Super Mates 98: House of Franklin-Stein Part 2

Abbott & Costello are having The Time of Their Lives, and so are Chris & Cindy at the House of Franklin-Stein! The Super Mates discuss the comedy duo’s 1946 film, where Costello plays a patriotic ghost, out to prove he’s no dirty traitor, while pranking the unwitting Abbott!

Then it’s back to the Comic Crypt for a ghostly encounter in Tales of the Teen Titans #71, Nov. 1986 (or New Teen Titans, Vol. 2 #12, Sept. 1985 if you prefer). The Titans encounter a mysterious little girl who seems to know everything about them. And she seems to be pointing them to a 50 year-old mystery that begs to be solved, and laid to rest.

Subscribe via iTunes. Or Spotify

This podcast is a proud member of the FIRE AND WATER PODCAST NETWORK 

26 responses to “Super Mates 98: House of Franklin-Stein Part 2

  1. Yay, more Abbott & Costello! I’m glad Cindy pushed for this, it’s a really fun movie. The seance sequence is genuinely spooky, it’s a shame that Universal never gave Charles Barton a chance to do one of their *actual* monster movies, between this and A&CMF he clearly had the right touch for horror.

    Chris, HOLD THAT GHOST is one of my favorite A&C movies. It’s something like 80 minutes long and goes down easy. Check it out!

    Cindy’s “this is a subplot no one cares about” floored me. I didn’t know we could do that on a podcast when recapping a comic. Mind. Blown.

    You mentioned Nightwing’s butt on the same episode you ran Stella’s promo. Coincidence?

    1. That’s a good point about Barton. I understand A&C really liked working with him, so maybe they kept him too busy to try his hand at a true monster movie?

      We got A&C Volume 1 in just a few days ago, so I’m going to watch Hold That Ghost! Yay!

      The subplots were conveniently on one page a piece, so easy to skip. Thanks Marv!

      I’m not sure Stella would approve this comic, since it ships Dick and Kory, not Dick and Barbara.

      Chris

  2. O.k., first off, before I forget, I have to say: nice wink to the current Stargirl series in your intro…
    Otherwise, I have to say that I’m really not at all well-versed in all of these Abbot & Costello movies, I’ve only seen a few, and that was a long time ago so when I was a kid so I can’t really even recall which ones. Your recap of Time of Their Lives has me interested, though.
    And the Teen Titans story was a pretty good one. Nothing special, but a good little ghost story and a nice change of pace – as you noted – from the big epic battles with demons, Greek gods, and whatnot that preceded it. And yes, one of the last pleasant stories before the series would pretty much jump the shark in my opinion…

    Anyway, looking forward to the big episode 100 party, even if there won’t be any coverage of a certain Davis/Farmer Elseworlds story… 😛

    1. I don’t know how many folks got the Stargirl gag, but I couldn’t help myself.

      I hate put Another Nail in that coffin, but alas, no Davis/Farmer Elseworlds story in episode 100. What a Nightmare!

      Chris

  3. I remember Rob Kelly mentioning this movie back when Chris and he did their Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein commentary. Well, I no longer have any excuse! Time for me to see it. Especially since the 8 movie Volume 3 DVD set is und $15 on Amazon right now!

    1. Just a heads up Matt. The Time of Their Lives is actually on the 2nd Abbott & Costello 8-movie collection set. Of course if you get three, you get A&C Meet Frankenstein, so you can’t go wrong with either!

      Chris

      1. Thanks Chris, I did indeed mean Vol 2, but my chubby sausage fingers must have hit 3 by mistake. Fortunately I also have A&C meet F on my Universal Frankenstein Legacy collection

  4. Come for the kookiness of Abbott and Costello, stay for the indentured servitude lesson! This was tons of fun, you two. I’m on board for anything that shows in the House of F!

    This sounds like a fun movie that I will have to check out. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never seen ANY A&C movies (though not for lack of wanting to), but I do want to put this one on the shame list of movies to watch. In fact, I recently purchased the Universal Classic Monsters: The Complete 30-Film Collection DVD set to replace all my VHS monster movies which are just collecting dust. The set has A&C Meet Frankenstein, A&C Meet the Invisible Man, and A&C Meet the Mummy so I’m looking forward to finally watching some A&C movies!

    Between the “boobs and butt for days” and Nightwing coming out of the shower, this show had something for everyone! Keep up the great work!

    1. Thanks Mike! I don’t think you’ll be disappointed by those A&C Meet Monsters movies. Definitely start with “Meet Frankenstein”. It’s the best of the lot for sure (and some would argue the duo’s best movie), but it’s a great bridge from the classic films to the A&C comedies, because it works perfectly as both. It’s not doubt the best of the Monter Rally films as well!

      Chris

      1
  5. I wonder what rank you had to hold in the Continental Army to have the authority to curse people like that? I assume you had to be a commissioned officer at the very least. Also, if a major could condemn a person to existence as a ghost, I wonder what a curse delivered by General Washington could do? This is the kind of cool stuff that they never teach you in history class.

    Thanks for another incredible episode.

    1. Maybe a Major or above cursed the Hessian who became the Headless Horeseman, and that’s why he rose as a ghost? Not a great plan there!

      We know that one of history’s Commanders-in-Chief was a skilled vampire hunter…so maybe Washington had some supernatural game too?

      Chris

    2. Just my two cents, but I don’t think anyone can curse as well as an NCO (non-commissioned officer), in any sense of the word.

      1. If that’s the case, then perhaps the soldiers went easy on the two “traitors” by allowing the major to curse them.

        1. Brian, I know we’re just kidding around, but it actually works that way for courts martial. An enlisted man has the right to have senior NCOs on his court martial board (I.e., jury), but no JAG defense attorney ever recommends it. As a group, NCOs are much more strict than commissioned officers when it comes to holding troops to the standard.

          1. Yes, Captain, I was just joking, but it is interesting to learn how this can play out in the setting of a military court martial.

            1
  6. Impressive podcast most impressive. Using the Dragon type and talk software again this time. My keyboard is still on the fritz. Marjorie Reynolds was a dancer before becoming an actress. So it’s probly balance. I’ve seen some famous dancer do some things that I thought were near impossible. But, they did it with ease. Maybe at a distance they could tell she was female. Who knows? From what I heard it was Abbot that was of the two. And Lou could be well a bit of pain. But, that’s hearsay so I couldn’t tell for sure. Sounds like a fun enough movie. And a decent enough Halloween type movie. Oddly enough I bought this comic off the stands. I definitely remember the quote unquote hardcover, have never seen the one with Nightwing on the tombstone. I’m slightly glad of that. I probably got it at a 7-Eleven or something. Since I didn’t know what a comic book store was still I was 12 years old. Let’s see the old lady dancing. Well she was an athlete. For all we know it was Jericho who got tired. After all at age 74 Schwarzenegger still does a 45 minute run on the machine as part of his work out at the gym.

    And could probably out bench press most bodybuilders of today. His few years in office probably put them back a little bit. But, still he is still going strong. Some athletes can just keep going. Rick flair would probably still get in the ring if they would let him. It is weird he never worked in the comics. Since in the deathstroke cartoon movie he worked very well. Moving right along. If his ex-wife had enough power to push him in position to run for office. I’m pretty sure she had enough power that any testimony without well proof. Would’ve done nothing she did dance through that like she was walking through the raindrops. And all he would’ve done was destroyed his own career. And probably given her reason to have her men kill him. In some “tragic car accident”. Or something like that. The other wall could’ve been built up around them easy enough. There is kind of cool that contains with the help of the ghosts are able to stop this crime lord.

    I hadn’t really thought about this story in years. Still it’s pretty good and the artwork holds up. Can’t wait till the next podcast.

  7. Thanks for another wonderful show, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this terribly titled music when I was a kid. I loved Abbot & Costello, I was sad to hear that they were always feuding. Surely someone has made a film of their life in the style of Feud: Bette & Joan?

    The extra information was excellent, especially Cindy’s explanation of what indentured servitude meant, that was all new to me. What is a rotten system, it’s deserves a Bride of Frankenstein sneer.

    Gale Sondergaard’s two films with her as a Spider Woman aren’t related, she’s a different villain… The Spider Women are different characters, heck, The Spider Woman Strikes Back sounds a bit like Little shop of Horrors. I call foul!

    I get Binnie Barnes mixed up with Billie Burke. Do others not?

    Next time you need to do a comic about a little girl ghost, do the early Seventies Adventure Comics #408, it’s a winner. I don’t see the little girl on the cover of Teen Titans as posing sexually, surely she just has her arm stretched out in traditional ghost pose.

    1. I don’t think Abbott and Costello were ALWAYS feuding. I think, like any working act, they had their ups and downs. This movie apparently was made during one of the worst downs. I have since learned one of their feuds was over Abbott hiring a maid Costello had recently fired. Apparently Lou was incensed that Bud would do that.

      I can see mixing up Binnie Barnes and Billie Burke. In addition to the alliteration, there’s some resemblance there. I only really know Burke as Glenda in The Wizard of Oz.

      I just dont’ get why the litter girl is teasing her hair like that. Seems like a standard “sexy model” pose of the time. Maybe it’s just me.

      Chris

  8. I’m taking this opportunity just to talk about a TV show. The “rules” about the ghosts in “Time Of Their Lives” reminded me of the show “Ghosts.” It is a British show, although an American version is debuting this week. U.S. residents, if you have HBO Plus, and many of you are DC fans so you probably do, it can be found there. My family and I love it! I genuinely laugh out loud and many things. The “ghost rules” that echo the movie are things like; cannot leave the property on which they died. The premise in “Ghosts” is that many people who have died on the site of a country manor house are still there as ghosts. Even those who died before the house was built. Cindy, if you’re interest in history extends across the ocean, the creators and performers of the show are many of the same folks who made “Horrible Histories” videos. Funny and accurate! Chris, the woman who plays Allison looks a lot like Margot Kidder. What more do you need?
    Martin, in the late 1970s, American TV aired a made-for-TV movie about Abbott and Costello, starring Harvey Korman and Buddy Hackett. Scenes from it are lodged in my memory against my will!
    And now back to the comments!

Leave a Reply to Ward Hill Terry Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *