Bud and Lou (1978) (TV)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Robert C. Thompson

Writers:

George Lefferts (writer)
Bob Thomas (book)

Release Date:

15 November 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

The professional and personal lives of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are examined. |

Plot Keywords:

Comedy Team | Hollywood | Based On Book | Character Name In Title

Cast

Harvey Korman	...	Bud Abbott
Buddy Hackett	...	Lou Costello
Michele Lee	...	Anne Costello
Arte Johnson	...	Eddie Sherman
Robert Reed	...	Alan Randall
William Tregoe	...	Ted Collins
Danny Dayton	...	Gene Duffy
Art Ergner
Tracy Morgan
Judy Hanson
Henry Brandon
Edmund Penney
Betty Harford
Glee Smidt
Ronn Wright

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L

Company:

Bob Banner Associates

A terrible recounting of one of the greatest comedy teams of all time. Bad Casting 101 is in full effect

I first saw this as it was originally presented on TV in 1978. I have not seen it since because I hated it then. Lou Costello, one of the funniest comedians (although underrated) of all time and Bud Abbott, the greatest straight man ever are woefully misrepresented here. According to this, Costello was a monster and Abbott a weak man who knew nothing about anything, even comedy (The way "Who's On Forst?" is done makes it sound like an educational commercial for Mapquest instead of a comedy routine). While it's true that Costello had more push and was the business head of the duo, he was also a man of many sides, including a love for children, that this biopic prefers to erase. Buddy Hackett and Harvey Korman (both funny men in their own right)play the roles of two very interesting men as one-dimensional boobs who couldn't handle any aspect of show business. It's amazing that Buddy Hackett and Harvey Korman, who are comedy pros could come off so antiseptic and lifeless. It's as if they have no feel for comedy. As a matter of fact, Hackett derided the movie as terrible and he was embarrassed by what it represented for Lou Costello. When Lou's daughter wrote a book called "Lou's on First", Hackett wrote a foreword for the book essentially putting down the entire film as a colossal waste and terribly misleading.Instead of watching this film, read the many books of Abbott and Costello. You'll get a much better and more entertaining view of the two men that way!