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Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection

 

One Night in the Tropics (1940)      Buck Privates (1941)      In the Navy (1941)
Hold That Ghost
(1941)      Keep 'Em Flying (1941)      Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942)
Pardon My Sarong (1942)      Who Done It? (1942)      It Ain't Hay
(1943)
Hit the Ice (1943) In Society (1944)
     Here Come the Co-Eds (1945)      The Naughty Nineties (1945)
Little Giant
(1946)      The Time of Their Lives (1946)      Buck Privates Come Home (1947)
The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap
(1947)      Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Mexican Hayride
(1948)      Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949)
Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion
(1950)      Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)
Comin' Round the Mountain
(1951)      Lost in Alaska (1952)      Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(1953)      Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
(1955)

 

Product Description:
Get ready to laugh out loud with the most popular comedy duo of all time in Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection! Now, for the first time ever, all 28 films produced during the height of their popularity at Universal Pictures are available in one collection. Featuring their most popular movies such as Buck Privates, Who Done It? and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, this collection is filled with some of the most hilarious routines of all-time including “Who’s on First?” Loaded with hours of bonus features and an exclusive collectible book, this is the ultimate tribute to two of the funniest, and most enduring, comedians of all time!

 


Titles

 

 


 

DISC 1:
One Night in the Tropics (1940) - Bud and Lou get mixed up in a "Love Insurance" scheme.
Buck Privates (1941)- The duo accidentally enlists in the U.S. Army to avoid getting arrested
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historians Bob Furmanek and Ron Palumbo (Buck Privates)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 2:
In the Navy (1941) - Bud and Lou are sailors bound for duty on the high seas in this musical comedy.
Hold that Ghost (1941) - The boys inherit a haunted house formerly owned by a mobster.
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historian Jeff Miller (Hold That Ghost)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 3:
Keep `Em Flying (1941) - Bud and Lou enlist in the Army Air Corps and get caught up in a love triangle.
Ride `Em Cowboy (1942) - The duo head to the Lazy S ranch to hide after Lou accidentally proposes to an Indian girl.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 4:
Pardon My Sarong (1942) - Bud and Lou travel to the South Seas where Lou is mistaken for a legend.
Who Done It? (1942) - The boys are suspected of murder while being targeted by the actual killer.
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historian Frank Coniff (Who Done It?)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 5:
It Ain't Hay (1943) - Only film not previously on DVD
Hit the Ice (1943) - Bud and Lou hit the slopes at the Sun Valley Resort after getting mixed up with gangsters.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 6:
In Society (1944) - The boys find themselves in hot water after a plumbing job goes wrong at a high society bash.
Here Come the Co-Eds (1945) - Bud and Lou head to campus and attempt to save Bixby College from closing down.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 7:
The Naughty Nineties (1945) - Set aboard the River Queen showboat, Bud and Lou perform their legendary "Who's on First?" routine.
Little Giant (1946) - Lou plays a little man with big dreams and ends up selling vacuum cleaners.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 8:
The Time of Their Lives (1946) - Mistaken as a traitor, Lou's ghost is trapped in Danbury Mansion until his innocence is proven.
Buck Privates Come Home (1947) - Bud and Lou return to civilian life and get involved in midget car racing in the sequel to Buck Privates!
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historian Frank Thompson (The Time of Their Lives)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 9:
The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap (1947) - Accused of murder, Lou is forced to take care of a widow and her children on a farm.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) - Bud and Lou encounter Frankenstein's monster, Dracula and The Wolf Man.
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historian Gregory W. Mank (Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 10:
Mexican Hayride (1948) - Bud and Lou head south of the border after getting mixed up in an oil stock scheme.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949) - The boys meet up with Boris Karloff after a guest is murdered at their hotel.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 11:
Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950) - Bud and Lou head to Algeria on business and are tricked into joining the Foreign Legion.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951) - As novice private detectives, Bud and Lou come face to face with The Invisible Man.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 12:
Comin' Round the Mountain (1951) - Lou discovers he is heir to a secret fortune, and the boys search for the hidden treasure.
Lost in Alaska (1952) - Bud and Lou save an ex-sheriff, then discover he is the target of every hitman in the Yukon.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 13:
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (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 (1953) - The duo are American cops in London to study police tactics. They wind up in jail and are bailed out by Dr. Jekyll. Jekyll has been murdering fellow doctors who laugh at his experiments. He has more murders in mind. At one point the doctor's serum gets injected into the pair.
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary with Film Historians Tom Weaver and Richard Scrivani (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

DISC 14:
Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955) - Harry and Willie buy the Edison Movie Studio in the year 1912 from Joseph Gorman, a confidence man. They follow Gorman to Hollywood where, as stunt men, they find him directing movies as Sergei Trumanoff and stealing the studio payroll.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) - In Egypt Peter and Freddie find the archaeologist Dr. Zoomer murdered before they can return to America. A medallion leads them to a crypt where a revived mummy provides the terror.
BONUS FEATURES:
Production Notes
Theatrical Trailer

BONUS DISC (DISC 15):
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Monsters
The World of Abbott and Costello - A compilation of clips from 19 Abbott and Costello features.

Theatrical Releases: 1940 - 1955

  DVD Reviews

DVD Review: Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection - Region 1 - NTSC

 

DVD Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

 

 

  

 

Re-released in May 2014:

 

Distribution Universal - Region 1 - NTSC
Audio English (2.0)
Subtitles English, French, Spanish,  None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Universal Collection

Aspect Ratio:
1.33:1

Edition Details:

  •  6 Feature Commentaries by Noted Film Historians

  •  Meet Seinfeld (45:25)

  •  World of Abbot and Costello (1:14:41)

  •  Meet the Monsters (33:03)

  •  Abbott & Costello: The Universal Story - 44-page book detailing the legacy of Bud and Lou plus an overview of their films at Universal including rare photos, trivia and exclusive introductions from their families.


DVD Release Date: October 28th, 2008

7 book-style cases (6 dual, 1 3-tiered) inside a Custom Box (see image above + below)

 

Comments:

This is an overview of the collection which I have in my possession.

NOTE: All 28 features of this boxset are housed, two-each, on dual-layered, single-sided, discs and I don't believe they are sold separately at this time. The transfers are all progressive and each coded for region 1 in the NTSC standard.

In 2004 Universal released 4 packages, entitled the 'Franchise Collection', with all but one of the films ("It Ain't Hay") in this new 'Complete Universal Pictures Collection' - namely; The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 1, The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 2, The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 3 and The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 4 which all, eventually, went out-of-print being scooped-up by the duo's loyal fan-base. Where some of the controversy lies is that individuals who already own the Franchise sets see that presently buying this new Collection is only way to get "It Ain't Hay" - rumored to finally have completed negotiations with the Damon Runyon estate to distribute it. It is included.

Another issue was that the 'Franchise collection' were dual-sided and dual-layered (DVD18) and not 100% compatible with all DVD players and on many that were able to play them experienced intermittent problems.

So the collection is complete. This is ALL the Abbot and Costello Universal studio-made films. We've included a screen captures of each film that we feel is Indicative of the overall transfer quality of that particular feature. Some are stronger than others but each are certainly in a watchable condition with only minor speckles and light scratches noticeable as damage. Detail and contrast are variable but overall I'd say quite good and I'll wager these are the same transfers as from the 'Franchise' or perhaps even a notch superior with some cleaning and boosted black levels to bring up sharpness. Grain is visible in some of the features and the condition of each seems very respectable without undue manipulation. I've included three caps from '...Meet Frankenstein' as that is my personal favorite.

 

Extras are very good indeed. 6 of the features have full commentaries by Film Historians and authors. They are all quite professional:
 Bob Furmanek and Ron Palumbo (Buck Privates)
 Jeff Miller (Hold That Ghost)
 Gregory W. Mank (Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein)
 Frank Coniff (Who Done It?)
 Frank Thompson (The Time of Their Lives)
 Tom Weaver and Richard Scrivani (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
I think its a good idea to have different input specialties and each commentarists seems to have their own style - some dry - some more enthusiastic. I enjoyed them all but especially Mank on ...Meet Frankenstein and Furmanek and Palumbo on Buck Privates.
On each disc are text production notes as duplicated on the Franchise Collection. There is a final bonus disc with three healthy features: The World of Abbott and Costello is a 1 hour 14 minute compilation includes classic routines from 18 of Bud and Lou's most popular films. Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld runs about 45 minutes and has the popular comic hosting a tribute to Bud and Lou. Finally Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters is a 30 minute behind-the-scenes look at the duo's popular series of films as they meet up with Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man. Make-up and other details are discussed with author Ron Palumbo giving input. We also get a 44-page booklet entitled Abbott & Costello: The Universal Story - it details the legacy of Bud and Lou plus an gives an overview of their films at Universal including rare photos, trivia and exclusive introductions from their families.

There are optional subtitles for all features and English for some of the bonus disc supplement compilation documentaries.

I can appreciate the gripes of some fans about "It Ain't Hay" (perhaps Universal will releases this as a stand-alone soon) but as far as a complete collection goes this is quite incredible. The films round out to about $3 each ($3 EACH!)- PLUS you get the informative commentaries, 2.5 hours of excellent extra features, the booklet keepsake and all of it contained in a wonderful replica-trunk case. If you don't own any of the 'Franchise sets' or were unhappy with the lack of extras and intermittent playback issues than this set is a super deal. I can't see how it could have been priced any cheaper for all Universal are giving you. These are films you can watch at any time - light-hearted adventure and classic, timeless humor. Recommended! 

Gary W. Tooze



Sample Menus



 

Screen Captures - Disc 1

 

One Night in the Tropics (1940)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 1

 

Buck Privates (1941)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 2

 

 In the Navy (1941) - NOTE: Yes that's 'Shemp'

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 2

 

 Hold That Ghost (1941)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 3

 

 Keep 'Em Flying (1941)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 3

 

 Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 4

 

 Pardon My Sarong (1942)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 4

 

 Who Done It? (1942)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 5

 

 It Ain't Hay (1943)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 5

 

 Hit the Ice (1943)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 6

 

 In Society (1944)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 6

 

 Here Come the Co-Eds (1945)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 7

 

 The Naughty Nineties (1945)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 7

 

 Little Giant (1946)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 8

 

 The Time of Their Lives (1946)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 8

 

 Buck Privates Come Home (1947)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 9

 

The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap (1947)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 9

 

 Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

 

 

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 10

 

 Mexican Hayride (1948)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 10

 

Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 11

 

 Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 11

 

 Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 12

 

 Comin' Round the Mountain (1951)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 12

 

Lost in Alaska (1952)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 13

 

Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 13

 

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 14

 

 Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955)

 

 


 

Screen Captures - Disc 14

 

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)

 

 


 

 

DVD Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

 

 

  

 

Re-released in May 2014:

 

Distribution Universal - Region 1 - NTSC




 

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