Abbot & Costello the Complete Universal Pictures Collection Is Here in Blu-Ray High Definition

Not as zany as the Marx Brothers. Not as wacky as the Three Stooges. Only a duo performing a comedy act first honed in vaudeville and then polished in movie after movie. Abbot & Costello were the personification of two different personalities joined at the hip by a common need and a friendship that seemed more at times to be happening despite the wishes of the two. And with the passing of pop-culture time, the genius of the two as personified in the movies can be seen — providing you’ve gotten hold of the 40TH Anniversary Blu-ray Edition ABBOT & COSTELLO THE COMPLETE UNIVERSAL PICTURES COLLECTION.

So first a bit of backgrounder: movies could and were turned out in a short time (and often on an even shorter budget), with Universal Studios being a major contender in the those years that Abbott & Costello inhabited (the 194s0 and 1950s). The two could seamlessly participate in the “worlds” that Universal had created, and so were popular for such films as Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, along with others that had them intersecting with Universal’s monster franchises as well as not tapping into these existing franchises (Buck Privates comes to mind). While the films had “action”, much of the routines between Abbott & Costello featured word play — carefully crafted and fast paced dialogue between the two that highlighted their personalities and the differences between them. So often it seemed that it was to be that Abbott lived in the high ground of being the more “intelligent” of the two as Costello fumbled his way through the conversation and whatever environment they were presently in and so brought out the entertainment. This strange dichotomy of word play and frantic situations moving around them combined to create comedy gold that was recognized in the past (i.e., the films sold lots of tickets and made lots of money for Universal).

The collection contains the entire 28 film run of A & C at Universal Studios and has been remastered through the Blu-ray process for a high definition results. Keep in mind that these black and white films were just that, film, and so the quality inherent in the originals can easily shine for home viewing if the studio takes care in the transferring. So rather than the muddy look of a DVD, here we get to see details in scenes that movie goers took for granted. And of course in the original aspect ratio (i.e., the “square”) and no attempting to fudge the view as widescreen. Physical effects as opposed to CGI and a sense of fun that centered around the two comedians/actors as opposed to dropping them into a mush of technical effects. Bud and Lou were the stars here, even if in the films they seemed to be more like common folks who got caught in unusual situations. That’s because the “world” that the two inhabited for the length of the film was never quite as real to them as it was being made out to the movie goer. The sound is now updated to the digital techniques available but still monophonic, but since the actors being heard was paramount, that was fine and still makes perfect sense. No overshadowing them with the music or sound effects throughout.

The collection comes in a three disc set and lets get this out of the way — it’s so much better to have this collection as a physical disc set than as some streaming digital. For one thing, there’s no problem with WiFi or streaming throttling: just put a disc in your Blu-ray player (which costs almost nothing now). You also get rewarded for having this box set in your collection in that there’s a bevy of added features. These range from interviews with family members (the boys being long gone now) to audio commentaries to interviews with historians and more. The addition of a 44 page booklet detailing the comedy duo’s legacy at Universal adds to the value of the films for the viewer — be they a first timer or a long time fan.

ABBOT & COSTELLO THE COMPLETE UNIVERSAL PICTURES COLLECTION is a SHOUT SELECT title and represents the Shout Factories commitment to doing more than just grinding out the past by slapping them onto disc. Here you’ll find a loving attention to detail and consideration for the content and those found in the content. Fans of classic comedy, along with those just looking for a laugh, will find a wealth of entertainment here each and every time a film is selected. Abbott & Costello wouldn’t have it any other way.