Rating: 
Summary: HHHHHeeeyyyyyyy Abbbbboooootttttt
Review: I like Abbott and Costello and they have many funny scenes in all their movies. "In Society" (1944) has many good gags including their "Go Ahead and Blow The Horn" routine with Bud and Lou and their encounter with a policeman. Their plumber"s routine in trying to fix the bathroom leak and the damage Lou inflicts on the bathroom is very funny. One of the movies in the set which is often overlooked as one of their best is the "Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap" (1947). It takes place back in the days of the wild west. This film is very humorous in the fact that Lou inherits the "taking care" of a widow and her numerous children(around 7 or 8 kids) and the farm. The tough guys don't want to kill or harm Lou Costello for fear of inheriting the widow (who is obviously not attractive and has a mouth/and call that could be heard for miles) and her herd of children which is the burden that Lou must carry. This gives Costello the edge in order to act tough and not have to worry about the consequences. All the movies in this set were transferred flawlessly and the pictures are sharp. Good amount of movies for the price.Good humor and laughs for family viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Loved It!
Review: I loved all the movies. My favorites being The Naughty Nineties, and In Society. I remember all of them from when I was a child, and they were wonderful to get to watch all over again on DVD. I didn't notice any quality issues with my set, I must've gotten lucky this time around. I was just reading that Vol 3 comes out on 8/3/04
Featuring:
Disc 1:
Meet Frankenstein
Mexican Hayride
Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
In the Foriegn Legion Disc 2:
Meet the Invisible Man
Comin' Round the Mountain
Lost in Alaska
Go to Mars I can't wait to add those to my collection. Abbott and Costello are my favorite comedians of all time.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stare for abbott and costello 1 star for quality
Review: I purchased this set and had to return this set twice and still have a bad set will be returning it to amazon.Hopefully I will eventually get a good set.I have to keep watching them over and over to try to get a good set.
Rating: 
Summary: Great but be careful when buying
Review: I've long been a fan of classic comedy, thanks in large part by my father sitting my siblings and I down to watch the various "Road to..." movies, a Chaplin movie or two, Laurel and Hardy, Three Stooges, and, of course, Abbott & Costello. While working at Target, I was pleasantly surprised to discover of the first volumes release and I picked up a copy quite quickly. I did the same with the second volume as well, hoping to be able to enjoy it as much as I did the first. However, I have in no way enjoyed the second volume even a small amount as much as the first due to the fact that I can't even barely get through one movie without some sort of disc error. No matter which dvd player I use, there is a disc error which causes me to miss upwards of ten minutes of the first two movies on Disc 1 side 1. I've even returned the movie two times now and am on my third copy trying to find one that works. They all have the same sort of disc error with the only difference being that the error varies the timing of the error from set to set. It is also becoming harder and harder to exchange it for a new one since many of the stores I have gone to seem to have stopped carrying it, and one employee at a Northridge Suncoast mentioned that he thought there might possibly have been a recall of the volume 2 set. If you are an avid fan of Abbott and Costello, and have the patience to deal with the disc errors, then feel free to buy these movies as they are really great. But don't forget that I warned you.
Rating: 
Summary: Their comedy is tired and dated..A&C are over-rated....
Review: I've never found Abbott & Costello funny. Their relative popularity has always surprised me. But to each his own, and if I were an A&C fan, I'd prefer to have these movies treated properly as individual movies with nice extras, rather than squeezed onto two discs like a bunch of sardines. Thumbs down to Universal on their fire-sale approach to their library...
Rating:
Summary: Cannot beat it for the price!
Review: Putting all these movies together in one collection is a stroke of genius IMHO. I'm amazed at the picture quality of these vintage movies. I owned many of them on 8mm as a kid and now get to enjoy the full length editions (some of which I have never seen all the way through). "Hit the Ice" has always been a favorite of mine and starts off this series well. I still haven't seen all eight, but it's like unlocking a time machine for this A&C fan. No complaints here.
Rating: 
Summary: As good as the first set, maybe even better.
Review: Some of the situations the Hollywood movie machine contrived as vehicles for their stars show their age, often badly. Many of the "chase" sequences" don't hold up at all. The runaway sailboat sequence in "Here Come the Co-eds" is an example of this. It has its moments. The close up shots of the live actors and the background footage they're superimposed on don't match each other. Details, things like wind moving fabric around, are missing. Often, the "halos" that were left around people when their images were superimposed over stock footage are still present. (It's still not always that easy to get rid of those perfectly even when with a still photograph. Ask someone who's done it.) The problems lie with the special effects. These were the state of the art in their time but are weak by current standards. This list goes on. Archival and stock footage (which was used a lot) is often grainy. Sometimes the resolution of pieces of film being matched is completely different. And so on ... Don't worry too much about all of this. Bud and Lou's comedy has too much too offer to let small technical issues stand in the way of enjoying what they did. The routines they inserted into their films are as fresh today as they were sixty years ago. The timing they had was impeccable; a lot of today's performers could learn from it. Some of the best performances of their routines captured on film are contained in this set. Every one shows how good their timing was. Watch and enjoy.
Hit the Ice ****
When Lou Costello walks into the door that bud Abbott just went through it's funny. When most duos do this it's not as funny, if it's even funny at all. That's timing. You turn on any of these movies knowing this is going to happen a lot. You expect it. You may even know it's coming. But, try to spot it coming. You can't. Their timing was that good. This film has a lot of hilarious sight gags. Lou walks into an inordinate amount of doors and walls. Watch Ginny Simms almost lose it when Lou realizes she's the one handing him his food. It was probably the closest thing to a take with her holding a straight face they could get. And the film contains a great version of "pack the grip".
In Society ***
Bud and Lou as plumbers: what trouble can they get into here? Watch and find out, but don't drink anything while the scene plays. It'll be coming up your nose when you break out laughing.
Here Come the Co-Eds ***
This one is a bit uneven. The comedy portions are excellent. Look for what's probably the best rendition of "Jonah and the Whale" on film. The basketball game is hilarious. What hurts the film are some it's musical segments. Evelyn Silverstone's (Evelyn and her Magic Violin) solo spot is fine-she was an excellent violinist-but Phil Spitalny and his All-Girl Orchestra perform material that's beyond dreadful.
The Naughty Nineties ****
"Who's on First" ...complete! The set was supposed to be silent for this. The cameramen couldn't do it. Listen for them laughing. The "mirror routine" is hilarious. And the chase at the end is zany and side splitting. One of their very best. This one is reviewed separately. It's that good.
Little Giant ****
Bud is splendid as the film's villain. He makes himself very easy to dislike. This film is more heart warming than hilarious though. That's not to say it isn't funny. Some parts are very funny. The sudden explosion of sales Lou has and his colleagues reaction to it is hilarious. He still surprises viewers constantly with the klutziness he gave to all his characters. And he proves himself as a dramatic actor. His character is one of life's victims and he's one who doesn't deserve to be. When his heart breaks the viewers' hearts break as well.
The Time of Their Lives ****
Bud has dual roles again, this time as both the hero and villain of the piece. He's brilliant in both roles. It's a good example of why Lou felt he was worth 60% of the money the team earned. He really was that good. As for Lou, well who else could be convincing as a ghost who can't figure out how to pass through walls? This film is another good example of why this pair is still finding new generations of fans.
Buck Privates Come Home ****
This film is all heart. The boys try to help a war orphan (not an unrealistic problem) but can't succeed on their own. Look for some touching scenes between Lou and the little girl and count on some fun while the film pokes fun at excessive authority. And enjoy some of the routines. Setting a table will never be the same again.
The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap ***
This one features Marjorie Main of Ma and Pa kettle fame. She was a good comedienne and a good match to play opposite Bud and Lou. The funniest scenes in the movie are where she tries convincing (coercing) Lou into marrying her. His responses to everything she does are classic. Unfortunately some of the scenes where Lou gets to throw his weight around seem forced. Who's at fault there is hard to say but it looks like a decision made by the studio.
Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER GREAT A&C VOLUME, EXCELLENT REMASTERING
Review: Some reviewers are having problems with these A&C discs, but like with Volume 1, I have none. It's really up to the player, not the discs, even if there are a few bad ones that got released. Until this year, the DVD market for classics has been an on again-off again deal, but Universal, Fox, and Warners especially have been coming through like gangbusters for us. This set contains several of the team's sleepers. I have a newfound appreciation for Little Giant. I only hope Universal intends to carry this project through with two more volumes.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you, thank you, thank you
Review: Thank you, thank you, thank you to whoever at Universal opened the vault and released these gems on DVD.
I grew up with these movies and now get to share them with another generation.
This is good clean fun comedy that you won't be emabrassed to show to anyone. Never mean spirited or vulgar, just comedy like it was meant to be by two undisputed geniuses of the genre.
Buy this set and enjoy A&C all over again.
Now all I need is a box set of the A&C show from the 50's woth Hilary, Mr Fields, Mr. Bacciagalupe, Mike the cop and Stinky. I can't wait.
Rating: 
Summary: INCONSISTANT IMAGE QUALITY - STILL FUNNY!
Review: The Best Of Abbott & Costello: The Franchise Collection: Vol 2" effectively gathers together another bumper crop of films that made up the middle of Bud and Lou's tenure at Universal Studios. Highlights on this two disc edition include the whimsical "The Time Of Their Lives" (1946), a film not well received in its time, but one which has proven to be an enduring classic in the A&C canon. Bud plays the dual role of Cuspert Greenway/Dr. Greenway, a footman in servitude to master Tom Danbury during the 1800s and his psychiatrist ancestor set in 1946. Cuspert's treachery against Horatio (Lou Costello) results in his death and that of Tom's finance, Mistress Melody (Marjorie Reynolds). From here on the story leaps forward to present day. Horatio and Melody, having been cursed upon their murders as traitors to America's independence, remain bound to Danbury Acres until crack of doom. But when they begin to haunt Dr. Greenway and his guests living at the refurbished historical landmark, a ray of hope develops that might finally set their spirits free. In "Here Come The Co-Eds" (1945) Bud and Lou are a couple of caretakers, hiding out from the police at Bixby College, an all girl's school. The film features The Hour Of Enchantment, all girl's orchestra and choir and a riotous basketball game in which Lou, after being hit on the head, believes that he is Daisy Dimple; the world's greatest female basketball player. In "Hit The Ice" (1943) - the boys take off to Sun Valley for skiing, a prospect that falls apart when a mob boss decides to hide out at the same resort. This collection also features a handful of awful films. "The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap" (1947) is a genuinely boring film in which Lou attempts to win the heart of a crotchety widow (Marjorie Maine) in order to secure her wealthy fortune, but whose adult children have other ideas. Lou generally gets abused by everyone in the cast and there's a genuine strain on the relationship between A&C by this time. In "The Naughty Nineties" (1945) Bud and Lou are performers on a riverboat, but the only salvation from this film is an extended version of the now legendary 'Who's On First' skit. (*Footnote: 'Who's on First' is performed in a truncated version in "One Night In The Tropics" also. That film is available on "The Best Of...Vol. One".) The bad lot of apples reaches its rotten core with "Little Giant" (1946), a really boring hodge-podge in which Lou is a vacuum cleaner salesman working for Bud. This collection is rounded out by a couple of mediocre productions; "In Society" (1944), a trifle in which the boys crash a society party to help a chorus girl fall in love with a rich playboy, and "Buck Privates Come Home" (1947), a rehash of skits from previous films with the tack on of having Bud and Lou smuggle a little French girl back to America after the war.
Over all, the transfers in this collection are a mixed bag in image quality. While some films like "The Time of Their Lives" exhibit little to no age related artifacts, others like "The Wistful Widow..." have not worn well at all. At its worst you will get a transfer riddled in age related artifacts, minor edge enhancement, mis-registration and considerable film grain. At its best, the picture quality is outstanding - leading me to think that some of these transfers were blessed with a meticulous digital restoration, while others got shafted. The audio for all the films is MONO but very nicely presented.
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