biography
Born William Abbott in New Jersey on October 2, 1895 (some sources cite 1897), Bud Abbott was born into show business, as his parents worked for the Barnum & Bailey
Circus. He dropped out of school and worked in carnivals, and as he matured into a young man, Abbott worked the vaudeville circuit as a 'straight man' for various comics.
After his marriage to wife Betty in 1918, Abbott also worked as a theatre manager to make ends meet. He was in his mid 30s by the time he first teamed with Lou Costello,
whose straight man had taken ill. Abbott, working as a box office manager at the time, filled in for the ailing performer. The two became friends, but it would take about
five more years for Abbott and Costello to officially become a team, which they finally did in 1936.
Lou Costello was born Louis Francis Cristillo on March 6, 1906, in New Jersey. Standing only 5'3" but very athletic, Costello went to Hollywood as a young man in the 1920s to break into films. However, he could only secure work as a stuntman and in bit parts. Feeling defeated, he went back east in the late 1920s and worked in burlesque. After his initial meeting with Bud Abbott, the duo developed an instant rapport. They honed their act in vaudeville and burlesque houses; since the act was becoming successful so quickly, they soon found themselves ascending to greater heights. Comedian Henny Youngman, who was a great fan of theirs, pulled some strings and got them a one-time booking on a 1938 episode of the Kate Smith Radio Hour, one of the most popular radio programs at the time. The team proved to be such a hit with audiences that they returned to the show numerous times, eventually doing their famous "Who's On First?" routine. Several studio executives took notice of Abbott and Costello's growing popularity, but Universal Studios, known at the time for its horror films, made the best offer, so the team signed a contact with the studio in 1939. 
The team's first film for Universal was the B musical One Night in the Tropics (1940; with Robert Cummings). Abbott and Costello's
second film, Buck Privates (1941; with Jane Frazee and Nat Pendleton), was their first headliner and became a smash hit. Their
Universal contract proved to be so lucrative for the team that the studio had to lower its usual production values to bring the films in on budget. They were buoyed by
their radio show, which aired on ABC from 1941 through 1946, switching to NBC from 1946 though 1949. Into the 1940s, they became wildly popular with war-weary audiences
seeking escapist entertainment. In support of the war effort, Abbott and Costello criss-crossed the country selling war bonds and, later, promoted various charities.
At the height of their success, however, Lou Costello was hit with a number of personal tragedies. He became seriously ill with rheumatic fever in early 1943 and had to
cease making films and radio appearances for several months. After he recovered, on the day that the team's radio show began its 1943 season, his one-year-old son tragically
drowned in his pool. He went on with the radio show that evening, putting off his anguish until after the show aired. |
the films of abbott and costelloHold That Ghost (1941) 
From Universal's Hold That Ghost. LEFT: With Richard Carlson, Evelyn Ankers, and Joan Davis. RIGHT: Costello with comedy veteran Joan DavisThe Noose Hangs High (1948) 
From The Noose Hangs High with Mike MazurkiAbbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
From Universal's comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein with Bela Lugosi and Glenn StrangeAbbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949) From Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff with Boris Karloff, one of two comedies the horror great made with Abbott and CostelloAbbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)   Scenes from Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man. LEFT: Lou Costello as a detective. CENTER A: Lou goes undercover as a prizefighter. CENTER B: Bud and Lou try to catch a killer. RIGHT: Abbott and Costello with Adele JergensAbbott and Costello Go To Mars (1953)    
From Abbott and Costello Go To Mars. LEFT: Bud and Lou in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. CENTER A, B, and C: With Mari Blanchard as the Queen of Venus. RIGHT: Bud and Lou with the beautiful Venusians, who were all actually Miss Universe Pageant contestants. Look for Anita Ekberg in this photoAbbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops (1955)  
Scenes from Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone KopsAbbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) With Eddie Parker as the Mummy in Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, the last of Abbott and Costello's Universal monster filmsThe 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959) From Lou Costello's final film, the Columbia comedy The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock with Gale Gordon and Charles Lane. This film was released about six months after Costello passed awaylater yearsWith the growing popularity of television, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello took a rotating hosting gig on the NBC variety series The Colgate Comedy Hour, beginning in early 1951. The next year, on rival network CBS, the team starred in its own series, The Abbott and Costello Show, which ran for two seasons. After their Universal contract lapsed following the release of Dance with Me, Henry (1956; with Gigi Perreau), the handwriting was on the wall. Lou Costello wanted to go solo, and Bud Abbott, now in his 60's, longed to retire. In 1957, the team amicably split. Lou Costello did a number of nightclub appearances and headlined the film The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock (1959; with Gale Gordon and Dorothy Provine). Sadly, before the film was released, he passed away suddenly from a heart ailment on March 3, 1959, at the age of 52. His wife Anne died just months later. The couple was survived by three daughters. An interesting side note is that, in the mid 1940s Costello helped discover Dean Martin. Years later, Costello's daughter Carole married Martin's son Craig.Bud Abbott wasn't allowed to enjoy retirement for long, as the I.R.S. hit him with a huge back tax bill of $750,000. With his fortune gone and needing to work, he formed a new comedy team with Johnny "Candy" Candido in the early 1960s, but Abbott's heart wasn't in it and, in addition, he was not in good health. He took a few television roles and later did voice work on Hanna-Barbera's 1966 animated series The Abbott and Costello Show. He was forced to retire afterward due to failing health. Bud Abbott passed away on April 24, 1974, at the age of 78 and was survived by his wife and daughter and son. |
filmographyFILM
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