The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 1 (Buck Privates / Hold That Ghost / In the Navy / Keep 'Em Flying / One Night in the Tropics / Pardon My Sarong / Ride 'Em Cowboy / Who Done It?)
by A. Edward Sutherland, Arthur Lubin, Charles Barton, Edward Bernds, Erle C. Kenton
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bud Abbott, Larry Fine, Lee Bowman, Lou Costello, Moe HowardDirector: A. Edward Sutherland, Arthur Lubin, Charles Barton, Edward Bernds, Erle C. Kenton
Brand: MCA
Writer: Arthur T. Horman
Writer: Bradford Ropes
Writer: Charles Grayson
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 661 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-02-10
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 1 (Buck Privates / Hold That Ghost / In the Navy / Keep 'Em Flying / One Night in the Tropics / Pardon My Sarong / Ride 'Em Cowboy / Who Done It?)
Movie Review: Everything is Right
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't be fooled by critics; Abbott and Costello were GREAT comics. These are eight fabulously funny movies. They are offered in sequence of original release, and this way you can understand some of their self-referencing as running jokes from film to film.
No, the characters were not as lovingly cultivated as Laurel and Hardy, but they were brilliant, and every film has something that made me laugh out loud, even watching alone. If these were the only movies they ever made, they would still have left an impressive oeuvre of some of the funniest films I've ever seen.
You can read more about the individual films from the other reviewers. I'll just make a few very personal observations.
The first movie, "One Night...", might require some fast-forwarding; however, A&C have major roles, and every appearance is very funny, and some really good prat falls.
"Buck Privates" seems to me an almost perfect comedy-music film: great swing music (and fine dancing by Dean Collins), several great A&C routines, and even a spoken-song by Costello. Too bad the writers didn't think to make Costello the accidental hero of the war games sequence.
In "Hold that Ghost", Costello does a dance--with JOAN DAVIS, and that's a sight to behold. He also gets a chance to do clever things, which kept me from losing sympathy towards him (after a while pure incompetence can grate on you). Oddly, Davis does not figure into the final scene at all and A&C have to refer to her in a corny verbal joke. Anyone know what happened?
The romantic leads and their boring songs are a problem in some of these movies, and the romantic resolution at the end of "In The Navy" actually made me cringe, it is so incredibly stupid. But the last shot is with Costello, so the film has a funny ending.
"Keep 'Em Flying" may seem less funny that the first two service-films, but I thought it had better continuity, more heart and patriotism, and a pretty good dramatic ending scene with a nice silly coda. Also, both A&C get to have girlfriends--in fact the same girl (kind of). They also do a Laurel & Hardy routine, lacking the motivation of the original but incredibly funny in their own machine-gun way of delivery. The director missed some comic opportunities, and he could have improved Martha Raye's choreography, but overall it's a smooth film and pretty satisfying.
"Sarong" starts off a little ragged, but then up pops the 3 Magicians scene; "Go Ahead, Back Up"; and Costello driving a bus to the bottom of the bay (and turning on the windshield wipers). Good imagery.
Their usual method with physical comedy is to do a number of variations and then when they think the audience is getting tired, fade out. But after the bus floats down to the sea floor, A&C are brought up into a boat, and thereby into the next part of the story, by being hoisted up on an anchor. Good segue!
"Ride 'Em Cowboys" has the first of the wild chase endings, but the finale of "Sarong" is better: the way they use props from their environment seems funnier, and the jokes are more based on A&C's characters.
"Who Done It" is my favorite of the bunch. No musical numbers, no particular time wasted on a love interest, very fast pace from beginning to end. Costello does many clever things, and his ability to fall down and run into walls without knocking his brains out is really amazing. The writers leave the ironic futility with Laurel & Hardy, and in this film the characters always prevail against the odds, which is fine with me. Curiously, after the "finale", a character asks Costello why he didn't just get killed--although she wasn't even in sight when the incident happened. But this leads to a funny ending.
A thought about the specialty of Clowns: Hal Roach said that Harold Lloyd was not funny; he was just a great actor who could play a comedian. I don't know what this means, but there certainly is such a thing as a "Clown" who is just funny, versus the rest of us. Costello was a great clown. Could anyone then or now go so over-the-top as Costello does in the "Your Time Has Come" sequence, and make you laugh--rather than recoil with embarrassment? Jerry Lewis could have made it work in front of the Colgate audience in 1952, but never in a movie. Costello goes for utter madness, and yet somehow remains lovable, even believable(!) It seems unimaginable that this routine, as written, could be anything but doomed; but it's a virtuosic Clown performance, and he pulls it off.
This is a great compilation, with everything done right for a change, with perfect prints and excellent sound. Even the menu is good, very simple with no moving images, animated genie effects or loud music (distributors take note), and the indexing seems quite handy.
More The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 1 (Buck Privates / Hold That Ghost / In the Navy / Keep 'Em Flying / One Night in the Tropics / Pardon My Sarong / Ride 'Em Cowboy / Who Done It?) reviews:
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Summary of The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 1 (Buck Privates / Hold That Ghost / In the Navy / Keep 'Em Flying / One Night in the Tropics / Pardon My Sarong / Ride 'Em Cowboy / Who Done It?)
Get ready for big laughs with Abbott and Costello, undeniably the most popular comedy team of all time! Now, the classic films of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are available on DVD in this hilarious collection.The wildly popular comic duo has entertained audiences since 1931, conquering vaudeville, radio and the silver screen in nearly 40 films. Enjoy these side-splitting hits like Buck Privates and Hold That Ghost in this collection of eight full-length features. The Best of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello: Volume 1 will have you laughing out loud again and again!
One Night in the Tropics (1940)
Bud and Lou get mixed up in a "Love Insurance" scheme.
Buck Privates (1941)
The duo accidentally enlists in the U.S. Army to avoid getting arrested!
In the Navy (1941)
Bud and Lou are sailors bound for duty on the high seas in this musical comedy.
Hold that Ghost (1941)
The boys inherit a haunted house formerly owned by a mobster.
Keep ?Em Flying (1941)
Bud and Lou enlist in the Army Air Corps and get caught up in a love triangle.
Ride ?Em Cowboy (1942)
The duo head to the Lazy S ranch to hide after Lou accidentally proposes to an Indian girl.
Pardon My Sarong (1942)
Bud and Lou travel to the South Seas where Lou is mistaken for a legendary god!
Who Done It? (1942)
The boys are suspected of murder while being targeted by the actual killer.
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