The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 1 (Buck Privates / Hold That Ghost / In the Navy / Keep 'Em Flying / One Night in the Tropics / Pardon My Sarong / Ride 'Em Cowboy / Who Done It?) Review
I picked this up last Christmas for a family member. At their zenith, Abbott and Costello were the best comedy team in pictures and on radio. Charlie Chaplin praised their genius, and Groucho Marx remarked that Bud Abbott was the best straight man in the business. It wasn't highbrow comedy to be sure, but people loved watching the boys inadvertently get into a jam and make us laugh.
The country was at war during all the pictures included on this set, giving Americans some laughter to go along with the tears shed by many who discovered by ominous telegram that their loved one was not coming home. Much as Fred and Ginger helped get the country through the Great Depression, Bud and Lou got the people back home through WWII.
There are no duds here, as every film is funny and a nice pick-up for A&C fans. Bud and Lou were either getting mixed up in some crazy scheme, on the run from killers, or wrecking havoc in the U.S. Military. They got to play cowboy (Ride 'Em Cowboy), travel to the South Seas (Pardon My Sarong), solve a radio show murder (Who Done It?), and spend the night in a haunted house (Hold that Ghost).
After catapulting to stardom in One Night in the Tropics, the studio immediately gave them over to Uncle Sam in Buck Privates. With help from The Andrew Sisters, the boys wrecked havoc and overcame a slight script to secure their spot at the box office.
With help from Nat Pendleton and Shemp Howard, Slicker (Bud) and Herbie (Lou) poked fun at peeling potatoes and boot camp while The Andrew Sisters sang some breezy war songs and the classic, "I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time." It was lovely Jane Frazee who brightened the film up, however, as Alan Curtis and Bob Martin tried to win her heart. Her "I Wish You Were Here" musical number is a highlight.
In Pardon My Sarong Bud and Lou are a couple of Chicago bus drivers who take a detour to a tropical island with beautiful Virginia Bruce and Robert Paige. It is one of their most fun outings, Nan Wynn taking a shine to Lou while treasure hunter Lionel Atwill tries to lure him into a volcano! With the boys stranded on an island where every girl is named Luana, and Vera West dressing Virgina Bruce, this one is a can't miss for fans.
Who Done It? had our pals trying to break into radio as mystery writers for Murder at Midnight. Louise Albritton, Mary Wickes, Patrick Knowles, William Gargen, and William Bendix offer great support as a real murder occurs during a broadcast of the show, and Chick and Mervin play detective while attempting to avoid the real cops so they can get their big break. It holds a special place in the heart of all old radio fans, and there are some hilarious bits from the boys along the way; they even take a moment to poke fun at themselves. And the identification Lou produces to collect on a radio contest is a riot!
Many regard Hold that Ghost as the boy's best. When Bud and Lou lose their jobs as waiters in a fancy nightclub, they go back to pumping gas. Circumstance lands them in the car of gangster Moose Malloy when he bites the dust. Since his will leaves everything, including a hidden fortune everyone is after, to the last people with him at his demise, hilarity can't be far behind.
Lovely "B" favorite Evelyn Ankers and the very funny Joan Davis join Bud and Lou as they head to the hotel they've inherited. Richard Carlson's bookish scientist joins them at the tavern during a storm while gangsters try to find the stash and and scare off the boys. Joan Davis is especially good as a "screamer" from the movies who may be as big a coward as Lou. Their crazy dance together to the Blue Danube is a riot! Ankers and Carlson have the straight parts as she tries to get him to take off his glasses long enough to realize what is right before his eyes.
Universal gave this one everything it had, including The Andrew Sisters, who get to sing "Sleepy Serenade" and the Brazilian, "Aurora." This one is a lot of fun to watch, not a dull moment anywhere in sight. Fans of Bud and Lou have to own this one, making this set indispensable. A combination of great Abbott and Costello films every fan should own!
The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 1 (Buck Privates / Hold That Ghost / In the Navy / Keep 'Em Flying / One Night in the Tropics / Pardon My Sarong / Ride 'Em Cowboy / Who Done It?) Overview
Contains: one night in the tropics: buck privates: in the navy: hold that ghost: keep em flying: ride em cowboy: pardon my sarong: and who done it? Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 10/06/2009 Run time: 670 minutes Rating: Nr
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