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Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection
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Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Find all by Universal Studios
Directed By: William Hanna, Joseph Barbera
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Retail Price: $119.98
Online Sale Price: $83.99
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Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Janet Waldo, Don Messick, John Stephenson
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 Include -
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)
Bonus Features -
The World of Abbott and Costello: This compilation includes classic routines from 18 of Bud and Lou's most popular films.
Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld: The popular comic hosts a tribute to Bud and Lou in this insightful retrospective.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters: A behind-the-scenes look at the duo's popular series of films as they meet up with Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man.
6 Feature Commentaries by Noted Film Historians
Exclusive Bonus -
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.
User Submitted Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection Reviews
November 22, 2008
Abbott & Costello at Their Best
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: From the Secret Files of Harry Pennypacker
Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake
ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN may be the comedians' most popular movie, but that's not the primary reason to purchase Universal's new fabulous gift set, ABBOTT & COSTELLO: THE COMPLETE UNIVERSAL PICTURES COLLECTION.
All true Abbott and Costello fans, most likely, already have the studio's four previously released A&C collections in their DVD libraries. So, why buy this one?
First, this 15-disc set includes all 28 movies that the comics made for Universal, including IT AIN'T HAY (1943) which, for unknown legal reasons, was not included in any of THE BEST OF ABBOTT & COSTELLO sets.
Adapted from a story by Damon Runyon, IT AIN'T HAY is a fun movie, and contains such A&C routines as "Mudder/Fodder" and "Betting Parlor".
Second, unlike the earlier multi-problem, double-sided/double-layer discs in the BEST OF sets, these discs are single-sided with only 2 movies (rather than 4) per disc. No problems here.
Finally, this set is handsomely packaged with a large box that not only contains the DVDs (including one devoted to Special Features) in seven separate cases, but also a 44-page book that has fascinating background information and trivia about the comedians and each of their movies.
From ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS (1940) and BUCK PRIVATES (1941) through THE NAUGHTY NINETIES (1945), which contains the "Who's on First" routine, to ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE MUMMY (1955), is there a better gift for the Abbott & Costello fan?
© Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
November 19, 2008
Great Set, Great Price, But.....
Just a quick note about this set. I think all the other reviewers have already covered just about everything there is to say (good and bad) about this set. The one negative remark I keep seeing come up about this set again and again is that it is the only way to get "It Aint Hay" on dvd. As a result many people who already have the other movies feel they have to shell out $85 for this one movie. I purchased a dvd copy of both "Hay" and the other rare A&C film "Meet Captain Kidd" (which was the only film shot in color) from a private collector on "i offer dot comm" a few months ago for less than $10 each. So for those who want to see these films without shelling out the big bucks again do what I did and get them somewhere else. Look around on that site you'll find all the stuff that you probably ever wish was out on dvd in the stores from old movies to old tv shows to complete tv series!!
November 13, 2008
RE: "Realart Presents"
To the person who was asking about a change in the main-titles for "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein"; I can't say for certain (only because I didn't purchase this new DVD set and consequently haven't watched any of it), but it sounds to me like Universal used a re-issue print of the film this time around. If you had purchased either the single-disc DVD of the film or Volume 3 of the "Franchise Collection" you no doubt must have watched the bonus trailer for the film at least once...
If you looked carefully during the end of the trailer you would have seen the words, "A Realart Re-Release". This means that the trailer itself was for the re-issue version of the film; but I don't know for certain if "Realart" was a subsidiary of Universal Pictures or not. I suppose you could do a search on Wikpedia; but, more often than not that site has a lot of mis-information... I do know that Realart had re-issued a few of the classic Universal monster pictures, like "Son of Dracula" and "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman".
I own 5 volumes from Universal's "The Legacy Collection" DVD series of their classic horror films and the re-issue trailer for "Son of Dracula" is on Disc 2 of the "Dracula" DVD set. I also remember seeing a print of "Buck Privates" on TV that had the "Realart" logo on the main-title cards; so that obviously was a re-issue print as well.
You should also bear in mind that when Universal had that tragic fire back in June a large number of their digital and analog video masters (as well as all of their distribution/rental prints) reportedly went up in flames. Fortunately, the original film negatives to all of their old movies were apparently stored safely away from the Main Lot; but the downside is that it will be far too expensive to strike new distribution/rental prints from those negatives. Not only were most of Universal's classic film library affected, but also that of all the Paramount films made before 1948 (which were purchased by MCA/Universal in the 1950's).
I'm only guessing here, but it could very well be that Universal decided to use a re-issue print of "A&C Meet Frankenstein" because the video master used for the older DVD editions was either unavailable or had been destroyed. Consequently it may have been too expensive to create a new digital master from the original film negative.
Again, since I didn't purchase this set and haven't watched any of it, I have no idea what source material was used in the digital remastering for each of the individual films. My guess is that for most of the films in the set they may have used surviving digital masters that were done for the earlier DVD sets. Also, "It Ain't Hay" was released previously on VHS (used copies are probably still circulating on Amazon) so they might have been able to use the video master for that film if it survived the flames. If not, maybe they found an archival print over at UCLA.
I already own Volumes 1-3 of the "Franchise Collection" and haven't experienced any playback problems with any of them. I also have "A&C Meet Frankenstein" on the older, single DVD, just because I still wanted to have the audio commentary for the film and the "Meet the Monsters" bonus feature as well.
I didn't get Volume 4 because two of the three movies on that set ("A&C Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" and "A&C Meet the Keystone Cops") are not very good. Also the compilation film, "The World of Abbott and Costello" is in my opinion a complete waste of time... I decided to purchase "A&C Meet the Mummy" seperately as well, because I feel it was the best one of the three. I wasn't crazy about "It Ain't Hay" when I saw it on TV years ago, so I don't mind not having it. I do have most of the "Non-Universal" stuff (with the exception of "A&C Meet Captain Kidd" and "Rio Rita" which still haven't been released to DVD).
November 10, 2008
A great collection, but...
For Abbott and Costello fanatics, this is a great collection of the 28 movies the team made for their home studio, Universal. That said, however, there are some important factors (at least they're important to me) that prevent me from giving this set a full five-star rating.
First of all, I have to agree with all of you who feel disrespected by Universal's lack of marketing etiquette. It's bad enough that many devoted A&C fans who purchased those previous Franchise Collection volumes now feel like fools for loyally supporting those releases, but they can't even obtain the previously unavailable IT AIN'T HAY (1943) without having to purchase the other 27 movies all over again. Universal certainly hasn't shown any reluctance in re-releasing the same basic material over and over again (the 75th Anniversary Edition of DRACULA, the 75th Anniversary Edition of FRANKENSTEIN, etc.), so why not release a separate, single-disc edition of IT AIN'T HAY? Or a smaller 3-disc, 6-film set, like the one Universal released in the UK (which contained ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS, BUCK PRIVATES, PARDON MY SARONG, WHO DONE IT?, IN SOCIETY, and HERE COME THE CO-EDS). Given the choice of purchasing this new collection or purchasing IT AIN'T HAY by itself, I would have still purchased this new collection. But I still sympathize with consumers who don't want to or can't drop 84 bucks (or more) just to obtain one new title. Universal, you've done these good folks wrong...you should have provided them with an option. (Besides, as rare as it might be, IT AIN'T HAY is perhaps the weakest of the early A&C comedies.)
And if Universal went to the trouble of revamping this collection, why weren't more theatrical trailers included? Granted, there are a couple additional trailers this time around, but nowhere near as many as there should be. With the exception of AFRICA SCREAMS (United Artists, 1949), original-issue or re-release trailers for every Abbott and Costello feature exist in studio or private archives, or in the hands of private collectors. So what was the problem? Indifference or laziness? And if trailers weren't available for whatever reason, why not toss in a random episode of THE COLGATE COMEDY HOUR or a couple of those antique Castle Films abridgements (HAVE BADGE, WILL CHASE; NO INDIANS, PLEASE; RIOT ON ICE, etc.)? Please, give us something...ANYTHING that will help justify purchasing the bulk of these movies all over again. If this were a thirty-dollar set, this sort of grumbling would be trivial. But for this kind of money (and figuring in the cost of those previous volumes to boot), I believe this complaint is valid.
And where did those reissue titles come from? When ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS was first released on VHS, I was one of many A&C fans who applauded Universal for making the effort to track down a copy of the full-length, original-release version (as opposed to the edited reissue version that aired on television for years). But the DVD release of TROPICS is taken from a print that has a replaced opening-cast title and End title, unlike the original titles seen in the VHS format. Also, this new collection contains a Realart Pictures reissue print of ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. This is the best-quality version of this title that has ever been made available, though purists may grumble about the replaced footage. (If you're not familiar with the Realart version, it replaces the original "Universal-International presents" and "The End" titles, which obliterates some of the opening-credits animation and cuts short the final shot of Bud and Lou jumping into the water.)
If you didn't purchase any of the previous volumes, then now's the time to order this set. For the rest of us, it's yet another instance where the consumer has to grin and bear it.
November 10, 2008
Never mind first.....
I say that with a grain of thought... having already bought all 4 "Franchise Collections" which we all know was issued first. Like many fans I had no need to buy the complete collection. I'm so glad I did and very pleased to say you should do the same. The astetics are perfect every thing is included and all the new bells and wistles make it a perfect colletion. So skip first and second base slide past third to a HOME RUN!
November 3, 2008
Still missing a few...............
Great collection. But still does not include at least 6 titles. Rio Rita, Abbott & Costello Meet Captain Kidd, Jack & the Beanstalk, Africa Screams, Abbott & Costello in Hollywood, and Dance with me Henry. Maybe one day they will release the ENTIRE A&C movie collection.
November 2, 2008
abbott and costello
This is a must have. Abbott and Costello are the greatest and these films are awesome. I love these films and now i have them for life. Again its a must have if you love to laugh out loud even by yourself.
October 31, 2008
I feel cheated by Universal
I bought all of the individual films as they were released on DVD. I then bought the Vol. 1 thru Vol. 4 as they were released (which forced me to re-buy movies I already owned). Now they release a complete set which has like an extra movie or two. How many times will they go back to the well?
If they release a Volume 5 with the remaining content it won't be so bad but I doubt that they will which means I already bought the last DVD from Universal I will ever buy. I guess if the studio can't put out NEW quality movies, they have to rely on re-releasing OLD quality movies.
October 29, 2008
5 for the set. 1 for the rotten studio.
This is really a terrific set, with every movie the boys did for universal. The box is beautiful and the booklet is great. I am also glad they used only single sided discs. I feel bad for all those people who bought the best of sets with the crappy double sided discs and the read error. To top it off, the only way to get It Ain't Hay is through this set. This set also has some new audio commentaries as well. Everything else is the same as the best of sets. It's a nice set, but if you already purchased all the best of editions, you really don't get much more with this set.
October 29, 2008
Awesome!!!!!!!
This is the best thing they have done for A&C fans everywhere. I own all of the other discs and I am willing to pay out the [...] bucks just to get my A&C collection that much closer to total completion
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