5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Teamwork, November 7, 2007
This review is from: Great Comedy Teams 10 Movie Pack (DVD)
St. Clair multi-packs offer transfers that are often a grade above many other DVD box set manufacturers. Sound quality is uniformly strong.
On the cover of the GREAT COMEDY TEAMS 10 MOVIE PACK is a B&W photo of Abbott & Costello, who appear here in the widely-circulated AFRICA SCREAMS. Foreign-made UTOPIA (original title: ATOLL K) is the last film appearance for both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (who was clearly on the decline physically). At age 61, Stan had some difficulty pulling off his rubber-faced sad sack act. It's a melancholy finale for a once-great duo.
HIGHLIGHTS:
THE GORILLA's cast includes not only Bela Lugosi, but vaudeville comedy/song & dance men The Ritz Brothers, who were once considered equals of the Marxes.
Another vaudeville team, Olsen & Johnson, appear in ALL OVER TOWN. Their fast-paced blackout sketch style translates well to the screen.
PRIVATE SNUFFY SMITH is a fine adaptation of the "bodacious" hillbilly comic strip character. Starring the nearly-forgotten husband & wife duo of Bud Duncan and Sarah Padden, this one also features future Head Mouseketeer, Jimmie Dodd.
Wheeler & Woolsey made the jump from vaudeville stage to the big screen soon after the Marx Brothers. HALF SHOT AT SUNRISE is a musical comedy about two AWOL soldiers living it up in Paris during WWI.
SLAPSTICK GREATS Movie Pack is an excellent companion piece to this DVD set.
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Parenthetical numbers are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website.
DISC ONE:
(4.7) The Gorilla (1939) - The Ritz Brothers/Anita Louise/Patsy Kelly/Bela Lugosi
(4.7) All Over Town (1937) - Olsen & Johnson/Franklin Pangborn/James Finlayson
(5.4) Private Snuffy Smith (1942) - Bob Duncan/Edgar Kennedy/Sarah Padden/Jimmie Dodd
(6.3) Mr. Wise Guy (1942) - East Side Kids
DISC TWO:
(6.6) Half Shot at Sunrise (1930) - Wheeler & Woolsey/Dorothy Lee/Edna May Oliver
(6.2) Africa Screams (1950) - Abbott & Costello/Clyde Beatty/Frank Buck/Max Baer/Buddy Baer/Hillary Brooke/Shemp Howard/Joe Besser
(5.8) Check and Double Check (1930) Freeman Gosden & Charles Correll (Amos n' Andy)/Duke Ellington orchestra
DISC THREE:
(6.0) Speak Easily (1932) - Buster Keaton/Jimmy Durante/Thelma Todd/Hedda Hopper
(5.3) Utopia ("Atoll K") (France/Italy-1951) - Laurel & Hardy
(6.8) Road to Bali (1952) - Bob Hope/Bing Crosby/Dorothy Lamour
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