Africa Screams (1949)

My Review

“Africa Screams” is typical of the wacky slapstick comedy of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, who made 37 films together from 1940 to 1956. Costello always managed to get the duo into a jam of one sort or another; he could usually mistake a wild animal for a tame one, for example.

There are plenty of opportunities for foul-ups like this in “Africa Screams.” The pair is tricked by Diane Emerson (Hillary Brook) and her goons (Joe Besser, Shemp Howard) into traveling to Africa to go on safari, but with her secret intention of searching for a diamond mine. Also starring are Max Baer, Buddy Baer, and Charles Gemora as the ape. The hilarity proceeds from there, guided by director Charles Barton. “Africa Screams” was a hit at the box office for producer Huntington Hartford and United Artists.