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Abbott & Costello's Africa Screams - Exclusive Special Limited Edition in April

Scanned in 4K and beautifully restored from original 35mm nitrate film elements, Abbott and Costello's jungle romp Africa Screams (1949) will be released in a special limited edition on April 28th.

Loaded with bonus features (below), this soon to be collectible will be exclusively available for pre-order only at ClassicFlix.com. It will also be available for purchase at Twilight Time Movies in late April (but is not available for pre-order on their site).

This release will be limited only to its initial pressing (up to 3,000 for Blu-ray & 1,000 for DVD) and no more units will be replicated once they are sold. A wide release to all major retail outlets may occur at a later date depending on initial units sold.

Synopsis, bonus features and more about the release below.

Newly restored from original 35mm nitrate film elements and looking better than ever in this special limited edition!

During the 1940s, the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were among Universal's top moneymakers, and, by the end of the decade, were allowed to make one independent film per year. Hot off the success of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Bud and Lou teamed up with independent producer Edward Nassour to release Africa Screams—a hilarious jungle romp where the boys hightail it to the dark continent and encounter wild beasts, dangerous natives, and… an affectionate gorilla!

Department store clerks Buzz Johnson and Stanley Livington (Bud and Lou) are hired by treasure hunter Diana Emerson (Hillary Brooke, The Abbott and Costello Show) for an African expedition when it is believed Stanley has memorized a map that will lead her to a rare orangutan. It's all a cover, of course, as Diana is really after a secret trove of diamonds and is counting on Stanley’s memory guide her to the treasure.

Frequent Bud and Lou collaborator Charles Barton directs Africa Screams which features an array of supporting players: real-life big-game hunter Frank "Bring ‘em back alive" Buck, real-life circus owner/animal trainer Clyde Beatty, Shemp Howard (Three Stooges), Joe Besser (Shemp's eventual Stooges replacement and also an A&C TV show regular), as well as heavyweight boxing brothers Buddy and Max Baer.

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Audio commentary from noted author and Abbott and Costello historian Ron Palumbo
  • The Rubdown sketch (restored Abbott and Costello comedy sketch from live television in 1953)
  • Abbott and Costello radio show with Bela Lugosi (the complete recording session as transcribed on February 23, 1948 and the final broadcast master of May 5, 1948)
  • Lou Costello filmed interview with Max Baer and Joe Louis on July 2, 1940 following Baer's fight with Tony "Two Ton" Galento in Jersey City (this footage was taken nearly four months before the world premiere of Lou's first feature film One Night in the Tropics)
  • Restored Abbott and Costello 3-D comic book from November 1953. This photo gallery can be viewed in either discrete polarized Blu-ray 3-D for viewers with that capability or standard red/cyan anaglyphic 3-D which requires no special equipment and can be seen on any display or monitor
  • One pair of replica Super-Sight 3-D glasses
  • Selected outtakes/bloopers taken on set during production
  • Photo gallery with original posters, lobbycards, pressbook ballyhoo and trade magazine/newspaper advertisements from both the 1949 and 1953 theatrical releases.
  • Photo gallery with production stills taken on the set during principal photography
  • Clyde Beatty's Animal Thrills short film released by Castle Films in November 1943
  • Trailers (Two Cinecolor trailers for comparison as Africa Screams was originally reported to be shot in Cinecolor):
    • 35mm nitrate Cinecolor trailer for El Paso, scanned in 4K resolution
    • 35mm SuperCinecolor trailer for Bud and Lou's first color feature Jack and the Beanstalk, scanned in 4K resolution

RELEASE NOTES: 

The transfer and restoration of this release has been supervised by Bob Furmanek of 3-D Film Archive who successfully located and sought the preservation of Africa Screams’ nitrate film elements in 1986; who earlier this month successfully completed a crowdfund campaign for Africa in which over 600 supporters participated.

Five reels of the film’s original camera negative have been combined with remaining fine grain film elements to present this classic Abbott and Costello comedy in high definition to be seen as never before. Bob has also carefully curated and assembled the bonus features made available for this release.