From Deseret News archives:

Slapstick humor of Abbott, Costello still holds up well

Published: Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004 3:16 p.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Comedy tonight! The old comedy movies here are hit and miss, but they're all far better than the one 21st-century film in this batch.

"The Best of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, Volume 3" (Universal, not rated, $26.98, two double-sided discs).

— "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) is often cited as the best of A&C's films, and it's still awfully good, with the boys being chased by Dracula (Bela Lugosi), the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.) and, of course, Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange). One complaint: The bonus features on the original DVD release are not included here for some reason.

— "Mexican Hayride" (1948) gets its biggest laughs when Costello dances every time a samba is played. He's in Mexico to get back money from crooked Abbott.

— "Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer" (1949). The posters say " . . . Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff" — but he's not the killer! Good spooky fun in a hotel, with Karloff as a phony fortune-teller.

— "Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion" (1950). The title tells it all; the best sequence has the boys hallucinating in the desert.

Story continues below
— "Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man" (1951) is a very good A&C monster mash, with the boys trying to help a boxer who becomes invisible.

— "Comin' Round the Mountain" (1952), a disappointing hillbilly yarn, has one funny scene, as Costello and a witch (Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz") stick pins in dolls.

— "Lost in Alaska" (1952), another weak A&C effort, has them mixed up with a sad-sack prospector (Tom Ewell). (This is the first film with Abbott in his mustache.)

— "Abbott and Costello Go to Mars" (1953) is perhaps weakest of all as the boys board a spaceship and land on, not Mars, but Venus! (Look for Anita Ekberg among the beauties they encounter.)

OK, now what? Universal has only "Abbott & Costello Meet the Keystone Kops" and "Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy" left . . . unless you count "It Ain't Hay," which was not in "Volume 2" due to a dispute over music rights. "Mummy" is available on a solo disc — but what about "Kops"?

Extras: Full frame, trailers, text production notes, subtitle options (English, Spanish, French), chapters.

"If a Man Answers" (Universal, 1962, not rated, $14.98).

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image
Deseret Morning News Archives

Tom Ewell, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in 1952's "Lost in Alaska," one of the weaker films in the newly released "The Best of . . ." DVD.

previousnext

Latest comments

TCU versus BSU unpopular

The BCS is afraid that TCU or Boise State will defeat one of their teams....

If you voted for McCoy after watching the Big 12 Championship game, you need...

"More interesting is what is not contained in the emails. There is no...

Stranded hikers rescued

Jeers to the first comment, cheers to the second! It is impossible to...

TCU versus BSU unpopular

TCU could destroy Texas. TCU destroyed BYU at BYU. BYU beat OK. Texas barely...

Just be happy that the MWC and WAC will share in the "BCS" bowl money. That's...

Store planning for Palin crush

BEST JOKE OF THE WEEK!!!!! To Carol E | 2:15 p.m. Dec. 7, 2009 Well, she...

Utes excited to go to San Diego

Priceless. hahaha. Cause no one wants to go! hahahaha I hope Utah...

TCU versus BSU unpopular

I think we all know if there was a "Big Name" program that was still...

Editorial: 10 years of TRAX

You are not telling the whole story. In Pittsburgh you have a myriad of...

Advertisements