Who Done It? (1942)
Abbott and Costello’s comedy, Who Done It? A murder mystery set at a radio station, where Bud and Lou tangle with Nazis!
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In the Navy
In the Navy (1941) starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Powell, the Andrews Sisters, Claire Dodd
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello‘s follow up after the amazing success of Buck Privates was In the Navy. Which actually did better than Buck Privates. Like their previous film, Shemp Howard and the Andrews Sisters provide a comic foil and musical interludes, respectively. In a nutshell, Abbott and Costello join the Navy. Then, they get involved in a romantic subplot with Dick Powell. Along the way, they do do some of their most famous routines. These include a version of the con artist shell game using lemons, and Lou demonstrating his clownish math skills by trying to prove that 28 divided by 7 equals 13 — this bit alone is worth the price of admission.
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Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., Glenn Strange, Lenore Aubert, Jane Randolph
I admit to being a fan of both Abbott and Costello, as well as the Universal monster movies of the times. Thankfully, in this movie, both sides are treated respectfully and appropriately. The monsters are frightening, and act true to character, and are not caricatures used for a quick laugh. In the same way, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello play their normal, everyman characters. With Bud being the straight man, who is confused by his bumbling pal Lou’s success with two different beautiful women. Neither of whom is what they seem to be.
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Here Come the Co-Eds
Here Come the Co-Eds (1945) starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney Jr.
In Here Come the Co-Eds Bud Abbott and Lou Costello star as two down-on-their-luck individuals who find jobs as caretakers at Bixby College, which is facing bankruptcy. After winning a large sum of money in a wrestling match against the “Masked Marvel”. Who was supposed to be their friend, McGurk, who was going to throw the match. But McGurk’s replaced instead at the last minute by Strangler Johnson, played by Lon Chaney Jr. Despite Lou’s being outclassed, he wins in a fluke, and Bud and Lou decide to help the school out by placing a large bet on the girls basketball team, who are massive underdogs.Read More »Here Come the Co-Eds
One Night in the Tropics
DVD review of One Night in the Tropics (1940), the first Abbott and Costello movie, starring Bud Abbot, Lou Costello
By all rights, One Night in the Tropics shouldn’t be an Abbott and Costello movie at all. It was a typical 1940’s romantic musical comedy, starring Allan Jones (perhaps most famous for Showboat as well as his work with the Marx Brothers in A Day at the Races and A Night at the Opera), Bob Cummings and Nancy Kelly. However, Universal Pictures had just put a pair of radio comedians under contract and wanted to give the pair, known as Abbott and Costello, a small part in the movie as comic relief, to see how they would do.
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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!
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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
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.
Buck Privates
Abbott and Costello in Buck Privates(1941), starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, the Andrews Sisters, Shemp Howard
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.
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.
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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 Read More »Loan me 50 dollars