Volume 1 in Universal's upcoming A&C DVD series 28 A&C DVDs coming in 2004!
Next year, 28 of Bud and Lou's Universal films will be released on DVD in a four-volume set. Volume 1 is scheduled for release on Feb. 10, 2004, and includes the team's first eight films: "One Night in the Tropics", "Buck Privates", "In the Navy", "Hold That Ghost", "Keep 'Em Flying", "Ride 'Em Cowboy", "Pardon My Sarong" and "Who Done It?" Reportedly these will all be contained on just two disks. More remarkably, it will retail for just $24.95. The other volumes will be released at intervals throughout the year.

I've been awaiting DVDs of Hold That Ghost and Who Done It forever. Hopefully there will be extras, but it doesn't look good considering Universal is planning on putting 4 movies on each disc. Still, it's better than nothing.

Thanks to The Abbott & Costello Official Fan Club

All I can say is...


WOW!!


8 Abbott and Costello movies for $24.95?? That is an incredible deal!

As far as the 4 movies per disc bit, I wouldn't worry (much). Most of Bud and Lou's movies run about 90 minutes, and I am confident that the discs will be DVD-18s, so we're really only looking at about 3 hours per dual-layered side. And, considering that the movies are all B&W, we should get a reasonably high quality image out of the deal.

Just curious:

Why are you confident of that?

But remember...this is Universal we're talking about. They're bound to screw it up somehow.

Can't wait!!!

Because the only other option would be to try to cram 6 hours of content onto a dual-layered disc. Given the constraints of the media, that would mean that the average video bit rate would be about 2 - 2.5 Mbps, which is well below the threshold of acceptable image quality. Doing this would, IMO, render all of the movies completely unwatchable.

So, I remain confident, or at least hopeful, that the DVDs will be DVD-18s. If they are not, I probably won't buy them.

I too was concerned when I first learned about Universal's cramming all of this material. I certainly hope that it is a DVD-18 but I doubt they would go to the trouble of really tricking these films out.

I suspect they will use double sided disks. These movies were about 90 minutes, give or take so about three hours per side. Should be OK. Naturally, I'm only guessing so we'll have to wait and see.

This is great news - THANKS for the info!

(I'm smiling, I'm happy.....)

forced trailers and no inset I hope!

damn they left off the one in the jungle. HOpe that one comes next. I loved that when I was a kid. I think they went to Africa or something.

That one's called Africa Screams and is public domain, I believe. There are multiple releases of this one, most of which are paired with A&C's Jack and the Beanstalk. I'm not sure which release is the best though.

Time to start selling off my Image versions.

I'm pretty sure these are going to be 2-disc sets with 2 films per side of each disc.

28 movies? They didn't even make 28 movies!

You're right....they made 36.

Careful selling your lasers.

They're the only ones that have the out-takes and they are "Africa Screams, Hit the Ice and Buck Privates Come Home."

I'm so excited about this release! I hope they do sell fast!

This would be an impulse buy for $3.00 per movie is my kind of bargain. Abbott and Costello are must buys for my collection.

I have the A&C Comedy Collection on laserdisc, with Who Done It?, Ride 'Em Cowboy, Hit the Ice, & Buck Privates Come Home (already out on DVD.)

I also have In the Navy (also on DVD), Keep 'Em Flying, and The Naughty Nineties separately on Laserdisc.

It will be nice to get some of these films on DVD to replace my lasers, although Hit the Ice and The Naughty Nineties are still missing...

I did manage to track down all of the previously released Universal DVDs, Buck Privates, Buck Privates Come Home, In the Navy, A&C In the Foreign Legion, A&C Meet Frankenstein, and A&C Meet the Mummy.

I, for one, will buy any and all Abbott & Costello films when they come out on DVD, I just hope these have enough space on the discs to breathe freely. I need to start getting some of the A&C television show discs that are out...

I wouldn't say no to some DVDs from the Marx Brothers, or even Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, either.

I've never seen an Abbot and Costello movie. I must be living under a rock. I will get around to it though. Are any of their movies on DVD right now, or is this the first time ever?

I recommend Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein! That's a classic!

A&C are some of my all time favorites. I own an original 1950 US Insert for "In the Foreign Legion".

Now that's an insert!