8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Bud and Lou are unemployed actors living in Mr. Fields' boarding house. Lou's girlfriend Hillary lives across the hall. Any premise would lead to slapstick, puns, lots of gimmicks from their movies.
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Sid Fields, Gordon Jones (I), Bobby BarberComedy | 100% |
Family | 35% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
None
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
When considering at least some (and probably arguably many) of the most successful comedy duos of the twentieth century (if not of all time), there's an interesting through line that can connect them, despite whatever manifest differences between the various acts there might otherwise be. Take for example these pairs, all of whom contributed mightily to American (and global) comedy: Laurel and Hardy, Martin and Lewis, and Abbott and Costello. In each of these aggregations, there was the "straight" man, one who might ostensibly be a bit "smarter" than the other partner (e.g., Hardy, Martin, and/or Abbott), and a kind of sad sack schlub who was frequently either already in or about to be in some kind of trouble due to being apparently dimwitted (e.g., Laurel, Lewis and/or Costello). Appearances, especially those crafted for a paying audience, can be deceiving, however, and in that regard it's rather interesting to note that The Abbott and Costello Show was evidently owned by the ostensibly "dumb" Lou Costello, who then put Bud Abbott on salary for the series. Both Abbott and Costello and Lewis and Martin had the good sense (and business savvy) to take part in what was then the nascent and perhaps still slightly "low rent" feeling technology of television, and in fact both pairs had been featured as revolving hosts on The Colgate Comedy Hour (there is evidently a Martin and Lewis Colgate Comedy Hour: 16 Classic Episodes DVD available, if our typically reliable database is to be believed).
The Abbott and Costello Show: Season 1 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of ClassicFlix, 3-D Archive and (just for good measure) the Library of Congress with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 1.37:1. Bob Furmanek's work with the 3-D Archive has approached the near mythic for some classic film fans, and his long association with Abbott and Costello no doubt made this a particular labor of love, and it shows in virtually every frame of this really beautiful looking restoration. It of course helped that so many original negatives were either available or ultimately discovered (the brief featurette on Disc Three is unbelievably interesting in that regard), with a 4K workflow that has returned these filmed episodes to considerable luster. Detail levels are typically excellent throughout the series, to the point that, as one of the commentaries points out, you can actually clearly make out the embroidered insignia on Lou's shirt, and with other fineries, like the sharp outfits Hillary Brooke is typically in, looking precise and even palpable. Contrast is generally consistent, and damage in the form of nicks and scratches is minimal at worst, and non-existent quite a bit of the time. There are some variances, some I'm sure due to the fact that some negatives were beyond the point of restoration and fine grains needed to be utilized, but also perhaps even within the negative elements, where clarity can occasionally falter for a moment, or brightness and contrast can look slightly blanched. There are occasional uses of stock footage (as in Western), where quality obviously is unavoidably compromised. The entire series has a commendably organic appearance that argues against any overly aggressive digital filtering.
The Abbott and Costello Show: Season 1 features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks (as noted in the Supplements section below, the "alternate" audio tracks with either partial or no laugh tracks are presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono). As some of the commentaries and the brief featurette with Bob Furmanek get into, this series enjoyed a rather "high tech" recording regimen for its soundtrack, and as a result the source elements utilized here probably were able to offer relatively more bang for the buck than for other television series from the same era. As a result, there's some surprising dynamic range at play, and while, yes, there's a certain boxiness to things, perhaps most evident in moments like the kind of wonderfully bombastic theme music, there's also really nicely full sounding midrange and low end. It's a rather interesting experience to watch the episodes with either partial or no audience laugh tracks (the filmed show was screened for an invited studio audience, whose responses were then recorded and added to the final broadcast versions, evidently with "sweetening" sometimes provided). What's notable is how adroit Abbott and Costello and perhaps especially the editors were in guessing how much time they needed for jokes to land and audiences to react before moving on to the next gag.
Disc One
Almost a decade ago now (kind of incredibly), in our Buck Privates Blu-ray review I began things by recounting an anecdote about my childhood which probably played in rather substantially to how much I have always loved Abbott and Costello. Their television series, however, was never a part of my childhood viewing experiences since, to my knowledge, anyway, it was never broadcast in any of the markets I lived growing up. The series itself is often almost maddeningly intense, with one shtick filled sequence after another, and so may be best enjoyed in smaller portions, but it is such a treasure trove of classic material that even occasional overkill may not be that objectionable. The teams at 3-D Film Archive, ClassicFlix and The Library of Congress have provided fans with a real treat that boasts solid technical merits and some really appealing commentary tracks. Highly recommended.
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