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 Releases Sept. 4 |
"A&C Meet Frankenstein" on Blu-ray  The most popular, and arguably the best, Abbott and Costello film will be released on Blu-ray on September 4. Universal's Blu-ray/DVD combo pack presents the film in its 1.37:1 original aspect ratio with a 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The set also includes bonus materials: a commentary track by horror film historian Greg Mank; the documentary "Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters;" and production photographs. You can pre-order at Amazon for $24.85.
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 Patricia Medina with Bud and Lou |
Patricia Medina, "Foreign Legion" co-star, dies Patricia Medina, British-born leading lady of the 1950s, died April 28 at the age of 92. She appeared in "Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion" (1950). Medina came to Hollywood after World War II and was signed by MGM. She starred in Orson Welles' "Mr. Arkadin," William Witney's "Stranger at My Door." In 1960, Medina married actor Joseph Cotten. They remained married until Cotten's 1994 death from pneumonia, a complication of his throat cancer. Medina, who lived in Westwood, wrote about her career and life with Cotten in the 1998 autobiography "Laid Back in Hollywood."
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 Releases April 17 |
"Buck Privates" comes to Blu-ray As part of its 100th Anniversary this year, Universal will offer special Blu-ray re-issues of selected titles, including the film that made Abbott and Costello stars, "Buck Privates" (1941). Universal's Blu-ray/DVD combo pack presents the film in its 1.37:1 original aspect ratio with a 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The set also includes a number of bonus materials, including "Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld"; a forty-page booklet featuring an appreciation from director John Landis (The Blues Brothers), rare movie memorabilia, vintage photographs, and classic routine scripts; and three "100 Years of Universal" featurettes: "Restoring the Classics," "The Carl Laemmle Era," and "Unforgettable Characters." You can pre-order at Amazon: Buck Privates [Blu-ray] for $35.99.
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 Available on demand DVD |
"Rio Rita" and restored "Meet Captain Kidd" on DVDThe Warner Bros. Archive Collection released "Rio Rita" (1942) and the restored "Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd" (1952) as manufacture-on-demand DVDs in April, 2011. Now, every Abbott and Costello film is available on DVD. These are no-frills editions, without trailers, audio commentary, still library, or even subtitles. But picture quality on "Rio Rita" is excellent, while the color on "Meet Captain Kidd" is very good. (The film was restored in 2002). They each retail for $19.99. You can order Abbott & Costello Meet Captain Kidd [Remaster] here, and
Rio Rita 1942 [Remaster] here.
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 Available on demand DVD |
"It Ain't Hay" on DVDThe Universal Vault Collection has released "It Ain't Hay" (1943) as a manufacture-on-demand DVD. The film first appeared on DVD in the 2008 boxed set "Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection." This is the first time that the film has been released as a single. It retails for $13.49. Order It Ain't Hay (Universal Vault Series) here.
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 Digitally restored with bonus features |
New DVD boxed set of TV seriesE1 Entertainment released "The Abbott and Costello Show: The Complete Series Collector's Edition" on April 6, 2010.The DVD boxed set includes all 52 episodes, digitally restored and re-mastered, plus lots of bonus material: a 44 page booklet; interviews with Lou's daughters; Costello's home movies; the rare compilation "Hey Abbott!," hosted by Milton Berle; "10,000 Kids and a Cop," (1947) made to promote the Lou Costello Jr. Youth Center; and more. All of the shows are subtitled as well. The set is priced at $79.98, but you can order it here  for $36.49.
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 Available DVD on demand |
Lou's 1928 silent film now on DVD When he made his first trip to Hollywood in 1927, Lou Costello worked as an extra or stunt man in several films including MGM's silent epic, "Trail of '98." In March 2009, the film became available on DVD as part of Warner Bros.' Manufacture-on-Demand DVD service. Order it for $19.95 at www.wbshop.com.Directed by Clarence Brown and adapted from a book by Robert W. Service, "Trail of '98" depicts
the hardships of American pioneers to reach the Yukon to mine for gold. The film, one of the last big-budget silents, was produced by wunderkind Irving Thalberg.
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 New boxed set includes "It Ain't Hay" --at last. |
New DVD boxed set has all 28 Universal films--including It Ain't HayA new premium boxed set of all 28 Abbott and Costello films produced at Universal was released on October 28, 2008. Included, for the first time on home video or DVD, is the 1943 film "It Ain't Hay," which had been out of circulation due to copyright issues.Unlike the "Best of Abbott and Costello" collection, which packed four movies on a double-sided DVD, the new Complete Universal Pictures Collection has two films per DVD.The collection includes audio commentary on six films, including "Buck Privates," "The Time of Their Lives" and "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein." Also included are the compilation "The World of Abbott and Costello" (1964), the special "Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld" (1994), and the documentary "Abbott and Costello Meet the Monsters" (2000). Other extras include a special booklet, "Abbott and Costello: The Universal Story," and 20 theatrical trailers. The set retails for $119.98. Order at Amazon for $67.49. |
when you join the Official Abbott and Costello Fan Club.
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