The World of Abbott and Costello

The World of Abbott and Costello (1965)

Genres - Comedy  |   Release Date - Apr 1, 1965 (USA - Unknown), Apr 1, 1965 (USA)  |   Run Time - 75 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

The World of Abbott and Costello is a dismal attempt by Universal Pictures to cash in on the popularity of Robert Youngson's silent-movie compilation films. Random scenes from eighteen of the films of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are yanked out of context, then assembled in a patchy continuity by editorial supervisor Sidney Meyers. The footage is overladen with obnoxious narration by comedian Jack E. Leonard, who sounds angry that someone would dare to ask him to show up at the studio. Many of the excerpts are taken from Abbott and Costello's worst films, among them Comin' Round the Mountain, Lost in Alaska, and the execrable Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (a scene from which opens this compilation). All expense was spared in assembling this half-baked "tribute;" even Joseph Gershenson's musical score is parsimoniously lifted from Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops. The sole saving grace of The World of Abbott and Costello are the few gems culled from such A & C classics as Buck Privates, In the Navy, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, as well as such second-echelon but enjoyable efforts as In Society (featuring the sidesplitting "Susquehanna Hat Company" bit) and The Naughty Nineties (which preserves the immortal "Who's On First"). One final carp: Why exclude the "moving candle" bit from Hold That Ghost?

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Keywords

duo, film-clips, highlight, comedian