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A Double feature of sorts. First an episode of Bill Stern that features Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Then the baseball episode where Bud and Lou do their famous Who’s on First sketch.
When Bud and Lou take the sage they talk about girls, and baseball. Lou tells about his athletic prowess back in his younger days in Patterson, New Jersey. Bud gets Lou confused over a few different words, and figures of speech.
Skinny Ennis sings, Linda.
Bud wants to put Lou on a rigorous exercize routine. Even Skinny gets in on some of the joking about baseball. Mix ups over real life baseball players ensues. Bessy May Mucho, a recurring character on the show, makes her appearance to drive Lou nuts over the way she pronounces words. After teasing from Verna Felton it’s time for a song. Marilyn Maxwell sings, Hurrying Into Spring.
Ready? Bud and Lou finish off the show with their famous routine, Who’s on First. Just listen in and enjoy these classic radio moments.
Bonus Track:
Bill Stern talks about a momentous time where sports played a part in resolving a tense moment with Mexico. Also how a race horse is connected with the movie industry. Abbott and Costello join Bill and share a sports story of their own. Bill also shares some dramatic stories about golf, auto racing, and celebrity connections.
PS: I did a quuick search on the topic of when Bud and Lou crossed paths. By the date given in Bill’s show Bud was out of high school, and had been married for 4 years. The two met professionaly in the mid 1930’s, but it doesn’t discount the fact they may have met earlier. William Alexander”Bud” Abbott was from Brooklyn, but was also part of a family that travelled with the Barnum and Bailey circus, so he may have encountered Lou as mentioned in the show. Who knows?
Louis Francis Costello really was known as something of an athlete, and blayed basketball in high school. He did some boxing as Lou King, and in 1927 went to Hollywood to work as a stunt man. After a drooping career, he hitch hiked home to Patterson, but ran out of money in St Joseph, MO where he started performing comedy in the burlesque halls. It was during this time in the early 1930’s that he met and teamed up with Bud Abbott. Though this information gleened from the web indicates they didn’t meet until later, it still doesn’t mean they didn’t cross paths in younger years.
