ABBOTT AND COSTELLO SET #1

Along with Hope and Crosby, my two favorite comedy
teams, all time!!

ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS(1940):

The boys aren't the leads in this, but still provide
a lot of humor, including their VERY famous "Who's
On First" routine!! Bob Cummings(TVs Love That Bob)
is the lead and does a good job carrying his role, along
with several other good actors. B

A review from an IMDb.com customer:

I will go slightly against the grain of most reviewers
here and say that the film is enjoyable enough without
the addition of Abbott & Costello. This film will forever
remain the debut of that wonderful pairing, but the film
isn't reliant on their input to lift it above average. Sure
they have great moments, the Who's On First and Salary
Deconstruction {Dollar A Day} sequences are pure joy,
but they are merely seasoning in a decent enough zany
comedy stew.

Allan Jones, Nancy Kelly, and a delightful turn from
Robert Cummings cement the fun to be had with this
daft plot line of Love Insurance, the tunes are engaging
enough and the ending is one of satisfaction that concludes
nicely for the viewer. Bud & Lou started here, and would
go on to much better movies, but saying this film is saved
by them is a disservice to the others
involved. - JohnRouseMerriottChard from United Kingdom

A comedy classic in every sense of the term! Lou and
Bud end up in the Army by mistake, and I'm not sure
it ever recovered!! lol Great comedy, and featuring
the Andrew Sisters music, including Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boy Of Company B!! A must see for all fans of
the classic comedies!! B

A review from Amazon.com:

Universal Studios hit box-office gold when they drafted
vaudeville comedians and radio stars Bud Abbott and
Lou Costello and turned them into one of the most
successful screen teams of the 1940s and 1950s.
After a tryout as supporting characters in the musical
One Night in the Tropics, they starred in Buck Privates
as con artists who accidentally enlist while hiding out
from New York street cop Nat Pendleton. Naturally he
winds up their drill sergeant and comic foil as they
wreak havoc on the armed forces. It's vaudeville in
fatigues, with the bare bones of a story provided by
spoiled millionaire playboy Lee Bowman, his strapping
All-American former chauffeur Alan Curtis, and the
girl-next-door they both pursue, Jane Frazee. The
lackluster subplot is directed with little verve by
Arthur Lubin, and the film's energy comes completely
from the snappy by-play of the comedians and
Costello's flustered double takes and jumpy physical
comedy (including a hilarious rifle drill in which the
out-of-step soldier marches to the direction of a
different compass). The Andrews Sisters sing "You're
a Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith" and "Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boy," among others, and future Stooge Shemp
Howard shows where the "mess" in mess hall comes
from as a cook on the receiving end of Costello's KP
tomfoolery. This modest comedy became a smash
hit and made Abbott and Costello Universal's most
valuable commodity, prompting a quick follow-up
with another peacetime armed forces comedy, In
the Navy. --Sean Axmaker

Fun romp featuring the Andrew Sisters with the boys
in the Navy! Music is the main focus of this film, with
Dick Powell singing a couple of tunes, along with, of
course the Andrew Sisters. And Lou trying to win Patty's
affection! B

A review from Amazon.com:

After the huge success of Buck Privates (cleverly referenced
in a spoofing credits sequence), Abbott and Costello traded
army green for navy blue to play landlocked gobs sent to sea
after six years in the service. The actual story belongs to Dick
Powell, who plays a radio crooner who has ditched fame and
fawning fans for the sailor's life, while an ambitious female
reporter (Claire Dodd) shadows the singer and stows aboard
his battleship to expose his secret. Meanwhile Bud Abbott
continues to con the ever-gullible Lou Costello, and Costello
woos Patty from the Andrews Sisters. Director Arthur Lubin
overcomes bargain-basement production values (rear
projection footage, toy boat special effects) with the
snappy repartee and energetic by-play of his stars. Skit
highlights include a typically crooked Bud Abbott shell
game, a hysterical series of spit-gags (in which the boys
keep cracking up on camera), Costello's mathematical
proof that 7 times 13 equals 28, and the climactic toy
boat fantasy of naval maneuvers gone mad, courtesy of
Captain Costello. The Andrews Sisters sing four songs
(including "Gimme Some Skin"), Dick Powell sings two,
and the Condos brothers perform a delightful dance
specialty act. The boys would once again overcome
Lubin's lackluster direction in their next release, Hold
That Ghost, which was actually shot before this
film. --Sean Axmaker

Not nearly of the caliber of the boys meeting
Frankenstein, but still some funny momentsll! B-

A review from an Amazon.com customer:

Projected to be their second starring film, with
war clouds on the horizon and the runaway popularity
of BUCK PRIVATES, HOLD THAT GHOST was shelved
halfway through production so Abbott and Costello
could work on IN THE NAVY. Opening and closing
Andrews Sisters segments were added as afterthoughts
to "Ghost" due to their popularity in these other pictures.

In this fine UNIVERSAL comedy, gas station owners
Chuck and Ferdie are willed a gangster's mansion
simply because they were with him when he died.
The electricity-less house was once a speakeasy
and it now seems to be haunted. When left stranded
by a crooked jitney driver, the boys and three others
must spend the night there.

Here, Bud and Lou do the moving candle bit and Costello
has a hilarious dance sequence with the physically
durable Miss Davis. - Annie Van Auken

Pretty good, but not up to the first three movies!
Boys play bumblers(what else) that end up in the
Army air corp. Great flying sequences for the day!
The most poignant part of the movie is when Lou
pleads with the base commander to let them do
something to help out the war efforts! Very touching!! B

A review from Amazon.com by a customer:

This rollicking comedy isn't as tight and inventive
as the classic "Buck Privates" but it's still hilarious.
But what helps this really zoom along is the marvelous
Martha Raye. She portrays twin sisters--one quiet,
demure, the other more like the real Martha--boisterous,
funny, earthy. The highlights of this comedy is when
Martha sings and dances and one of the best rock
numbers ever recorded is her finger-snapping "Big
Foot Pete" number, with a terrific boogie-woogie
beat. This number was nominated for an Oscar as
best song. Martha has been nearly forgotten today
but she should be reverred as one of film's most
endearing and talented stars. - A Customer

A much better film than I expected!! Cowboys and
Indians and Abbott And Costello, OH MY! A lot of fun
this one is! B

A review from an IMDb.com customer:

This is Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's sixth film, and
it is quite a huge riot! This is a movie that will leave
you laughing away!

Poor ol' Lou Costello once again gets into a lot of
trouble in this side-splitting movie, but everything
turns out well for him, as always!

In this movie, Abbott and Costello are going out west.
Boy, they went everywhere! they were in the army,
navy, air force, Foreign Legion, met the Invisible Man,
Frankenstein's monster, the Wolf Man, Dracula, Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Mummy, and they went to
outer space!

This is another of the funniest movies the Abbott and
Costello ever made, those who have not seen this movie
must, you will just laugh, and laugh, and laugh!

I own this as part of the DVD collection: The Best of
Abbott and Costello, Vol. 1, so I can watch it anytime
I like. - Humphrey Fish

Pretty fun piece of fluff! Not really as great as some of
the others, but still a lot of fun! B-

A review from an IMDb.com customer:

I wanted to see this film because my grandfather acted
in it. His name is James Spencer. This film was very fun
to see and watch the entertainment of the war years.
I specially enjoyed the songs and dancing in this film.
There is very little of that kind of entertainment in
today's films. A great shame! "The Boys", Lou & Bud,
were never better! : oscar-35

Excellent!!! I can't say enough about how good this
movie is! Definitely the cream of this first set of
movies starring Abbott and Costello!! A

A review from an Amazon.com 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. - A Customer

COMPLETE LIST OF DVDs
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LIST OF ANIME/ANIMATION DVDs
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LIST OF STAR TREK/STAR WARS DVDs
LIST OF SUPERHERO DVDs
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