# Abbott and Costello **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comedian-jokes\ **Created:** [May 23, 2024, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981 "2024-05-23T18:28:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/81 "2024-05-27T00:53:21Z")
What made Abbott work really well is there are times where he ISN’T the straight man and is actively doing stuff to get Costello in trouble. I believe in Buck Privates he imitates Lou’s voice to get a Drill Instructor angry at Lou. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/82 "2024-05-27T02:06:47Z")
Does anyone else find it sad that these people were making more in the 1930s-40s than I have ever made? That’s not even accounting for inflation. The wife and I together don’t make that much now, and the wife has a really good paying job. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/83 "2024-05-27T03:06:25Z")
Was he really doing the impersonation, or was he lip- synching to Lou? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/84 "2024-05-27T03:22:06Z")
I don’t remember the Buck Privates scene, but I found it interesting that in the early days of performing on radio, they found that the audience had trouble keeping track of who was speaking, because their voices were so similar. That’s why Costello adopted the artificial high-pitched childish voice that he used thereafter. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/85 "2024-05-27T13:42:27Z")
I think it’s fair to call the team mediocre. They certainly performed some of the greatest comedy routines in film history; but much of their work is so-so to actively bad. They were popular, but that has nothing to do with how good they were. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/86 "2024-05-27T14:10:29Z")
After WW2 most of the classic comedy teams were gone. Besides (ugh) Lewis & Martin, who were the big teams post war? eta: am I going to see a big outpouring of love for Lewis & Martin like I unleashed with A&C? 🤔 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/87 "2024-05-27T14:51:44Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Were there ever any scenes where Abbott wasn’t annoyed/ pissed off at Costello’s goofiness? It makes for kind of a surreal friendship. “Who’s on First?” for one. It was usually Costello getting annoyed with Abbott who played the conman more often than the straight man. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/88 "2024-05-27T18:20:18Z")
Smothers Brothers. Never succeeded in a movie, but they were huge in the 1960s and kept up a career until the end. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/89 "2024-05-27T19:20:32Z")
Mom always did like them better. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/90 "2024-05-27T20:31:57Z")
George Burns and Gracie Allen. Ruth Buzzi and Arte Johnson on _Laugh-In_. Shields and Yarnell. From the Wiki page on [Double act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_act) > In the [United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_of_America) and [Canada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada), the tradition was more popular in the earlier part of the 20th century with [vaudeville](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaudeville)-derived acts such as [Laurel and Hardy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_and_Hardy), [Abbott and Costello](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_and_Costello), [Burns and Allen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burns_and_Allen), [Wheeler & Woolsey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheeler_%26_Woolsey), and [Lyons and Yosco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyons_and_Yosco) and continuing into the [television](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television) age with [Martin and Lewis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_and_Lewis), [Kenan & Kel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenan_%26_Kel), [Bob and Ray](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_and_Ray), the [Smothers Brothers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smothers_Brothers), [Wayne and Shuster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_and_Shuster), [Allen and Rossi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_%26_Rossi), [Jack Burns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Burns) and [Avery Schreiber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avery_Schreiber), [Rowan and Martin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowan_and_Martin), [Mike Nichols](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Nichols) and [Elaine May](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_May), the [Wayans Brothers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayans_Brothers), [Stewie Griffin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewie_Griffin) and [Brian Griffin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Griffin) from _[Family Guy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Guy)_ and Shawn and Gus in _[Psych](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psych)_. The series _[I Love Lucy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Love_Lucy)_ was known for its double acts, and [Lucille Ball](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucille_Ball) served as foil to both her husband [Desi Arnaz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desi_Arnaz) and to [Vivian Vance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivian_Vance). Vance could also serve as foil to [William Frawley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Frawley) when the situation required. Vance and Ball would again serve as a double act in their next series _[The Lucy Show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lucy_Show)_. > More recently, the model has been largely supplanted by that of the “[buddy movie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_film)” genre, which has introduced several notable comedy partnerships not formally billed as a single “act” in the traditional manner. The earliest example of such a team may have been [Bob Hope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Hope) and [Bing Crosby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Crosby); later examples include [Gene Wilder](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Wilder) and [Richard Pryor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Pryor), [Burt Reynolds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Reynolds) and [Dom DeLuise](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dom_DeLuise), [Dan Aykroyd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Aykroyd) and [John Belushi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Belushi), [Corey Haim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corey_Haim) and [Corey Feldman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corey_Feldman), [David Spade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Spade) and [Chris Farley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Farley) and child stars [Drake Bell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Bell) and [Josh Peck](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Peck). > Based on the gag-man/straight-man concept, “Stoner” duos like [Cheech & Chong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheech_%26_Chong), [Jay & Silent Bob](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_%26_Silent_Bob), and [Harold & Kumar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_%26_Kumar) have also proven quite popular with audiences. > The double act format can also be used in presenting noncomedic information in an entertaining manner, such as [Savage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Savage)/[Hyneman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Hyneman) pair of the Discovery Channel’s _[MythBusters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters)_ (which Savage stated was unintentional when they began the series but naturally grew into a double act as the result of their own conflicting personalities) [Edited for clarity. Broke up a wall-of-text into more readable paragraphs.—mbh] ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/91 "2024-05-27T21:02:59Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > After WW2 most of the classic comedy teams were gone. Besides (ugh) Lewis & Martin, who were the big teams post war? Didn’t Britain have some? (Morecambe and Wise, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, and of course Monty Python) Or is that too late? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/92 "2024-05-27T21:08:50Z")
Bob Hope and Bing Crosby? Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara? Mike Nichols and Elaine May? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/93 "2024-05-27T21:11:23Z")
You’d probably want The Goons (Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe) for a solid post-WWII UK comedy team. Fourth member Michael Bentine departed early for other work but apparently on good terms. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/94 "2024-05-27T21:17:18Z")
The best way to judge the work of Abbott and Costello is to watch a lot of their movies. You can find 73 of them at [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBFa2yUBFRr74T53yOb2zHkNIY4-OrHjs](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBFa2yUBFRr74T53yOb2zHkNIY4-OrHjs) and watch them for free. It says that there is another eight of them not available, presumably because the copyright holders didn’t want to allow people to watch them for free. I certainly would be reluctant to offer my opinion of the body of their work having seen just a few of their films (and, more precisely, just a few of their sketches). ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/95 "2024-05-27T21:26:34Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > After WW2 most of the classic comedy teams were gone. Besides (ugh) Lewis & Martin, who were the big teams post war? Among the most prolific in film, [Franco and Ciccio - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco_and_Ciccio). “Many Americans consider them to be the least funny comedians they’ve ever seen” (_The Psychotronic Video Guide,_ St. Martin’s Press, 1996, pg. 16). ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/96 "2024-05-27T21:34:51Z")
Worse than Martin and Lewis knock-offs [Mitchell and Petrillo?](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Petrillo) Jerry was not amused [![](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oh_ahfICz-o/Twts_aNiCeI/AAAAAAAAKJY/bqUmIU_QXeU/s1600/aabela17.jpg) ](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oh_ahfICz-o/Twts_aNiCeI/AAAAAAAAKJY/bqUmIU_QXeU/s1600/aabela17.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/97 "2024-05-27T21:40:10Z")
There have been lots of mediocre comedy duos. Are you aware that Lorne Michaels of SNL was once part of a comedy duo with Hart Pomerantz? You can see and hear some of their work in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXQAt8VBbs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gXQAt8VBbs) and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIl8e\_unnuQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIl8e_unnuQ) . ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/98 "2024-05-28T00:58:34Z")
And the oddest pairing of all: Jack Burns and George Carlin. Burns got top billing. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/99 "2024-05-28T02:00:10Z")
That was before Burns teamed up with Avery Schreiber and made lots of appearances on Ed Sullivan and got their own variety show. Sullivan loved comedy teams. The Canadian duo of Wayne and Schuster were on the show 58 times. Stiller and Meara had 29 appearances. The vaudeville team of Smith and Dale lived long enough to be on 20 times. Comedy duos still exist. The Sklar Brothers, the Lucas Brothers, and Cory and Chad, the Smash Brothers, are all sets of identical twins on the road today. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981/100 "2024-05-28T02:43:22Z")
Mitchell and Webb and The Mighty Boosh are two modern duals. Fry and Laurie is one I really wish would reunit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abbott-and-costello/1001981.md?page=6)