Lou Costello

Background

Lou Costello was born on March 6, 1906 in Paterson, New Jersey, United States. He was the son of Sebastian Cristillo, a weaver in a silk mill and later an insurance salesman, and Helen Rege.

Education

Costello's unspectacular school career disappointed his father, but it demonstrated his talent for athletics and comedy. He was often forced to stay after school and write on the blackboard "I'm a bad boy". Costello quit high school.

Career

He worked in a haberdashery, slaughterhouse, and prize ring, but his restless nature drove him to the West Coast.

In 1927, accompanied by a friend, Gene Coogan, he arrived in Hollywood and made the rounds of the studios. He worked as a laborer and then as a studio stunt man, doubling for Dolores Del Rio, in The Trail of '98. But while jumping from the second story window of a burning building he was injured, and he decided to further his career in a less dangerous manner.

On the way back to the East Coast he appeared in his first comic role, playing a Dutch dialect comedian in St. Joseph, Missouri.

In the early 1930's Costello traveled the vaudeville circuit, perfecting this routine. He developed his trademarks of a tiny bowler hat; an oversized, unpressed suit; a long jacket that stretched to his knees; and a tie that hung even lower.

The exact date of Costello's meeting with Bud Abbott is not known, but in the early 1930's, John Grant, the producer of Costello's New York City show, suggested Abbott as a new straight man. The two worked well together; Abbott's dapper figure and flat, withering sarcasm was the perfect foil to the stocky Costello, whose shrill cries suggested complete ineptitude. They toured the leading vaudeville theaters, attempting old-fashioned farce and buffoonery.

Abbott and Costello made the transition to radio in 1938, appearing on the Kate Smith Radio Hour. Their ten-minute guest spot became a regular for the next eighteen months. They acquired their own show in 1941. Abbott and Costello managed to transfer old-style vaudeville slapstick to the radio. They could work without a script by capitalizing on each other's verbal quickness. They developed the successful baseball routine, "Who's on First?" earning as much as $15, 000 for a single performance.

During the war years their careers reached an apogee, but they continued to make films until 1956.

In December 1952 they moved to television with the Abbott and Costello Show, which ran two seasons on CBS.

Abbott and Costello personally maintained a friendly rivalry, but on several occasions it threatened to end the partnership. They first split up in 1945, but their lawyers prompted a reconciliation. The final breakup came in 1957 because Costello wanted to branch out on his own into dramatic roles. There is evidence that Costello was never completely satisfied with his image as a clumsy fall guy. He stated that his favorite motion picture role was as Benny Miller in Little Giant (1946), because it was the "first time in the story they actually let me win the girl. In all my other pictures my love pretensions were regarded as ridiculous. " Little Giant is notable because Abbott and Costello attempted to work separately; the film was not a success.

Costello had a chance to play a dramatic role when he appeared on television in a Wagon Train episode (October 1958), playing the part of a drunken derelict accused of murder. In 1959 his only film without Abbott was released, The Thirty-Foot Bride of Candy Rock.

Despite his financial success, Costello claimed that he was not able to save anything.

Costello died in Los Angeles.

Achievements

• Costello demonstrated a mastery of popular comedy, and he was able to touch the vulnerabilities of a mass audience. Abbott and Costello were the most successful comedy team in motion picture history. The first of Abbott and Costello's thirty-six films was One Night in the Tropics (1940), and with their next film, Buck Privates (1941), they became a national phenomenon. This film grossed over $10 million, the largest amount earned by Universal Films up to that date.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Who's on First?

    ( Who's on First? - On a team where the first baseman's n...)

  • The Best of Abbott & Costello, Vol. 1 (Buck Privates / Hold That Ghost / In the Navy / Keep 'Em Flying / One Night in the Tropics / Pardon My Sarong / Ride 'Em Cowboy / Who Done It?)

    (Get ready for big laughs with Abbott and Costello, undeni...)

  • Abbott & Costello: Masters of Comedy

    (You'll double over with laughter at the priceless routine...)

Views

Quotations: "The best comedians get is a chance to work for free to liven up the Academy shindig. "

Personality

He was plagued by a tax suit, lived lavishly, and gave generously to charity.

Quotes from others about the person

• "Lou Costello is the most underrated comedian of all time. " (Carol Burnett)

Interests

• Sport & Clubs

  Costello was skilled in basketball, baseball, and later in boxing.

Connections

On January 20, 1934, Costello married Anne Battler, a Broadway dancer; they had four children.

Father:

Sebastian Cristillo

weaver

Mother:

Helen Rege

Spouse:

Anne Battler

dancer

Friend:

Gene Coogan

colleague:

Bud Abbott

References

• Lou's on First: The Tragic Life of Hollywood's Greatest Clown Warmly Recounted by his Youngest Child
• Lou's on First: A Biography on Lou Costello
• Bud & Lou: The Abbott & Costello story