Abbott and Costello took their highly successful routines from vaudeville to the films in the forties and than brought them to new television audiences in the early fifties. Shanachie has brought out two volumes of the best of these shows, which have been preserved lovingly.

The 110 minute DVD has four half hour shows, complete with introductions and closers by Bud and Lou. The shows were filmed, allowing for the greatest flexibility for the performers. Bud and Lou come out from behind a curtain in the opening and closing segments giving it the atmosphere of a live or studio program. The four episodes on this disc include: Duck Dinner-Lou, a new seller of pots and pans, invites the cast to a meal which he will cook at Mr. Fields apartment. The cast, besides Bud of course, included Hillary Brooke, Sidney Fields, and A and C regulars Mike The Cop and Bacciagalupe. Two chimps are also part of the regular cast; Stinky and Bingo. Lou's dinner starts with a pardon for a duck which was to be the main dish, and is followed by Lou stuffing a chicken so full of yeast that it floats on the ceiling when removed from the oven. Hillary's Birthday-Lou decides to throw a party for Hillary, the apartment babe Lou always has a crush on. However, when the party unfolds, Mr. Fields, the landlord enforces his new apartment rule about no loud radio playing. This episode concludes with a classic routine of Lou turning up the radio at Abbott's insistence, and Fields coming in to sock poor Lou every time he does it. Million Dollar Refund-Lou accidentally gets a tax refund of a million dollars. Crooks see him leaving the bank with the cash and follow him. Meanwhile, Mike the cop thinks the money is phony and also tails Lou back to his apartment house, where Mr. Fields gets into the act. It all accumulates at the rooming house with cops, crooks, federal agents and Mr. Fields. Actor's Home-This one is worth the price of the disc alone. While receiving money from a stranger, Lou think it's phony so he tears it up. He finds out it was real and goes berserk. Taken to the old actor's home, Lou spends the rest of the episode convincing the Drs. at the home he is not crazy. This episode concludes with Bud and Lou doing their most famous routine of all time, Who's On First?.

The television show was preserved well and, since the DVD was transferred from the original 35 mm negatives, the picture is in excellent shape. The contrast and shading of the black and white picture is outstanding. While there are a few flaws, the picture quality of this DVD is truly exceptional. Dolby digital stereo is what it says on the cover. The sound is clean and no noticeable hiss is apparent. Like the picture, the soundtrack is in very good shape.

Chapter stops to the four shows also include some additional stops for some of A and C's classic routines in the shows.

I was pleasantly surprised by the outstanding technical quality of this DVD. Remarkably preserved, it makes early 1950 television look much better than it was originally broadcast. This is a great disc for Abbott and Costello fans, with many classic routines.