Abbott & Costello's ''Africa Screams '' (1949)

Africa Screams is a 1949 American adventure comedy film directed by Charles Barton and starring Abbott and Costello. It parodies the safari genre. The title is a play on the title of the 1930 documentary Africa Speaks! The supporting cast features Clyde Beatty, Frank Buck, Hillary Brooke, Max Baer, Buddy Baer, Shemp Howard, and Joe Besser. The film entered the public domain in 1977. Diana Emerson (Hillary Brooke) visits the book section of Klopper's Department store looking for a copy of Dark Safari by the famed explorer Cuddleford. She tells the clerk, Buzz Johnson (Bud Abbott), that she will pay $2,500 for a map that is inside the book. Buzz's friend and co-worker, Stanley Livington (Lou Costello), an armchair explorer, has read the book and says he is familiar with a map in it. Buzz brings Stanley to Diana's home to draw the map, but when he overhears Diana offer Clyde Beatty $20,000 to lead an expedition to capture a legendary giant ape, Buzz realizes that the map is worth considerably more than $2,500. Buzz asks for more money and for he and Stanley to join the safari. They travel to the Congo with Diana's team of explorers, including Harry (Joe Besser), 'Boots' Wilson (Buddy Baer), 'Grappler' McCoy (Max Baer) and Gunner (Shemp Howard), a nearsighted professional hunter. When he learns that the expedition's true goal is not the giant ape but a fortune in diamonds, Buzz renegotiates their deal again. However, it turns out that the map in the book that Stanley is familiar with is a map he drew himself of the route to his job at Klopper's. However, Stanley's memory of details in the book bring the party to the region Diana is interested in. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_Screams

LicensePublic Domain