Abbott and Costello

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Bob Furmanek, Nov 25, 2019.

  1. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    We are delighted to have the amazing Carl Scheckel from Carl's Comix on our team for the Abbott and Costello 3-D comic book restoration!

    Check out his new article:

    Abbott and Costello’s Journey into 3D
     
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  2. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    As we enter the final week of our campaign, I am delighted to share this sneak preview of the cover art for our restoration of AFRICA SCREAMS. ClassicFlix and their design team have done an outstanding job of taking the original 22x28 half sheet poster from 1949 and formatting it for this Special Limited Edition release.

    [​IMG]

    It's not too late to help this cause and get your name on the restoration credits. www.tinyurl.com/saveabbottandcostello

    Please stay tuned for our final stretch goal that will be announced tomorrow at 1:00 PM, EST. For the record, you're really going to like this one! This is a stretch goal that you can sink your teeth into...
     
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  3. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Our final stretch goal for the Save AFRICA SCREAMS campaign.

    LUGOSI!

     
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  4. Tim Crowley

    Tim Crowley Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lyndonville, VT
    This being in public domain , an independent restoration campaign is now needed.
     
  5. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

  6. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    :wtf:
     
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  7. Tim Crowley

    Tim Crowley Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lyndonville, VT
    Thought it was in PD---sowwy.
     
  8. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    No apologies necessary but have you read the campaign or watched the videos?

    We are raising funds to preserve and restore the film from the original 35mm nitrate masters.
     
  9. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    As we enter the final stretch of the campaign, I wanted to let you know what to expect for the next six days. I won't be posting any updates on Christmas Day.

    [​IMG]

    On Thursday, I'll share the news of a VERY colorful bonus extra that I've been working to secure for this project over these past few weeks.

    I'll be in the studio on Friday digitally mastering the 1948 Abbott and Costello radio show with their special guest, Bela Lugosi. I'll certainly post an update on my progress.

    All of the bonus extras (with a few surprises) will be announced over the weekend. Backers will still have a chance to pledge and get their name in the restoration credits until the campaign concludes on Monday, December 30 at 9:00 PM EST.

    Thank you very much to everyone for your overwhelming support and generosity. This campaign has truly been a team effort and I am so pleased to have all of you on our team.

    If you have a pair of red/blue anaglyphic 3-D glasses handy, here is a vintage 1953 greeting card. Please be sure to view with the blue lens over your right eye.

    Wishing a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to you and your families!

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Dec 24, 2019
  10. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Cinecolor fans will like today's update in my Save AFRICA SCREAMS campaign!

    [​IMG]
     
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  11. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

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  12. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Check out today's update for a complete list of the exciting bonus extras! www.tinyurl.com/saveabbottandcostello

    Please remember that you only have until 9:00 PM EST on December 30, 2019 to pledge for this campaign and have your name appear on-screen in the restoration credits. Don't miss this unique opportunity to be a part of this exciting project and help us to preserve and restore this classic Abbott and Costello comedy.
     
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  13. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Only 10 hours remain to help us preserve AFRICA SCREAMS and have your name listed on-screen in the restoration credits. Don't delay, submit your pledge now for this exciting project!

    www.tinyurl.com/saveabbottandcostello

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Here's a new trailer from our partners at ClassicFlix.com.

     
  15. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven

    Great work.
     
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  16. Stereosound

    Stereosound Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
  17. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    For our wonderful backers, check out the new update: your discs have begun shipping today!

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  18. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

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  19. hurple

    hurple Forum Resident

    Location:
    Clinton, IL, USA
    Dagnabbit. I just saw this. Is there still a way to get a finished blu-ray?
     
  20. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

  21. hurple

    hurple Forum Resident

    Location:
    Clinton, IL, USA
    Bob Furmanek and cloggedmind like this.
  22. gkella

    gkella Glen Kellaway From The Basement

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is one of my fav movies of all time..
     
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  23. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Posted today on the Kickstarter page:

    Every person on the restoration team is extremely proud of this release and saving Africa Screams was a team effort. We could not have done it without you and every backer should feel VERY proud of helping to make it happen.

    I received this wonderful letter from one of our generous backers and he has given me permission to share it with you.

    My copy has arrived and I've finally had a moment to watch the film and wanted to share a few thoughts.

    I don't know as much about Abbott & Costello as I probably should. What I do know is that they occupy one of my earliest memories, one of those fragments that stays in your brain from an early age. I've loved movies, and collecting movies, for as long as I can remember, and Africa Screams was formative in that regard. It's also involved in the only memory I have of my great-grandfather.

    When I was about five, give or take a year, my mom took me on a trip to visit her grandmother, Mary, and her husband Jim, who were traveling in a Winnebago-type thing. I don't remember exactly where, exactly when, or for how long we stayed, but I remember that Great-Grandpa Jim had a TV, VCR and a lot of public domain VHS copies of classic movies and b-movie westerns. I remember how cool it was that they had a vehicle that had a shower and a TV, that you could sleep in it and also drive it - at age five, that's pretty mindblowing stuff. I remember that we watched two things together, and that at the end of that visit, he sent me home with those two tapes. One was a western that was made with an all little people cast, and I don't remember what it was called, but how strange and wonderful it was to see a movie with adults that were basically my size. And the other was Africa Screams, and the sound of Costello's frequent sputtering was utterly delightful to my young ears. And that there was a lion (real) and a gorilla (probably not real). I couldn't tell you anything else about the movie, but I remembered that much. I wore out that VHS tape while I was still in the single digits, and hadn't thought about it until many years later. When A&C movies started coming out remastered for DVD and then BD, I always wondered why Africa Screams wasn't one of them; that's the one I grew up with, how could no one else know it?

    The good people of this forum filled me in on some of the history of Africa Screams, and how it had fallen into the public domain, and how there simply weren't any good copies in circulation. When I found out that Bob was going to be working on the restoration, I was incredibly excited because I knew that was the best chance for the film to have a rebirth and a second life. My own children had just been born around the time this was announced, and I had been thinking a lot about legacy, about family. My great-grandparents are long gone, but Jim's act of generosity of sharing something he liked stuck with me, and I didn't want that to be lost to time. I wanted something tangible that I could show to my kids, something they could look at and hold and one day understand, something that would help them see how none of us exist as islands onto ourselves, how we're all connected and how even the smallest gesture can reverberate through lifetimes and generations. I barely knew my great-grandfather, but I wanted my kids to be able to understand a tiny piece of who he was. And as my grandmother reaches her twilight years, I wanted to be able to do something that honored her mother and stepfather; I wanted her to know that they would live on beyond her lifetime, so that she would never have to feel as though her history would vanish with her.

    I eagerly supported the Kickstarter; even if I had little memory of the movie itself, it was such a strong childhood memory that I wanted to play my part in bringing it back. I never even stopped to think that I didn't remember much of the actual movie and that I had no idea whether or not I'd still like it; the important part was simply making sure it was preserved. But I also have to confess that I had little idea of what to actually expect when the movie arrived.

    The disc arrived just before the weekend, and with infant twins, it does take a little time to actually find 80 minutes to get lost in anything, but when the moment presented itself, I put it on. The first thing I noticed, which didn't take me by surprise so much as it just delighted me, was how good the film looked and sounded. This didn't look like a public domain VHS tape from 1980, or anything of the sort. This looked like someone took a time machine back to 1949 and grabbed one of the first prints out of the lab before anyone had a chance to play it. This is what makes me happy when I get to see a new restoration of an older classic: something that looks like brand new film. Watching the disc, you'd never know that this film was on its way decomposition city; you'd never know that the elements had reached the "now or never" stage of requiring attention. The work here is virtually transparent. You'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between something as painstakingly restored as this vs. something that was in great condition to begin with. It's another home run for Bob Furmanek and his wonderful team.

    As to the film itself: what a delight! Memory is a funny thing. As the film played, I realized that I didn't remember a single bit of dialogue or a single hint of the plot. But what I did remember were the visuals. I had fragments of scenes all in my head without the context for what they meant. I couldn't believe that I remembered Costello at the book store at the beginning, or how clear my memory of the lion tamer was. Except, more than thirty years later, I could finally understand the actual context of what I was watching. All of that's a fancy way of saying that Lou sputtering still cracks me up, only now I understand what he's sputtering about. The film remains a delight, and the crisp visual and aural presentation allows ever nuance and broad stroke of Bud and Lou's comedy antics to shine through.

    It's not often that I find myself this touched by watching a film, but this was a very special thing for me. I've been heartened to see that the Kickstarter raised more than expected, and heard that sales have also been good, which makes me happy. As long as people keep watching and enjoying Africa Screams, a small part of my great-grandparents' spirit remains alive.

    It goes without saying that I highly recommend this disc both for the quality of its presentation and the contents within!

    We'd love to hear from you. Please consider sharing your thoughts in the comments for this update.

    If you know anyone who missed the campaign that would still like to acquire this release for their collection, it's available now from our good friends at ClassicFlix. Kindly share this link to place an order. ClassicFlix, Shop for classic movies - ClassicFlix

    Remember, this special version with the wealth of bonus extras is a Limited Edition release. Tell your friends not to hesitate, it is selling quite well and limited to just 2,500 copies.

    Thank you very much!
     
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  24. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

  25. Bob Furmanek

    Bob Furmanek Forum Resident Thread Starter

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