Quarterly 74 is now online

Abbott and Costello Quarterly #74 is now online in the Current Issues section exclusively for club members.

It includes the latest update on the upcoming Blu-ray release of Jack and the Beanstalk (1952), a restoration that was delayed for several reasons. Release is now scheduled for around July 15. Bob Furmanek and his team have done an incredible job restoring the film and added a ridiculous number of extras.

Hopefully you have ordered and enjoyed the absolutely stunning 4K restoration of the first season of The Abbott and Costello Show also spearheaded by Furmanek. We’ve compiled comments from critics and added a few accolades of our own.

Some of Bud and Lou’s co-stars and collaborators have been the subject of biographies, and now you can add Sharkey the Seal from Pardon My Sarong (1942) to that list. Gary Bohan Jr., the great-grandson of Sharkey’s trainer, has written Sharkey: When Sea Lions Were Stars of Show Business (1907–1958). Gary penned an article about Sharkey exclusively for this Quarterly.

This issue’s Feature wraps up a three-part series covering Lou’s early years, filling in gaps and adding a lot of surprising new information. We pick up where Part II left off, in 1934 with Lou, now married, continuing to hone his craft as a burlesque comic. We follow him right up to the eve of his teaming with Bud Abbott early in 1936. We also read reviews of Lou’s work and meet some of his co-comics and straight men. Next issue, we’ll trace Bud and Lou’s first two years as team.

Online editions of the Quarterly are exclusive to club members. We have several different membership levels. Join us!