Abbott And Costello: Universal Pictures CollectionAbbott And Costello: Universal Pictures Collection

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MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

    Now, for the first time ever, all 28 films produced during the height of their popularity at Universal Pictures are finally available in one prestigious collection! This DVD collection is filled with some of the most hilarious routines of all time, including "Who's on First?", Two Tens for a Five" and "Mustard." Featuring their most popular movies, such as Buck Privates, Who Done It? and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Loaded with hours of bonus features and an exclusive collectible book! The ultimate tribute to two of the funniest and most enduring comedians of all time!

DVD FEATURES:
  • Region: 1
  • Number of Discs: 15
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
  • Screen: Black and White
  • Audio: DDM2.0
  • Features:
    • The World of Abbott and Costello
    • Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
    • Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters
    • 6 feature commentaries by noted film historians
    • Abbott and Costello: The Universal Story 44-page book
AWARDS
  • Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
  •     Nominated Best Score - 1941 (Charles Previn)
  •     Nominated Best Song - 1941 (Hughie Prince, Don Raye)
  • Library of Congress
  •     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 2001
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
REVIEWS:
  • Fans of Abbott and Costello will have a field day with Hold That Ghost; those not so in tune with the boys will be less enthralled, but even they may find themselves chuckling several times throughout Ghost. Coming quite early in the duo's film career, Ghost finds the boys still in fresh form -- and their timing has rarely been better. Timing, of course, is ultimately what Abbott and Costello are about. The personalities that they created and the gags that they performed are important, but it's the timing that makes their routines rise or fall. Ghost features several set pieces that are guaranteed to get a laugh (the moving candles, the dance with Joan Davis, etc.) The screenplay is not much, little more than a hook to hang gags on, the "bookended" musical numbers are an unnecessary drag, and the film does sag toward the end. But Costello is a natural for "scare" reactions, Joan Davis is a great match for his character and when it's "on," Ghost provides plenty of laughs. Throw in a cameo by Shemp Howard, and Ghost is good fun. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • If it weren't for the fact that it introduced Bud Abbott and Lou Costello to the screen, One Night in the Tropics would be forgotten today. Not that it doesn't have some assets aside from the soon-to-be-famous comic duo. For one thing, it boasts a score by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, and if the music is not Kern at his best, it's still Kern -- and that counts for a lot. Allan Jones is also on hand to lend his sterling voice to a couple of the stronger numbers, and Robert Cummings is on hand to add his comic charm to the proceedings. Nancy Kelly and Peggy Moran contribute some femme flavor, and Mary Boland and William Frawley are, as always, fun to be around. But the script is a mess from top to bottom. Structurally, it's not helped by the interpolation of some Abbott and Costello routines that have little if anything to do with the plot. But those interpolations are what make One Night in the Tropics memorable. The duo come across as fresh and energizing. Those who don't care for their style of comedy will find nothing here to change their opinion, but those who love them will enjoy seeing them in this nascent form. Several classic routines -- including the "mustard" and "Jonah" are here, as is a much shortened "Who's on First?" They stop the plot cold -- but they provide a great deal of fun. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • One of the best Bud Abbott and Lou Costello films, Buck Privates not only marks the film that put them on the map of stardom but also contains, as do many of their films, some of their classic vaudeville material. While these routines are hilariously funny, they work better mostly because of the situations the boys find themselves in. Bud and Lou enlist in the army to avoid being sent to jail and soon are in boot camp under the command of the police officer who was set to arrest them. While the rigors of military discipline naturally provide all sorts of opportunities for hijinks and pratfalls, the film holds up because it doesn't overdo them and actually has an interesting secondary plot involving a well-heeled dandy trying to use his family's influence to get out of service and his former valet, now also vying for the attention of the same woman. This may seem to be a diversion but it allows for a breather between the madcap routines that take over the film and provide the belly laughs. Veteran comic actor Nat Pendleton gives Abbott and Costello a run for their money as their drill sergeant, and the Andrews Sisters have a prominent role as themselves, appearing in many of the musical numbers that crop up throughout. Although the combination of all of these bits has a cumulative effect to make the film feel a little over-stuffed, by limiting the appearances of Bud and Lou on-screen it makes their performances that much more effective and avoids the fate some of their later films suffer in which they wear out the welcome of their good-natured characters. Stooge Shemp Howard has a small role as a cook. ~ Dan Friedman, Rovi
  • Sure, the plot of In the Navy isn't worth very much, but since when does plot have anything to do with whether an Abbott and Costello picture is any good. Truth to tell, making art was never high on the duo's list (nor on the list of any filmmaker who engaged them for a project); making fun was, and there's plenty of fun in Navy. It's silly fun, to be sure, but fun nevertheless. Naturally, anyone who tires quickly of the pair's personalities and typical high-jinks will soon lose interest in Navy, and it's for these viewers that the lack of a decent plot becomes a liability to Navy. The one that has been slung together, involving Dick Powell avoiding his fans by enlisting and Costello pretending to be an admiral, is a lot of hooey. When not letting Powell sing, that stretch of the film gets awfully boring awfully quickly. And it also must be admitted that the tunes concocted for Powell and for the terrific Andrews Sisters are not really top drawer; the performers do very well by them, but in lesser hands they would produce yawns. Fortunately, director Arthur Lubin keeps that focus on the performers, on the vocalists during the numbers and on the star comics at every other possible opportunity, and that's all to the good of the film. There are some classic bits here, including the multiplication sketch; the last named should amuse even those who don't ordinarily count themselves among Abbott and Costello's fans. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • The better part of a decade before Guys And Dolls went on the boards, Universal decided to musicalize Damon Runyon's work with It Ain't Hay, based on the author's story Princess O'Hara. Composer Harry Revel and lyricist Paul Francis Webster might not have been any real competition for Frank Loesser, but they did a pretty good job for a B-musical from what was almost a B-studio at the time -- Revel's melody for "Sunbeam Serenade" (used over footage of what looks like the real Central Park) is woven throughout the score, and "Glory Be" provides the basis for a nicely exuberant production number. And the final production number, built on "Hang Your Troubles On A Rainbow" -- and highlighted by the work of the Step Brothers (with Lou Costello) -- is a delightful patriotic piece with great comedic grace notes. And that brings us to the real reason that anyone watches a movie like this, for the comedy of Abbott & Costello. The duo's timing is so good throughout this picture that it's still fun to see across 50 years, even if it isn't the best script they ever had to work with -- it might be the best story, at least until Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. And as an added bonus, the Damon Runyon ambience, for an earthy, lusty New York that still existed in 1942 (and lasted for another four decades, in ever-receding corners), still comes through in the early scenes. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
  • The Cole Porter musical upon which Mexican Hayride is based was no great shakes, but it did have the benefit of Porter's witty lyrics and his sparkling music. As was so often the case with Hollywood in the 1940s, the film jettisoned the entire score -- leaving an absolutely nothing script upon which to build a picture. The result is a pretty mediocre affair, and a surprisingly dull one given the involvement of stars Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Perhaps because the plot the writers inherited was so weak, they overcompensated by overfilling Hayride with pointless complications and detours -- none of them imaginatively conceived or capable of adding much to the proceedings. The stars do get a few chances to shine, such as in the "gold ore" sequence which plays up their verbal misunderstanding-based humor, and Costello's climactic bull fight sequence does deliver a lot of laughs, But there are also long stretches where the jokes fall flat on a consistent basis. Abbott and Costello get some comic assist from Fritz Feld and Sid Fields, but they're work is strictly supporting and can't add enough "oomph" to things. Charles Barton's direction is workmanlike, but much more is needed to make Hayride the riot it wants to be. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
  • The Time of Their Lives is the perfect Abbott & Costello film for people who don't like Abbott & Costello. Indeed, rabid fans of the comic duo may actually like Time much less than those who usually find the pair's shenanigans hard going. This is largely because Bud and Lou have very little screen time together and are in no way a "partnership" herein, so those looking for their usual horseplay and verbal games will be disappointed. But being separated has a distinct advantage, seeming to enable both of these talented gents to rein in some of their excesses. It also helps that Time has a storyline that's of much greater interest, and while it still allows opportunity for little meaningless side trips or for plot points that don't make much sense, for the most part Time's screenplay is more cohesive than many others written for the duo -- and also has more heart. Time gives Costello more opportunities to strut his stuff than it does Abbott, but the latter does well when given a chance. Marjorie Reynolds does well as the female part of the ghostly team, Binnie Barnes is appropriately caustic, and Gale Sondergaard is a bit of a hoot in her "Mrs. Danvers" send-up. Although atypical for Abbott & Costello, Time is a treat nonetheless. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

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