In the documentary "Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld," Seinfeld tells viewers, "I grew up on these two guys."
Me, too.
When I was a kid growing up in New York, every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. WPIX-Ch. 11 aired a Bud Abbott and Lou Costello movie. My brother and sisters and I ended up watching just about every single one of them.
And I can remember watching the syndicated "Abbott and Costello Show," a half-hour sitcom.
But it was the movies I loved. I'm by no means an expert on movies of the '40s and '50s. But I can tell you that there was so much more to Abbott and Costello than just "Who's on first?"
Which is not to minimize one of the greatest comedy routines ever. I've been at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and watched everyone from preteen kids to grandmas and grandpas laughing at the genius of Abbott and Costello.
It's been a long time since I was a kid. We're a long way from New York. And WPIX doesn't air Abbott and Costello movies on Sundays anymore.
But Universal Studios Home Entertainment has made it possible revel in Abbott and Costello. This week "The Complete Universal Pictures Collection" has been released on DVD — a box full of just about every one of their movies. (There were four made for other studios, but the best were all Universal movies.)
And this collection is comprised of 28 movies. Complete, full-length movies. Some of the best filmed comedies ever, covering a decade-and-a-half.
Most DVD collections with a suggested retail price of $119.98 offer a lot less than this one. (And you can get it cheaper. Amazon.com has it listed at $83.99.)
The "Collection" also includes three bonus features. There's the 1955 release "The World of Abbott and Costello," which is just a collection of scenes from their movies.
And the 1994 "Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld," which includes home movies, outtakes, news reels and segments from both their sitcom and their appearances on "The Colgate Comedy Hour." And the 2000 documentary "Abbott and Costello Meets the Monsters," a fascinating look at the pair's comedy monster movies, with a particular emphasis on "Meet Frankenstein."
And "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" remains one of my favorite movies ever. It is, as the "Monsters" documentary states, "the best horror comedy ever made."
It's the perfect movie to watch on Halloween ... or just about any other day of the year.
E-mail: pierce@desnews.com