Product Details

• Actors: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Patric Knowles, William Gargan, Louise Allbritton
• Directors: Erle C. Kenton
• Writers: Edmund Joseph, John Grant, Stanley Roberts
• Producers: Alex Gottlieb
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: March 1, 1992
• Run Time: 77 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301374266
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,588 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced comedy mystery., October 11, 2000

By	Robert S. Clay Jr. (St. Louis, MO., USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Abbott & Costello: Who Done It [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Early Abbott and Costello flick that converts a murder mystery into frantic comedy. Nazi spies infest a major radio station in the early days of WWII. Bud and Lou are soda jerks at a nearby drug store lunch counter. When the "Murder at Midnight" program turns seriously deadly, our heroes pretend to be detectives and investigate the murder. The real detectives chase Bud and Lou around the radio station as the boys stay one step ahead of the crooks. Bud and Lou make the most of their comedic opportunities. They are more energetic and enthusiastic for the material than in their later films. There are none of the intrusive musical numbers that plagued some of A&C's other films. In fact, there isn't an Andrews Sister in sight. Some grumble that Lou Costello copied his comedy style from Curly Howard of the Three Stooges. Regardless of the merits of that argument, snappy dialogue and frenetic sight gags move the action right along. The laughs come in rapid-fire fashion. Check out Lou's encounter with the transcript recordings of killers in action, and the disembodied voice that inquires, "Do you have halitosis?" His attempt to make an urgent telephone call (ALexander 2: 2-2-2-2!) from a busy pay telephone with an unresponsive operator is also hilarious. William Bendix adds to the fun as a slow-witted police detective. Bud tells Lou to flirt with the station president's secretary (Mary Wickes) to help them get into the radio business. She studies a book on various ways to commit murder, or, in Lou's phrase, "...different ways to cook a guy's goose."

Great comedy is timeless. This movie has a very '40s look to it, but Bud and Lou manage to keep the comedy fresh and energetic. The movie is of value to collectors of classic comedy. It's also a good chance to introduce the kids to the world of Abbott and Costello. Enjoy the fun. ;-)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Who Done It? Who Cares?, August 5, 2001

By	James L. (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello star as two guys trying to get into radio writing and performing, who stumble into a murder committed live on the air, and in order to make a name for themselves, pretend they are detectives that can solve it. The murdered man is the president of the network. Along for the mystery are such familiar classic film faces as Patric Knowles, William Bendix, Mary Wickes, Louise Allbritton, and Jerome Cowan. There's not much to the mystery, as it pretty much forms the thread for linking together the boys' antics and slapstick routines. So don't expect to be on the edge of your seat through the movie, waiting for the solution. Costello is especially manic in this one, bouncing off of everything and everyone. I did enjoy seeing them make fun of themselves a few times, and there were a some clever moments. It's an Abbott and Costello film, so you get what you get. It's not the best I've seen from them, but it's better than a number of their other films.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHO DONE IT? ABBOTT & COSTELLO KNOW THE ANSWER, September 2, 1999

By A Customer

Once again the boys are at it in this classic mystery-comedy. Abbott & Costello play two soda jerks (CHUCK LARKIN & MERVIN MILGRIM) and amateur radio writers, who pose as real detectives to solve the murder of a radio network president. This film teams the duo with two legendary comics - Mary Wickes and William Bendix (later to star the the TV show "THE LIFE OF RILEY"). Very clever sight gags and highlights abound in this film. One funny highlight has Lou winning the "WHEEL OF FORTUNE" and after many attempts, he successfully gets into the radio station to claim his prize, which happens to be a brand new transitor radio. When Lou & Bud turn it on they hear themselves performing 'WHO'S ON FIRST'. They then turn the radio off in disgust, Lou says:"Every time you hear those two. It's ALWAYS 'Who's on first,What's on second'." 5 STARS once again to ABBOTT & COSTELLO.