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About the Author
Hi there. My name is Russell Dodd and I have been huge fan of Abbott and Costello since the late 1980s. This is my first web page and I am learning as I go along so you will have to bear with me (It looks much better now than it did, believe me). I live in Essex, England and work as a barman near East London in a club called 'Faces'. Also, I am studying towards a degree in business and computer solutions. If I pass the HNC this summer then I hope to go to University
the first Abbott and Costello film I watched was 'In Society' which was on my twelfth birthday. I didn't like the film and I was only half watching it. Two weeks later, Pardon my Sarong came on. I received a blank video for my birthday and for some reason, wanting to test it out (as you do when you are young), I taped it. and I was hooked. Over the next twelve weeks. A variety of Abbott and Costello films were shown and I got to watch 'It ain't hay', 'Foreign Legion', 'Buck Privates come home', 'Hit the ice', 'Here come the Co-eds', 'Africa Screams' and a few more. Of course, having one video tape meant I had to tape over the previous film. They were shown fortnightly so I had just 2 weeks to watch the film as often as I could knowing that it could be years till I could see them again.
The film I was left with was 'Who Done it?' which immediately became my favourite. That rooftop ending is always a treat to watch. Some months later, 'Hold that Ghost', 'Keep 'em flying' and 'Lost in a Harem' came on. By now I had acquired another video tape :) I was thrilled to discover that they had made a TV series too and it was great to watch them when they came on unexpectedly. Channel 4 would just show one without warning. They never aired a series but individual episodes scattered here and there.
About a year later, in a bookshop, I decided to look up Abbott and Costello and I was thrilled to see how many films they made. I knew I had to get them all.
Ten years later, we cut to the present day (2000), and thanks to the internet, I have 'met' a few Abbott and Costello fans and spoke to official fan club organizers as well as a few emails from Costello's daughter Chris. I now have all their films, lots of TV shows, books and other stuff like live appearances on stage, the cartoons and the Jerry Seinfeld special.
I have an interest in IT and have always wanted to create a website. Now I have the facilities, and recently acquired the remaining films I needed to complete my collection, I simply had to write one dedicated to the boys and thus, I have created 'Abbott and Costello, forever'. I sincerely hope you enjoy these pages and please feel free to email me with comments or how I can improve the site. I am all ears :0)
Faithfully yours,
Russell Dodd
Me (on the right of course) with friend.
Of course Bud and Lou aren't my only passion. I like Chaplin, Jerry Lewis, George Formby, The Chris Reeve Superman movies, Stallone and James Bond (especially the Moore and Brosnan eras). My favourite music are soundtracks, Beatles, Motown, and I like a lot of the dance music around the mid 90s and I listen to classical from time to time. Other music is 60s, some 70s and 80s. Nothing too hardcore really. I hate house and garage most of the time. Working in a nightclub for the past 5 years has seriously put me off that boring and repetitive genre.