|
Author
|
Topic: Africa Screams!! (Abbott and Costello)
|
Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted July 13, 2007 06:39 PM
Having just seen (and watched) this older release on Super 8mm, it's time to do a review!
Bud and Abbott are working at a department store, when the both of them, (working at seperate counters) are approached about being able to produce a rare map to an african location in order to find of rare orangutan. Lou states that he could draw the map blindfolded, as he is Stanley Livington!
Bud sniffs an opportunity at making money, so he convinces the lady curious about the map to take Bud and Lou on the safari with them. Along with them, she'll take Clyde Beatty (a real Lion tamer) with them, as well as a sure shot, who gives being half blind a bad name, (played by the always funny Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges). She is also taking her butler, (played by the always funny Joe Besser, who would be the third stooge after Shemp Howard would pass on).
They head off on the road to africa, Lou dealing with a naughty (and hungry) Alligator in the process.
They've soon made camp, and Bud then finds out that they are not after Orangutangs, but Diamonds. It's also now that the only map Lou knows by heart, is the map that leads people to the department store where they work!
Assorted hi-jinks follow:
Lou trying to become a lion tamer. Bad choice.
Bud getting overly greedy, to his own detriment.
Hungery cannibals who take a liking to the chubby Lou!
Lou makes friends, (unbeknownst to himself) with a Large
Gorilla, (who happens to be the baby cousin to a giant gorilla)
who saves him from the cannibals. After a bunch of monkeys get the two thugs to beat the pulp out of each other, (very funny scene), and the main bad guy, (a woman, which is quite a twist on the usual Abbott and Costello film) is dealt with, it turns out that Costello ends up with the happy ending; he partners with the gorilla and gets the diamonds for himself, Abbott working as a elevator operator for Lou!
This has a number of quite good bits in it. Joe Besser
running back and forth thru a scene where Abbott is beratting Lou, only to ask, "Why are you running back and forth with a cup of water?"
"My tent is on fi - yah!" (imagine Joe saying it!)
It was good to see Lou getting the upper hand in the end, as well as Bud being genuinely moved at the thought that Lou has been killed, only to find Lou crying next to him!
"Nassour Studios" ...
Is the title card, but I don't know if this is the film company that released this, or the original studio the Bud and Lou had release this film. Perhaps somebody can clear this up.
What I can say is that this print is outstanding for a black and white print. The titles are slightly over-exposed, but after this, going right into the film, the exposure is spot on. The contrast to the print is very good. The negative they used must have been fairly close to the original. No damage due to dupe after dupe. I have seen many a copy of this on low cost DVD and video cassette and I must honestly say that the picture is better than what I've seen on those copies. The master material is above average. No specks or annoying scratches.
The focus is very good for a black and white print. Just about the best I have seen.
The sound is almost perfect mono. It could use a little more high end, but more than passable, as all dialogue was quite easy to hear and a very loud recording at that. no drop offs in the recording.
This was released on 5X400 reels. the film runs 82 minutes. The black and white is "2S" which (I may be wrong about this) is either Fuji or Ag? At any rate, good stock!
My print I bought did have a few light line scratches that for the most part dissappear after the first few minutes. I was very impressed with this print. We watched it at a good
6ft. by 10ft, and the image was quite pleasing and sharp!
There are only three Bud and Lou features on Super 8:
Abbott and Costello meet Captian Kidd
Jack and the Beanstalk
Africa Screams
... and this would make a welcome edition to your collection.
Live on and Long, Super 8!
--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tony Stucchio
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 625
From: New Jersey
Registered: Dec 2005
|
posted March 01, 2008 08:32 PM
I recently had the opportunity to screen this print at a friend's house who has had the print for many years -- he bought it directly from Red Fox. It, too, has the "Matinee Memories" printed on the leader, but it is in Red Fox boxes. I know Red Fox sold other distributor's prints, so this must have been the case here.
I know quality is subjective, but I wouldn't rate the print I saw as high as Osi describes. Nowhere near as good as the Red Fox FRA DIAVOLO. (Again, technically speaking, AFRICA SCREAMS may not really be a Red Fox print.) And certainly not up to an A&C Castle films release. To me, it was on par with an average Super 8 Laurel and Hardy Blackhawk.
The most annoying thing in the print I saw was printed in splices. Lots of clipped dialogue. Osi, does yours have this as well? This print also had the light lines at the beginning that disappeared, and the titles were over-exposed as well. My guess is that lines were in the pre-print, which probably was a nice, but slightly battered, 16mm original.
| IP: Logged
|
|
Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted March 01, 2008 08:42 PM
Strane Tony, my print wasn't over exposed during the titles, nor does mine have messed up dialogue. I guess not all prints
were created equal.
I wonder if this was a film that, as stated, Red Fox got ahold of, but then struck thier own prints of?
By the way, trivia :
This was last screen appearance of Shemp Howard (of the Three Stooges), apart from the Three Stooges. Shemp Howard was the most successful of the Stooges outside of the stooges, and had appeared in a number of earlier Abbott and Costello films, as well as the "Joe Palooka" series ect. After this film, Shemp appeared only in the Stooge comedies for the rest of his career, but hey, he had a great cash cow in the stooge films!
--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
Osi Osgood
Film God
Posts: 10204
From: Mountian Home, ID.
Registered: Jul 2005
|
posted March 02, 2008 10:48 PM
Hey, your right Tony!
I just took a look at the titles again tonight, and they do appear slightly overexposed. Gee, I'd forgotten all about writing dat!
The rest of the print, if I remember clearly, was pretty good. Lets just say, that for a Black and White print I was struck by the quality. Better than most black and Whites.
--------------------
"All these moments will be lost in time, just like ... tears, in the rain. "
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
