The moral of Jack and the Beanstalk is: If your son is an idiot, do not send him out on his own to conduct important commercial transactions!As a young child I liked Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Still only a child but now a few years older I concluded they were really not that funny.The version of the film I saw was of a poor picture quality, it certainly needs to be restored. Lou is babysitting a kid, reads him a bedtime story and falls asleep. He dreams of the Jack and the Beanstalk story where he plays Jack, the gruff policeman is the giant and Bud is the butcher.The adventure transforms from monochrome into Technicolour but the thin story is padded out by wretched song and dance numbers. Lou does his knockabout comedy, Bud is not in it a lot. There are few good jokes but it is infernal stuff.

Every kid knows the basic story and plot elements of "Jack and the Beanstalk". Each one of those children should be shown this classic 1952 movie (they won't find it on their own) for its utterly silly, yet hilariously funny, take on the classic children's tale.For a basic plot summary, this film follows the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk" using the comedy duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Some key elements are altered in order to move along the story and make it original, but the basic kernels of the tale are very much in place throughout.Simply put, this goofy little comedic romp will enthrall the kiddies and usher a wave of nostalgia for anyone older. Abbott & Costello are their usual hilarious selves, while the music numbers will, at times, have you laughing out loud at the simple hilarity! I watched this old classic numerous times as a child, and just recently watched it with a young sister. We both thoroughly enjoyed the experience, albeit for different reasons.About the only complaint I have about this movie is the poor video and especially sound quality. To my knowledge, no definitive edition of this film yet exists that has been cleaned up or truly digitized properly. A shame, considering the potential for nostalgic sales.Overall, if you have a young child who has never seen this flick, you would be doing him/her an injustice by not somehow, someway getting it on the television in front of them. Just good old fashioned humorous, music, screwball fun!

In need of work, straight man Bud Abbott (as Jack) and comic partner Lou Costello (as Dinkel) get the latter a job babysitting self-described "problem child" David Stollery (as Donald). Young Stollery winds up reading Mr. Costello's favorite novel (see if you can guess the title), which puts Costello to sleep, dreaming he and Mr. Abbott are reliving the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk" (you guessed it).The sepia-tone switches to color for the bulk of the production. Apparently, this was an attempt at something different for the duo, a colorful children's fantasy. It fails, but this is where you get to see Abbott & Costello in color, silent film superstar William Farnum (as the King) make his last performance a bit part, boxer Max Baer's brother Buddy, and Stollery before Disney's "Spin and Marty".** Jack and the Beanstalk (4/4/52) Jean Yarbrough ~ Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Buddy Baer, William Farnum

For us, an Abbott and Costello movie is something you have to be in the mood for. I'm very happy I recorded this -- my wife remembered it from when she was young, but I had never seen it. The family wanted to watch something not too serious before bed and this was selected.Our daughter has watched many of the old movies with us -- always complaining in the beginning, but most often coming around. She mostly ignored this in the beginning, preferring to check her email, but she started enjoying herself -- many times laughing out loud to the zaniness.It's wonderful to think you can have a fun evening with a 55yr old. The mono-colour introduction that blends into the full-colour fairy tale. It's a fun twist of a story that everyone is familiar with, that includes a little song and a little dance, along with everything you expect Lou and Bud to delivery.Watch it with your children and have a very fun evening!