No one gets anywhere without hard work. Even a silly and absurd film like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein had quite a serious production process. Of course, with so many monsters on set, it's almost as though director Charles Barton was inviting misfortune.

The low point during the shooting process was recounted in It's Alive! The Classic Cinema Saga of Frankenstein, written by Gregory William Mank. Mank explained that one stunt scene seriously hurt actor Glenn Strange, who was playing the Monster.

"One of the serious accidents that plagued the Frankenstein series arose, almost causing a potential temporary production shutdown," wrote Mank. "For the scene where the Monster hurls Dr. Mornay to her deserved end through a window, the crew attached an invisible wire to the rather ample Miss Aubert to help Strange lift her and to help ease her fall onto the cushion-covered platform out of camera range. There was a foul-up with the wire. When Strange tossed the actress through the window, she suddenly swung back into camera range, kicking and screaming like a spastic Peter Pan. Strange gallantly lunged to catch her, fell, and broke his foot."

With their monster injured, it seemed as though the shooting schedule would have to be put on hold until Strange regained his strength. But when co-star Lon Chaney Jr., who originally played The Wolf Man, learned of Strange's injury, the actor selflessly offered to stand in Strange's place.

"Lon said, 'I'll put the makeup on. I'll do it," said director Charles Barton. "He had done it before, and that was a hell of a job to put the makeup on and everything. No quarrels...just as happy as he could be to do it."

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Chaney had saved the day! More importantly, the incident became a little-known piece of film trivia. For a brief moment in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, it's actually Chaney under all that makeup, playing the role of the Monster to help his friend.