1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to steph you missed in history class from how 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy B. Wilson. And back 4 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: when we did our episode on Lucy a Ball, which, 5 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: as listeners may recall, was a sponsored episode brought to 6 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:25,119 Speaker 1: you by CNN, on the short list of comedians that 7 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:28,960 Speaker 1: we proposed for that episode was Abbott and Costello. We 8 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: ended up going with Lucy, but I haven't been able 9 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: to stop thinking about Budd and Leeu ever since, and 10 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:36,159 Speaker 1: I've really wanted to talk about their story. Yeah, we 11 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: were not kidding when we were like, here is our 12 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:41,240 Speaker 1: giant list of people in comedy history we would love 13 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: to talk about. I have a long list of comedy 14 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:46,879 Speaker 1: people I would like to talk about. So these were 15 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,560 Speaker 1: two men who really defined in many ways the comedy duo. 16 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: They weren't the first, nor were they the last, but 17 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: they were really a pretty significant payer in terms of entertainment. 18 00:00:57,240 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: And their work is quoted literally all the time, sometimes 19 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:01,880 Speaker 1: of people who know the lines but could not tell 20 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: you where they came from. Like I have watched people 21 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: do that I'm a bad Boy and you go, oh, 22 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: you're into Abbot Costello and they look at you with 23 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:11,119 Speaker 1: the blank face. They don't know they got it from 24 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: a cartoon like they did. They don't know that it 25 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 1: actually came from two people who were amazing comedians. Uh. 26 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:20,759 Speaker 1: And the relationship between Bud Abbott and Lou Costello was really, 27 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: really complex. They were two very different people that ended 28 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: up bound together for life because of their partnership and 29 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: the way their story unfolds is really fun at times 30 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: and really tragic at others. Uh. And heads up going 31 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: in first, there is a bit more info on Lou 32 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: Costello here than Bud Abbott, and that is because Lu's 33 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: daughter Chris wrote a really lengthy biography of her dad, 34 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:43,960 Speaker 1: which is complete with interviews of friends and family. It 35 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: is very thorough. There is not really a comparable biographical 36 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: account for Bud Abbott, probably at least in part because 37 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: he was a much more private person. Uh. Second, this 38 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: is a two partner because there's a lot of ground 39 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: to cover, and even with two longish episodes, there is 40 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: still plenty that had to be left out for time. 41 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: So while it would be great to do a comprehensive 42 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: twenty two part episode on but Eva and Lucastellope. I 43 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:11,840 Speaker 1: imagine by the end I'd be the only person still 44 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: in it. So we'll start with some biographical information about 45 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: each of them. But Abbott was born Bob Abbott on 46 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: October two and asked very Park, New Jersey. And he 47 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 1: was born to a circus family, uh which always delights me. 48 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: His mother, Ray Fisher Abbott, was a performer as a 49 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: bareback horse rider, and his father, Harry Abbott, was an 50 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: advanced man. He was one of the people who would 51 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: arrive at a location before the Traveling Circus Act to 52 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 1: scout and book shows and make arrangements once a deal 53 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: was struck. And I want to point out right out 54 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:51,480 Speaker 1: of the gate that that is a contested year. There 55 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: are allegedly documents that stayed his birth year is eighteen 56 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 1: ninety seven, but often it is told as so uh no, 57 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: that that's a disputed fact, and it is one of 58 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: those two years. But after Bud was born, Harry and 59 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: Ray decided they were going to leave behind the itinerant 60 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: circus life and they settled at Coney Island. Harry was 61 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: actually instrumental in the establishment of what came to be 62 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,640 Speaker 1: known as the Columbia Wheel. Also known as the Columbia 63 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: Amusement Company. And so the Wheel, which started in nineteen 64 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: o two, was actually the first burlesque circuit in the 65 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: United States. It was a professional organization that booked act 66 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,519 Speaker 1: to tour in rotation. That's where the term wheel comes 67 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: from to theaters that were on the circuit. But started 68 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: working with his father at Coney Island as a teenager, 69 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: and he left school to do so. Thanks to his 70 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: father's connections, he got a job at the Casino Burlesque 71 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:43,960 Speaker 1: Theater in Brooklyn, working as treasurer, and that meant that 72 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: he collected money and complaints and he relayed both of 73 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 1: them to the management. Yeah, I like that, UM Often 74 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: in looking back at these old accounts, the cashier was 75 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: called the treasurer, which sounds a little bit more important 76 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: at least to today's year, or maybe just mine. But 77 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,320 Speaker 1: so in nineteen eighteen he became treasurer at the National Theater, 78 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: which was a Detroit burlesque theater. And I should point 79 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: out there's a little gap here. And I found this 80 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: interesting factoid but was never ever able to um validate 81 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,599 Speaker 1: it or find any additional information. There were two different biographies, 82 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 1: both online that I saw that had this little throwaway 83 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 1: line that he was kidnapped and taken to Norway when 84 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: he was fifteen. But I never found any anything to 85 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 1: substantiate that. So that may have been what happened in 86 00:04:31,279 --> 00:04:33,160 Speaker 1: between his time at Coney Island and when he moved 87 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 1: to Detroit Um, but we don't know. But it was 88 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: in Detroit that he met the actress, dancer and comedian 89 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 1: Betty Smith, and Bud and Betty Smith, who had been 90 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:46,840 Speaker 1: born Jenny May Pratt before she changed her name to 91 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 1: Betty Smith for show business, fell in love and they 92 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 1: were soon married. Bud continued to work at the National 93 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: Theater after he and Betty got married, and he was 94 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:59,359 Speaker 1: eventually promoted from treasurer to manager in ninety four. His 95 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: work at nash L included a new role, straight man. 96 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: Betty had noticed that Bud would watch the show from 97 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 1: the wings, and he eventually confessed to her that he'd 98 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: like to try out the stage for himself. She encouraged 99 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: him to do so, so he started appearing as a 100 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 1: straight man, first with his wife Betty as a duo 101 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:19,279 Speaker 1: called Bud and Betty, but Betty realized that her husband 102 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 1: soon had a lot of options for partners quote, Bud 103 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 1: played straight man and I was the comic. It soon 104 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:28,159 Speaker 1: became obvious to me as we toured the circuit that 105 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: all the comics wanted to work with Bud, and I 106 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: knew my days were numbered as his partner. Bud was 107 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,360 Speaker 1: so good that he quickly built a name for himself 108 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: when was asked to appear with various vaudeville performers, and 109 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:41,919 Speaker 1: some of them much better known than he was. It 110 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: became a common practice that if someone was sick and 111 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: couldn't do a show, that Bud was the person who 112 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,279 Speaker 1: would fill in. And after the nineties ended, Bud and 113 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: Betty decided that they would move from Detroit to New York, 114 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:55,559 Speaker 1: and Bud spent the early thirties working for a number 115 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: of theaters and burlesque shows on the circuit. We'll move 116 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:02,279 Speaker 1: over to the young life of lou Costello, who was 117 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 1: born Louis Francis Cristillo in Paterson, New Jersey, to his 118 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: parents Sebastian and Helen Crystillo, on March sixth, nineteen o six. 119 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:14,239 Speaker 1: He was the second of three children. His brother Anthony 120 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 1: was three years older, and his sister, Marie Catherine was 121 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: six years younger Lou was a really outgoing kid who 122 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:24,240 Speaker 1: made easy friends with a lot of children from an 123 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 1: orphanage that was across the street from the family home, 124 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: and he would often sort of loan his athletic skills 125 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:32,280 Speaker 1: to the orphanage sports teams when they would compete with 126 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: UH teams from other organizations. And he also got into 127 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: his fair share of trouble as a kid. At one point, 128 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: he accidentally set fire to the family Christmas tree when 129 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,039 Speaker 1: he was trying to show a friend how a magic 130 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,359 Speaker 1: lantern his new magic lantern projector, which required a candle 131 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 1: to operate. There's a funny story in his daughter's biography 132 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: of him where his siblings saw him walking back and 133 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:54,920 Speaker 1: forth from the kitchen with just a glass of water, 134 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:57,840 Speaker 1: progressively more and more quickly carrying just a glass of 135 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 1: water each time before they realized he had started a fire. UH. 136 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: Nobody was hurt, although they did lose their beloved family piano, 137 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: as I recall. And another time he got in trouble 138 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:08,880 Speaker 1: because he and one of his friends wrote the F 139 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 1: word all over the upholstery in the family living room. 140 00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: That would be problematic at my house. Unlike Bud Abbott, 141 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: Lou Costello didn't come from a family of performers, but 142 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: he knew that was the life he wanted. From a 143 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: very early age. He envisioned himself first as a traumatic 144 00:07:26,320 --> 00:07:29,520 Speaker 1: actor and then, inspired by Charlie Chaplin, as a comedian. 145 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: He tried out various musical instruments, and he learned to 146 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,280 Speaker 1: sing and dance as well. At the age of twelve, 147 00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: he promised his mother, mom, one day, I'm going to 148 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 1: be a movie star and make you proud of me. 149 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 1: Just wait and see. You'll be the most famous mom 150 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: in the world. He was also a good athlete in 151 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 1: a number of sports, and as a teenager he also 152 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: boxed under the name of Lu King without his family's 153 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: knowledge or permission. But one night his dad went with 154 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: a family member to see a fight and he saw 155 00:07:56,920 --> 00:08:00,120 Speaker 1: Lou in the ring. The following morning, loose secret was 156 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: outed over the family breakfast. His mother was not pleased, 157 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: and despite the fact that he was really seen his 158 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: a rising star in boxing, lu never stepped in the 159 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: ring again, although he did go to the fights as 160 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: a spectator for the rest of his life. He also 161 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: saved a nine year old young girl's life on the 162 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: beach at Asbury Park this child had gotten farther into 163 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: the water than she could handle, and when Lou and 164 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: a friend heard screams for help, they spotted her and 165 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: retrieved her. A lot of the onlookers thought that she 166 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 1: was surely done for, but Lou was able to administer 167 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:34,160 Speaker 1: mouth and mouth resuscitation and revive her. As medical professionals arrived, 168 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: he slipped away from the scene because he was embarrassed 169 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 1: by all the attention. Yeah, it's kind of funny because 170 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: he seemed to want attention in a lot of ways, 171 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: uh for being a clown throughout his life, but he 172 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 1: was also a very generous and kind man in many 173 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,360 Speaker 1: ways and seemed to want to downplay that a little 174 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: bit more. When Lu's brother Pat had a measure of 175 00:08:55,080 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: success in the entertainment business through his jazz band Pat 176 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:01,959 Speaker 1: Cristillo and his gondolier Errs, it made the acting hopeful 177 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 1: Lou sort of envious. He stayed in school in accordance 178 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: with his parents wishes, but all he wanted was to 179 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:12,280 Speaker 1: run away to Hollywood. When in nine seven, Lou, who 180 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:14,439 Speaker 1: was then a young man of twenty one, told his 181 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: parents that he wanted to go to Hollywood, his father 182 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 1: thought he was talking about on a vacation, and it 183 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: became clear that it was an acting career and not 184 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: a visit that was being discussed. Lou's father was completely 185 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:29,319 Speaker 1: against the idea. After a lot of haggling and his 186 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: brother Pat offering to send Lou money to keep him 187 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:34,559 Speaker 1: afloat while he got on his feet, the family finally agreed. 188 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: Lou's father actually took out a loan of two hundred 189 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:40,679 Speaker 1: dollars to pay bus fare for his son, but Lou 190 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: alternated between hitchhiking and taking busses to stretch his cash. 191 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: He got to Hollywood and he got work on the 192 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:50,079 Speaker 1: MGM lot as a laborer, and at that point he 193 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:52,839 Speaker 1: depended on the kindness of some friends for places to 194 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:55,880 Speaker 1: sleep until he had enough money to get a small apartment. 195 00:09:56,440 --> 00:09:58,439 Speaker 1: And when he finally did get himself a place, that 196 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:01,000 Speaker 1: was all that he could afford. He could not pay 197 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: for utilities or luxuries of any kind, so he scraped 198 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:06,320 Speaker 1: by in the most meager of ways until he could 199 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:09,880 Speaker 1: save enough money to have his utilities turned on. By 200 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:12,320 Speaker 1: being on the right set at the right time, which 201 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: was when a stuntman did not show up for work, 202 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:17,720 Speaker 1: Lu did manage to get into pictures and tiny roles. 203 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: He was hoping that as talkies became more popular and 204 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:25,560 Speaker 1: some actors found themselves unable to make that transition, there 205 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:29,439 Speaker 1: would be more opportunities. But after a year of that 206 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:32,439 Speaker 1: he was not getting anything other than bit parts. He 207 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:36,240 Speaker 1: finally took the advice that actress Eileen Pringle gave to 208 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 1: him to return to New York, work on his acting 209 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,840 Speaker 1: and wait to be discovered on the stage. Yeah, at 210 00:10:42,880 --> 00:10:45,160 Speaker 1: that point, it was kind of a more common thing. Remember, 211 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:48,360 Speaker 1: Hollywood was still sort of in its infancy. Uh, it was. 212 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:50,439 Speaker 1: It was much more common for scouts to go to 213 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:53,439 Speaker 1: New York and watch plays and try to find actors 214 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: that they thought they could bring out to California. But 215 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: Lou never made it to New York. He only got 216 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 1: as far as St. Jose of Missouri before he ran 217 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:04,040 Speaker 1: out of money, and he ended up working there as 218 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:06,320 Speaker 1: a comic in a burlesque theater for a year, making 219 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 1: sixteen dollars a week before a dispute over a requested 220 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:12,599 Speaker 1: race finally reignited his desire to get back to the 221 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 1: New York New Jersey area, and it was during this 222 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 1: period that he transitioned to the last name of Costello 223 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:22,040 Speaker 1: from Cristillo, which his brother Pat had already done. After 224 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 1: a vaudeville producer saw Lou performing his comedy act and 225 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:27,880 Speaker 1: a bar in Paterson, he offered him a job as 226 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: a comic at the Orpheum Theater. After that show wrapped, 227 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,959 Speaker 1: Costello moved on to working at a theater in Passaic, 228 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: New Jersey, that showed movies and then had comics perform 229 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:39,840 Speaker 1: in between the features. He teamed up in his first 230 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:43,079 Speaker 1: comedy duo with a longtime friend named Al Williams, but 231 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:46,680 Speaker 1: the partnership came to an abrupt end when Williams died 232 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,679 Speaker 1: of a heart attack only after only a few shows together. 233 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,439 Speaker 1: And Lou continued to work as a comedian, and it 234 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:55,199 Speaker 1: was while he was trying to make a name for 235 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:57,559 Speaker 1: himself as a comic in New York that he met 236 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: a chorus girl named an Battler, originally from Providence, Rhode Island. 237 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:05,199 Speaker 1: Costello eventually won over the young woman. She wasn't interested 238 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:07,520 Speaker 1: in him at first, but he was wild about her, 239 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 1: and after a brief courtship, the two were married on 240 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:14,160 Speaker 1: January nineteen thirty four, and they both continued to work 241 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 1: in burlesque shows together until Anne actually broke her neck 242 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:19,280 Speaker 1: in a car accident that was caused when Lu fell 243 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:22,800 Speaker 1: asleep driving them both home from a late show. She recovered, 244 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:26,640 Speaker 1: but her dancing career was over while the Costellos were 245 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: expecting their first child, Patricia, who was born on September 246 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty six. Lose career changed forever, and we will 247 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:41,559 Speaker 1: talk about that after a quick word from sponsor. So 248 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:43,840 Speaker 1: now we're to the point where these two lives meet up. 249 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:46,079 Speaker 1: But there are a number of different versions of the 250 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:49,199 Speaker 1: story of how Bud Abbott and Lou Costello actually began 251 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:53,479 Speaker 1: working together. One of them goes like this. In ninety 252 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:56,120 Speaker 1: six and act called Lions and Costello were booked for 253 00:12:56,160 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 1: an appearance at the Casino theater where Bud worked, but Why, 254 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 1: who was playing the straight man to Costello's antics, was 255 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:05,800 Speaker 1: sick and couldn't make the show. The crowd had already 256 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,640 Speaker 1: filled the theater when news of a Lion's illness reached 257 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:12,240 Speaker 1: the venue. Costello was basically at his wits end when 258 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:14,319 Speaker 1: somebody told him that the guy who worked as the 259 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: theater's cashier had some experience as a straight man. So, 260 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:21,679 Speaker 1: according to this version, the desperate Lou Costello asked Bud 261 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:24,079 Speaker 1: Abbott to fill in for Lions, and that night history 262 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: was made. There was a perfect balance between the two performers, 263 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:30,080 Speaker 1: and the duo was an instant hit. The crowd loved 264 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 1: the pairing, but the reality was a little less centered 265 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 1: around one particular moment. According to Costello's biography penned by 266 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: his daughter, Budd and Lou had met each other on 267 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:43,600 Speaker 1: the entertainment circuit before that night, and they had become friends. 268 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 1: They would uh work on silly skits together between shows, 269 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:51,640 Speaker 1: just backstage, sharing stories and bits that they had learned 270 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,960 Speaker 1: from other comedians and even developing some new ideas together. 271 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: But they were both already performing separately on different comedy acts, 272 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:02,959 Speaker 1: but had been working with a comic named Harry Evanson regularly, 273 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: and Lou at that point was teamed up with Joe Lyons, 274 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:08,480 Speaker 1: but they would boatht sub in for each other's partners 275 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 1: as needed. Eventually, Budd decided to move on from his 276 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:14,800 Speaker 1: act with Evanson. He wrote to Lou, who was working 277 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: on the road at that time, to suggest that when 278 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,480 Speaker 1: his current engagement had wrapped up, they should meet. We 279 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:22,960 Speaker 1: wrote back, quote, don't do anything but until I get there. 280 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: Once Costello's previous booking with Lions was done, they officially 281 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 1: teamed up as Abbott and Costello. So that second sort 282 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: of less lightning in a bottle version makes a lot 283 00:14:34,120 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: more sense, even if it is less thrilling. The fact 284 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: was that at this point, at least on the burlesque 285 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: and vaudeville circuit, Bud had already gotten a reputation among 286 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 1: performers as a really stellar comedic straight man by the 287 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: time that he and Lou had become an X, So 288 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: it actually would have been really weird if Lou Costello 289 00:14:51,920 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: had never heard of him and someone was like, wait, 290 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:56,160 Speaker 1: there's a guy in the in the cashier's box that 291 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 1: could do this. Like that would be bizarre. It would 292 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 1: suggest as a random person, but it would suggest complete 293 00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 1: blinders and lack of knowledge of his own industry on 294 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 1: the part of Lou Costello. Regardless of how it all 295 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,880 Speaker 1: really played out, the two comedians were a perfectly balanced act. 296 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 1: But Abbott was a tall, lean man with a serious demeanor, 297 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: and Lou Costello, who was eleven years younger. I never 298 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 1: quite realized that there was that much of a disparity, 299 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 1: was short and stocky. He was lively and Silly. Abbott 300 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,160 Speaker 1: and Costello started getting bookings immediately as an opening act 301 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,720 Speaker 1: for burlesque shows, and they toured both burlesque and vaudeville theaters. 302 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 1: They actually only continued to play in burlesque theaters, at 303 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: least in New York for a year after they started together, 304 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: and that's because in May of nineteen thirty seven, New 305 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:46,640 Speaker 1: York's reformist mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia shut down all the 306 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 1: burlesques in the city as part of an action against 307 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 1: what he felt were morally corrupting elements. As the future 308 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 1: of burlesque looked uncertain, Abbott and Costello were offered a 309 00:15:56,440 --> 00:15:59,280 Speaker 1: gig in Atlantic City. Bud, who had been working in 310 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 1: burlesque the her since he was a teen, was reluctant 311 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: to abandon the circuit, especially as the two had a 312 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,040 Speaker 1: regular booking on it, but Lou was adamant that they 313 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 1: could be seen by important people in Atlantic City. Yeah, 314 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:13,920 Speaker 1: there was definitely a concern that as New York had gone, 315 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:16,520 Speaker 1: so would the rest of the burlesque circuit, and that 316 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:19,920 Speaker 1: they would all quickly be out of jobs. And it's 317 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 1: been speculated in some retellings of their lives that this 318 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 1: was where the famed sixty forty split of their take 319 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 1: came from, with Costello offering Abbott the bigger share as 320 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 1: part of the effort to convince him to go to 321 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:36,160 Speaker 1: Atlantic City. But in reality, it was already pretty customary 322 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 1: for burlesque comedy teams to split the take in favor 323 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: of the straight man because it was considered a harder job. 324 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:45,920 Speaker 1: Lou Costello once said, comics are a dime a dozen 325 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 1: good straight men are hard to find. But that sentiment 326 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 1: on loose part would change a little bit. Over the years. 327 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 1: They were staying busy with bookings, but they weren't getting 328 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:58,920 Speaker 1: the same rates they had on the burlesque and vaudeville circuit. Fortunately, 329 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:02,000 Speaker 1: in their second year together, the comedy duo was booked 330 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 1: on The Kate Smith Radio Hour, which was a popular 331 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,640 Speaker 1: show at the time. It was the first big exposure 332 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:10,920 Speaker 1: the two comedians had outside the touring circuit, as the 333 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:15,040 Speaker 1: Kate Smith Radio Hour was a national broadcast. Yeah, it 334 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:16,880 Speaker 1: was a big shift because it was kind of going 335 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,320 Speaker 1: from this like regional touring area where where they had 336 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:22,720 Speaker 1: names but they were definitely big fish in small ponds 337 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:26,719 Speaker 1: to being exposed to the entire country, and they were 338 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:29,919 Speaker 1: actually recommended for that job by comedian Henny Youngman, who 339 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:32,119 Speaker 1: wanted to get out of his contract with the radio 340 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:36,439 Speaker 1: show to take a job with Paramount Pictures. Initially, Ted Collins, 341 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:38,520 Speaker 1: who was the producer of the Kate Smith Radio Hour, 342 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 1: was not interested. He thought the Abbott and Costello act 343 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 1: really needed to be seen and that it wouldn't translate 344 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:47,920 Speaker 1: to the non visual medium of radio. He was also 345 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,480 Speaker 1: concerned that putting a burlesque act on the show was 346 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: risky to its reputation. A lot of people pressured Collins 347 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: to rethink his position, noting that their act was clean, 348 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,480 Speaker 1: so the burlesque excuse was not really valid, and that 349 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:04,720 Speaker 1: people really responded to their comedy and their timing. Collins 350 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:07,160 Speaker 1: finally caved, figuring and he could put them on once 351 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:09,640 Speaker 1: and if they crashed and burned, it would hurt them 352 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:12,800 Speaker 1: more than it would hurt the show. And that first 353 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,359 Speaker 1: show actually went well enough that they got asked back, 354 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 1: but they also were asked to do one particular thing 355 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:22,439 Speaker 1: to get back on. Either Bud or Lou it did 356 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 1: not matter, which would have to change his voice according 357 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 1: to Colin's direction. Apparently, radio listeners had difficulty telling the 358 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: two men apart, and this is when Luke Costello adopted 359 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 1: the higher pitch to his voice that would become so 360 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 1: much a part of his stage persona. As their appearances 361 00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: continued on the radio program, the audience really fell in 362 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: love with Abbott and Costello. At times, the cheering and 363 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:48,119 Speaker 1: laughter of the radio studio ate up so much time 364 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:51,159 Speaker 1: that the act would run long Collins would have to 365 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:53,919 Speaker 1: urge them to wrap up so that Kate could perform. 366 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 1: They became regulars on the show. They wound up with 367 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:59,080 Speaker 1: a salary that even subbed in for Kate when she 368 00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:02,800 Speaker 1: took a vacation. Perhaps most important to the producers, they 369 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:06,000 Speaker 1: helped propel The Kate Smith Hour, which aired on CBS, 370 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: to the number one position in its time slot, which 371 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:12,200 Speaker 1: was no small achievement. They had all always before that 372 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: point fallen behind Rudy Valley on NBC. And in the 373 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:19,440 Speaker 1: midst of this early blossoming of Abbott and Costello's career 374 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:23,119 Speaker 1: in radio, lou and his wife Ann welcome their second child, Carol, 375 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:29,679 Speaker 1: on December twenty three. We'll talk about their most famous sketch, 376 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 1: but we have to do a quick sponsor break before 377 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:39,760 Speaker 1: we do This early stage in the career of Abbott 378 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 1: and Costello is often cited as the time that spawned 379 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,119 Speaker 1: their most famous bit, a wordplay sketch that they co 380 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:48,840 Speaker 1: wrote with a comedy writer named John Grant that was 381 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 1: titled Who's On First. Most of our listeners have probably 382 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: heard it. If you haven't, I will include a link 383 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:57,640 Speaker 1: to it in the show notes. It is a classic. 384 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:00,280 Speaker 1: But there are also accounts that really into Kate that 385 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:02,440 Speaker 1: they were actually working on this bit before they ever 386 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:05,120 Speaker 1: even became an act together. So that period of time 387 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 1: we talked about before, when they were hanging around backstage 388 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:11,120 Speaker 1: at shows and kind of playing off each other for fun. Uh. 389 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 1: And there's even a write up in a ninety three 390 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:17,560 Speaker 1: issue of the Chicago Tribune that suggests that this bit 391 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:21,440 Speaker 1: was long before the Kate Smith Radio Hour. That particular 392 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:24,160 Speaker 1: article was written to bust myths about the two performers, 393 00:20:24,280 --> 00:20:28,000 Speaker 1: so hopefully their information was accurate. One of the interesting 394 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 1: pieces of trivia about that bit is that Ted Collins 395 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:34,200 Speaker 1: allegedly saw Who's On First when he was scouting the 396 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 1: pair for Kate Smith's show. He wasn't really wowed by 397 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:40,679 Speaker 1: it was one of the sketches he felt could never 398 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:43,680 Speaker 1: translate to the radio, and he kept shooting it down 399 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:45,880 Speaker 1: every time they pitched it for the show as long 400 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 1: as they were regulars. Finally, in a bit of manipulation, 401 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,160 Speaker 1: Lou Costello got the sketch on the radio by pretending 402 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 1: that he and Bud just had like writer's block and 403 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:59,040 Speaker 1: had no new material one week, which was an outright lie. 404 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:01,240 Speaker 1: The two of them were constantly coming up with stuff, 405 00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 1: and he suggested that maybe they should just skip that show, 406 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:09,240 Speaker 1: which was the complete bluff. Ted Collins, knowing that Abbott 407 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,639 Speaker 1: and Costello were a huge part of the show's success 408 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:14,639 Speaker 1: at that point, told Luda just used that baseball sketch 409 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,399 Speaker 1: he'd been pitching forever. That night, the sketch killed. The 410 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 1: studio audience loved it. People call the networked rave about it. 411 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:24,920 Speaker 1: As for the bits co writer John Grant, he became 412 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:27,560 Speaker 1: a salaried part of the writing staff for the show. 413 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,960 Speaker 1: He continued to write for and with Abbott and Costello 414 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: for years. Lew and Budd ended up working on Smith's 415 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:38,080 Speaker 1: show for weeks so a little over two years, and 416 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:40,919 Speaker 1: during that time Kate Smith really kind of took them 417 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,399 Speaker 1: under her wing. She coached them on how to handle 418 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:47,240 Speaker 1: all of the attention, pressure and expectations that came with 419 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:49,520 Speaker 1: being in the public eye. Because she saw that they 420 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:52,560 Speaker 1: were probably going to be super famous, she helped them 421 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:54,960 Speaker 1: pick out clothes, and she also just gave them tips 422 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:59,440 Speaker 1: on presenting themselves in public. From Kate Smith's radio show, 423 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 1: Abbott and Costello star rose very quickly onto n nine. 424 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 1: They debuted on Broadway and a musical review titled Streets 425 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:11,960 Speaker 1: of Paris. Their work on the show got fantastic reviews, 426 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:16,160 Speaker 1: and they became the darlings of Broadway. The next obvious 427 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 1: step was for the team to transition to pictures, but 428 00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:22,119 Speaker 1: they faced an interesting hurdle there. So while there was 429 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:25,640 Speaker 1: definitely some interest from Hollywood, there were also concerns among 430 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:29,399 Speaker 1: studio heads that Evan Costello were radio players and that 431 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 1: they would not be able to transition to the visual 432 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,040 Speaker 1: medium of film. Given that this is the reverse of 433 00:22:35,119 --> 00:22:37,960 Speaker 1: the concern that Kate Smith's producer had when he was 434 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,119 Speaker 1: booking them for radio off of the burlesque circuit in 435 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,879 Speaker 1: the first place, this is somewhat hilarious now, but at 436 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 1: the time it was very frustrating for the two performers. Nevertheless, 437 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,040 Speaker 1: they remained interested in striking a studio deal, and their 438 00:22:51,119 --> 00:22:54,000 Speaker 1: agent at A. Sherman, was instructed to keep on working 439 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:57,040 Speaker 1: at it. In the meantime, Streets of Paris was staged 440 00:22:57,119 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: once again, this time at the New York World's Fair, 441 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:02,360 Speaker 1: and Ud and Lou were once again engaged as part 442 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 1: of the cast. They performed the show an exhausting four 443 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:09,600 Speaker 1: times a day during the World's Fair, and they were 444 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 1: also booking additional gigs for their comedy act on off 445 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:16,440 Speaker 1: days and late at night. Yeah, their schedule sounds so 446 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:19,080 Speaker 1: grueling to me at this time, Like it's one of 447 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:21,000 Speaker 1: those things where you always hear people touted as the 448 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,919 Speaker 1: hardest working man in show business. They were seriously working 449 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:26,639 Speaker 1: so hard, because can you imagine doing four shows a 450 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:28,960 Speaker 1: day and then when you're done, you run off and 451 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:31,840 Speaker 1: do like a midnight comedy show and you know, do 452 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,520 Speaker 1: that for an hour and that I would be so 453 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:37,520 Speaker 1: wiped out. But they were hustling. Uh. Their first Hollywood 454 00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:41,200 Speaker 1: studio offer ended up coming from MGM, but that offer 455 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:44,320 Speaker 1: was twenty dollars to appear in small roles in a 456 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:48,159 Speaker 1: couple of big musical pictures. But being billed as one 457 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:51,840 Speaker 1: act of many really didn't suit them and GM debated 458 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:54,440 Speaker 1: over making a better offer, but while they ruminated on 459 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:56,840 Speaker 1: the situation, word had gotten out that they had made 460 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,320 Speaker 1: a bid to put Abbott and Costello under contract. An 461 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:03,920 Speaker 1: executive at Universal named Maddie Fox heard about mgm s 462 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 1: offer and set up a meeting. He too was offering 463 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:09,680 Speaker 1: them a chance to be members of a large cast, 464 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:12,920 Speaker 1: but he offered more money, thirty five thousand dollars and 465 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,080 Speaker 1: promised that the pair would be featured performers. So Lew 466 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:19,359 Speaker 1: and Bud took that deal, and in ninety the comic 467 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:23,320 Speaker 1: duo were signed at Universal Studios. And that's where we're 468 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 1: gonna end this episode, uh, with the promise of an 469 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:30,239 Speaker 1: exciting film career ahead of these two comedians, and then 470 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:33,560 Speaker 1: we'll pick up with with They're really really intense and 471 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 1: fast rise to wealth and fame, uh and kind of 472 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:40,520 Speaker 1: what happened after that on our next episode. Do you 473 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:42,240 Speaker 1: have listener mail for this one? I knew I have 474 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 1: some listener mail. This one is from our listener Bethany, 475 00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:48,639 Speaker 1: and she writes, Dear Tracy and Holly, I love you 476 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:50,920 Speaker 1: your work. She writes nice things about us that I'm 477 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: always too awkward about reading to do so, and she's 478 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:56,399 Speaker 1: writing us about the bombing of the Atlantic Temple, and 479 00:24:56,400 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: I will pick up in the middle of her her email, 480 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:00,920 Speaker 1: she says, I tend to let episodes build up, and 481 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:02,800 Speaker 1: then I listened all in one gulp. So I know 482 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:05,000 Speaker 1: this is a bit late, but I was especially interested 483 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: to hear about the episode of the Atlanta Temple bombing. 484 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:10,080 Speaker 1: As soon as I finished it, I had to send 485 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:12,040 Speaker 1: a note about the episode to my mother, who was 486 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: also included on this email, and the information here is 487 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:17,320 Speaker 1: presented with her permission. Uh. It was the synagogue that 488 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,720 Speaker 1: she attended as a child, and in fact was the 489 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:22,880 Speaker 1: synagogue my parents were married in. My mother was six 490 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,679 Speaker 1: when the temple bombing occurred, and it affected her profoundly. 491 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:28,280 Speaker 1: She listened to the podcast as well and said that 492 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:31,080 Speaker 1: it brought back a lot of memories. The following segment 493 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,000 Speaker 1: is from her, and this is the part her mother wrote. 494 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: I was six, my oldest sister was ten. We had 495 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 1: already left her religious school beforeward got to us about 496 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:42,479 Speaker 1: the bombing, and since the only phones folks had at 497 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:44,680 Speaker 1: that time where landlines, we had no idea what was 498 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,199 Speaker 1: ahead of us. When we arrived at the temple, there 499 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 1: were so many people there, just standing around looking at 500 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 1: the space where beautiful hand carved wooden doors had stood. 501 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: There were broken bricks and glass everywhere. I remember fragments 502 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:00,159 Speaker 1: of the many conversations that stemmed from that moment, my 503 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:02,600 Speaker 1: mother and father wondering if the bomber intended for the 504 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:04,879 Speaker 1: bomb to go off. Once the children were in school, 505 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:07,960 Speaker 1: their friends wondering as standing up for civil rights was 506 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,399 Speaker 1: worth this Rabbi ross Child speaking from the pulpit and 507 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:14,679 Speaker 1: in the classrooms, the fear I began to feel that someone, 508 00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:18,240 Speaker 1: someones hated me because well, I didn't know why. In 509 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:21,719 Speaker 1: this I remember, And then she relays, uh friends at 510 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:26,359 Speaker 1: school who called her pejorative slurs. Uh. My mother also 511 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:29,040 Speaker 1: remembered that Jews weren't allowed in the public pool or 512 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:31,760 Speaker 1: allowed to join the Girl Scouts. She wrote, so many 513 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:34,440 Speaker 1: people speak wistfully of the past, how lovely it was, 514 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 1: how civilized, how moral. I'm glad the past is the past, 515 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:41,560 Speaker 1: and I wish it was dead, but it's not. She 516 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:44,160 Speaker 1: then wrote something that Jews say frequently whenever we talked 517 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,480 Speaker 1: about slavery, oppression, and especially when we talk about the 518 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:51,359 Speaker 1: Holocaust and ceremonies such as those surrounding passover and on 519 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:55,119 Speaker 1: Yamashawa we retell what happened, and then we say never again. 520 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:59,760 Speaker 1: My mother wrote, never again, never again, not for my children, 521 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:05,840 Speaker 1: not for African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, lgbt Q women, anyone 522 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 1: anywhere made to feel small and ugly and less than than. 523 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:11,440 Speaker 1: Then Bethany writes, thank you again, and I hope that 524 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:13,760 Speaker 1: the podcast taught a lot of people about the bombing 525 00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:16,080 Speaker 1: and why it happened. Uh, and then she gives us 526 00:27:16,080 --> 00:27:18,760 Speaker 1: permission to read this. I'm totally choked up. It's so 527 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:22,960 Speaker 1: sweet that she shared this with us. If you would 528 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,360 Speaker 1: like to write to us, you may do so at 529 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:28,359 Speaker 1: History Podcast at howset works dot com. You can also 530 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,280 Speaker 1: find us across the broad spectrum of social media, where 531 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:34,440 Speaker 1: everywhere pretty much we are missed in history. 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