdown. In it, Bud is obsessed with weight loss and recruits Lou to give him a rubdown according to the exact directions on the radio. However, the station starts out as a how-to on massage and then quickly switches to a car repair show. Hilarity ensures as Lou tries to keep up.
Abbott & Costello Radio Show with Bela Lugosi 40:44/29:48: Abbott and Costello worked with Bela Lugosi on the set of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein in 1948. During that time, they also decided to have Mr. Lugosi on their radio show. What we have there is two different versions of the same radio show. First the unedited show from February of that year which included all of the flubs and warmups that rarely make it into the final copy. Then from May of the same year we have the final cut, which is free from those elements. This was a complete joy to listen to.
Lou Costello filmed interview with Max Baer and Joe Louis 1:54: This was filmed in July of 1940 and was following Max Baer’s fight with Tony “Two Ton” Galento. This was also about four months prior to One Night in the Tropics, which was the debut of Abbott & Costello.
Clyde Beatty’s Animal Thrills 9:48: Short film from late 1943 which showed Clyde Beatty in his natural state along with elephants, baby lions (and grown ones too), Bengal tigers, and more.
Selected Outtakes & Bloopers 7:31: It’s always nice to see bloopers from any film before the 1990’s when this became more of a regular thing. Plenty of funny stuff for sure, since Lou was always ad-libbing and everybody else was trying to keep up.
3D Comic Book 6:02: Inside every copy of Africa Screams is a pair of old-school 3dD glasses. This is used to look at an old 50’s comic book of the comedy duo in action, so to speak. There is also the option for those with the TV technology to view it on their own 3dD television (and use a different pair of glasses).
Image Gallery – Behind the Scenes Photos taken during Production 7:12: Various photos from behind the scenes with Nassour Studios.
Image Gallery – Promotion, Publicity and Ballyho 13:46: More wonderful publicity type photos from the 1949 and 1953 releases.
Trailers – El Paso & Jack and the Beanstalk 7:26: Abbott and Costello were among the top moneymakers for their studio in this time, but yet they were constantly being denied a reasonable budget to work with and the opportunity to work in color. At one point, Africa Screams was supposed to be in what was known as Cinecolor. El Paso is included because it was the feature worked on by the studio right before Africa Screams (and is in Cinecolor). A look of what could have been. Then we get a look at Jack and the Beanstalk, which also gives us a glimpse of the potential that was lost.
Trailers – ClassicFlix: Along Came Jones – Looking to Get Shot Clip (4:19), Casanova Brown – Frank Morgan Montage (5:49), Merrily We Love (2:16), The Noose Hangs High (2:11), and Tomorrow is Forever (2:46).
Notes: A minor quibble here. If you are going to sell a disc for $27.99, use more than an eco-case to house it in. Maybe you don’t have to do a clear case like Criterion or Twilight Time, but a good solid case would be preferred.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned previously, the restoration of this film was funded through Kickstarter, and I was proud to be one of the supporters. I even went further and purchased a second copy for my dad and made sure that my name in the comments didn’t reflect my name but rather my dad but for whom I would never made the connection to Abbott and Costello that I did. I know that this might sound like a bias to some, but truthfully I had not watched Africa Screams since I was in college (over 20 years ago), so it could have easily not measured up to my previous viewing experience. But it did, and then it surpassed it.
A great part of that improved experience was the work that Bob Furmanek did with his team on the restoring of the film. The video and audio are improved dramatically, and I defy anybody to find me a film of this age with this good a visual element. The extras are substantial and are a great accompaniment to the film. This Blu-ray is currently limited in production to 2,500 copies at ClassicFlix, and I could easily see it selling out by the end of the year if not sooner. My recommendation is if you have an interest in properly restored classic movies or Abbott and Costello, then you need to make sure to grab a copy. Even if you were fifteen when you ate your first animal cracker, don’t wait to act on this. Enjoy.
