LeonLouisRicci Of Interest only to Die-Hard A & C Fans, this is a Bawdy, Bad Rendering of the Duos Comedic Talents with Lame Slapstick and Their Worst Verbal Puns. Charles Laughton and Hillary Brooke Add a bit of Interest but the Movie just Seems like Old Recycled Stuff and the Result is a Good Try but Ultimately Unfunny and Repetitive.Managing to String a Bunch of Forgettable Songs with a Slew of Forgettable Comedy Skits, the Film is most of the time Borderline Awful and Embarrassing. Far from Their Prime and holding on for Dear Life (they shortly went to a TV Series), Abbott and Costello are still Remembered Fondly, but Certainly Not for this Abysmal Adventure.Worth a Watch for A & C Completest Only.

MartinHafer Egad, this is an awful and dull film. Considering that Abbott and Costello had a whole lot of films behind them and some clout, I always have wondered why they agreed to do some seriously bad films--particularly in the latter part of their careers. Were they THAT in need of money or narcissistic that they'd agree to be in films even if they are just plain awful? I know that after WWII, Bud and Lou had some serious tax problems and lost their fortunes, but I would have assumed by 1952 and with a lot of films behind them they still didn't need money THIS badly! What's so bad about this film? Well, the first and most obvious are the wretched songs. Not only are they totally inappropriate for a pirate film, they are even more distracting than the songs in their other movies. The other obvious problem was Charles Laughton. While an exceptional actor, he had a reputation for over-acting if the director didn't keep a firm hand. In this film, you'd assume there is no director at all, as any sane director would have told Laughton to shut up...or at least stop screaming!! It seems that Laughton's interpretation of Captain Kidd is a man who talks at the top of his voice all the time! It's actually amazing to think that Laughton was NOT in his first film but an accomplished actor--his acting was THAT bad.Speaking of the real Kidd, almost nothing about this film is like real pirates or the real Kidd. It's like one cliché after another. Pirates (with the exception of Blackbeard) were not bully-boys, as their crew would have killed them and the real life Kidd was completely dominated by his crew. Heck, he apparently only turned to piracy because his crew gave him the choice of this or death! There are also only two cases of female pirates (a common Hollywood cliché) and neither were captains--just crew members on the same small and insignificant ship. Also, if real pirates had met these jolly singing idiot pirates, they probably would have killed them--as well as marveled at how clean and well-dressed the all were! Why, oh why couldn't they just shut up and quit with the singing?! As for Bud and Lou, they seemed to have less screen time than usual in this film. They are like bystanders throughout much of the film. When they are involved, it usually consists of scenes where Laughton screams at Lou. Wow, that's funny...not! Among the team's least funny and enjoyable films. The only one that might be as bad or worse is JACK AND THE BEANSTALK--even IT AIN'T HAY, LOST IN ALASKA and Africa SCREAMS are much better than this film.You know, I had considered doing this review like Laughton emoted in the film, but I don't think IMDb allow reviews that are in all capital letters!! For information on the real Kidd, try www.thepiratesrealm.com/Captain%20Kidd.html .

Venturedp I'm a huge fan of A&C and realized that the Captain Kidd story was not part of my collection. I have noticed from other comments that the viewing copies of both Jack and The Beanstalk and A&C Meet Captain Kidd are horrendous...I did get to see the Jack and the Beanstalk..and was appalled at the transfer. My being a cinematographer here in Hollywood I know that if these films were brought to a decent telecine house that amazing improvements can be made to the original color. It's a matter of getting the original negative from the print to start with then having a good colorist to work on it! So that being said...if anyone knows if and when the A&C Meet Captain Kidd will be on DVD...or if it has already been out there. I would love to see it. Noticed that Rio Rita is not available on DVD either. Also is A&C Meet Captain Kidd public domain?

NativeTexan Abbot and Costello, Without question the greatest comedy team ever, take no prisoners in this mix of Treasure Island, Captain Kidd, Mutiny on the Bounty, Kidnapped! and a few other maritime classics. Oscar-winner Charles Laughton, most of whose roles were comedic in the well-bred English way (not the music hall way!) had no qualms about working with the great Abbot and Costello in this hilarious homage to all those pictures about sailing on the high seas.