ABBOTT, BUD; AND COSTELLO, LOU

born Oct. 2, 1896, Asbury Park, N.J., U.S. died April 25, 1974, Woodland Hills, Calif. born March 6, 1908, Paterson, N.J., U.S. died March 3, 1959, Beverly Hills, Calif. in full William A. Abbott and Louis Francis Cristillo popular American comedic duo who performed on stage, radio, and television and in motion pictures between 1929 and 1957. Abbott was born into a theatrical family and operated burlesque houses and worked in box offices before he met Costello. Costello worked as an actor, prizefighter, and motion-picture stuntman before becoming a comedian in vaudeville. Their partnership began when Costello's regular straight man fell ill during an engagement at the Empire Theatre in New York City. Abbott, who was working in the box office, offered to substitute. They worked so well together that Abbott played straight man to Costello's buffoon from then on. In 1938 Abbott and Costello gave their first performance on radio. The duo made their Broadway debut the following year in The Streets of Paris. Their first motion-picture comedy, Buck Privates, which was released in 1941, became a popular hit and was followed by eight other comedies in the next two years. Their most famous vaudeville routine-a farcical baseball commentary entitled "Who's on First?"-was also performed on radio and television, and it was made into a popular recording.