review of The Abbott and Costello Show, volume 6

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Editorial review of "The Abbott and Costello Show, volume 6" courtesy of Amazon.com

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are one of the funniest comedy teams of all time. And this disc, featuring four episodes of The Abbot and Costello Show from the 1952-53 season is certainly proof of that. Most of the episodes begin with Bud and Lou onstage in front of an audience, providing an introduction to each story. The episodes themselves are stand-alone classics, but the plot lines frame famous Abbot and Costello sketches. The disc is formatted with menus so that you can play each episode or skip to the routines.

Contains 4 complete shows from the classic TV comedy series (1952-53), transferred from the original 35mm film masters.

The Abbott and Costello TV Show is timeless American humor, as fresh today as it was 40 years ago. All the classic routines which "the boys" performed on film, radio, and stage were captured in 1952-53 for the new medium of television and delivered at the peak of their powers. The regular cast of characters, including Mr. Fields, Mike the Cop, Stinky, Bacciagalupe, and Hillary, had worked with Bud and Lou on film and stage and each contributed memorably. These shows stand today as perhaps the finest surviving representation of the art of burlesque comedy.

• Wrestling Match: Low on funds, the boys concoct a scheme to get a free meal by impersonating a policeman. They borrow Mike the Cop's uniform while he's at Bacciagalupe's barber shop. The scheme backfires with hilarious results as Mike gets up to leave before the boys can both finish their chow. Later, for a policemen's benefit, Lou wrestles Stinky's kid brother, who turns out to be a giant named "Ivan the Terrible."
• In Society: Lou puts handcuffs on Mike the Cop so Mike can demonstrate how cuffs immobilize a tough guy. Lou gleefully slaps around helpless Mike until, with the help of Hillary, Mike turns the tables. Later, a society matron named Olga Van Goo hires Bud to attend a formal reception and impersonate the Duke of Gluten. Lou comes along pretending to be his cousin, the Earl of Waldo. Their' table manners ruin a posh dinner party, culminating in a wild ice cream throwing melee.
• Lou's Marriage: Lou plans to marry a girl he has met through a lonely hearts column. When Lou gets knocked cold in a local gambling raid, Bud hatches a scheme to break off the marriage. When Lou wakes up, Bud convinces him he has amnesia and that he's been married to the girl he met through the column. Mr. Fields offers to help Lou get a divorce settlement, but instead ends up throwing the book at Lou in a funny courtroom scene.
• Beauty Contest: Bud and Lou are coaxed by Mr. Fields to judge the "Miss Mud Turtle" bathing beauty pageant. Desperate to pay their room rent, they go to a finance company for a loan. The enforcer for the finance company bribes Lou to select his girlfriend as the winner, meanwhile Bud has agreed to choose Mr. Fields' niece in exchange for free rent. When Mr. Fields and the enforcer are both double crossed, a wild chase erupts.

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