I too was wondering why someone would pay $2,500 for directions to a department store.

Sehr dumm. Und rassistisch. Und sehr dumm.

Definitely not Abbott and Costello's best, but there's some solid laughs to be found in Africa Screams. Lou's interactions with various large and dangerous animals are hysterical, as are his pathetic animal "impersonations". Even Bud gets to have some fun towards the film's end with his diamond-mad rants. Shemp and Joe Besser of Three Stooges fame appear onscreen together for the only time, which is quite a treat. Besser is particularly funny with his screaming, campy whines. Africa Screams should keep Abbot and Costello fans satiated, everyone else can avoid.

Mostly boring, frequently cringy, but at least the gorilla was fun.

Every time I put in an old movie to watch with my family, I think we all collectively hope it won't be racist.

Mostly boring, frequently cringy, but at least the gorilla was fun.

The boys are at it again! They're off to Africa to search for buried treasure, and of course what they find the most of is funny trouble. An interesting look at how Hollywood saw Africa back then.

Sehr dumm. Und rassistisch. Und sehr dumm.

Almost made it a full hour without being racist. So close.

Cultural insensitivity aside, Africa Screams leans heavily on slapstick and visual gags rather than the clever wordplay I'm more familiar with from Abbott and Costello. The presence of Shemp Howard and Joe Besser (their only film together) just adds to the feeling of Stoogery. Other celebrity roles like Frank Buck as himself and the Baer Brothers throwing hands at each other make it a curious relic of its era, even if it fails to generate genuine laughs.

A simple, old-fashioned comedy. Plot kind of disappears halfway through. Somewhat charming, but nearly every joke drags and all of them can be seen coming a mile away. Racism and misogyny are surprising light; some cannibal African jokes and gay stereotypes, but nothing too bad.

Threw on some public domain background noise for work and thought this was doing okay, like, ok just Costello + animal antics and he and Abbott are still great together even if the material is often subpar. The villain is even a lady who the Baer brothers call boss! Wow! And naming Costello’s character Stanley Livington was stupidly brilliant. But then in the last 15 minutes they decide to throw in cannibals. Because of course they do. And now I’m realizing I’d have known that ahead of time if I’d looked at the poster first. 

My only prior memory of this is renting it from a Hollywood Video store when I was like 8 and not thinking it was as good as Abbott & Costello’s other work.

Abbott and Costello are booksellers who end up on a dangerous safari when Lou is mistaken for a experienced adventurer in this lively parody of jungle adventure films. While not quite up to the level of their best films this is nonetheless a fast paced and generally amusing outing for the comedy legends that offers up plenty of slapstick antics to keep fans engaged.

Buzz (Bud Abbott) and Stanley Livington (Lou Costello) find themselves (through the usual comic misunderstandings) on an expedition to find a horde of diamonds and possibly a King Kong-type giant ape. Hillary Brooke is the femme fatale searching for the gems. The Baer brothers (Max and Buddy) are her goons and make references to being beaten by Joe Louis. Frank "Bring 'Em Back Alive" Buck and Clyde Beatty play themselves. If that isn't enough both Shemp Howard and Joe Besser are in it! Most of it is still funny. Would've rated it higher, but I'm taking a star off because of 1940s racism.

First real exposure to Abbott and Costello. A bit of a problematic settting, but the writing and set pieces were enough to make this enjoyable.