Here are the films of theirs that are out on DVD (as of the last time I updated my classic comedians on DVD thread: )
Abbott & Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950) - Image Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) - Universal Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) - Universal The Abbott & Costello Show Volumes 1-4 (1952-1953) - Koch/Shanachie Africa Screams (1949) - Alpha, Diamond, Digital, Goodtimes, Madacy, Master, Platinum, UAV, Unicorn Buck Privates (1941) - Image Buck Privates Come Home (1947) - Image In the Navy (1941) - Image Jack and the Beanstalk (1952) - Diamond, Digital, Goodtimes, Madacy, Platinum Africa Screams/Jack & the Beanstalk 2-pack (1949, 1952) - Goodtimes, Madacy 2-sided disc, Madacy 2 disc set, Troma Team (labeled as Abbott and Costello) |
flixtime - I too grew up watching A&C every Sunday. It's a pity that kids today don't have the opportunity to watch Abbott and Costello, Tarzan, Charlie Chan, Blondie, Ma and Pa Kettle, or any of the other great movie series from the '40s. It's more of a pity that these movies aren't on DVD so I can enjoy them again. :(
I'd say Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) is my favorite (and most-watched) A&C film. "Who's on First?" never fails to make me laugh, but I also like similar routines from their movies and radio show ("His father was a mudder." "The lower's higher than an upper."). Here's an episode of their radio show that includes "Who's on First?" (near the end of the show). Vampyr can probably provide more links to radio shows. |
A few of the lesser-known ones that I've always enjoyed: <b>HOLD THAT GHOST</b> and particularly <b>THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES</b> which is a fantasy that is the least like a typical A&C film.
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Thanks Dimension X for the terrific radio show link (though I would have to deduct 40 points because of the sponsor :lol: ). Actually the Camel ads were pretty funny too: "more doctors prefer Camel than any other leading brand cigarette", "Camel a proud supplier of cigarettes to VA hospitals". My how times have changed (while I'm at it, I'll minus 50 points for the first picture I posted at the beginning of this thread). I'm a baseball fan so I enjoyed the link you provided (I listened to it earlier this morning (runs about 1/2 hour for anyone interested)) since it features skits I'd never heard before (Feller, Slaughter). Also liked the following bit (I don't recall the exact wording but this is close enough):
Costello: "Beautiful women find me irresistible." Lady: "I don't find you irresistible." Costello: "That's okay because I don't find you beautiful." :lol: Anyone here at the Forum want to try it as a pick-up line (Note: Remember to duck!). And from the file: "Necessity is the Mother of Invention", I recall hearing that one of the main reasons for Lou Costello developing his many distinctive voices was to better allow for the audience to differentiate him from Bud Abbott while they were doing their radio shows. marty888, Hold that Ghost and The Time of Their Lives are definite winners! If what I've read is correct, The Time of Their Lives was made at a time when A&C were feuding with each other. I like Little Giant too (actually I enjoy almost all of their films), it is the one where Lou is a vacuum cleaner salesman. It's also a film made when they were feuding (at least as far as I know). littlefuzzy, thanks for the DVD list! I was feeling a bit too lazy to do the search myself (I should have remembered to search here at DVDTalk first). A&C (along with many other classic actors) are certainly somewhat MIA as far as their films being released on DVD (only 8 of 36 A&C movies are on DVD). And lastly, for those (like me) now longing for their fix of A&C, here - as far as I know - is an upcoming TV schedule: Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Monday, January 27th at 6:45am - 8:30am (EST) Channel: AMC The Noose Hangs High Tuesday, January 28th at 9:00am - 10:20am (EST) Channel: Mystery Channel East on StarzSuperPak Lost in a Harem Sunday, February 2nd at 2:00am - 3:30am (EST) Channel: TCM |
they were great. A&C meet Frankenstein STILL makes me laugh. Espeically the bit when the coffin goes up and down. Great stuff.
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I always like the scenes where Bud is trying to con Lou, especially the ones where Lou reverses it... These are usually games of chance, like 3-card Monte, etc.
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Re: Star Focus ~ Abbott & Costello
I couldn't pick my favorite A&C movie, because I love most of them equally, but my favorite routine is the drill scene from Buck Privates
A: Get your chins in. Throw your chest out. *smack* A: I said get your chest out, throw it out! C: I'm not through with it yet! Another classic is the Susquehanna Hat Company bit from In Society. Heck, I could name another hundred bits just off the top of my head. http://charliegoose.homestead.com/files/goose.jpg Honk! |
Does anybody know for certain who owns the rights to these? Maybe if we bug them enough and ask really nice like then they'll give them a proper release. They should know how popular these would be so I can't understand why they haven't been released yet. The only reason I never bought the box set of VHS was the anticpation of buying the box set of DVDs.
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Originally posted by flixtime Thanks Dimension X for the terrific radio show link Lost in a Harem Sunday, February 2nd at 2:00am - 3:30am (EST) Channel: TCM |
They were a great team. My sister & I would also watch Bud & Lou @ 11:30 every Sunday (was it the independent WOR?). The ones that stick out in my feeble memory are: Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), The Time of Their Lives (1946), Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953).
I remember reading somewhere that Bud Abbott received a bigger share, but I didn't know this: At Lou Costello's insistance, the moneys earned from the "Abbott and Costello" act were split 60-40, favoring Bud Abbott. Costello stated "Comics are a dime a dozen. Good straight men are hard to find." -IMDB bios |
Is that really true? No way.
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Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Hold That Ghost Who Done It? |
Originally posted by Scot1458 Is that really true? No way. Here's a few unofficial fan sites I didn't see mentioned (might be links on the bigger sites too, I didn't check): http://www.angelfire.com/movies/budandlou/ It has some pictures of Bud in his later years. Bud & Lou screensaver (with the 'Who's on First? routine) Thanks for this thread flixtime, its nice to see that A & C still have many fans. And it seems like Russell Dodd's Bud Abbott & Lou Costello Forever!! page is still up- I zipped through it earlier. His banner: http://www.louandbud.com/pics/Banner.jpg Also listened to the featured radio show on http://www.abbottandcostello.net for January: Peter Lorre's Sanitarium Thanks for the links everyone. |
I emailed Russell Dodd about the 60/40 pay split issue to see what he had to say.
I wrote: Hello Russell, Enjoyed your nice Bud & Lou page. I read on IMBD that: At Lou Costello's insistance, the moneys earned from the "Abbott and Costello" act were split 60-40, favoring Bud Abbott. Costello stated "Comics are a dime a dozen. Good straight men are hard to find." Was this the case? Sometimes I wonder how accurate the info. on IMDB is. Hi Brian to answer your question, when the boys were in Burlesque in the late 30s, Lou wanted to move on when better deals came but Bud wanted to stay where he was. Bud said to Lou that he'll move on with him only if he cut their salary 60/40 to Bud's favour. Now in Burlesque days, as you rightfully said, Comics were a dime and dozen and straightmen usually did get more money - and first billing. Around 1942 when the boys were World Superstars, Lou threatened to break the team unless he got 60/40 in his favour and top billing. The studios argued about the billing saying they bought "Abbott and Costello" and not "Costello and Abbott" and Bud said he'd be willing to split the team, so Lou balked - but he DID manage to get the pay rise, which hurt Abbott quite badly. Thanks for writing, hope that was what you were looking for. and glad you like the site :) Regards, Russell |
Hi flixtime!
Sorry I've been away so long, but there's been quite a bit going on. To sum everything up in a few short words, the move to Arizona is back on. Now to this wonderful thread:thumbsup: I'm glad Dimension X told me about this post the other day on Yahoo! chat (where I hope you can join in the future, so the three of us can discuss movies and such). What can possibly be said about these two icons of comedy:hscratch: I remember as a child looking forward to seeing them on television on weekend mornings. There seemed to be no end to how many times I would willingly watch movies like The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap (1947) , Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950) , Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953) and so many others (which have already been mentioned). I also remember when they played episodes of their television shows on a regular basis, with wonderful supporting characters like Sid Fields, Hillary Brooke, Mike The Cop, Stinky and Mr. Bacciagalupe:lol: I truly could not choose my favorite Abbott and Costello movie if pressed to do so. They are all works of art. However, since I have always had a warm place for the underdog, I'll mention a half-dozen of the lesser talked-about ones as among my favorites:D Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950) Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949) Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952) Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap, The (1947) Time of Their Lives, The (1946) Hold That Ghost (1941) BTW: I found it quite interesting to see the salaries the team received ( Link ). $15,000 per episode in the early 50's was quite a bit of cash. However, it still pales in comparison to what sitcom actors are making today. The irony is that there isn't a comedian working today who could shine the shoes of these great men. <center>:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Mptv/1225/19699_0001.jpg :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: |
As much as I love their films, I find their TV show, mainly the first season, to be the funniest work they've ever done. Totally off the wall and almost surreal in presentation.
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OHMIGAWD! You mentioned the 7X13=28 routine, flixtime!!! I remember seeing that one when I was younger and have wanted to see it again for years. Which film is that routine from?
Here in Phoenix, they used to have Abbott and Costello theater on Sundays as well. Watched 'em every week. Great stuff!!! Too many favorites to mention... Welcome to Arizona Vampyr! |
Originally posted by BassDude OHMIGAWD! You mentioned the 7X13=28 routine, flixtime!!! I remember seeing that one when I was younger and have wanted to see it again for years. Which film is that routine from? |
The Time of Their Lives (1946) has been on my look out list for as long as I've had a DVD player. I've had
The only A&C that I currently have is Buck Privates (1941) . I'm a big fan of the Andrews Sisters and also needed the film for the Dean Collins choreography at the end. A&C were of course brilliant as well. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) has been in my flex cart at dv-depot for quite some time. Is it out of print? I got the Universal Monster box collection for christmas and wanted to add any of the A&C monster flicks to the pile. It was also one of my faves as a kid. Jim |
Though it looks like I missed all the fun, glad to see that so many others found this thread of interest.
Originally posted by chipmac Does anybody know for certain who owns the rights to these? Maybe if we bug them enough and ask really nice like then they'll give them a proper release. They should know how popular these would be so I can't understand why they haven't been released yet. The only reason I never bought the box set of VHS was the anticpation of buying the box set of DVDs. Originally posted by NavinJohnson My sister & I would also watch Bud & Lou @ 11:30 every Sunday (was it the independent WOR?). Originally posted by NavinJohnson Thanks for this thread flixtime, its nice to see that A & C still have many fans. And it seems like Russell Dodd's Bud Abbott & Lou Costello Forever!! page is still up- Originally posted by Vampyr To sum everything up in a few short words, the move to Arizona is back on. Originally posted by Vampyr Now to this wonderful thread Originally posted by Vampyr I'm glad Dimension X told me about this post the other day on Yahoo! chat (where I hope you can join in the future, so the three of us can discuss movies and such). Originally posted by BassDude OHMIGAWD! You mentioned the 7X13=28 routine, flixtime!!! I remember seeing that one when I was younger and have wanted to see it again for years. Which film is that routine from? And lastly, anyone here ever seen the film [b]The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959)? It's a film that Lou Costello did without Bud Abbott. Here's the IMDb.com link: The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock at IMDb.com And lastly, um, again, it might be jumping the gun but TCM will be showing A&C Meet Captain Kidd on April 1st (a handful of Marx Brothers films too). I'll try to bump this thread when the time comes. |
flixtime - I've seen The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock. But it was many years ago and I don't remember much about it.
I hope I have better luck recording A&C Meet Captain Kidd than I had with Lost in a Harem (the cable company decided to run an EBS test 28 minutes into the movie:( ). |
Originally posted by BassDude OHMIGAWD! You mentioned the 7X13=28 routine, flixtime!!! I remember seeing that one when I was younger and have wanted to see it again for years. Which film is that routine from? Here in Phoenix, they used to have Abbott and Costello theater on Sundays as well. Watched 'em every week. Great stuff!!! Too many favorites to mention... Welcome to Arizona Vampyr! Too bad that Abbott and Costello theater is gone. That would have been fun. BTW: I'll be visiting in the next month or two. I'd like to meet as many AZ forum members as possible. Maybe we can get together at that time:D Originally posted by Dimension X flixtime - I've seen The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock. But it was many years ago and I don't remember much about it. I hope I have better luck recording A&C Meet Captain Kidd than I had with Lost in a Harem (the cable company decided to run an EBS test 28 minutes into the movie:( ). flixtime ~ You're always too good to me:D Thanks for all the kind words:thumbsup: Hope to hear from you soon. |
Originally posted by Dimension X I hope I have better luck recording A&C Meet Captain Kidd than I had with Lost in a Harem (the cable company decided to run an EBS test 28 minutes into the movie:( ). Originally posted by Vampyr Are you sure my cable company isn't moving into your area :lol: Dimension X, Vampyr, and any other Flynn fans, if you are interested and haven't already recorded them, Errol Flynn's Desperate Journey (co-starring Ronald Reagan) (8:30am Thursday) and Gentleman Jim (6:00am Saturday) will be airing on TCM. Gentleman Jim is fast becoming a favorite of mine and just might make my Flynn Top 5 list. |
While not a particular favorite of mine:
Abbott & Costello's Jack and the Beanstalk is on TCM Monday evening at midnight (which I suppose makes it Tuesday morning instead). Tuesday, May 20th at 12:00 AM Jack And The Beanstalk (1952) A baby-sitter dreams himself and his best friend into the famous fairy tale. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Buddy Baer. D: Jean Yarbrough. C 78m. |
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