The Best of Abbott and Costello – Volume One

The Best of Abbott and Costello Volume One
Bud Abbott, Lou Costello
2 double sided DVDs
8 movies
Universal Studios 2003

When I first heard Universal Studios was going to release the classic comedy films of the very funny duo Abbott and Costello, I figured it would be another studio copy and dump on dvd and who cares about the customer make a fast buck deal: Wrong. These early Abbott and Costello movies have been lovingly restored to pristine condition.

Perhaps some of the funny jokes and funny references have not aged well but Universal Studios has gone out of its way to release a quality box set of eight very funny comedies by Abbott and Costello.

Abbott and Costello, Volume One contains One Night in the Tropics, the classic Buck Privates, In the Navy, Hold That Ghost -a sort of gangster comedy–, Keep ‘Em Flying, Ride ‘Em Cowboy, Pardon My Sarong, and Who Done It?

The only problem with this box set is although Universal did a great restoration job, it absolutely had to be cheap and put these movies on two double-sided dvds. I mean, fine, the price for Abbott and Costello, Volume One is very reasonable, especially since you are getting eight movies, but why go all the way and then put these funny movies on those double-sided dvds that always end up getting damaged on one side. How much does a dvd cost a studio when you can buy one retail for about 40 cents?

Not all of the movies on Abbott and Costello, Volume One are great but all of them are a pretty funny comedy in its own right.

The best may be Hold That Ghost, once you get past the obligatory musical number scene the studios imposed on the boys. Hold That Ghost contains the funniest comedy skit I have ever seen and it involves a bedroom that transforms into a gaming room at, literally, the drop of a hat.

Both Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were great physical comics and brilliant verbal comics so although some of the movies on this box set are, to a modern audience, ordinary, they are still great, classic comedies.

Movie List:

One Night In The Tropics (1940)

Buck Privates (1941)

In The Navy (1941)

Hold That Ghost (1941)

Keem ‘Em Flying (1941)

Ride ‘Em Cowboy (1942)

Pardon My Sarong (1942)

Who Done It? (1942)

 

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