The Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection is an amazing set from Shout Factory that, along with 28 fun films, had great audio and video transfers across the board to go along with a nice selection of bonus material.
Abbott & Costello:
The Complete Universal Pictures Collection
(1941-1955)
Genre(s): Comedy
Shout Factory | NR – 2460 min. – $169.99 | November 19, 2019
Date Published: 12/06/2019 | Author: The Movieman
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Shout Factory provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3.75/5 |
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Quick Hit Review: By no means am I an expert on Abbott and Costello other than I’ve of course of this comedic duo and even listened to their classic routine, “Who’s on first?” which is brilliant, but previously have not watched any of their many films. So this collection provided that opportunity and although the quality does somewhat vary, these are generally funny films, probably my favorites were the two Buck Privates films, though the others were pretty entertaining in their own rights, where even when the material wasn’t always great, Greg Abbott and Lou Costello were always in fine form. Movie Breakdowns: Buck Privates (84 min.) (1941) — The duo accidentally enlists in the U.S. Army and stumble through basic training. Hold That Ghost (86 min.) (1941) — The boys accidentally inherit a “haunted” house where a gangster stashed his loot. In the Navy (86 min.) (1941) — Bud and Lou are sailors who must help a famous crooner keep his identity. Keep ‘Em Flying (86 min.) (1941) — Bud and Lou enlist in the Army Air Corps and get caught up in a love triangle. Ride ‘Em Cowboy (82 min.) (1941) — The duo head to a ranch with a western novelist to learn how to be real cowboys. Pardon My Sarong (84 min.) (1942) — Bud and Lou travel to an uncharted tropical island where Lou is mistaken for a legendary god! Who Done It (77 min.) (1942) — The boys try to solve a murder at a radio network but become suspects themselves. Hit the Ice (82 min.) (1943) — Bud and Lou head to campus and attempt to save Bixby College from closing down. It Ain’t Hay (80 min.) (1943) — The duo accidentally kidnaps the famous racehorse, Tea Biscuit. In Society (75 min. (1945) — The boys find themselves in hot water after a plumbing job goes wrong at a high society bash. Here Come the Coeds (90 min.) (1945) — Bud and Lou head to campus and attempt to save Bixby College from closing down. The Naughty Nineties (76 min.) (1945) — Set aboard the River Queen showboat, Bud and Lou perform their legendary “Who’s on First?” routine. Little Giants (90 min.) (1946) — Lou plays a little man with big dreams…and ends up selling vacuum cleaners! The Time of Their Lives (82 min.) (1946) — Mistaken as a traitor, Lou’s ghost is trapped in Danbury Mansion until his innocence is proven. Buck Private Come Home (77 min.) (1947) — Bud and Lou return to civilian life and get involved in midget car racing in the sequel to Buck Privates! The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap (78 min.) (1947) — Falsely accused of murder, Lou is forced to take care of a widow and her six children. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (83 min.) (1948) — Comedy meets horror when Bud and Lou encounter Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula and The Wolf Man. Mexican Hayride (77 min.) (1948) — Bud and Lou head south of the border after getting mixed up in a phony oil stock scam. Abbot and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (84 min.) (1949) — The boys meet up with Boris Karloff after a guest is murdered at their hotel. Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (80 min.) (1950) — Bud and Lou head to Algeria on business and are tricked into joining the Foreign Legion. Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (82 min.) (1951) — As novice private detectives, Bud and Lou come face to face with The Invisible Man. Comin’ Round the Mountain (77 min.) (1951) — Lou discovers he is heir to a secret gold fortune and the boys head to Kentucky to claim it. Lost in Alaska (76 min.) (1952) — Bud and Lou save an ex-sheriff, then to discover he is the target of every hitman in the Yukon. Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (77 min.) (1953) — The boys accidentally take off for Mars and end up in New Orleans during Mardi Gras! Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (76 min.) (1953) — As American policemen in London, Bud and Lou meet up with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Cops (80 min.) (1955) — As novice private detectives, Bud and Lou come face to face with The Invisible Man. Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (79 min.) (1955) — Bud and Lou stumble upon a sacred medallion that holds the key to a legendary treasure. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 5.0/5 |
| This massive and impressive 15-disc set comes in three HD keep cases which side-slides into a sturdy outer case. Also tucked inside is a 46-page booklet with info on each film and, in the back, a breakdown of the features.
One Night in the Tropics
Buck Privates:
In the Navy:
Hold That Ghost:
Keep ‘Em Flying:
Ride ‘Em Cowboy:
Pardon My Sarong:
Who Done It?:
It Ain’t Hay:
Hit the Ice:
In Society:
Here Come the Co-Eds:
The Naughty Nineties:
Little Giant:
The Time of Their Lives:
Buck Privates Come Home:
The Fistful Widow of Wagon Gap:
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein:
Mexican Hayride:
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff:
Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion:
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man:
Comin’ Bound the Mountain:
Lost in Alaska:
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars:
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde:
Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops:
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy:
BONUS DISC: Abbott and Costello: Film Stories (50:36) — Another lengthy featurette, this one specific to each of their films with Film Historian/Author James L. Neibaur. (NEW) Abbott and Costello: Behind the Scenes (17:08) delves into some stories on the set told by film historian Polumbo. (NEW) The World of Abbott and Costello (1:14:53) — A compilation of clips from their films that was produced in 1965. Nice to have but this essentially a long highlight reel… Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld (45:44) — A 1994 TV special where Seinfeld discusses his love for the A&C. Also features the children of the duo. Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters (33:19) — From 2000 takes a look at the tie-in with their feature film, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Also has archive interviews with Palumbo and Chris Costello. Abbott and Costello Meet Castle Films (1:11:38) are clips from various A&C films released to the home video market by Castle Films. Abbott and Costello Trailer Reel (1:05:10) is another compilation, this time of trailers of their films. Bloopers:
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VIDEO – 5.0/5 |
| Each movie in this Abbott & Costello collection are presented in brilliant black & white in both full frame and widescreen aspect ratios. Obviously with these being as old as they are, and likely didn’t get an extensive restoration (which I’m guessing was provided by the right’s owner, Universal), there were some minor specs and scratches but otherwise these looking brilliant with incredible detail along with the natural film grain and noise still present. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| All 28 films have been given DTS-HD Master Audio Mono tracks and for the most part, they sound quite good, though One Night in the Tropics, probably due to its age, is a bit too loud and piercing on the ears, while some of the other early films do have some hissing and pops that come through. |
OVERALL – 5.0/5 |
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The Abbott & Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection is an amazing set from Shout Factory that, along with 28 fun films, had great audio and video transfers across the board to go along with a nice selection of bonus material, a fair amount new and exclusive to this set. Although the retail cost is high (as of this writing, $170), this is a must for any fan of this duo. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.