Abbott and Costello (series)
“Hey, Abbooooott!”
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, straight man and boisterous “baaaaad
boy,” formed one of the most successful comedy teams in Hollywood
history. Over the course of their two-decade partnership, the
quick-tongued tandem found fame in vaudeville, radio, Broadway,
television and perhaps most famously, on the silver screen. The team
that brought us the immortal “Who’s On First” routine also left a
legacy of more than 40 films (features and shorts) and taught the world
that comedy and horror weren’t mutually exclusive.
William Alexander ‘Bud’ Abbott and Louis ‘Lou’ Francis Cristillo
(later Costello) first met while both were performing on the vaudeville
stage in New York City. The two made their partnership official in
1936, and were soon discovered by radio's The Kate Smith Hour.
It was on this program that “Who’s On First” came to the national
attention, rocketing Abbott and Costello to fame. By 1939, the duo had
signed a movie deal with Universal Pictures, and their joint movie
career had begun.
Abbott and Costello’s first on-screen appearance came in 1940’s One Night in the Tropics,
but the two were merely supporting players, livening up the film’s love
story with comic relief (including an abridged “Who’s On First”). In
the eyes of most, Abbott and Costello stole the show, and Universal
decided it was time for a starring role.
1941’s Buck Privates gave Bud and Lou top billing, playing
Slicker Smith and Herbie Brown, respectively. Slicker and Herbie are a
pair of would-be tie salesmen who try to get by without a license. When
a no-nonsense cop tries to bust them, the two escape by enlisting in
the U.S. Army. Unfortunately, once they arrive in Boot Camp, they find
that the very same cop is now their drill instructor.
Buck Privates was a smash hit, and Abbott and Costello’s
movie comedy career was set. The film also got a lift from the popular
singing group The Andrews Sisters, who set wartime hearts aflutter with
catchy tunes like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” Military life made good
comedy for a pair of goofballs like Bud and Lou, and Universal kept the
streak going with Keep ‘Em Flying (an Air Force picture) and In the Navy.
The Andrews Sisters returned for the latter film, as sister Patty
Andrews played the love interest of Bud and Lou’s crooning shipmate,
Tommy Halstead (Dick Powell).
Still in 1941, Abbott and Costello debuted their first comedy/horror picture, Hold That Ghost.
In it, the two play service station attendants Chuck Murray and
Ferdinand Jones, who end up as sole heirs to a gangster’s fortune.
Before they can retrieve it, however, Chuck and Ferdinand end up stuck
in a haunted house.
Hold That Ghost was a definite success, but the team’s most
popular comedy/horror films were yet to come. In the meantime, Abbott
and Costello jumped across several genres: crime (Who Done It?), musical (Rio Rita), Western (Ride ‘Em Cowboy), period piece (The Naughty Nineties) and more. No matter the format, Bud and Lou were comic gold, becoming international stars.
In 1948, the duo made the first of several highly unusual team-ups with other legendary celebrities. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
set the standard for the comedy/horror genre, pitting Bud and Lou (as
Chick Young and Wilbur Grey) against a truly fearsome threesome:
Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and the Wolf Man. All three monster
roles were played by legitimate horror actors (Bela Lugosi, House of Frankenstein’s Glenn Strange, and Lon Chaney, Jr., respectively), making sure that the chills were just as real as the chuckles.
In Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Chick and Wilbur
are a pair of freight handlers who come across a very unusual load. A
European house of horrors is gearing up for a big event, and they’ve
shipped in the real Count Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster as an
attraction. Due to Chick and Wilbur’s bumbling, Dracula awakens, and
the Count carries away the Monster. Dracula takes on a lovely female
assistant in Dr. Sandra Mornay (Lenore Aubert), but the Monster needs a
new brain to function properly. Drac and Dr. Mornay kidnap Wilbur, but
“Wolf Man” Larry Talbot shows up to help Chick find and rescue his lost
buddy before it’s too late.
The movie was an international smash, and Abbot and Costello
continued to team up with Universal’s stable of movie monsters: “The
Killer, Boris Karloff,” The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and
The Mummy. The duo also met film comedy pioneers The Keystone Kops and
legendary pirate Captain Kidd (played by Mutiny on the Bounty’s Charles Laughton) in separate films.
Even during their Abbott and Costello Meet… years, the tandem continued to make other films, including the safari spoof Africa Screams and a memorable retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk. In 1956, their final film, Dance With Me Henry, was released, and Bud Abbott and Lou Costello announced their amicable split.
Costello passed away a few years later, sadly dashing any hopes for
a comeback or reunion, but the two left behind a comic legacy that
continues to win new fans in every generation.
