I remember when I was just a kid, those Sunday afternoons after church, sitting down and watching Abbott & Costello movies every week. It was a weekly ritual I had with my dad and my younger brother. I would usually make the time to watch them, even if dad was somewhere else, or my younger brother was off playing with his mini GI Joe toys. They were often compared to other comedic teams such as Laurel & Hardy or Three Stooges, but in my humble opinion, Abbott and Costello are the kings. Their movies weren't as one dimensional as the other comedy teams. Usually, a Three Stooges show would be about a blue-collar job gone terribly and hilariously wrong, and Laurel & Hardy's skits were about getting to sleep or a toothache.
Abbott and Costello made great movies, and these four volumes seem to cover most of their films, only about ten are missing. Each movie has its own bonus materials section, usually supplying the DVD viewer with original theatrical trailers and production notes.

The films:
Disc One - Side One

One Night in the Tropics (1940) - Directed by A. Edward Sutherland.
The duo seems almost like a subplot/after-thought of an already existing movie. The stars of this film are Allan Jones, (A Night at the Opera, Day at the Races) Nancy Kelly and Robert Cummings. The movie is about insurance salesman Jim Moore (Jones) selling his friend Steve Harper (Cummings) "love" insurance, a million dollar policy, after Cynthia (Kelly) calls off the couple's engagement. Cynthia must agree to marry when Cynthia finds out about this secret insurance policy and sneaky stipulation, Cynthia vows revenge. It is filled with one scheme after another; pick pockets, and mafia and the like. The movie halts now and then to incorporate Abbott and Costello's comedy routine, included "Who's On First?" and some other really funny skits. One Night in the Tropics has way too many musical numbers that, let's face it, and have not aged well. They totally halt the movie's entertainment factor. The movie only seems to progress forward when Abbott and Costello were on the screen. The replay value is relatively low, except if you're ready to utilize the skip button on your remote control to the funny Abbott and Costello scenes.

Buck Privates (1941) - Directed by Arthur Lubin.
The story of two con artists when avoiding being arrested figures they would hide in the movie theater. It turns out that the theater is really a military recruitment center for the US Army during WWII. They accidentally enlist themselves and of course it comes along with funny consequences. The Andrew Sisters, a vocal trio, make their first Abbott & Costello appearance, they perform Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Bud and Lou are more than the backburner comedy relief as they were in One Night in the Tropics, and it makes the movie much more enjoyable.

Disc One - Side Two

In The Navy (1941) - Directed by Arthur Lubin.
The movie is about America's favorite heartthrob, singer Russ Raymond (Dick Powell) retreating from the spotlight and attempting to hide in the US navy as Thomas Halstead. A journalist (Claire Dodd), attempts to snag the Russ Raymond story. As she poses as a chambermaid in the hotel where he is staying, she discovers that he is enlisting in the navy. When she tries to break the story to her editor, he needs more proof, as the pictures she has are not concrete. So, she joins the navy and actually boards a vessel in order to get this big story. Luckily, there are some funny points in this movie supplied by Bud and Lou. This movie runs a little less than 90 minutes, and in my opinion there are way too many musical numbers, and definitely not enough Abbott and Costello.

Hold That Ghost (1941) - Directed by Arthur Lubin.
Abbott and Costello are finally the stars of the movie here. The plot is that they are in the right place at the right time, and they inherit a "haunted" house. The house was owned by a mobster, and there are some people under the impression that there was lots of cash left behind, so these schemers "haunt" the house in order to scare the new heirs away. This movie is my favorite on this collection; there are many laughs that aren't taken from old Abbott and Costello routines.


Disc Two - Side One

Keep 'Em Flying (1942) - Directed by Arthur Lubin.
Here's another military movie from the duo. Bud and Lou start off this movie as a couple of carnies who get fired and are easily talked into joining the air force by their third partner William Gargan, who is already a pilot. They even show a bit of self-mockery by pointing out that they have made a military movie or two before by invoking the title of Buck Privates. This is the first time I have seen this movie, and it is hilarious, one of the funniest I've seen. Lots of hot babes too.

Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942) - Directed by Arthur Lubin.
This film takes the boys into uncharted territory as far as the duo's past film genres. It's still comedy, but now the team has now become cowboys. Of course, they still stick to what they know, which will always consist of being con artists and a hearty slap in the face once in a while. Bud and Lou are on the run and they hide at the Lazy S ranch, after Lou accidentally proposes marriage to an Indian girl. He hilariously freaks out every time he sees an Indian, or thinks he sees an Indian.

Disc Two - Side Two

Pardon My Sarong (1942) - Directed by Erle C. Kenton.
The boys start off as a couple of Chicago bus drivers who are chauffeuring around a big star and his entourage. When the duo is accused of stealing the bus they're driving, the pair ends up as the star's crew aboard a boat heading for the South Seas Islands. Lou Costello is Wellington, and he is mistaken for a god on these islands, so he has to be sacrificed to the island's volcano. My favorite scene is when they're sitting under the "Truth Tree"; it's hilarious. Also another highlight is the amazing beautiful Nan Wynn who portrays Luana.

Who Done It? (1942) - Directed by Erle C. Kenton.
This is the shortest film in this DVD box set at only 78 minutes long. The boys are now in the market for a new get rich quick scheme, and for this movie it is to break into the radio storywriters. It turns out that there is a real murder during a recording of one of these mystery 'who done it' dramatizations. The boys again add 2+2 and get five and think that if they don the identities of the real investigators that they may be seen as great mystery writers themselves. This is the first Abbott and Costello movie that doesn't have any musical numbers, and it is hailed as one of their best. I can vouch for that.


So as you sit and watch movie after movie - you'll end up being entertained for hours. When I first noticed these DVDs at the store, I was hesitant to purchase them because I figured that the movie's picture quality would suffer from squeezing all of this info on two small discs. I was wrong, the movies aren't that long to begin with, so they end up being the length of a long movie, but with the two layers on the DVD that's more than enough room. There is even a trailer almost for every movie wedged in there too. This is a safe buy, and it really should be a necessary one as well.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8