Customer Reviews

The Abbott & Costello Show: 100th Anniversary Collection Season 1

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Do not be put off by the Passport label for this release, this is unlike all other Passport releases, it is excellent! And no logo branded on screen durning the shows.

These are the same restored quality 35mm film transfers that were on the SHANACHIE individual 4 episoded DVDs, but at a fraction of the price. Better yet, disc 5 is almost all bonus material supplied by the Costello Family. Their involvement in this DVD release is the reason for the high quality.

I already had the older releases and almost passed this up. But the 107 minutes of bonus material not available anywhere else was enough for me to invest the money again. Lou's Daughters supply interviews & narration over the home movies that adds insight to the Lou Costello persona. There is also footage of Lou & Bud promoting Lou's Boys Club.

Season one was, without question, the better season for The Abbott & Costello show. In addition to vaudeville veteran Sid Fields, the boys are joined by lovely Hillary Brook and soon-to-be stooge Joe Besser as Stinky. Mike the Cop also makes regular appearances to try and keep Lou in line.
Season one also features all of Bud & Lou's classic routines from their stage appearances & movies. You will see "Who's On First" in the "Old Actors Home" episode. These routines were all used up by the time the second season went into production.

If you never bought the older release, this is a MUST BUY. If you own the previous set, you may want to get this to learn more about the boys.

FYI, the 100th Anniversary is not for the television show, it is only 50 years old. The 100th Anniversary is actually for Lou Costello's day of birth.

Passport Video presents "The Abbott & Costello Show: 100th Anniversary Collection Season One" (1952-1953) (26 episodes of 30 mins shows), --- (Dolby digitally remastered)... Abbott and Costello were an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film, and television made them one of the most popular and respected teams in comedy history --- Their "Who's on First?" routine, developed during their years in burlesque, is widely considered to be one of the greatest comedy sketches of all time --- The two comedians first worked together in 1935 at the Eltinge burlesque theater on 42nd Street in New York. Costello became a burlesque comic in 1928 after failing to break into films as an actor and working as a stunt double and extra --- Abbott had been in burlesque since about 1914, as a ticket seller, producer, and finally a performer --- Abbott and Costello made their partnership formal in 1936, building an act by adapting and improving numerous old burlesque sketches into their own style --- Abbott was the arch, often scheming straight man and Costello the confused, always the fall guy.

By 1951, the twosome had moved to television--first as one of the rotating hosts of The Colgate Comedy Hour (Eddie Cantor and Bob Hope were among the others) and then, the following year, in their own situation comedy --- The Abbott and Costello Show, the half-hour series was loosely adapted from their radio show, but cast the duo as unemployed citizens --- One of the show's running gags involved Abbott perpetually nagging Costello to get a job to pay their rent, while Abbott barely lifted a finger himself in that direction --- as a regular Sidney Fields as their landlord and Hillary Brooke as a friendly neighbor who sometimes got involved in the duos schemes --- while semi-regular was Joe Besser, who played Stinky, a 40-year-old sissy dressed in a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit was good for a laugh or two --- "The Abbott and Costello Show" ran from 1952 to 1954, but the show found a new life in syndicated rerun broadcast in the late 1960s and early-to-mid 1970s, and the episodes were probably seen by more viewers this time around than when the show was actually produced --- the recently restored short "10,000 Kids and a Cop" from 1948, and appears in this collection --- this is a must have for fans around the world of this classic comedy team.

BIOS:
1. Bud Abbott (aka: William Alexander Abbott)
Date of birth: 2 October 1895 - Asbury Park, New Jersey
Date of death: 24 April 1974 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
2. Lou Costello (aka: Louis Francis Cristillo)
Date of birth: 6 March 1906 - Paterson, New Jersey
Date of death: 3 March 1959 - East Los Angeles, California
3. Sid Fields
Date of birth: 5 February 1898 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date of death: 28 September 1975 - Las Vegas, Nevada
4. Hillary Brooke (aka: Beatrice Peterson)
Date of birth: 8 September 1914 - Astoria, New York
Date of death: 25 May 1999 - Bonsall, California
5. Gordon Jones
Date of birth:5 April 1911 - Alden, Iowa
Date of death: 20 June 1963 - Tarzana, California
6. Joe Besser
Date of birth: 12 August 1907 - St. Louis, Missouri
Date of death: 1 March 1988 - North Hollywood, California

This collection of the comedy duo still has the magic that we remember from those bygone years --- but as long as we have the labels and networks who play and show these wonderful films of yesteryear, they will never be forgotten --- hats off to Steve Stoliar (Producer) and Dante J. Pugliese (Executive Producer), Henry Stephens (Writer), Kent Hagen (Film Editor) and a great job by Passport Video for this release --- looking forward to more of the same from the '50s and '60s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or Passport Video, stay tuned once again for more remarkable shows from the vaults of classic television and Hollywood --- exclusive interviews with Chris and Paddy Costello-Humphreys --- watch Lou Costello's rare home movies and capture the behind the scenes of these great comics that started it all --- Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.

Total Time: 840 mins on DVD ~ Passport Video #5030 ~ (9/05/2006)

The Abbott & Costello Show's first season features the boys doing the best of all their routines, with a gossamer-thin plot holding it all together.
This set is absolutely hysterical - laugh out loud funny!
The supporting characters - Hillary, Mike the cop, Sid Fields, Mr. Bacciagalupe and the surreal Stinky (I'll harm you!) - are all along for the ride and manage to keep up with the boys.
Good prints were used as masters and the transfer to video is excellent.
This set is a "must have" for all Abbott & Costello fans!

I've been a life-long A&C fan, and I own every one of their films, not to mention their Colgate Comedy appearances. For some strange reason, I never really bothered to pick up their TV show on either VHS or DVD, thinking that it was largely a rehash of the same classic bits I'd seen again and again in their films. While my assessment is partially true I am happy to say that these shows are VERY funny and arguably better than their films because the bits come at a faster pace (no slow, intrusive musical numbers to interfere with the pace, and the 1/2 hour show length helps), the plots are simple and silly, and the supporting cast is strong and endearing (Let's give some credit to Sydney Fields, who not only wrote many of these shows but also exhibits versatility as a great comic in his own right). Yes, most of their classic bits are rehashed, but they don't feel tired, as the performances feel fresh and renewed. I'd even argue that these old routines are better performed and funnier than some of their film appearances (the Niagra Falls bit, for example, is much better here).

ANYBODY NOTICE THE LAST SHOW ON THE 1ST DISC (ALASKA) AND (CHARITY BAZAAR ON DISC 2 IS TIME COMPRESSED. ALSO (BIRTHDAY PARTY ON DISC 1 IS JUMPY IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW. ICALLED PASSPORT AND A FELLOW NAMED NICK TOLD ME THEY HAVE HAD COMPLAINTS AND ARE GOING TO SEND OUT REPLACEMENT DISCS FR THOSE WHO CALL.

To the most laudatory reviews here, I can only add my appreciation to Passport Video for releasing all 52 episodes of the show on two box sets. I had been thinking about buying the earlier collection, but at what price glory? It's true that several shows on discs one and two of Season One are flawed, but you may call Nick at Passport and he'll send you two corrected copies. How many companies are willing to do that? So let's be grateful rather than so negative about these collections. I find the quality high enough for viewing without undue attention to the remastering and how about those bonus interviews and home movies? Wow! My 13-year-old grandson is writing a paper for his class about Abbott and Costello and he's studying Chris Costello's biography, which is essential reading for you A&C fans. These bonus features are something Universal hasn't added to their collections and so thank you, Passport.

For all you fans of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello who were disappointed in the defective discs of their franchise movie collections made a few years back, here is the real answer to Abbott and Costello DVDs. The makers of these discs took their time and energy to make them with impeccable quality, great sound, amusing classic episodes, and Lou's two surviving children, Paddy and Chris, in extra footage pay sentimental tribute to their father and their "Uncle Bud." Their classic routines in the TV show are basically the same from the movies, where in one episode, for instance, has Lou calling a phone operator trying to collect a grand prize, and the operator scoffs at him, telling him "The line is busy." That routine can be found in the movie "Who Done It." And of course, there will never, ever an Abbott and Costello collection complete without the immortal "Who's on First?," their national anthem.

Hopefully in the future, the makers of this 100th Anniversary Collection Season will take time and energy to make their movies the same way so fans won't feel like their missing anything on the movies. It was such a shame that the makers of the Franchise Collection did a haphazard job with too many skips and glitches. Not here in this special anniverary, commemorating Lou's 100th birthday and making him Paterson, New Jersey's favorite son. Watch this collection as well as the second set, and you will never be disappointed. For relaxing times, when you can't find anything good on TV and you need a episode to wind down and laugh before bedtime, watch anything from both sets of this special DVD collection.

So Abbott and Costello did make short films--AFTER they made about 30 full-length motion-pictures.

I really have to give a lot of credit to PASSPORT for putting these together so well: the image is probably as good as you can get, and the sound is perfectly clear; the menu is simple, original openings are intact and go right into the introductory routine; nothing seems to be cut out except the commercials (thank you!), leaving us with tight, satisfying short-subjects with no need to fast-forward through anything. The main menu has a little light music, but it's not too annoying. I could only wish for skit-indexing within the episodes.

Too bad we can't get the Martin and Lewis Colgate Hours 'complete' like this.

Considering the shows themselves: These little TV movies are done in film, so the picture is crisp and clear, and the action is clean. The sets are pretty good to extremely good (the scenery for "Africa" is not particularly lesser quality than the movie version!), they use realistic props (guns that explode, lots of soot and water sprayed around), and Costello takes his best pratfalls. The background music is charmingly "Mickey-Moused" to the action (I like cartoon music), there is a lively stock-company, and A&C's famous routines are showcased. The laugh-track is intrusive, but so is the sound of today's sitcom audiences--real or simulated. It would be very interesting to watch these without the canned laughter.

Many of the skits are actually funnier and more substantial than in the original movies, and with more convincing endings. The entire Vacuum Salesman episode is a vast improvement over "The Little Giant", and The Western Story also gives us the best of "Ride 'em Cowboy", with a few extra short routines thrown in. The 'Oyster Soup' skit is superior to what it was in "Here Come the Co-Eds" (the camera angles and the editing are a little different, and it's paced-out better), and the Costello-on-the-Phone bit now has a whole parade of original and outrageous characters. There are a few skits I think come off better in the features, but the movies were for a different audience (Costello makes it clear many times that here he's clowning for "the kiddies"). And best of all, you don't have to wade through long, boring, gratuitous musical numbers and retarded romantic subplots with inferior actors to get to the A&C comedy you want to see. There ARE a few songs, for old-times sake I guess, but they are short and well-integrated into the story.

(By the way, in case you're wondering what "time-compressed" means: the video for a few shows is running at a faster than normal rate, although the voices do not sound at a higher pitch. And at this point your guess is a good as mine...)

Seeing Bud and Lou again brought back some great memories as a child. I watched the series every day when I came home from school along with Superman before begining my homework. The clarity of the dvds are great and so is the sound.One problem though, out of the 5 disc set, disc #3 was unreadable, even the return had a problem and there were a few of my favorite skits on that disc. That's ok though, better to have 4 viewable discs of the boys at this price than none. I definately recommend buying this dvd set. Fifty years later, the routines are still hysterical. They're the best.

I enjoyed The Abbott & Costello Show very much. I never tire of their comedy. The quality of the DVD as to the B&W picture and sound was also excellent.

PNF - California