Abbott and Costello enjoyed many successes over the course of their time together. The bit, which is grounded in baseball lore, was first performed by the duo in vaudeville, eventually became closely identified with Abbott and Costello.
They performed it numerous times over the years, including in their movies One Night in the Tropics and The Naughty Nineties. If you have a Birthday today: you share with the late legendary comic actor Lou Costello. He also had another date with Steve for May 24 and then he was planning to do six weeks at Las Vegas Dunes. Lou was always working up new routines.
A Requiem Mass will follow Saturday at 10 a. A native of Paterson, N. Costello was a newsboy, soda fountain clerk, salesman and movie stunt man before becoming a burlesque comedian. He perfected many of his routines from incidents in his own life. It became one of his favorite gags. In high school the comic was credited with being a crack athlete, starring in basketball, baseball, football and track.
Later he tried his hand at boxing, drawing considerable crowds who were amazed at his ability to absorb punishment. After graduation he became a hat store clerk, saving enough money to travel to Hollywood.
He became a member of a labor gang at the old Warner Bros. Studio and later moved up to stunt man. He returned to the East and went into burlesque as a single. There he met Abbott, they joined forces and soon became headliners. Two years later, they had their own NBC show. Universal signed them to a long-term contract, and their second film, Buck Privates , made them box-office stars. In most of their films, the plot was a framework for the two comics to reintroduce comedy routines they first performed on stage.
Universal also added glitzy, gratuitous production numbers featuring The Andrews Sisters , Ted Lewis and his Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald , and other musical acts.
They made 36 films together between and Abbott and Costello were among the most popular and highest-paid entertainers in the world during World War II. They remained a top ten box office attraction until They launched their own weekly show October 8, , sponsored by Camel cigarettes. Regulars and semi-regulars on the show included Artie Auerbach "Mr. Ken Niles was the show's longtime announcer, doubling as an exasperated foil to Abbott and Costello's mishaps and often fuming in character as Costello routinely insulted his on-air wife.
Niles was succeeded by Michael Roy , with announcing chores also handled over the years by Frank Bingman and Jim Doyle. Sound effects were handled primarily by Floyd Caton. In , they moved to television as rotating hosts of The Colgate Comedy Hour.
Eddie Cantor and Martin and Lewis were among the others. Each show was a live hour of vaudeville in front of a theater audience, revitalizing the comedians' performances and giving their old routines a new sparkle.
Beginning in , a filmed half-hour series, The Abbott and Costello Show , appeared in syndication on local stations across the country. Loosely based on their radio series, the show 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 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.
Gordon Jones was Mike the cop, who always lost patience with Lou. Even though "Who's on First? Lou said it repeatedly on stage, radio and TV, often when he was in some sort of difficulty and needed help. The pronunciation was comical, with the emphasis on the "hey" and the second syllable of the last name. The simple plotlines were often merely an excuse to recreate old comedy routines—including "Who's on First?
Since Bud and Lou owned the series, this allowed them to own these versions of their classic routines as well. Before Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz became the definitive comedy duo on television, Abbot and Costello ruled the radio. They produced dozens of films with Universal, had their own highly rated radio show and had a popular television show during the medium's infancy.
When it came to comedy, Abbott and Costello were kings. Although their comedy bits were simple and hilarious, their backstory is a bit more complicated. Here are 11 things you never know about the one, the only Abbott and Costello. During his teenage years, Costello fought in the ring as an amateur boxer named Lou King.
However, the kid's dreams were dashed when his father unexpectedly showed up to a fight with a family member and recognized his son in the ring.
Costello's mother put her foot down the next morning at breakfast when she found out. Image: blumhouse. The later teenage years of Abbott are a mystery, as there aren't many accounts as to what he was up to during that time. However, one account suggests the boy was kidnapped and taken to Norway. Abbott eventually returned to the United States to become a cashier at a casino.
Image: YouTube. Could you imagine watching Williams and Costello? Before Costello paired up with his eventual partner, he teamed up with a man named Al Williams. However, Williams died of a heart attack after performing only a few shows together with Costello.
While most people think of the duo as peers, Costello was actually nine years younger than Abbott 11 years, depending on sources.
The pair didn't meet until they were in their 30s. After several appearances on radio programs, including The Kate Smith Hour , Abbott and Costello were told by producers one of them had to change their voice.
Apparently, they sounded too similar and listeners couldn't distinguish between the two men. That's when Costello adopted the higher pitch, for which he became known in his later years. The only way for them to get it on the show, however, was to lie about not having any new material for the week.
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