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Abbott & Costello
Abbott & Costello were the last
of the great comedy teams. Their career spanned 21 years…from burlesque, to Broadway,
to radio, to films and finally to, television.
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello officially
teamed up in 1936. Bud was regarded as one of the best and sought after straightmen on the
burlesque circuit. Born William Alexander Abbott on October 2, 1895 in Asbury Park, New
Jersey, Bud’s early career in show business began in 1918 when he was a treasurer of
the National Theatre, a burlesque house in Washington, DC. It was here where Bud met his
wife, Jenny Mae Pratt, whose stage name was Betty Smith.
Lou Costello was born Louis Francis
Cristillo on March 6, 1906 in Paterson, N.J. Wanting to try his luck in Hollywood, Lou
found sparse work as a laborer and an extra at MGM in 1927. He appeared in the boxing
sequence of Laurel & Hardy’s “Battle of the Century” (1927) and in the
Delores Del Rio 1928 epic “Trails of 98.”
By the time Lou worked his way back to the
east coast, Bud Abbott was already a successful straightman in burlesque. Although Lou had
his designs on becoming a dramatic actor, he worked as a Dutch comic in St. Joseph,
Missouri at $16.00 a week in order to make his way back to N.J. Once home, he continued
pursuing burlesque jobs and for awhile worked as a dancing juvenile in Ann Corio’s
“This Is Burlesque.” It was in this show that he met his future wife, Anne
Battler and whom he married in 1934.
Although one can find many stories that
claim to document the teaming up of Abbott & Costello, the most familiar is that of
Lou’s straightman getting sick and Lou asking Bud, also on the bill, if he would step
in. Subsequently, history was made that night at a Brooklyn burlesque house in 1936 and
the team of Abbott & Costello was born.
The first couple of years of their
partnership were rather lean ones, but the turning point came when Ted Collins, manager
for Kate Smith, asked if they would appear on
the “Kate Smith Radio Show.” They signed as summer replacements and proved to be
a great success. Following, they signed to appear in Mike Todd’s Broadway show,
“Streets of Paris” and which also featured another newcomer, Carmen Miranda.
Returning to radio, it was their performance of a new routine they had written in
collaboration with their comedy writer, John Grant, that catapulted them to Hollywood and
to stardom. Today, WHO’S ON FIRST has become their classic signature skit and
most well-remembered of the Abbott &Costello routines.
Signed by Universal Pictures in 1939, their
first film was a “test run” to see how well Abbott & Costello would go over
to theatre going audiences. “One Night in the Tropics” was an Alan Jones, Nancy
Kelly film, however, the studio kept shooting more and more footage of Abbott &
Costello due to reports from the set that the crew could barely contain themselves from
laughing. It was the perfect springboard for the boys and a giant success at the box
office. Universal realized they had a prime commodity with this comedic duo and
immediately set the wheels in motion for Abbott & Costello to star in their next film,
“Buck Privates.”
Bud and Lou made a succession of box office
hits for Universal and were voted #1 box office stars in 1942 --- “In the Navy,”
“Keep ‘Em Flying,” “Hold That Ghost,” “ Who Done It?”
and “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein,” today a cult classic amongst
Abbott &Costello fans, kept the gates of Universal open at a time when Universal was
considered a B studio. In all, Bud and Lou made 36 films, their last being “Dance
With Me Henry” in 1957.
Returning to radio between films, “The
Abbott & Costello Show” aired on ABC from 1941-46 and on NBC from 1946-49.
The live stage was where Abbott &
Costello thrived. In the early 1950’s, NBC welcomed Bud and Lou to their new hour
long live variety show, “The Colgate Comedy Hour” as guest hosts. Debuting on
January 7, 1951, Abbott & Costello boosted the show’s ratings as they performed
their staple of routines, including the still popular and in demand, “Who’s On
First.”
In 1956, one year before the release of
their last film, “Dance With Me Henry, “ and the dissolving of their
partnership, Bud and Lou were brought together on “Steve Allen Show” before a
live audience and nationwide broadcast. The emotion was heightened when unbeknownst to
both man, Steve Allen announced the induction of Abbott & Costello’s Gold Record
in Cooperstown, N.Y. Today, Bud and Lou are still the first non-baseball playing
celebrities to have such a work inducted.
Lou Costello passed away in March of 1959, followed by Bud Abbott in 1974.
Today, their comedy continues to generate a whole new legion of fans from around the
world. When “Abbott & Costello Meets Jerry Seinfeld” aired on NBC in 1994,
Seinfeld contributed this thought. “If it weren’t for Bud Abbott & Lou
Costello, many of the vaudeville and burlesque routines would have been lost forever. It
was through Abbott & Costello’s films and television show appearances, as well as
on radio, that will forever preserve them for generations to come. |
