Jack and the Beanstalk 07/23/22

It’s a case of cold-blooded, premeditated nostalgia: Abbott & Costello’s fantasy musical is a charmingly modest and sweetly-played folk tale rooted from the early ’50s days of kiddie entertainment — a vein perfectly suited to the comedy duo’s talents. Lou Costello makes a fine fantasy hero, too. The feature restoration is quite an achievement for the 3-D Archive, as the arcane color process ‘SuperCineColor’ requires engineering archeology to understand. But the show’s slapstick comedy, clever songs and dippy dancing are finally back and looking great. The labor of love extends to the extras: excised scenes, background material, some words from the only surviving actor, a learned piece on the color process and a surprise guest appearance by the Creature from the Black Lagoon. On Blu-ray from ClassicFlix.
07/23/22