Abbott and Costello

Abbott and Costellowere an Americancomedy duocomposed of comediansBud AbbottandLou Costello, whose work in radio, film, and television made them the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in the world during theSecond World War. Their patter routine "Who's on First?" is considered one of the greatest comedy routines of all time,a version of which appears in their 1945 filmThe Naughty Nineties.
Abbott and Costello made their film debut in the 1940 comedyOne Night in the Tropics. The following year, they appeared in three war-themed comedies:Buck Privates,In the Navy, andKeep 'Em Flying. They also appeared in the 1941horror comedyfilmHold That Ghost, and went on to appear in several other horror comedies, includingAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein(1948),Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff(1949),Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man(1951),Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1953), andAbbott and Costello Meet the Mummy(1955). Other films starring the duo includePardon My Sarong,Who Done It?(both 1942),The Time of Their Lives(1946),Buck Privates Come Home(1947),Africa Screams(1949), andAbbott and Costello Go to Mars(1953).
The two comedians had crossed paths a few times previously, but first worked together in 1935 at theEltinge Burlesque Theateron42nd Streetin New York City.Their first performance resulted from Costello's regular partner becoming ill, and Abbott substituting for him.
Other performers in the show, including Abbott's wife, encouraged a permanent pairing. The duo built an act by refining and reworking numerous burlesque sketches with Abbott as the deviousstraight manand Costello as the dimwitted comic.
Decades later, whenAMCmoved the old theater 168 feet (51 metres) further west on 42nd Street to its current location, giant balloons of Abbott and Costello were rigged to appear to pull it.
The team's first known radio broadcast was onThe Kate Smith Houron February 3, 1938.At first, the similarities between their voices made it difficult for radio listeners (as opposed to stage audiences) to tell them apart during their rapid-firerepartee. As a result, Costello affected a high-pitched, childish voice. "Who's on First?" was first performed for a national radio audience the following month.They performed on the program as regulars for two years, while also landing roles in a Broadway revue,The Streets of Paris, in 1939.
After debuting their own program,The Abbott and Costello Show, asFred Allen's summer replacement in 1940,Abbott and Costello joinedEdgar BergenandCharlie McCarthyonThe Chase and Sanborn Hourin 1941. Two of their films (Hold That GhostandBuck Privates) were adapted for radio that year.Hold That Ghostwas presented as a half-hour adaptation on August 1, 1941 onLouella Parsons'Hollywood Premiere,andBuck Privateswas presented onLux Radio Theatreas a one-hour adaptation on October 13, 1941.Their program returned in its own weekly time slot starting on October 8, 1942, withCamelcigarettes as sponsor.
The Abbott and Costello Showmixed comedy with musical interludes (by vocalists such asConnie Haines,Ashley Eustis,the Delta Rhythm Boys,Skinnay Ennis,Marilyn Maxwelland theLes BaxterSingers).
Among the show's regular and semi-regular performers wereJoe Kirk(Costello's brother-in-law) as the excitable Sicilian immigrant Mr. Bacciagalupe,Artie Auerbachas Mr. Kitzel,Elvia Allman,Iris Adrian,Mel Blanc,Wally Brown,Sharon Douglas,Verna Felton,Sidney Fields,Frank Nelson,Martha WentworthandBenay Venuta. Guest stars includedCary Grant,Frank Sinatra,The Andrews SistersandLucille Ball.
Ken Nileswas the show's longtime announcer, doubling as an exasperated foil to Costello, who routinely insulted his on-air wife (played by Elvia Allman). Niles was succeeded byMichael Roy, alternating over the years withFrank BingmanandJim Doyle.
The show went through several orchestras, including those of Ennis,Charles Hoff,Matty Matlock,Matty Malneck,Jack Meakin,Will Osborne,Fred Rich,Leith StevensandPeter van Steeden.
The show's writers includedHoward Harris,Hal Fimberg,Parke Levy,Don Prindle,Eddie Cherkose(later known asEddie Maxwell),Leonard B. Stern,Martin Ragaway,Paul ConlanandEddie Forman, as well as producerMartin Gosch. Sound effects were handled primarily by Floyd Caton.
In 1947, the show moved toABC(the former NBCBlue Network). During their time on ABC the duo also hosted a 30-minute children's radio program (The Abbott and Costello Children's Show)on Saturday mornings. The program featured child vocalist Anna Mae Slaughter and child announcerJohnny McGovern. It finished its run in 1949.
In 1940,Universal Studiossigned them for a musical,One Night in the TropicsstarringAllan JonesandNancy Kelly. Cast in supporting roles, Abbott and Costello stole the picture with several classic routines, including "Who's on First?". Signed to a two-picture contract, their second film,Buck Privates(1941), directed byArthur Lubinand co-starringThe Andrews Sisters, was a massive hit, earning $4 million at the box office and launching Abbott and Costello as stars.
Their next film was a haunted house comedy,Oh, Charlie!; however,Buck Privateswas so successful that the studio decided to delay the release so the team could hastily film and release a second service comedy.In the Navy(1941), co-starred croonerDick Powelland the Andrews Sisters, and initially out-grossedBuck Privates. Loew's Criterion in Manhattan was open until 5 a.m. to oblige over 49,000 customers during the film's first week.
Oh, Charliewent  back into production to add music featuring the Andrews Sisters and Ted Lewis. The film was eventually retitledHold That Ghost(1941).The duo next appeared  inRide 'Em Cowboy(1941), withDick Foran, but its release was delayed so they could appear in a third service comedy,Keep 'Em Flying(1941). This was their last film directed byArthur Lubin. All of their 1941 films were big hits, and Abbott and Costello were voted thethird biggest box office attractionin the country in 1941.
Universal loaned the team toMetro-Goldwyn-Mayerfor a musical comedy,Rio Rita(1942). During filming Abbott and Costello had their hand and foot prints set in concrete at what was then "Grauman's Chinese Theatre". Back at Universal they madePardon My Sarong(1942), a spoof of South Sea Island movies; andWho Done It?(1942), a comedy-mystery.
In 1942, exhibitors voted them the top box office stars in the country, and their earnings for the fiscal year were $789,026.The team did a 35-day tour during the summer of 1942 to promote and sell War Bonds. The Treasury Department credited them with $85 million in sales.
After the tour the team starred inIt Ain't Hay(1943), from a story byDamon Runyon; andHit the Ice(1943).
Costello was stricken withrheumatic feverupon his return from a winter tour of army bases in March 1943 and was bedridden for approximately six months. On November 4, 1943, the same day that Costello returned to radio after a one-year hiatus due to his illness, his infant son Lou Jr. (nicknamed "Butch" and born November 6, 1942) died in an accidental drowning in the family's swimming pool.Maxene Andrews remembers visiting Costello with sisters Patty and LaVerne during his illness, and remembered how Costello's demeanor changed after the tragic loss of his son, recalling, "He didn't seem as fun-loving and as warm...He seemed to anger easily...there was a difference in his attitude".
After Costello recovered, the duo returned to MGM forLost in a Harem(1944) then were back at Universal forIn Society(1944),Here Come the Co-Eds(1945) andThe Naughty Nineties(1945). Their third and final film for MGM wasAbbott and Costello in Hollywood(1945).
In 1945, a rift developed when Abbott hired a domestic servant who had been fired by Costello. Costello refused to speak to his partner except when performing. The following year they made two films, (Little GiantandThe Time of Their Lives), in which they appeared as separate characters rather than as a team. This was likely the result of the tensions between them, plus the fact that their most recent films had not performed as well at the box office. Abbott resolved the rift when he suggested naming Costello's pet charity, a foundation for underprivileged children, the "Lou Costello Jr. Youth Foundation." The facility opened in 1947 and still serves theBoyle Heightsdistrict of Los Angeles.
Abbott and Costello reunited as a team inBuck Privates Come Home(1947), a sequel to their 1941 hit. InThe Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap(1947) they were supported byMarjorie Main. They signed a new contract with Universal which allowed them to appear in films outside of their studio contract.The first of these,The Noose Hangs High(1948), was distributed byEagle-Lion.
The team's next film,Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein(1948), co-starringBela LugosiandLon Chaney Jr, was a massive hit and revitalized the duo's careers. It was followed byMexican Hayride(1948), an adaptation of aCole Portermusical without the songs. They followed withAfrica Screams(1949) for Nassour Studios, an independent company which was released throughUnited Artists. Back at Universal, they returned to horror comedy withAbbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff(1949).
The pair was sidelined again for several months when Costello suffered a relapse of rheumatic fever. They returned to the screen inAbbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion(1950). They returned the following year inAbbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man(1951); thenComin' Round the Mountain(1952), a hillbilly comedy.
Their first color film,Jack and the Beanstalk(1952), was an independent production distributed byWarner Bros.After filmingLost in Alaska(1952) back at Universal, they made a second independent color movie,Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd(1952) co-starringCharles Laughton, which was also distributed by Warner Bros.
At Universal, they starred inAbbott and Costello Go to Mars(1953) andAbbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1953). They were forced to withdraw fromFireman Save My Childin 1954 due to Costello's ill health, and were replaced by lookalikesHugh O'BrianandBuddy Hackettalong withSpike Jones and his City Slickers. Their last two films for Universal wereAbbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops(1955) andAbbott and Costello Meet the Mummy(1955). In 1956, they appeared in their final film together,Dance With Me, Henry, an independent production released through United Artists.
In January 1951, Abbott and Costello joined the roster of rotating hosts ofThe Colgate Comedy Houron NBC. (Eddie CantorandMartin and Lewiswere among the others.) Each show was a live hour ofvaudevillein front of an audience, revitalizing the comedians' performances and giving their old routines a new sparkle.
From the fall of 1952 to the spring of 1954, a filmed half-hour series,The Abbott and Costello Show, appeared in syndication on over 40 local stations across the United States. Loosely based on their radio series, the show cast the duo as unemployed wastrels. One of the show'srunning gagsinvolved Abbott perpetually hounding Costello to get a job, while Abbott was happily unemployed. The show featuredSidney Fieldsas their landlord andHillary Brookeas a neighbor and sometime love interest for Costello. Other regulars were future StoogeJoe Besseras Stinky, a whiny child in aLittle Lord Fauntleroysuit;Gordon Jonesas Mike the cop, who always lost patience with Costello; Joe Kirk, an Italian immigrant caricature whose role varied with the requirements of the script; andBobby Barber, who played many "extra" parts.
The simple plot lines were often an excuse to recreate comedy routines from their films and burlesque days, including "Who's on First?" Since Costello owned the series (with Abbott working on salary), this allowed them to own these versions of the classic routines as well.  The 2nd season was more story-driven. There was no continuity. AlthoughThe Abbott and Costello Showoriginally ran for only two seasons, it found a larger viewership in reruns from the 1960s to the 1990s. The shows have also been released in three different DVD sets over the years.
"Who's on First?" is Abbott and Costello's signature routine.Timemagazine (December 26, 1999) named it the best comedy routine of the 20th century. The sketch was based on other earlier burlesque wordplay routines. They began honing the routine shortly after teaming up in 1936, and performed it in vaudeville in 1937 and 1938. It was first heard by a national radio audience on March 24, 1938, when the team were regulars on the Kate Smith radio show.By then,John Granthad been writing or adapting other sketches for the team and may have helped expand "Who's on First?" prior to its radio debut. He stayed on as their head writer into the 1950s.
Depending upon the version, Abbott has either organized a new baseball team and the players have nicknames, or he points out the proliferation of nicknames in baseball (citingSt. Louis CardinalssiblingpitchersDizzyandDaffy Dean) before launching into the routine. Theinfielders' nicknames are Who (first base), What (second base) and I Don't Know (third base). The key to the routine is Costello's mounting frustration set against Abbott's unyielding formality. Audio recordings are readily available on the Internet.
A notable version is the first television performance on the 1951Colgate Comedy Hour.
"Who's on First?" is believed to be available in as many as twenty versions, ranging from one minute to up to ten minutes. The team could time the routine at will, adding or deleting portions as needed for films, radio or television. The longest version is seen in "The Actors' Home" episode of their filmed TV series, running approximately eight minutes. A live performance commemorating the opening day of the Lou Costello Jr Youth Foundation in 1947 was recorded, and has been included in numerous comedy albums. The team's final performance of "Who's on First?" on TV was onSteve Allen's variety showin 1957.
Abbott and Costello both married performers they met in burlesque. Abbott wed Betty Smith, a dancer and comedienne, in 1918, and Costello married a chorus girl, Anne Battler, in 1934. The Costellos had four children; the Abbotts adopted two. Abbott and Costello faced personal demons at times. Both were inveterate gamblers and had serious health problems. Abbott suffered fromepilepsyand turned to alcohol for seizure management. Costello had occasional, near-fatal bouts withrheumatic fever.
In the 1950s, Abbott and Costello's popularity waned with the emergence ofDean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Another reason for their decline was overexposure.Each year they made two new films, whileRealart Picturesre-issued their older hits; their filmed television series was widely syndicated, and the same routines appeared frequently on the Colgate program. (Writer Parke Levy told Jordan R. Young, inThe Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio and TV's Golden Age, that he was stunned to learn that the pair were afraid to perform new material.)
Universal dropped the comedy team in 1955 after they could not agree on contract terms. In the early 1950s, theInternal Revenue Servicecharged them for back taxes, forcing them to sell their homes and most of their assets, including the rights to most of their films.
In 1956, they made one independent film,Dance with Me, Henry, and Costello was the subject of the television programThis Is Your Life,then formally dissolved their partnership in 1957.In his posthumously published 1959 autobiography,My Wicked, Wicked Ways,Errol Flynnclaims that he triggered the breakup. Flynn, a chronic practical joker, invited them, along with their wives and children, to his house for dinner, and afterwards, he commenced to show a home movie that "accidentally" turned out to be hard-core pornography. While Flynn pretended to be baffled, Costello and Abbott each blamed the other for the film's substitution.
In his last years, Costello made about ten solo appearances onThe Steve Allen Showdoing many of the old routines without Abbott. Costello performedstand-upinLas Vegas, and appeared in episodes ofGE TheaterandWagon Train. On March 3, 1959, not long after completing his lone solo film,The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock, he died of a heart attack three days short of his 53rd birthday.
Abbott attempted a comeback in 1960 withCandy Candido. Although the new act received good reviews, Abbott quit, saying, "No one could ever live up to Lou." Abbott made a solo, dramatic appearance on an episode ofGeneral Electric Theaterin 1961. In 1966, Abbott voiced his character in a series of 156 five-minuteAbbott and Costellocartoons made byHanna-Barbera.Costello's character was voiced by Stan Irwin. Bud Abbott died of cancer on April 24, 1974.
For a number of years Abbott and Costello were ranked among the most popular stars in the US according to the Quigley Publishers Poll of Exhibitors:
The 1960s cartoon series was not the first time Abbott and Costello were animated. During the height of their popularity in the 1940s,Warner Bros.'sLooney Tunes/Merrie Melodiesanimation unit produced 3 cartoons featuring the pair as cats or mice named "Babbit and Catstello". One of the cartoons, Bob Clampett'sA Tale of Two Kitties(1942), introducedTweety. The other cartoons areA Tale of Two MiceandMouse-Merized Cat. In all three cartoons,Tedd Pierce(normally a storyman/writer for the cartoons) and Mel Blanc, respectively, provide voice impressions of the comedy duo.
The revival of their former television series in syndicated reruns in the late 1960s and early 1970s helped spark renewed interest in the duo, as did the televising of many of their old film hits. In 1994, comedianJerry Seinfeld—who says Abbott and Costello were strong influences on his work—hosted a television specialAbbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld(the title refers to the duo's popular film series in which they met some of Universal's famed horror picture characters), on NBC; the special was said to have been seen in 20 million homes.
Abbott and Costello were frequently referred to in 1940sLooney Tunescartoons, such asA Tale of Two Kitties(1942),A Tale of Two Mice(1945),Hollywood Canine Canteen,Hollywood DaffyandThe Mouse-Merized Cat(all three from 1946).A catchphrase from Abbott and Costello's radios show,"I'm only three and a half years old"was often quoted in these cartoons too.EvenBugs Bunny's famouscatchphrase,"Ain't I a stinker?"was borrowed fromLou Costello.
Although they are not inductees of the Hall itself, Abbott and Costello are among the few non-baseball personnel to be memorialized in theBaseball Hall of Fame. A plaque and a gold record of the "Who's on First?" sketch have been on permanent display there since 1956, and the routine runs on an endless video loop in the exhibit area.
Their "Who's on First?" routine has been referred to numerous times. In the 1988 movieRain Man,Dustin Hoffman'sautisticcharacter Raymond Babbitt recites an affectless "Who's on First?" as adefence mechanism. In 1982,Tonight ShowhostJohnny Carsonperformed a topical sketch as then-PresidentRonald Reaganin which "Who's on First?"-style confusion arose from the names of Interior SecretaryJames Watt, Palestinian leaderYassir Arafatand Chinese leaderHu Yaobang.
The comedy groupThe Credibility Gapperformed arock and rollupdate of "Who's on First?" using the names of rock groupsThe Who,The Guess Who, andYes, recorded and released on their first album,The Bronze Age of Radio. On the January 13, 2001, episode ofSaturday Night LivehostCharlie SheenandSNLcast-memberRachel Dratchperformed a modified version of "Who's on First?" in a sketch. NBC'sStudio 60 on the Sunset Strip(2006), a drama about life backstage at a television comedy series, used "Who's on First?" as a plot device.
A TV movie calledBud and Lou, based on a book by Hollywood correspondentBob Thomas, was broadcast in 1978. StarringHarvey Kormanas Bud Abbott andBuddy Hackettas Lou Costello, the film told the duo's life story, focusing on Costello and portraying him as volatile and petty.
Jerry Seinfeld is an avid Abbott and Costello fan and their influence on him was celebrated in a 1994 NBC special,Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld's TV series includes numerous references to the team. George Costanza's middle name is "Louis", after Costello. "The Old Man" (Season 4, Episode 18, aired February 18, 1993) featured a cantankerous old man named "Sid Fields" (played by veteran actorBill Erwin) as a tribute to the landlord on the Abbott and Costello TV show. A friend of Kramer's is named Mickey Abbott. A copywriter for the J. Peterman catalog is named Eddie Sherman, after the team's longtime agent. In Episode 30,Kramerhears the famous Abbott and Costello line, "His father was a mudder. His mother was a mudder."
In 1991, theUS Postal Servicefeatured Abbott and Costello on a first-class stamp,  part of a "Comedian Commemorative Issue", illustrated byAl Hirschfeld.
In 2003,Montclair State Universitydedicated a student residential complex named The Abbott and Costello Center on Clove Road in theLittle Fallsportion of the university's campus.
InRobin Hood: Men in Tights, a 1993 spoof comedy directed byMel Brooks,Dick Van Pattenplayed the part of the Abbot. At one point, a man who looked and sounded like Lou Costello (played byChuck McCann) yelled "Hey, Abbott!", in exactly the same way Lou did in the Abbott and Costello movies, repeating a joke from Brooks' Robin Hood sitcomWhen Things Were Rottenin which Van Patten shouted the line. Van Patten responds, "I hate that guy!"
Abbott and Costello were inducted into theNew Jersey Hall of Famein 2009.
In 2015, a non-profit fan film was produced titledAbbott & Costello Meet Superman.The film was screened at the Superman Celebration Film Festival in Metropolis Illinois and is currently streaming on YouTube. Abbott and Costello are played by two actors from New York, Aaron M. Lambert and Jake Navatka.
In the 2016 sci-fi movieArrival, the two Heptapods (alien beings) are named Abbott and Costello by the scientists, because the one named Abbott is taller and quieter while the one named Costello is shorter and chattier. The names also haveextra-diegeticsignificance as two of the main themes in the movie arelinguisticsand(mis)communication, which mirrors themes of the "Who's on First?" routine.