Bud Abbott Movies
American comedian Bud Abbott was the tall, bullying member of the popular comedy team Abbott and Costello. The son of circus employees, Abbott entered show business as a burlesque show producer, then took to the stage himself as straight man for a number of comedians, finally teaming with fledgling comic Lou Costello in 1936. After working in burlesque, in radio, and on Broadway, Abbott and Costello made their movie debut in One Night in the Tropics (1940). Their first starring picture was Buck Privates (1941), a box-office bonanza which catapulted the team to "top moneymaker" status for the next 15 years; in all, Abbott and Costello made 36 feature films. In 1951, they made their TV debut on Colgate Comedy Hour, and later that year starred in a widely distributed 52-week, half-hour situation comedy series, The Abbott and Costello Show. After the team broke up in 1957, Abbott retired, but was compelled to revive his career due to income tax problems. He appeared solo in a supporting role on a 1961 G.E. Theatre TV drama, then made an unsuccessful comeback attempt as straight man for comedian Candy Candido. Abbott's last performing job was providing the voice of "himself" in a series of 156 Abbott and Costello animated cartoons produced for television by Hanna-Barbera in 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1999
The original Army Navy "screen magazine" was a news and information film that was shown before the main feature in military movie theaters during World War II. These presentations consisted of human-interest stories from the home front, news about combat events, updates on defense-related industry, and rallies or programs that starred celebrities of the time - including Bob Hope, Harpo Marx, & Joe E. Brown. The films were devised to boost the troops' morale, and some contain derogatory racial stereotypes. Among the most popular segments in these "magazines" were cartoons about Private Snafu - a lazy, stubborn soldier who did everything wrong and ended up "learning his lesson" in ways that amused the audience. (The Snafu cartoons were created by Theodore Geisel, more widely known as Dr. Seuss.)
~ Alice Duncan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This video is part of a series that showcases some of the high points in the early history of American television. This volume contains two episodes featuring the beloved American clowns Bud Abbot and Lou Costello. Appearing on The Abbot and Costello Show, they perform in "The Drug Store" and "Peace and Quiet." ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1990
A documentary video that looks at the many hilarious comedians in history. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1989
Entertainment history. Uses film clips and contemporary interviews to show what Hollywood did during World War II in raising money for the war and entertaining the troops. Shows entertainer Bob Hope and his performing troupe today. Other entertainers include Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, The Andrews Sisters, Jack Benny, Lena Horne, Dinah Shore, Lucille Ball, Jimmy Durante, Red Skelton and Eddie Cantor. ~ All Movie Guide
Filled with enough cameos to keep film buffs entertained, this otherwise routine action-comedy by John Landis boasts Michelle Pfeiffer as one of its major attractions. She plays Diana, a woman prone to having affairs with some very dangerous men, and Jeff Goldblum is Ed Okin, an aerospace engineer whose lot is thrown in with Diana's when the woman is caught in a bind at the airport. The beautiful Diana is an airhead on the scale of the Hindenberg, her only concerns are clothes and men -- which she either most attractively wears or wears out, depending. While Ed is at the airport one day trying to sort out his life, Diana arrives with six smuggled emeralds in tow and is immediately welcomed by several hired assassins. Fear and expediency propel her into Ed's car, and the two are off on a series of narrow escapes that has them pursued by everyone from Iranians to baddies played by well-known international directors (Roger Vadim) or singers (David Bowie) or comedians (Dan Aykroyd). ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Pfeiffer, (more)
- 1980
This nostalgic video uses five short films to look back at Hollywood's efforts to bolster both overseas G.I.s and the folks back home during WW II. Each of the five shorts features an all-star cast doing things to cheer people up during a difficult time. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Narrated by Milton Berle, Hey Abbott! is a compilation of highlights from Abbott & Costello's numerous television programs. Includes routines like "Who's on First," "The Birthday Party," "Floogle Street" and "Oyster Stew." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Watch the comedy unfold as Milton Berle trades wisecracks with his hilarious guests on this videotape. Some of the funniest people in show business are featured in this collection hosted by "Mr. Television" himself. Pat Buttran, Dick Martin, Mort Sahl, and Eddie Quillon are interviewed. Footage of Abbott and Costello, Lenny Bruce, Martin and Lewis, Jackie Gleason, and many others is included. ~ Karla Baker, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milton Berle
- 1965
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? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
- 1964
This compilation film is one of the few Robert Youngson productions to incorporate sound as well as silent excerpts. All the clips are culled from 40 years' worth of MGM comedy material. The silent scenes spotlight such funsters as Marion Davies, Buster Keaton, Karl Dane and George K. Arthur, while the talking sequences feature the likes of Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Jimmy Durante, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Abbott & Costello and even the Three Stooges. Highlights include Laurel & Hardy's egg-breaking sequence with Lupe Velez from Hollywood Party (1934), the train-chase climax from the Marx Brothers' Go West (1940), Red Skelton's two-sided flag bit from A Southern Yankee (1948) and the Robert Benchley short subject A Night at the Movies (1935). Current prints of Big Parade of Comedy end with a montage of actor/stuntman Dave O'Brien's scenes from the Pete Smith Specialties; when the film was originally released in 1964, snippets from several then-current MGM films were also included. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, (more)
Dance With Me, Henry was the screen swan song for the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Most of the action takes place in Kiddieland, an amusement park owned by soft-hearted Lou Henry (Costello). An inveterate collector of strays, Lou has adopted orphaned kids Shelley (Gigi Perreau) and Duffer (Rusty Hamer), and has also provided a safe harbor for chronic gambler Bud Flick (Abbott). Bud's enormous gambling debts bring Lou under the scrutiny of gangster Big Frank (Ted De Corsia), who in turn is being monitored by DA Proctor (Robert Shayne). When Proctor is murdered, Lou finds himself the number one suspect. The film concludes with a riotous chase through the carnival grounds, with Bud and Lou just a few steps ahead of the bad guys. Both Abbott and Costello seem tired and worn out in Dance With Me, Henry, but a few bright moments manage to seep through the malaise of moldy old jokes and half-hearted sight gags. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, (more)
- 1955
The best thing that can be said about Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops is that it's better than the team's previous outing Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Set in 1912, the film casts Bud Abbott and Lou Costello as a couple of New Yorkers who are swindled out of their life savings by a crooked lout (Fred Clark). Pursuing the villain to Hollywood, the boys discover that the double-dealer is now posing as an autocratic Russian film director. To put A&C out of the way, the crook and his partner in crime (Lynn Bari) hire the boys as stunt men, intending to kill them off at the first opportunity. But the comic duo save the day when they enlist the aid of the Keystone Kops in capturing the fleeing villain, who has absconded with the studio payroll. Pretty dull stuff for most of its 78 minutes, Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops finally comes to life during the climactic chase, which is every bit as funny and thrilling as anything put together in the silent era. Though the film is rife with anachronisms, a measure of authenticity is achieved by such silent-era guest stars as Mack Sennett (who gets to throw a pie at Costello), Heinie Conklin, Herold Goodwyn and Hank Mann. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
- 1955
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Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy is the last of the team's vehicles for Universal-International. Stranded in Egypt, Bud and Lou hire themselves out as travelling companions to archeologist Kurt Katch. Before long, Katch is murdered by a group of cultists, and a medallion, embossed with a map which leads to a sacred burial site, is accidentally swallowed by Costello. The boys become the unwilling pawns of the cultists, led by Richard Deacon, and a greedy adventuress, played by Marie Windsor. The last scene finds Costello being menaced by three mummies, two of them bogus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
- 1954
This videotape consists of kinescoped highlights from Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's appearances on TV's Colgate Comedy Hour (1951-54). Along with such standards as "Who's on First" and the "Moving Candle" bit, we are treated to guest appearances by the likes of Lon Chaney Jr. and Charles Laughton. Abbott and Costello seem to truly come to life before an audience, and as a result their scenes have a lot more energy than one might expect from a sixtysomething straight man and a pushing-fifty comedian. The best moments include Costello's irrepressible ad-libs, which break up everyone on stage--including the taciturn Abbott. The pictorial quality on Best of Live varies from clip to clip; the comedy level is consistently high. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
When Lou (Lou Costello) accidentally shoots his neighbor Mrs. Crumbcake (Elvia Allman) out of a tree and perforates her bucket, he ends up in court, being defended by a less-than-competent attorney (Sidney Fields) recommended by Abbott (Bud Abbott). He manages to land in jail over a 79 cent dispute, in the same cell as a lost soul (Sidney Fields) who reacts with comic violence whenever anyone mentions Niagara Falls. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Lou (Lou Costello) has a terrible toothache, and Abbott (Bud Abbott) takes him to see a near-sighted dentist (Sidney Fields). The pair try several other methods to remove the bad tooth, including tying a rope from the tooth to a dog and getting the dog to chase a cat -- to no avail. But Lou's resourcefulness pays off in the end. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1953
They don't really go to Mars, they go to Venus, but first they go to New Orleans. While working at a missile base, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello inadvertently launch a rocket ship with themselves aboard. After a wild ride around New York City (the Statue of Liberty ducks when the rocket heads her way), Bud and Lou land in the outskirts of New Orleans. The boys are convinced that they've reached Mars, and their faith in this supposition is affirmed when they come across several strangely costumed "creatures" (actually revellers at the Mardi Gras). Meanwhile, bank robbers Jack Kruschen and Horace McMahon stow away on A&C's rocketship. When Bud and Lou return, the crooks force them to make a quick getaway into outer space. After several days of weightlessness, the four space travellers land on Venus, a planet populated by the gorgeous winners of the Miss Universe contest (including Anita Ekberg). Venusian queen Mari Blanchard falls in love with Costello, only to order him and his companions to return to earth when Lou proves to be unfaithful. Reportedly, this bizarre melange of sci-fi and slapstick was based on a story by Charles Beaumont, who received no screen credit (it's worth noting that Beaumont's later Queen of Outer Space boasts a remarkably similar plotline). Long considered the team's worst film, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars ("and about time!" quipped the New York Times' TV-movie reviewer) is rather likeable in its own incoherent way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
- 1953
This was the last in a string of spoofs that found the comedy duo tangling with various classic Universal Studios monsters. In this case, Slim (Bud Abbott) and Tubby (Lou Costello) play American detectives who cross wits with Dr. Henry Jekyll (Boris Karloff) in Edwardian-era London when they visit to compare techniques with their British counterparts. Meanwhile, Dr. Jekyll is conducting the usual lab experiments on animals before injecting himself with serum, transforming into the vicious Mr. Hyde and launching a killing spree against fellow doctors who scoffed at him. Slim and Tubby participate in the ensuing investigation, and havoc breaks out when Tubby himself is injected, with predictable results. Karloff lends gravity to the film, but by the time this one followed up earlier efforts like Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein and Abbott And Costello Meet The Mummy, the team had mostly exhausted the series' comic possibilities. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
- 1953
Bud and Lou get ready to attend police rookie school. Mike the Cop (Gordon Jones) and Mr. Fields (Sidney Fields) are driven out of A&C's apartment by the antics of Bingo the Chimp. And at tryouts for rookie school, Costello runs afoul of Professor Melonhead (Sidney Fields) and judo expert John Halloran -- who tosses him all over the mat -- and ends up on the shooting range, where he manages to ruin another day on duty for Mike the Cop, as well as his sergeant (Emory Parnell). Routines include "Mustard" and lots of gags involving equipment in the gymnasium. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
