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Ride 'Em Cowboy movie poster - Bud Abbott, Lou Costello

Ride ’em Cowboy [Abbott and Costello]

Abbott and Costello’s  Ride ’em Cowboy  (1942) starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Foran, Ella Fitzgerald

Lou Costello and Bud Abbott in Ride 'Em Cowboy

Buy from Amazon.com Bud Abbott and  Lou Costello star as two peanut vendors at a rodeo show. Soon, they get in trouble with their boss and hide out on a railroad train. Which unexpectedly heads west with them still on it. Upon arriving, they get jobs on a dude ranch despite the fact that neither of them knows anything about cowboys, horses, or much else. The scene with Lou Costello attempting to milk a cow is a gem of comedy. Abbott and Costello follow the same formula here as in their previous films, with a romantic subplot and music, provided here by  Ella Fitzgerald.

Ride ’em Cowboy [Abbott and Costello]
In the Navy, starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Powell

In the Navy

In the Navy (1941) starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Powell, the Andrews Sisters, Claire Dodd

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In the Navy - Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, police officer

 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.

In the Navy
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
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

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
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd - Lou and Bud find the treasure map

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd  (1952) starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Charles Laughton, Hillary Brooke

In  Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd  two waiters, Oliver “Puddin’ Head” Johnson (Lou Costello) and Rocky Stonebridge (Bud Abbott) are on their way to work at Death’s Head Tavern on the pirate hangout on the island of Tortuga. There they encounter Lady Jane (Fran Warren). She asks them to bring a love note to the singer at the tavern, Bruce Martingale (Bill Shirley).

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Abbott and Costello's Jack in the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk

Abbott and Costello in Jack and the Beanstalk (1952) starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Buddy Baer

Jack and the Beanstalk is one of the only two films that  Abbott and Costello made in color.   It is a children’s movie that adults can enjoy as well.   The beginning and ending of the movie are filmed in black and white, with Bud and Lou playing their typical characters.  Bud Abbott  bosses around and takes advantage of  Lou Costello. Although that changes slightly at the end of the movie.  Bud having Lou work as a babysitter for an obnoxious child, who hits Lou on the head and launches the main part of the movie. Lou dreams in color of the story of  Jack and the Beanstalk.

Jack and the Beanstalk
Abbott and Costello - Bagel Street

Bagel Street, aka. Susquehannah Hat Company

Bagel Street, aka. Susquehanna Hat Company, aka. Fluegel Street routine – Abbott and Costello  skit, taken from In Society

This is a classic vaudeville routine and highly popular with the fans of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.  During the filming ofIn Society, Lou wanted to include this routine in the movie. However, because the movie was already on a tight shooting schedule, since Universal Pictures wanted to release this film before MGM’s Abbott and Costello movie “Lost in a Harem,” the producers refused. Lou was unwilling to give up on the idea, so he filmed and directed this segment himself.

The routine involves Abbott and Costello helping out a friend, Derby Dan, owner of a hat shop, by delivering some hats to the Susquehanna Hat Company on Bagel Street [later, when doing the same routine on the Abbott and Costello television show, it was changed to Fleugel Street].Bagel Street, aka. Susquehannah Hat Company