Abbott and Costello - Movies and Fame

Movies and Fame

The team's first known radio appearance was on The Kate Smith Hour in February 1938. Initially, the similarities between their voices made it difficult for listeners (as opposed to stage audiences) to tell them apart due to their rapid-fire repartee. The problem was solved by having Costello affect a high-pitched childish voice. "Who's on First?" was first performed for a national radio audience the following month. They stayed on the program as regulars for two years, while landing roles in a Broadway revue, "The Streets of Paris", in 1939.

In 1940 they were signed by Universal Studios for the film One Night in the Tropics. Cast in supporting roles, they stole the show with several classic routines, including "Who's on First?" The same year they were a summer replacement on radio for Fred Allen. Two years later, they had their own NBC show.

Universal signed them to a long-term contract, and their second film, Buck Privates, (1941) made them box-office stars and saved Universal from imminent bankruptcy. In most of their films, the plot was a framework for the two comics to reintroduce comedy routines they first performed on stage. Universal also added glitzy production numbers to capitalize on the musical-comedy film genre of the day which featured The Andrews Sisters, Ted Lewis and his Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, Martha Raye, The Merry Macs, and Dick Foran, singing "I'll Remember April" in "Ride 'Em Cowboy." Several of their films featured some of the most popular hits of World War Two, including The Andrews Sisters' Oscar-nominated "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," as well as "I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time," both from "Buck Privates". Bud & Lou's sequel, "In The Navy", featured crooner Dick Powell along with The Andrews Sisters, and it initially out-grossed "Buck Privates". Management at Loew's Criterion in Manhattan kept theater doors open until 5am to oblige over 49,000 attendees during the first premiere week of "In The Navy." "Hold That Ghost" was completed before production of "In The Navy" began, but when shown to preview audiences, film-goers that completed feedback cards were disappointed not to see The Andrews Sisters, so the trio was hired & musical numbers were added as a prologue and epilogue. The singing sisters became good friends with Costello during this period, enjoying many barbecues & film showings with their parents at Lou's home throughout the early-1940s. In 1945, both acts traded guest appearances on each other's top-rated radio shows.

Bud & Lou made 36 films together between 1940 and 1956. Abbott and Costello were among the most popular and highest-paid entertainers in the world during World War II. Other film successes included Keep 'Em Flying, Who Done It?, Pardon My Sarong, The Time of Their Lives, Buck Privates Come Home, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, and Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man.

In 1942, Abbott and Costello were the top box office draw with four films earning a total of $10 million. They remained a top ten box office attraction until 1952.