|
| 
 enlarge | Actors: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello
Studio: Passport
Category: DVD
List Price: $39.98
Buy New: $25.00
You Save: $14.98 (37%)
New (6) Used (3) from $22.27
Rating:  30 reviews
Sales Rank: 7958
Format: Box Set, Color, Dvd-video, Original Recording Remastered, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 5
Running Time: 775 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.4 x 1.5
MPN: KCHDPIP5030D
UPC: 025493503098
EAN: 0025493503098
ASIN: B000GDH7Q6
Release Date: September 5, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
Rent skit January 15, 2008
Lisa R. Smith (Cheyenne WY)
All my Dad wanted for Christmas was a dvd with their "rent skit". This dvd has all the classics. He has watched it over and over.
Comedy Heaven January 15, 2008
Phil S. (USA)
Over the years, we've seen these First Season shows mixed together with the lesser Second Season shows and it seemed that those tired, plot-driven episodes were not elevated by their predecessors but did serve the purpose of showing fans and historians what could be done when the stars have a say in the creative process. Those earlier, loose-jointed but free-wheeling and funny (oftentimes, hilarious) used updated vaudeville material and an excellent troupe of veterans. Everything fell into place. Most of the time, it made no sense. In one episode, Hillary Brooke is Lou'\s girlfriend. In another, she's Stinky's (Joe Besser's) Mother. Abnbott may have a mustache in one scene and not the next. The ad-libs were flying (and had 15 years of honing behind them).
Lou appears to have "bounced back" from a devastating personal loss and Bud was never better.
And that's what is here: that great first season, when acting, writing, directing, and editing worked together, and the Team led the charge.
A fascinating feature for the deep fan is an interview with Lou's daughters and home movies, most of which has Lou as Producer and Narrator. More often than not, he's actually out-of-character, and at one point he drops his voice when the subject of drunkenness comes up and it has relevance in his Professional life. Yes, it's been written that his partner had a problem, probably stemming from an Epileptic condition, which, in 1950, was said to be misunderstood, especially by those afflicted, who resorted to "self-medication". Anyway, his voice resonates with weary disappointment, almost total resignation.
The European Vacation narrative runs very long and is not a strong selling-point for the casual fan, in this Reviwer's opinion.
Might have been interesting to use less vacation clips and include some interviews/comments from the Abbott family.
Simply The Funniest Ever January 2, 2008
R. J. Mento (Philadelphia, Pa)
No other comedy team in the history of TV or movies was as funny as A&C. These shows are just great and finally the audio quality is excellent. Prior releases were with muffled sound, etc. Looking forward to viewing season 2. As many others have stated: these shows can be watched over and over and you still laugh out loud.
Abbott and Costello in Shorts December 30, 2007
frankebe (redwood city, ca United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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...)
The single funnies season of television comedy ever December 15, 2007
Lee Alan Dugatkin (Louisville, KY USA)
The first season of the Abbott and Costello is simply hysterical. It is, by far, the single funniest season of comedy ever on television. I have seen some of these episodes a dozen times and I still laugh out lo.ud every time. Lou is incredible, and Bud is the best straight man ever
|
|
|
Copyright 2008 DVDonsale.com | |
