Abbott and Costello

Abbott and Costello (William (Bud) Abbott, 1897-1974; Louis Cristillo, 1906-1959) were an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film, and television made them one of the most popular and respected teams in comedy history. Their "Who's on First?" routine, developed during their years in burlesque, is widely considered to be one of the greatest comedy sketches of all time.

Overview

The two comedians first worked together in 1935 at the Eltinge burlesque theater on 42nd Street in New York. Costello became a burlesque comic in 1928 after failing as a movie stunt double and extra; Abbott had been in burlesque since 1916, as a cashier, producer, and finally a performer. They made their partnership formal in 1936, building an act by adapting and improving numerous old burlesque sketches into their own style. Abbott was the arch, often scheming straight man and Costello the confused, context-challenged naif.

Early years

They received their first national exposure in 1938 when they appeared on radio's The Kate Smith Hour. Their popularity on the program grew and they stayed on as regulars for two years. This led to roles in a Broadway musical, "The Streets of Paris," in 1939. In 1940 they were signed by Universal for the film One Night in the Tropics. Cast strictly in a supporting capacity, they nonetheless stole the show with several classic routines, including their immortal "Who's on First?" Universal signed them to a long-term contract and their second film, "Buck Privates," 1941 secured their place as movie stars. The duo made over 30 films between 1940 and 1956 (see list below) and were among the most popular and highest-paid entertainers in the world during World War II. Among their most popular films are "Hold That Ghost," "Who Done It?", "Pardon My Sarong," "The Time of Their Lives," "Buck Privates Come Home," "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," and "Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man."

The team also appeared on radio throughout the 1940s. They began by hosting a summer replacement series for Fred Allen on NBC in 1940, then joined Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy on the Chase and Sanborn program in 1941. During the same period two of their films, "Buck Privates" and "Hold That Ghost," were adapted for radio and presented on Lux Radio Theater.On October 8, 1942 the team launched their own weekly show on NBC sponsored by Camel cigarettes. They moved to ABC (the former NBC Blue Network) from 1947-49. The additional cast and crew of this program included Sid Fields as the Melonheads, Artie Auerbrook as Ketsel, regulars Elvira Allman, Iris Adrian, Mel Blanc, Wally Brown, Sharon Douglas, Verna Felton, Lou Krogman, Pat McGeehan, Frank Nelson, Martha Wentworth, and Benay Venuta, vocalists Amy Arnell, Connie Haines, Marilyn Maxwell, Susan Miller, Marilyn Williams, the Delta Rhythm Boys, and the Les Baxter Singers, announcers Frank Bingman, Jim Doyle, Ken Niles, and Michael Roy, and the orchestras of Skinnay Ennis, Charles Hoff, Matty Matlock, Jack Meakin, Will Osborne, Freddie Rich, Leith Stevens, and Peter van Streeden. While with ABC, they also hosted a children's radio program, the Abbott and Costello Kids Show, which ran for thirty minutes Saturday mornings on ABC from 1947 through 1949, with vocalist Anna Mae Slaughter and announcer Johnny McGovern.

By 1951, the twosome had moved to television--first as one of the rotating hosts of The Colgate Comedy Hour (Eddie Cantor and Bob Hope were among the others) and then, the following year, in their own situation comedy, The Abbott and Costello Show. The half-hour series was loosely adapted from their radio show, but cast the duo as unemployed wastrels. One of the show's running gags involved Abbott perpetually nagging Costello to get a job to pay their rent, while Abbott barely lifted a finger himself in that direction. The show featured Sidney Fields as their landlord and Hillary Brooke as a friendly neighbor who sometimes got involved in the pair's schemes. Another semi-regular was Joe Besser, who played Stinky, a 40-year-old sissy dressed in a Little Lord Fauntleroy suit. The Abbott and Costello Show ran from 1952 to 1954, but the show found a new life in syndicated rerun broadcast in the late 1960s and early-to-mid 1970s, and the episodes were probably seen by more viewers this time around than when the show was actually produced.

Later years

In the 1950s, however, Abbott and Costello's popularity waned. There were several reasons for this. Each year they released two new films, while the studio re-released some of their older hits. Add to that a weekly TV series and regular live appearance on the Colgate program, and the team's bag of tricks was overexposed. Then, with the ascendancy of Martin and Lewis, Bud and Lou were looked upon as the old guard. Conflicts between the two began to divide them, and the tax man finished the job: Abbott and Costello split up in 1957 after the Internal Revenue Service hit them for back taxes enough that both were forced to sell many assets, including their rights in their films. Two years later, after making his lone solo film (Thirty Foot Bride of Candy Rock), Lou Costello died.

Bud attempted a comeback in 1960, teaming up with Candy Candido. Although the new act received good reviews, Bud quit, remarking "No one could ever live up to Lou." A few years later, Bud voiced his character in a series of 156 five-minute Abbott and Costello cartoons made by Hanna-Barbera in 1966 and 1967. (While he certainly could use the income, Bud was not badly off financially, since he had reached a settlement with the IRS.) Lou's character was voiced by Stan Irwin.

Spinoffs

The cartoon series wasn't the first time Abbott and Costello were immortalized in animation. During the height of their popularity in the 1940s, Warner Bros.'s Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies animation unit produced a several cartoons featuring the pair as cats or mice named "Babbit and Catstello." One of the cartoons, "A Tale of Two Kitties," introduced one of the most enduring characters in the history of animation: Tweety Pie.

But the team's influence has rarely abated since their breakup. In 1994, comedian Jerry Seinfeld hosted the television special Abbott and Costello meet Jerry Seinfeld (the title referenced their popular series of films in which the duo met some of Universal's famed horror picture characters). The show aired on NBC to over 20 million homes. Seinfeld himself has always stated that The Abbott and Costello Show was the inspiration for his own popular series. Abbott and Costello's radio shows are also popular finds among old-time radio buffs.

Their famous comedy routine, "Who's on First?" is believed to be available in as many as twenty versions; Abbott and Costello performed subtle variations of the routine in film, on their radio show, and on television (in one of their Colgate Comedy Hour installments and their half-hour TV series). It became such an icon of American comedy that the duo and their writers seized on any opportunity to craft different routines based upon the same hook. Perhaps the most successful of the children "Who's on First?" spawned was "U Drive," a routine about renting a car, which debuted on their radio show.

"The Abbott and Costello show" is also occasionally used when referring to the Australian government of John Howard due to the names of two prominent members of the ministry - federal health minister Tony Abbott and federal treasurer Peter Costello.

Filmography

One Night In The Tropics, November 15, 1940
Buck Privates, January 13, 1941
In the Navy, May 27, 1941
Hold That Ghost, August 6, 1941
Keep 'Em Flying, November 28, 1941
Ride 'Em Cowboy, February 20, 1942
Rio Rita, 1942
Pardon My Sarong, August 7, 1942
Who Done It?, November 6, 1942
It Aint Hay, 1943
Hit The Ice, June 2, 1943
In Society, August 18, 1944
Lost In A Harem, 1944
Here Come The Co-eds, February 2, 1945
The Naughty Nineties, July 6, 1945
Abbott & Costello In Hollywood, 1945
Little Giant, February 22, 1946
The Time Of Their Lives, August 16, 1946
Buck Privates Come Home, April 4, 1947
The Wistful Widow Of Wagon Gap, October 8, 1947
The Noose Hangs High, 1948
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, August 20, 1948
Mexican Hayride, December 27, 1948
Abbott and Costello Meet The Killer: Boris Karloff, August 2, 1949
Africa Screams, 1949
Abbott and Costello In The Foreign Legion, July 24, 1950
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man, March 19, 1951
Comin' Round The Mountain, June 18, 1951
Jack and the Beanstalk, 1952
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (film), 1952
Lost In Alaska, July 28, 1952
Abbott and Costello Go To Mars, April 6, 1953
Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, 1954
Abbott and Costello Meet The Keystone Cops, 1955
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, 1955
Dance With Me Henry, 1956

References

*Sies, Luther F. Encyclopedia of American Radio 1920-1960. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2000. ISBN 0786404523
*Terrace, Vincent. Radio Programs, 1924-1984. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999. ISBN 0786403519

Abbott and Costello: Encyclopedia BETA

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