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Abbott and Costello - the Complete Universal Pictures Collection

Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection

Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection – 15-DVD set

The  good  news is that is a compilation of all of  Bud Abbott  and  Lou Costello‘s movies made at Universal Pictures, including the newly-released  It Ain’t Hay, available for the first time on DVD.   Also, unlike the previous collection, each DVD is single-sided, as opposed to having different films recorded on both sides of the DVD.   The major ‘if’ with the collection, however, is:  if  you already own the previous collection, is it worth (at the time of this writing) $90 (U.S. dollars)?   Probably not; however, if you  don’t  already own it, then it’s definitely worth the price — at least if you’re a fan of Abbott and Costello; and I am!

Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection
The Abbott and Costello Show - Bud Abbott, Lou Costello

The Abbott & Costello Show – The Complete Series Collectors Edition

The Abbott & Costello Show – The Complete Series Collector’€s Edition (1952) starring  Bud Abbott,  Lou Costello

Buy The Abbott & Costello Show - The Complete Series Collector'€s Edition from Amazon.com Abbott and Costello only had two seasons of their television show. In many ways, it set the stage for successful television comedies.   The Abbott & Costello Show – The Complete Series Collector’s Edition is a complete collection of all episodes, collected on 9 DVDs, remastered.

The Abbott & Costello Show – The Complete Series Collectors Edition
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Buck Privates - Universal 100th anniversary collectors edition - swing it

Buck Privates

Abbott and Costello in  Buck Privates(1941), starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, the Andrews Sisters, Shemp Howard

Buy from Amazon.com Buck Privates,  starring  Bud Abbott and  Lou Costello, is the first movie that starred the comedy duo. In many ways, it is their funniest. In a nutshell,  Abbott and Costello are small-time con men who try to escape a police officer …. Only to enlist in the Army by mistake. Who turns out to be their drill instructor? None other than the police officer that they were trying to escape. The film contains some of their funniest moments. Including  Lou Costello becoming hopelessly confused during a drill  – it must be seen to be appreciated.

Publicity photo from Buck Privates, with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello peeling potatoes under Shemp Howard's supervision

Other characters include  Shemp Howard  (in a  pre-Three Stooges role) and the Andrews Sisters, singing “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” among others. A very patriotic film, based in America shortly before the U.S.A. entered World War II (1941).   Some of their best routines are found here, such as the classic you’re 40, she’s 10, and  Lou Costello explaining to Bud Abbott that 28 divided by 7 is 13 — a hilarious routine, that’s worth its’€™ weight in gold.

Buck Privates
Lou Costello and Bud Abbott in Newsweek 1940

Loan me 50 dollars

Abbott and Costello skit – Loan me 50 dollars

One of the classic  Abbott and Costello  routines, where Bud Abbott takes advantage of a common math mistake that we all make to fleece his pal, Lou Costello, out of all of his money.  The skit ends with a simple ‘read my mind’ routine that takes Lou’s last remaining bill.  This routine was done  many  times, both in the movies and their radio show.

Bud Abbott: Do me a favor, loan me $50.
Lou Costello: Bud, I can’t. I can’t loan you $50.
Bud Abbott: Oh, yes, ya can.
Lou Costello: No, I can’t. All I got is $40.
Bud Abbott: All right, give me the $40 and you’ll owe me 10  Loan me 50 dollars

The Vitamin Skit, with  Abbott and Costello

Vitamin Skit

The Vitamin Skit, with  Abbott and Costello

The Vitamin Skit is a funny Abbott and Costello routine, taken from the Abbott and Costello radio show. Lou Costello misunderstands ‘B1’ for ‘be one’, among other verbal humor. Enjoy!

Vitamin Skit
Abbott and Costello's, Turkey Sandwich and Cup of Coffee routine from Keep 'Em Flying", 1941.

Sandwich and a Cup of Coffee

Abbott and Costello‘s, Turkey Sandwich and Cup of Coffee routine from Keep ‘Em Flying“, 1941.

Blackie (Bud Abbott) and Heathcliff (Lou Costello), having been unsuccessful at entering through the gates of the Cal-Aero, Army Air Corps flight training academy, enter the U.S.O. club and approach the lunch counter with only one quarter between them and take their seats. Gloria (Martha Raye, playing the parts of twin sisters Gloria and Barbara) waits on them from behind the counter.

Sandwich and a Cup of Coffee
I bet you that you're not here -€” Abbott and Costello routine

I bet you that you’re not here

I bet you that you’re not here – Abbott and Costello routine

In the movie  The Noose Hangs High, there’s a very funny routine, where Abbott and Costello are being guarded by a gangster — and  Bud Abbott  decides to bet their warden that Bud can prove that the gangster isn’t there!   It’s a classic piece of clown logic, that gets even better when the gangster decides to win his money back by making the same bet with  Lou Costello — only for Lou to turn the tables on him!  

I bet you that you’re not here