And to finish off today’s triple feature (not to mention, our run through of the Abbott and Costello filmography), we have the 1965 film The World Of Abbott And Costello.
Well, this one should be fairly quick and easy. The World Of Abbott And Costello is a compilation film, making use of clips from various movies that the comedy team of Abbott and Costello made for Universal Studios. Movies represented by film clips include The Wistful Widow Of Wagon Gap, In The Navy, Hit The Ice, Who Done It?, Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein, Mexican Hayride, Hold That Ghost, Abbott And Costello In The Foreign Legion, Little Giant, In Society, Ride ‘Em Cowboy, The Naughty Nineties, Buck Privates Come Home, Buck Privates, Abbott And Costello Meet The Keystone Kops, Lost In Alaska, Comin’ Round The Mountain, Abbott And Costello Go To Mars and Abbott And Costello Meet The Mummy. The film is narrated by comedian Jack E. Leonard.
Ok,now that we are past all that, I can tell you what I think of it. As a whole, this is a very weak film. By way of the narration, it “attempts” to tell the story of Abbott and Costello (although anybody expecting this to be a documentary is looking at the wrong film, as it doesn’t come anywhere near what I’ve heard). Outside of the opening and closing credits, the entirety of the film utilizes clips from their films. The problem with that is that they use clips from the lesser films along with their better stuff. When it actually uses footage of their comedy routines, it’s good and funny (but those moments are a little too few and far between). The narration by Jack E. Leonard isn’t that great either, as he throws in his own quips, almost all of which land with a thud. And sometimes his narration rather annoyingly covers some of the (far, far better) comedy routines, most noticeably during the “Who’s On First?” routine at the end of the movie. Personally, I think there are better ways to be introduced to the Abbott and Costello films (mostly by giving their earlier films a try), so I really wouldn’t recommend this movie at all.
This movie is available as part of the 28-film The Complete Abbott And Costello Universal Pictures Collection from Shout Factory.
Film Length: 1 hour, 15 minutes
My Rating: 3/10
Audience Rating:
List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections
Abbott And Costello Meet The Mummy (1955) – The Complete Abbott And Costello Universal Pictures Collection
Coming Up Shorts! with… Spinach-Packin’ Popeye (1944)
(available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of Popeye The Sailor: The 1940s Volume 1 from Warner Archive Collection)
Disclaimer: On the disc case, it is noted that the set is intended for the adult collector, which is because these shorts were made at a time when a lot of racist and sexist stereotypes were prevalent. All I’m trying to say is, parents, be careful about just sticking these on for your kids.
Welcome to my new feature on various theatrical shorts! Sometimes my comments will be on shorts included as extras on a disc set I am reviewing, and other times, they will be completely unrelated to the movie being reviewed (and I will try to indicate which). Hope you enjoy!
(Length: 7 minutes, 6 seconds)
After giving blood, Popeye loses a fight to Bluto and tries to convince Olive not to reject him. A bit of a clip show, making use of some footage from “Popeye The Sailor Meets Sindbad The Sailor” and “Popeye The Sailor Meets Ali Baba’s Forty Thieves.” Obviously, the animation styles between the old and the new differ, but it still works quite well here. One of the better clip shows amongst the Popeye cartoons, and one I do enjoy seeing every now and then!
And stay tuned for more of Coming Up Shorts! featuring more of Popeye (and the eventual post on the entire 1940s Volume 1 set), along with other shorts!
Thoughts From The Music(al) Man 