Universal to release all A&C films in 2004! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

B&W fan · 10-24-2003, 02:54 PM

While the tv show continues to be released on dvd in intervals, some awesome news came out today from Universal - they plan on releasing all their Abbott & Costello feature films on dvd next year! They will start on Febuary 10th by releasing The Best of Abbott & Costello Volume 1 which will contain 8 of their films! And the most unbelievable part of this news is that the collection will retail for only $24.99!!!!! That is incredible!

B&W "what an awesome news item" fan

ficlopri · 10-28-2003, 12:01 AM

Their films were not all made at Universal. What about their non-Universal movies?

B&W fan · 10-28-2003, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ficlopri
Their films were not all made at Universal. What about their non-Universal movies?

Well, most of their films were made at Universal. The few that weren't were either from MGM or independent works like "Jack/Beanstalk", "Africa Screams", or "Captain Kidd".

But their Universal pictures were the best ones overall, so I'm happy. I'd say contact MGM and see if they will match Universal and put out one disk of the Boys' films (they could do it on one two-sided disk).

B&W "this is awesome news from Universal" fan

B&W fan · 11-06-2003, 10:56 AM

As a quick follow-up, Universal will release all 28 of their A&C films over the course of next year (probably once a quarter). I'm stoked!

B&W "great, great news" fan

DAVIDM · 12-20-2003, 07:25 PM

Well I believe MGM owns the rights to the following films; RIO RITA, LOST IN A HAREM, A&C IN HOLLYWOOD, NOOSE HANGS HIGH, and DANCE WITH ME HENRY. I know Turner owns A&C MEET CAPTAIN KIDD and restored it recently but I'm not sure if these would now be the property of Warner Home Video which seems to release the older MGM product.

Not sure how they will divide future releases of the A&C movies at Universal but if we use the first 8 films as the baseline and remove the films above plus Africa Screams and Jack in the Beanstalk, I think the releases would look something like this:

#1 ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS, BUCK PRIVATES, HOLD THAT GHOST, IN THE NAVY, KEEP EM FLYING, RIDE EM COWBOY, WHO DONE IT, PARDON MY SARONG.

#2 HIT THE ICE, IN SOCIETY, HERE COME THE COEDS, NAUGHTY NINETIES, LITTLE GIANT, TIME OF THEIR LIVES, BUCK PRIVATES COME HOME, WISTFUL WIDOW OF WAGON GAP

#3 MEXICAN HAYRIDE, A&C MEET THE KILLER, IN THE FOREIGN LEGION, COMIN' ROUND THE MOUNTAIN, LOST IN ALASKA, GO TO MARS, MEET THE KEYSTONE KOPS, WORLD OF ABBOTT AND COSTELLO.

I could be wrong here but I dont think they'll clear the necessary rights and release IT AIN'T HAY, plus we already have MEET FRANKENSTEIN and MEET THE MUMMY out separately so I would think MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN and MEET JEKYLL AND HYDE would sell just fine on their own or maybe they will repackage these as well.

Just a thought for discussion.

B&W fan · 12-20-2003, 07:44 PM

DavidM,

Universal has officially announced that they will release 28 of the 29 films that they own the rights to (excluding "IT AIN'T HAY" for the same tired reasons that have kept that film out of commercial release for years & years).

I also believe they will offer four sets, not three. Since the first release will contain 8 films, I'd say the other sets will contain 7, 7, and finally 6 to complete the collection. And I'd say they will release them in production order, since the first set is being done that way.

B&W "it's a great thing, no matter how they do it - now if only we could get MGM to release a set of their own..." fan

DAVIDM · 12-20-2003, 07:48 PM

Its cool...I saw the cover art for the first set and it looks great. I hope they put in some liner notes or something. Judging by your breakout, they'll probably put the 'horror' films back in the mix and release 'em that way. No matter how they do it, I'm glad they are doing it. Now if they could only do the same with WC Fields and get those horror movies back out again, we'd be all set.

ficlopri · 01-21-2004, 11:57 PM

Having seen their bloopers of their films so much their films themselves don't hold magic for me.

Munsters#1 · 10-24-2004, 01:07 PM

These shows are hilarious!

Rambo Stallone · 01-03-2008, 02:29 PM

I was going to post something about the movies as i just ordered the 4 set and now found out why Rio Rita 1942,It Ain't Hey 1943,Lost In A Harem 1944,Abbott & Costello In Hollywood 1945,The Noose Hangs High 1948,Africa Screams 1949
Jack And The Beanstalk 1952,Abbott & Costello Meet Captain Kidd 1952 and
Dance With Me Henry 1956 are not included.

Anyone know why It Ain't Hey 1943, isn't included has the film been lost or damaged?

Africa Screams and Jack And The Beanstalk you see everywhere for cheap,the quality isn't the best.

Lost In A Harem 1944 and Abbott & Costello In Hollywood 1945 are together as a double.

The Noose Hangs High 1948 and Dance With Me Henry 1956 are available as single.

That leaves Abbott & Costello Meet Captain Kidd and Rio Rita 1942 not released as well as It Ain't Hey 1943.

HelloLarry · 01-26-2008, 08:01 PM

If you want the best quality prints of Africa Screams and Jack and the Beanstalk, check out online for the double feature released by the Roan group.

As far as IAH goes, they didn't clear the rights with the estate of Damon Runyon. I don't know what the details are/were legally speaking but they never cleared 'em up. Long time ago, I had a complete 16mm print of the film transfered to video and subsequently DVD so there is no loss there as far as having it in my collection and I believe a boot of it has been available on and off at the auction sites.

Regarding Rio Rita and Meet Captain Kidd, I believe Warners mentioned putting that out as a double feature sometime this year in the online chat they did last year on the Home Theatre Forum. There should be another one coming up within the next few months. I know MCC was restored by UCLA and played a few West Coast engagements. However, every time it played TCM it was still a washed out 16mm print. Hopefully the restored version finds its way onto DVD.

10-24-2003, 02:54 PM	#1
B&W fan Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 09, 2002 Location: USA Posts: 589	Universal to release all A&C films in 2004! While the tv show continues to be released on dvd in intervals, some awesome news came out today from Universal - they plan on releasing all their Abbott & Costello feature films on dvd next year! They will start on Febuary 10th by releasing The Best of Abbott & Costello Volume 1 which will contain 8 of their films! And the most unbelievable part of this news is that the collection will retail for only $24.99!!!!! That is incredible! B&W "what an awesome news item" fan
	__________________ "Do not challenge supernatural, unless armed with sword of truth." Charlie Chan at Treasure Island

12-20-2003, 07:25 PM	#5
DAVIDM Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 20, 2003 Location: ILLINOIS Posts: 5	NEW A&C DVDs Well I believe MGM owns the rights to the following films; RIO RITA, LOST IN A HAREM, A&C IN HOLLYWOOD, NOOSE HANGS HIGH, and DANCE WITH ME HENRY. I know Turner owns A&C MEET CAPTAIN KIDD and restored it recently but I'm not sure if these would now be the property of Warner Home Video which seems to release the older MGM product. Not sure how they will divide future releases of the A&C movies at Universal but if we use the first 8 films as the baseline and remove the films above plus Africa Screams and Jack in the Beanstalk, I think the releases would look something like this: #1 ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICS, BUCK PRIVATES, HOLD THAT GHOST, IN THE NAVY, KEEP EM FLYING, RIDE EM COWBOY, WHO DONE IT, PARDON MY SARONG. #2 HIT THE ICE, IN SOCIETY, HERE COME THE COEDS, NAUGHTY NINETIES, LITTLE GIANT, TIME OF THEIR LIVES, BUCK PRIVATES COME HOME, WISTFUL WIDOW OF WAGON GAP #3 MEXICAN HAYRIDE, A&C MEET THE KILLER, IN THE FOREIGN LEGION, COMIN' ROUND THE MOUNTAIN, LOST IN ALASKA, GO TO MARS, MEET THE KEYSTONE KOPS, WORLD OF ABBOTT AND COSTELLO. I could be wrong here but I dont think they'll clear the necessary rights and release IT AIN'T HAY, plus we already have MEET FRANKENSTEIN and MEET THE MUMMY out separately so I would think MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN and MEET JEKYLL AND HYDE would sell just fine on their own or maybe they will repackage these as well. Just a thought for discussion.

10-24-2004, 01:07 PM	#9
Munsters#1 Member Senior Member Join Date: Jun 29, 2004 Posts: 2,928	These shows are hilarious!
	__________________ X-Mas is coming. Click below for more details. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/28JRL03ERHR7B/qid=1129244826/sr=5-2/ref=sr_5_2/102-5182930-0843327

01-26-2008, 08:01 PM	#11
HelloLarry Meathead Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 21, 2006 Posts: 273	Abbott and Costello movies If you want the best quality prints of Africa Screams and Jack and the Beanstalk, check out online for the double feature released by the Roan group. As far as IAH goes, they didn't clear the rights with the estate of Damon Runyon. I don't know what the details are/were legally speaking but they never cleared 'em up. Long time ago, I had a complete 16mm print of the film transfered to video and subsequently DVD so there is no loss there as far as having it in my collection and I believe a boot of it has been available on and off at the auction sites. Regarding Rio Rita and Meet Captain Kidd, I believe Warners mentioned putting that out as a double feature sometime this year in the online chat they did last year on the Home Theatre Forum. There should be another one coming up within the next few months. I know MCC was restored by UCLA and played a few West Coast engagements. However, every time it played TCM it was still a washed out 16mm print. Hopefully the restored version finds its way onto DVD.

10-28-2003, 12:01 AM	#2
ficlopri Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 27, 2001 Location: Methuen, Ma.USA Posts: 659	Their films were not all made at Universal. What about their non-Universal movies?

11-06-2003, 10:56 AM	#4
B&W fan Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 09, 2002 Location: USA Posts: 589	As a quick follow-up, Universal will release all 28 of their A&C films over the course of next year (probably once a quarter). I'm stoked! B&W "great, great news" fan

12-20-2003, 07:44 PM	#6
B&W fan Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 09, 2002 Location: USA Posts: 589	DavidM, Universal has officially announced that they will release 28 of the 29 films that they own the rights to (excluding "IT AIN'T HAY" for the same tired reasons that have kept that film out of commercial release for years & years). I also believe they will offer four sets, not three. Since the first release will contain 8 films, I'd say the other sets will contain 7, 7, and finally 6 to complete the collection. And I'd say they will release them in production order, since the first set is being done that way. B&W "it's a great thing, no matter how they do it - now if only we could get MGM to release a set of their own..." fan

12-20-2003, 07:48 PM	#7
DAVIDM Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 20, 2003 Location: ILLINOIS Posts: 5	Its cool...I saw the cover art for the first set and it looks great. I hope they put in some liner notes or something. Judging by your breakout, they'll probably put the 'horror' films back in the mix and release 'em that way. No matter how they do it, I'm glad they are doing it. Now if they could only do the same with WC Fields and get those horror movies back out again, we'd be all set.

01-21-2004, 11:57 PM	#8
ficlopri Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 27, 2001 Location: Methuen, Ma.USA Posts: 659	Having seen their bloopers of their films so much their films themselves don't hold magic for me.

01-03-2008, 02:29 PM	#10
Rambo Stallone Member Frequent Poster Join Date: May 11, 2005 Location: OZ Posts: 210	I was going to post something about the movies as i just ordered the 4 set and now found out why Rio Rita 1942,It Ain't Hey 1943,Lost In A Harem 1944,Abbott & Costello In Hollywood 1945,The Noose Hangs High 1948,Africa Screams 1949 Jack And The Beanstalk 1952,Abbott & Costello Meet Captain Kidd 1952 and Dance With Me Henry 1956 are not included. Anyone know why It Ain't Hey 1943, isn't included has the film been lost or damaged? Africa Screams and Jack And The Beanstalk you see everywhere for cheap,the quality isn't the best. Lost In A Harem 1944 and Abbott & Costello In Hollywood 1945 are together as a double. The Noose Hangs High 1948 and Dance With Me Henry 1956 are available as single. That leaves Abbott & Costello Meet Captain Kidd and Rio Rita 1942 not released as well as It Ain't Hey 1943.