Abbott and Costello 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 the endurance of their
most popular and influential routine, "Who's on First?"
— whose rapid-fire word play and comprehension confusion set
the preponderant framework for most of their best-known routines
— the team is, as a result, featured in the Baseball Hall of
Fame. (Contrary to popular belief, however, the duo was not inducted
into the Hall). Bud Abbott was born in Asbury Park, NJ, October
2, 1895 and died April 24, 1974 in Woodland Hills, California. Lou
Costello was born in Paterson, NJ, March 6, 1906 and died March
3, 1959 in East Los Angeles, California.
The Abbott and Costello Show mixed comedy with musical
interludes (by singers such as Connie Haines, Marilyn Maxwell, the
Delta Rhythm Boys, Skinnay Ennis, and the Les Baxter Singers). Regulars
and semi-regulars on the show included Artie Auerbach ("Mr.
Kitzel"), Elvia Allman, Iris Adrian, Mel Blanc, Wally Brown,
Sharon Douglas, Verna Felton, Sidney Fields, Frank Nelson, Martha
Wentworth, and Benay Venuta. Ken Niles was the show's longtime announcer,
doubling as an exasperated foil to Abbott & Costello's mishaps
(and often fuming in character as Costello routinely insulted his
on-air wife); Niles was succeeded by Michael Roy, with announcing
chores also handled over the years by Frank Bingman and Jim Doyle.
The show went through several orchestras during its radio life,
including those of Ennis, Charles Hoff, Matty Matlock, Jack Meakin,
Will Osborne, Freddie Rich, Leith Stevens, and Peter van Steeden.
The show's writers included Howard Harris, Hal Fimberg, Parke Levy,
Don Prindle, Eddie Cherkose (later known as Eddie Maxwell), Leonard
Stern, Martin Ragaway, Paul Conlan, and Eddie Forman, as well as
producer Martin Gosch. Sound effects were handled primarily by Floyd
Caton.
Abbott and Costello moved the show to ABC (the former NBC Blue
Network) five years after they premiered on NBC. During their time
on ABC, the duo also hosted a 30-minute children's radio program
(The Abbott and Costello Children's Show), which aired Saturday
mornings, featuring vocalist Anna Mae Slaughter and announcer Johnny
McGovern.
This collection of Abbott & Costello Greats includes
94 different shows and appearances for a total of 43+ hours of listening
enjoyment.
This product is a DVD collection of Old Time Radio mp3s. It is
designed to be played on your computer DVD drive with standard mp3
software - like Windows media player or its equivalent on Macintosh
computers. The mp3 files on the DVDs can be copied onto CDs for
play in your car stereo, home entertainment center, etc so you can
take your favorite shows with you anywhere you go.
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