Abbott and Costello - Watch Order: Essential Films

1941 - 19486 Films8h 8m4 Average

This list is a curated selection of Abbott and Costello's finest work, spanning their peak years and showcasing the full range of their comedic talents. The watch order includes their breakout hit, their most critically acclaimed pure comedy, their most famous monster encounter, and examples of their mastery across different subgenres.

This selection is fantastic for those who want to experience the duo's greatest achievements without committing to the complete 36-film anthology.

1
Buck Privates poster

Buck Privates

19411h 24m3.8
Director: Arthur Lubin
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lee Bowman, Jane Frazee, Alan Curtis

Petty con artists Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown mistakenly join the Army evading the cops. The cop chasing them winds up as their drill instructor. A rich young man and his former working class chauffeur are not only in the same unit, they're vying for a pretty girl who seems attracted to both.

ComedyMusicWar
2
Hold That Ghost poster

Hold That Ghost

19411h 26m3.9
Director: Arthur Lubin
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Richard Carlson, Joan Davis, Mischa Auer

Two bumbling service station attendants are left as the sole beneficiaries in a gangster's will. Their trip to claim their fortune is sidetracked when they are stranded in a haunted house along with several other strangers.

ComedyHorror
3
Who Done It? poster

Who Done It?

19421h 17m4
Director: Erle C. Kenton
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Patric Knowles, Louise Allbritton, Mary Wickes

Two dumb soda jerks dream of writing radio mysteries. When they try to pitch an idea at a radio station, they end up in the middle of a real murder when the station owner is killed during a broadcast.

ComedyMystery
4
The Naughty Nineties poster

The Naughty Nineties

19451h 16m3.9
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Alan Curtis, Rita Johnson, Henry Travers

In the gay '90s, cardsharps take over a Mississippi riverboat from a kindly captain. Their first act is to change the showboat into a floating gambling house. A ham actor and his bumbling sidekick try to devise a way to help the captain regain ownership of the vessel.

Comedy
5
The Time of Their Lives poster

The Time of Their Lives

19461h 22m4
Director: Charles Barton
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marjorie Reynolds, Binnie Barnes, John Shelton

Two ghosts, who were mistakenly branded as traitors during the Revolutionary War, return to 20th century New England to retrieve a letter from George Washington which would prove their innocence.

ComedyFantasyHorror
6
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein poster

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein

19481h 23m4.1
Director: Charles Barton
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange

Baggage handlers Bud and Lou accidentally stumble upon Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula and the Wolf Man.

HorrorComedy