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Arthur Lucan's drag character of old Mother Riley, whilst being somewhat of a big hit in England, never really made its mark here in America. Why? Well, for starters, the character of Old Mother Riley, a working class Irish woman who gets into all kinds of comedic situations, doesn't have the universal traits necessary to bring success out of England. There are jokes dealing with class and other very traditional English situations. I heard such awful things about this film in particular, being the last film Lucan did playing Mother Riley, and was honestly a bit pleasantly surprised. Sure this is pretty lowbrow stuff. A man in drag mugging for the camera at every opportunity. A series of comedic situations that were almost all slapstick oriented. One scene where Mother Riley breaks into song for no reason at all. And let's not forget the truly inane plot about confusing the names Riley and packages that were mixed up - with Old Mother Riley getting a robot that should have been sent to Bela Lugosi. But Lucan is talented to a degree and made me laugh a time or two. The film was very watchable. As for Bela Lugosi? He did this film as a means to make money so as to get passage back home for himself and his wife while they were in London after failing at a revival of Dracula on stage. This is probably his last good picture in terms of looking robust and relatively healthy prior to committing himself for drug rehabilitation. He looks good and he looks like he is having a lot of fun. There is one story circulating that Lugosi may not have even known Lucan was in drag at their first meeting - Lucan it seems never went out as himself in public but always as Mother Riley so as to preserve his personal life. At any rate, you might give this film a look while keeping a somewhat open mind. It's not Hamlet. It's not Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, but it does have its moments and it has Bela Lugosi. Lugosi is enough for me.

I couldn't believe it when I heard the above saying from Lucan's lips as he thanked a woman. Though the film hardly operates on the same level as Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein, it passes an hour or two quite amiably. Bela is clearly happy to be back in front of a film camera for the first time in years - even a low budget British one - and he effortlessly conveys his old authority and a sense of fun - he comes across as an enjoyably hammy British version of a Batman TV Series supervillain. Lucan is relatively restrained in this outing compared to past ones. The splendid book VAMPIRE OVER London; BELA LUGOSI IN Britain indicates his personal troubles over his estranged partner Kitty Mcshane, and one can only wonder if this is the reason why. The duo's stage act usually climaxed in plate throwing and this is compensated for by a madcap crockery-crashing slapstick sequence with Bela's henchmen. Dora Bryan is a more than adequate foil for Lucan.

Editing necessary for MY SON THE VAMPIRE means we lose Lucan's one musical number early on in the film. Also, the romance between the kidnapped Loretti and her Naval officer is underplayed to say the least - he keeps getting bonked on the head by various characters. Graham Moffat is also missing from the print. The ending is curious in that we contrast Riley's madcap race to stop the Vampire enduring various crashes and appropriated forms of transport on the way while Von Houson is actually seen gunning down two constables - a bit strong for a juvenile comedy.

The immediate postwar period was a time of apprenticeship for celebrated British comedy stars like the Goons and Tony Hancock who were learning and honing their trade upon being demobbed from the army. By 1951, they were ready to take on the entertainment establishment and sweep aside the old stars like Lucan - in much the same way the Beatles and their ilk were ready in 1963 to change the face of the British music industry. The brief resurgence of popularity Lucan and Mcshane enjoyed prior to this film proved to be a last fling at glory. A whole new wave of innovative British comedy was ready to sweep them aside. Lucan was more truthful than he knew when - at the climax of this film - he sputters "This is the end!" Both Lucan and Lugosi were enjoying a last stab at greatness in an age where they were already anachronisms.

While the Mother Riley series (with star Arthur Lucan in drag as an old woman) was rarely outrageously funny, some films in the series nevertheless do manage to amuse and keep an audience's interest. This is one such film. The best bits here involve Bela Lugosi as a vampire who actually behaves more like a mad scientist and the Robot under his command who chases after poor ole Mrs. Riley. More a spoof on old British Scotland Yard films than anything else really. Not bad of its type.

The "Mother Riley" series was a British made series of low budget comedies starring Arthur Lucan, who played, in drag, a dotty old working class woman. These films often satired British government, and how it handles it's working class. When you watch MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE, much of the gags about Brit leadership will fly past modern day American audiences.

It was the last chance to see the great Bela Lugosi in his full talent, as, of course, a vampire. Later that year, 1952, addiction and poverty sank in deeper, and he would turn to working with a certain Edward Wood.

1951's "My Son the Vampire" was not originally conceived as the latest entry in the Old Mother Riley series dating back to 1937, thus far a total of 14 features held in low esteem by London critics but highly successful in the provinces. Arthur Lucan made a career out of playing the frumpy Irish biddy in full drag, a music hall veteran of more than 50 years who may have inspired the members of Monty Python, his popularity obviously on the decline with just 3 titles in the previous six years. It was the financial plight of the chronically unemployed Bela Lugosi that inspired Renown to try melding his horror persona with the wildly over the top Lucan, whose screen career came to an end with "Mother Riley Meets the Vampire." Ironically, Lugosi's previous film was the hugely popular "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," and though he's not playing Dracula here, his characterization of Professor Von Housen is described by Scotland Yard as 'The Vampire,' taking after a legendary ancestor and boasting of his plans to rule the earth with an army of 50,000 robots under his control. When asked how many have been built, he hilariously stammers into a reply of 'one,' forced into hitchhiking to The Vampire's abode and driving off in the drunken motorist's car (he later reports to the local police station: "it was stolen by some fellow behind the Iron Curtain!"). Toned down considerably for its intended juvenile audience but Von Housen at least is guilty of drinking the blood of missing girls, his giggling assistant Hitchcock (Ian Wilson) taunting Mother Riley as his latest victim: "you're being got ready!" Once Lucan's sole musical number is dispensed with, we are introduced to Lugosi at the 12 minute mark (just under 18 minutes screen time), soundly snoring in his coffin as Hitchcock awakens him and inquires why he wears his evening clothes while he sleeps: "I was buried in them!" What appears to be a slapdash script by Val Valentine is assured a decent pace by director John Gilling, more adept at straight up chills with later efforts like "The Flesh and the Fiends," "The Plague of the Zombies," and "The Reptile." Lucan remained in character both on and off camera, always spot on after so many years honing his craft, but a little of Mother Riley tends to go a long way so Lugosi's welcome presence makes this something less of the disaster that most viewers perceive, coming after the likes of The Ritz Brothers, East Side Kids, Wally Brown and Alan Carney, or Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo. What no one might have guessed was that its American distribution was no sure thing, the new title "Vampire Over London" earning no takers until it was snapped up by producer Jack H. Harris, best known for "The Blob," where his theater marquee specifies 'Bela Lugosi' in a film titled "The Vampire and the Robot." Even this only resulted in spotty playdates, its final 1963 moniker "My Son the Vampire" allowing satirist Allan Sherman a precredits sequence detailing how the picture was based on an upside down book. Unsuccessful on both sides of the Atlantic, and mostly a curiosity that only Lugosi fans will eventually seek out, discovering an actor hardly humbled by his desperate need for financing to return to the US but a confident performer who gets more chuckles than his overbearing costar, for once in on the joke.

Decades before Brendan O'Carroll put on a frock to play an Irish matriarch in the abysmal sitcom Mrs. Brown's Boys, Arthur Lucan donned drag to play Irish washerwoman Old Mother Riley, this being the final outing for his inexplicably popular character (there are seventeen Old Mother Riley films in total!).

This time, Mother Riley comes up against a criminal gang led by blood-drinking scientist Professor Von Housen AKA The Vampire (Bela Lugosi, slumming it so that he can pay for a ticket back to the U. S.), who is planning to take over the world with an army of robots, the first of which has mistakenly been sent to the old woman's grocery store. Much craziness ensues, as The Vampire orders his metal man to abduct Mother Riley, and Von Housen's plucky housemaid Tilly (Dora Bryan) tries to find out what her boss is up to.

The film is a laugh-free disaster of colossal proportions from start to finish, Lucan proving thoroughly irritating throughout, gesticulating wildly and screeching dreadfully unfunny one-liners. He also performs a totally forgettable song and dance number with a little help from Carry On regular Hattie Jacques. Much of the physical comedy is accompanied by embarrassingly bad comical sound effects - a slide whistle gets a lot of use- and several scenes are sped up or reversed for comic effect. It's hard to believe that the film was directed by John Gilling, who would give us the excellent The Flesh & The Fiends and Plague of the Zombies - I guess we all have to start somewhere.

MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE is the last in a long-running series of films (going since the 1930s) featuring Arthur Lucan in the title role of Old Mother Riley, a bad-tempered Irish washerwoman who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. This one's the only one in the series of interest to horror fans, thanks to a starring role for an aged Bela Lugosi, playing a sinister vampire with nefarious plans for England.

Basically, this is MRS BROWN'S BOYS for the mid-20th century audience, and as juvenile and silly as it sounds. Most of the comedy involves groan-worthy slapstick, pitfalls, and dumb dialogue gags. Lucan is certainly an acquired taste, although I suppose he does grow on you a little bit as the film progresses, but it's still a very dated slice of British comedy. In fact the only part I really liked was the chase-based climax, which brings in some humorous Laurel & Hardy style sight gags. The cardboard robot is fun though, and narrowly predates the introduction of Robby the Robot in FORBIDDEN PLANET.

Lugosi is given quite a fair bit of screen time to be menacing and is, well, Lugosi. What's impressive is that he takes this film just as seriously as his Universal classics, and is the best thing in this. However, MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE is also worthy of note thanks to the presence of some familiar British comedy actors, including Hattie Jacques in an unlikely song-and-dance routine. Dora Bryan (CARRY ON SERGEANT) has a minor role and there are cameos for Charles Lloyd Pack, John Le Mesurier, and George Benson, although I was unable to spot the latter two. Future Hammer director John Gilling helmed this one.

Yes this really is something of a clinker. A real poverty row, "quota quickie" that is really only of interest because of the bizarre teaming of British variety veteran Arthur Lucan (Old Mother Riley) and horror movie icon Bela Lugosi. Both are well past their prime and the knowledge that poor old Bela was quite ill at the time makes the whole thing quite a melancholy experience. However that being said there is a kind of earthy British working class exuberance to be found in some of the comedy. Lucan and his veteran writer Valentine,knew his audience and their preoccupations as exemplified in the early scenes in Mother Riley's corner shop. Jokes about post war rationing, living on "tick" (a slang term for credit Mr and Mrs America)etc. would've been fairly well received. (But the actual set for the shop is tawdry and really displays the cheapness of the budget). Still Lugosi does seem to enjoy the Vaudeville banter with Lucan. In Lucan's case this was probably more a matter of sheer professionalism rather than genuine enthusiasm as at the time he was, by all accounts, a deeply unhappy man due to an acrimonious split from his wife and former stage partner Kitty Mc Shane. The U.S. version starts incongruously with a song by Allen Sherman (I'll bet he never even saw the film)and some sketchy cartoon graphics that simply do not fit in with the narrative that follows. It's all a bit of a rag bag of second hand, slightly misunderstood horror movie cliché's (vampires, mad scientists, robots etc.)recycled in a half hearted kind of way but not totally without interest. Although of more interest to ageing Brits, like myself than to anyone else, I suspect. Only buy a copy if it's really cheap. It's a one screening curio. You'd have to be a serious masochist or else have no life to really want to see it more than once.

Dull and Humorless This movie begins with a woman by the name of "Julia Loretti" (Maria Mercedes) being kidnapped by agents working for a man named "Von Housen" (Bela Lugosi) who goes by pseudonym of "the Vampire" and has everyone convinced that he is an actual vampire. As it turns out, however, although he sleeps in a coffin Von Housen is actually an inventor who is working on a plan to build 50,000 robots so that he can take over the world. To that end, he has abducted Julia because she knows where a secret chart is kept which identifies the location of a rich deposit of uranium that he desperately needs. Unfortunately, things don't go as planned as the prototype of the robot is accidentally sent to the wrong address which forces him to seize an old lady by the name of "Mrs. Riley" (Arthur Lucan) before she has a chance to alert the authorities. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that prior to watching this movie I had no idea that it was one of a series of films focused exclusively on the character of Mrs. Riley. Be that as it may, I honestly didn't care too much for this particular film due in large part because the slapstick humor was so incredibly dull and ineffective. It just wasn't a good movie. That being said, I have rated it accordingly. Below average.

I've never heard of or seen a "Mother Riley Adventure" and didn't realize it was a whole series of films, but I had Turner Classic Movies on and saw that Bela Lugosi was in this one so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did, as this is one of the wackier movies I've seen in a long time. It's a slapstick horror featuring an old lady who gets abducted by a robot (?) sent to her by a vampire (played by Bela, of course, who endearingly and comfortably hams it up in his few scenes.) Oh yeah, did I mention old Mother Riley is played by an old man? What a strange vehicle this is, but I found it impossible to dislike. There's even a completely random goofy song and dance sequence. The slapstick goes over-the-top in some scenes (notably the ones that are sped up), but it's all in good fun. The best thing the movie has going for it is its distinctly British humor. I loved Dora Byran as Tilly the chambermaid, especially when she starts cavorting with Mother Riley. The woman has such fantastic comedic timing! Overall, its an amusing and quick movie. If you catch it on TV give it a go. I don't think it's as rotten as its reputation.

I've just watched this movie, and even as I try to recall enough of it to explain it to you, my brain recoils in horror. It involves Arthur Lucan in drag (he sings a song, during which the sound track changes, letting the audience know it is pre-recorded) and Bela Lugosi acting perfectly seriously as someone who believes he is a vampire. Lugosi has just built a prototype robot to conquer the world -- there's uranium involved too -- but the prototype is shipped to Riley's store and he must get it back.

Lugosi starred in a lot of horror movies after he did Dracula, but this is the most horrific of all. It's a musical-comedy vampire movie directed by John Gilling. We all know there are some things man was not meant to know, and songs man was not meant to sing. There are, apparently, some movies man was not meant to see, and this is one of them. As my brain concusses, trying to get away from my eyes, I will call a temporary halt to my survey of British Quota Quickies. I trust you will understand.

This obscure British B-pic has to be seen to be believed. Ageing music hall entertainer Arthur Lucan ("Mother Riley") confronts a raddled and ill-looking Bela Lugosi, playing a master criminal who sleeps in his coffin and thinks he's a vampire. Lugosi, spoofing his own horror persona, is assisted by a sinister henchman called Hitchcock (!) and a silly-looking robot.

The film isn't particularly good but you keep on watching out of sheer bemusement, wondering what will crop up next. There's a song-and-dance routine in Old Mother Riley's shop, speeded-up chase sequences, a brief appearance from ex Will Hay "fat boy" Graham Moffat and, showing how social attitudes have changed, a running joke involving a drunk driver!

I recently viewed the UK film 🇬🇧 Vampire Over London (1952) on Tubi. The plot revolves around a vampire who orders a robot to aid in world domination, but a delivery mix-up sends it to the wrong address. The vampire persuades the robot to come to his lair, but the original recipient, an elderly lady, becomes determined to unravel the peculiar situation.

Directed by John Gilling (The Gamma People), the film stars Bela Lugosi (Dracula), Dora Bryan (A Taste of Honey), Philip Leaver (The Lady Vanishes), and Richard Wattis (The Man Who Knew Too Much).

This movie is a delightful and quirky experience. Bela Lugosi embodies an entertaining vampire with his distinctive attire, mannerisms, and dialogue. The killer robot adds humor with its hilarious antics and quirky design, while the unpredictable and awkward old lady character adds an extra layer of randomness. Even the opening animations and soundtrack contribute to the film's enjoyment.

In conclusion, Vampire Over London may not be groundbreaking, but it's a better horror comedy than it's given credit for. I would rate it a 5-5.5/10 and recommend watching it once.

How sad that Bela had to end up in rubbish like this. Not much to describe. Simply one of the worst things I have ever seen. Nothing is worse than bad camp and this is beyond bad camp.

This slightly infamous nonsense was one of Bela Lugosi's latter films. Its pure hokum in case you were wondering, with a plot where a robot belonging to Lugosi's mad scientist is mistakenly delivered to cranky shop owner Old Mother Riley; this brings them together for much hilarity. This actually felt like a precursor to Mrs Brown's Boys, with Arthur Lucan broadly playing Old Mother Riley (there was a series of these films seemingly). As you can probably guess, the humour is basic and crowd pleasing (so long as the crowd is relatively simple-minded). Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad.

Much like the decline of Lon Chaney, Jr., Bela Lugosi's decline is highly visible in the chain of movies made after circa 1940. The great Karloff said he would take roles as he was an actor, and some were really good. Lugosi by this time was doing it simply for the money. This movie is absolutely horrible, and I'm a Lugosi fan. The fact the " Heroine " is a guy in drag does nothing for the comic value, nor does the cheesy, and I mean REALLY CHEESY, plot. Horror? No. Comedy? No. Don't waste your time.

Arthur Lucan plays the female lead, "Mother Riley", and Lucan's schtick involved playing an old hag in both a series of films as well as on stage. Unfortunately, Lucan looked and sounded nothing like an old woman and instead seemed to be one of the least talented "actors" ever to grace the silver screen. What made it worse was the way that the film's director and producer added "funny" sound effects and optical effects in order to supposedly heighten the humor. All this really did was loudly and very unconvincingly announce "this is really funny--look everyone--isn't this hilarious?!". The film had all the subtlety and charm of an obnoxious four year-old who thinks everyone wants to watch him recite and tell jokes.

Also included for "laughs" are a giant stupid robot (a sure sign the movie is in trouble), a "hilarious" song by that accursed Mother Riley and opening credits that feature a song that might encourage suicide. If Anmesty International got wind of all this, they might try to condemn the movie as a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

Unfortunately, as a result of all this badness, Bela Lugosi is 100% wasted in the film and generally looks rather lost. He could have been funny or scary (like he was in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN), but the Mother Riley character was so pushy, detestable and awful that Lugosi's performance (as well as a plot) are completely overwhelmed by the eminently hate-able Lucan. You just wanted it all to end!

After seeing this film, I wonder why Bela Lugosi's last film (PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE) is so famous for being the worst movie ever made. Sure, it's very incompetently made and inept in every way--but at least it's fun to watch. On the other hand, MOTHER RILEY MEETS THE VAMPIRE might be one of the most annoying and pathetically unfunny films ever made and watching it will likely induce a humongous migraine!! Painfully bad and awful in every possible way!! I hated this movie and hate everyone who made it. I really wish I could give it a score lower than 1!!! Curse all of you responsible for this bilge.

Did I mention that I didn't like it?!

Being a real Bela Lugosi fanatic, I just 'stumbled' into this movie by pure coincidence - I didn't even know that it was one of Arthur Lucan's 'Old Mother Riley' vehicles, of which I'd only heard so far, nor that it was the last one of this long-running (and I'm sure, tremendously funny) film series; so, simply following the label 'starring Bela Lugosi', I got mixed up, just like 'Old Mother Riley' did in this adventure, in one of the most HILARIOUS British comedies I've ever seen, with the humor certainly at its MOST British - in the most positive sense!

An absolutely outrageous story about a mad scientist who believes he is a vampire and wants to rule the world with an army of robots, and the permanently broke old shop owner 'Mrs. Riley', whom some crazy twists of fate bring together - from here on, you can just STOP thinking, and start enjoying the slapstick-like chase scenes, the wonderful displays of Arthur Lucan's GREAT comical talent - and a really TOTALLY 'unknown' Bela Lugosi, who seems to feel ABSOLUTELY at ease with all that nonsense, and obviously has got a great lot of fun with deliberately overplaying his well-known 'mad scientist' image! (NO comparison at all with the entirely unfunny Hollywood 'comedy' he did - or maybe HAD to do, for financial reasons - the same year called "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla"...)

Of course, this movie DOES require a good sense of (British) humor; but I'm sure that EVERY fan of horror classics, and especially of Bela Lugosi, who is equipped with a little bit of said sense of humor will LOVE this crazy spoof - and will be wanting to see more of those hilarious 'Old Mother Riley' films!