Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld

Back in the 90s when Jerry Seinfeld had a most popular show on television it was as it proudly proclaimed about nothing. That is nothing except making people laugh. And he confessed to one and all that a lot of his comic inspiration came from two guys he grew up with.

More than one of us Jerry did grow up with these guys. I well remember seeing that old television series that Abbott&Costello had for two years in the 50s. They used some of their best movie routines in those shows which are now classic. I remember as a kid seeing all their movies run over and over on WPIX Channel 11 in New York for years until I was past college age.

What was nice seeing Bud&Lou in some of those old Colgate Comedy Hour routines. That was live television and it was on that the team made its small screen debut. A live audience is what is needed for laughter, nothing else like it opines Mr. Seinfeld correctly. From what I saw the boys were zanier there than on film. Just like Bing Crosby and Bob Hope who it was said were far funnier offscreen with each trying to top the other in ad-libs.

Thank you Jerry Seinfeld for this film. More than you grew up with these guys.

Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld (1994)

*** (out of 4)

Jerry Seinfeld hosts this documentary taking a look at the careers of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, two comedians who struggled for years before finding one another and becoming one of the most legendary comedy duos in history. Throughout the 47-minutes we see clips from some of their classic movies as well as many episodes from their television series. Fans of the duo probably won't learn anything new here but I think the documentary is strong enough to where you could show someone who wasn't familiar with the group and it would turn them into fans. Many of the gags aren't shown in a complete form, which I think sometimes hurts the gags but the director and producers here did a nice job of not letting this happen. I thought they did a very good job at picking the clips and showing some of the better moments in the series. We learn through the narration about which gags they used to perform on the stage and we get examples of how they would add or take things away from the routines. Even better are some clips of the live television show where things go horribly wrong yet the duo manage to work around the errors and make the skits all the more memorable. Just check out the sequence where a glass vase breaks and they need it for the end of the routine so Costello just takes over and delivers non-stop laughs. Of course, with such a short running time there are various highlights that are overlooked but I think for the most part this documentary gets its job done. We also get quick interviews with Vickie Abbott and Bud Abbot, Jr.. Also on hand are some family movies showing the duo off screen and we also hear about their eventual break-up.

My vote of 5 on this TV-special is one-half of a 10--since about half of the show is vintage A&C material and interesting comments from their children. Seinfeld is a talented man, but he's basically working from a not-too-interesting script here, and there is nothing that even the moderate A&C fan doesn't already know. For some reason, I was thinking that this was actually a DEAD MEN DON"T WEAR PLAID style film where Seinfeld interacted with the boys (now THAT would be interesting, and since Seinfeld now has a lot of clout in the showbiz world, maybe he could make such a film happen?), but only one scene does that, and only for a few seconds. Overall, this is a very-good introduction to the world of Abbott & Costello for those who are not familiar with their work, and I'm glad Jerry Seinfeld got the opportunity to champion the work of his heroes, but it's nothing special and I wouldn't go out of my way to see it. If you buy the fourth Universal A&C box set, you'll get this as a bonus, and like me you'll probably watch it once, find it entertaining, and watch actual A&C films instead when you need your dose of Bud and Lou.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld hosts this retrospective look at the life and careers of Bud Abbott & Lou Costello, charting their early days as vaudeville comics who hit the big time when they teamed up, and only four years later were a national sensation who were frequently mobbed by fans, and enlisted by the U.S. government to help sell war bonds during WWII, then looking at their 15 years worth of films, mainly for Universal studios.

Surprisingly good special with Jerry making a most sincere host, which is appreciated because he doesn't turn the spotlight on himself, but the team, and his admiration for them is obvious. Also provides home movies and outtakes from them as well, some of which have never been seen, as well as interesting information and trivia. This was how to do a special right! On the DVD collection with their Universal films.

In this one hour special, Jerry Seinfeld announces that the biggest inspiration for his own "Seinfeld" show was the old Abbott & Costello Show from the 50s. He looks at both hilarious shows in segments, and makes comparisons to some of the characters on each show, the most obvious being a comparison between Lou and George. If this thing ever airs again, or if it ever comes out on video, i would highly recommend viewing it if you like either Seinfeld of Abbott & Costello, or both.