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Welcome to another Retro Radio Vault. Taking you back to the days when radio was young, and digging out episodes from our first season.
Before those old fashioned Retrobots share out dated information about the old web page, and an email address that no longer works, and is not monitored, Keith shares some historical info on Bud and Lou.
Bonus Tracks
- Bing Crosby 1940 Sierra Sue. y
- Ben Selvin’s orchestra 1930 Around the Corner.
Here’s my original show notes:
The most famous bit that Bud and Lou are known for is the Who’s on First routine. Probably the next most famous is the one we’ll hear today, U-Drive. Just like U-Haul, the moving company that lets you rent a truck to transport your goods, there once was a rental car company called U-Drive. Abbott and Costello get us started with this fun bit of confusion before getting on with their attempt at having Veronica Lake star in their upcoming film. They meet and have some fun as they practice some lines.
William (Bud) Abbott and Lou Costello (born Louis Francis Cristillo) were an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film and television made them one of the most popular teams in the history of comedy. Thanks to those same media venues and over exposure, it was also their downfall.
Bud was born in 1895 and Lou in 1906. They were both in Burlesque, Bud as a straightman for various acts including his wife. Lou first tried getting into movies, was a stuntman and did some boxing before getting into Burlesque. They first worked together in 1935 and were encouraged by all in their circle at the time to stick together and develop their act.
Their first radio appearance was in 1938 on the Kate Smith show where they became regulars. Their New Jersey accented voices sounded too much alike for their rapid fire comedy and was confusing to the radio audience as to which one was talking. Lou started using a higher pitched, more childish voice. It was good enough to get the duo into Broadway and in 1940 into Universal Studios.
They were support characters in their first film, but stole the show. In 1941 their first feature film was Buck Privates. In 1942, after being a summer replacement for the Fred Allen radio show, they got their own radio show that ran to the late 1940’s.
Both Bud and Lou were married to gals they knew from their Burlesque days. Both had some health problems and were heavy gamblers. Lou faced tragedy in October 1943 when his infant son drowned in the family swimming pool. In 1945 there was a rift between the two over Bud hiring a maid that Lou had previously fired. It was resolved in 1947 when Bud volunteered to help with a charity for underpriveledged kids that Lou was involved with.
In the 1950’s the comedy team began losing popularity. Their routines were all over the place and they were uncomfortable and unwilling to develop new material. Abbott and Costello pretty much retired. The IRS investigated them and charged them with back taxes, forcing them to sell their homes. In 1959, Lou died of a heart attack and Bud did a few things on television, later he died of cancer in 1974.
PS: The information I presented today is summarized from a Wikkipedia article.
For official information about Abbott and Costello you can visit:
- http://www.abbottandcostello.net
The site is the official web site and is operated by the families of Bud and Lou.
