From Deseret News archives:
Slapstick humor of Abbott, Costello still holds up well
"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.
"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
- Around the NFL 8:55 p.m.
- NFL: Making my wish list 8:53 p.m.
- Utah Jazz: Millsap, Kirilenko injured 8:52 p.m.
- Gators beat FSU again 8:35 p.m.
- Virginia Tech routs Virginia 8:33 p.m.
- Utah State football: Aggies beat... 8:32 p.m.
- Today on TV 8:28 p.m.
- Photo: The Gingerbread (Super)Man 8:24 p.m.
- Court may try youth as an adult 8:20 p.m.
- Missing Layton boy found 8:19 p.m.
- Cave to be sealed with body inside
- Predicting the unpredictable: BYU wins
- Vegas, Poinsettia bowls or bust
- Glover gives Utes last-second upset
- BYU football: 5 keys to victory
- Cougars turn back Wildcats'
- Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
- Running game key to BYU offense
- Woods, wife unavailable for interview
- Idaho woman dies after fall
- Cougars beat Utes, 26-23
223 - Thunder rolls by Jazz
136 - Letters: Rushing to judge Palin
134 - Man trapped in Nutty Putty cave dies
115 - Cave to be sealed with body inside
114 - Editorial: Poor welcome for Palin
113 - Letters: Trump card for believers
99 - Rivalry Week is highly profane
88 - Hall's legacy measured today
75 - Hate crimes against gays rose 11%
74
The Wall Street Journal has reported that the holiday retail season...
When "Dancing With The Stars" began more than two months ago, 16 couples...
Comedian Brian Regan, who is scheduled to perform at Abravanel Hall on...
BYU National championships 1 Utah 0 But hey, those exhibition games will...
while this is a difficult loss to take, especially Utah came back to tie,...
Not as far in the past as 1984
Kyle is by far the smartest coach in the MWC. Did you see how he called a...
There are there to convert not teach. It is called teaching under false...
Hey Utah State, NICE job on getting 4 wins this year. Looks to me like...
Good for the Y!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You guys are remarkable young men!!! Way to be...
Sad thing. This is the only game of the year that BYU plays with any heart....
I'm excited about the progress of our football team. I think our guys have...
why it wasn't a facemask or some other kind of penalty when that helmet got...



You can be the first to comment on this story.