Abbott and Costello: Difference between revisions

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Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were a [[Comedy Duo]] who worked together from 1935 to 1957, starting out in [[Burlesque]] theatre and expanding into radio, television and films. They're best known for their signature routine, "Baseball", in which Abbott attempts to tell Costello about a baseball team whose players have confusing nicknames like "Who" and "What". ("Who's on first?" "Yes.")

[[Name's the Same|Not to be confused]] with Tony Abbott and Peter Costello, a pair of [[Australian Politics|Australian politicians]] who served as ministers under Prime Minister John Howard at the same time.

 

 

* ''[[Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein]]''

 

* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: Moonbeam in ''Ride 'Em Cowboy'', and the widow in ''The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap''.

* [[Accidental Aiming Skills]]: Oliver's (Lou's) final shot at the basket in ''Here Come the Co-Eds''.

* [[Berserk Button]]: In the "Bagel Street" routine ("Susquehanna Hat Company!")

* [[Boke and Tsukkomi Routine]]

* [[Butt Monkey]]: Costello most of the time. Abbott takes this role in "The Time Of Their Lives".

* [[Catch Phrase]]: "Heeeeeey, Abb-ott!"

* [[Celestial Bureaucracy]]: in ''The Time of Their Lives''

* [[The Danza]]: In many of their later works, they skipped the intermediaries and just played characters named "Bud Abbott" and "Lou Costello".

** In ''Abbott And Costello Meet The Mummy'', the comedians's characters were Peter Patterson and Freddie Franklin, respectively--according to the credits, anyway, which was the only place those names were used.

* [[The Exit Is That Way]]

* [[Fat and Skinny]]: Abbott is the skinny, clever [[Straight Man]]; Costello is the chubby dimwit.

* [[The Gay Nineties]]: ''The Naughty Nineties''

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: "The Flying Bordellos" in ''Who Done It?'', among other examples.

* [[Hey, It's That Guy!]]: Happens quite a bit within their films.

** [[Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein|Frankenstein's Monster]] plays [[Jerkass|"Devil Dan" Winfield]] in "Comin' Round The Mountain".

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]

* [[Hollywood Mirage]]: in ''Abbott and Costello Join the Foreign Legion''

* [[Hurricane of Puns]] - the basis of most of their humor.

* [[If It Tastes Bad, It Must Be Good for You]]:

'''Costello:''' Sure, that's where you can eat all you want of everything you don't like. }}

* [[It Was Here, I Swear]]: A standard bit, that appears in ''[[Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein]]'' and ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer'' among others

* [[Non-Indicative Name]]: ''Abbott and Costello Go To Mars'', in which Abbott and Costello go to Venus.

** Also, ''Abbott and Costello Meet The Killer, Boris Karloff'', in which the killer {{spoiler|is ''not'' Boris Karloff.}}

* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Very rarely, Costello is portrayed or merely implied as having this. Or more like he acts like a moron but he can be pretty quick when he wants to be.

* [[The Operators Must Be Crazy]]: The episode "Who Done It" has a skit about a particularly bizarre and abusive operator.

* [[Shotgun Wedding]]: In ''Ride 'Em Cowboy'', the Indians suggest forcing Costello into a "bow-and-arrow wedding".

* [[The Show Must Go On]]: On the radio show Lou and Bud worked on, one day around the time they were working on ''[[Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein]]'' Lou came in for show late, very quiet, and went through his routines flawlessly but without speaking to anyone outside of the job, which was ''very'' unusual for him. Then at the end he said to his very young son, "That one's for you." He then explained to his fellow performers and the listeners at home that his son had drowned earlier that day, but not before Lou promised him that "Tonight you'll hear Dad on the radio." [[I Gave My Word|Lou kept his promise.]]

* [[Straight Man]]: Abbott

* [[Straight Man and Wise Guy]]: Abbott and Costello

* [[Tongue-Tied]]: Several films have Costello needed to impart some important information, usually that the movie's villain is nearby. However, while he mimes speaking the words, he's so scared that he literally cannot make any kind of audible sound.

* [[Two-Person Love Triangle]]: in the romantic subplot in ''Jack and the Beanstalk''

* [[Vitriolic Best Buds]]: Onscreen, this was played straight. Offscreen, though, the "Best Buds" part was questionable.

* [[Weak-Willed]]: In one film, a psychologist tries to hypnotize Lou Costello. Lou proves to be completely immune, but the psychologist accidentally hypnotizes himself. Then Lou wakes him up, and managed to accidentally hypnotizes him again mere seconds later.

* [[With Friends Like These...]]

* [[You Kill It, You Bought It]]: Parodied in ''The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap''.

 

 

 

* [[Looney Tunes]] parodied them in three cartoons as "Babbit and Catstello". They also borrowed some of Lou's catch phrases and made them their own, like "I'm only three-and-a-half years old" and [[Bugs Bunny]]'s "Gee, ain't I a stinker?"

* The ''[[Gummi Bears]]'' episode "Friar Tum" features a character named Abbot Costello.

* In Australia, the days when Tony Abbott and Peter Costello were prominent members of the Liberal Party were a gift to political commentators across the country.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Radio Drama]]

[[Category:Double Acts and Groups]]

[[Category:Creator]]