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Lou Costello
| Lou Costello | |
 | |
| Birth name | Louis Francis Cristillo |
| Born | March 6, 1906 in Paterson, New Jersey, USA |
| Died | March 3, 1959 in Los Angeles, California, USA from heart attack |
| Notable Roles | The Colgate Comedy Hour: Host
The Abbott and Costello Show: Lou Costello |
| Notable Episodes | The Colgate Comedy Hour: 1x18 - Abbott and Costello |
| Awards | 1 TV Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Other: 1 Motion Picture Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame |
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Lou Costello was an American comedian best known for being the comic in the classic comedy duo Abbott & Costello.
Contents |
Biography
Lou Costello was born Louis Francis Cristillo on March 6, 1906 in Paterson, New Jersey. As a youth, he excelled in basketball, but he dropped out of high school to try his hand at being an actor in Hollywood. While he worked on several films as an extra, carpenter and stuntman, he was not able to hit the big time on his own, so he returned to the Midwest and hit the burlesque circuit as a comic. While on this circuit, he married his wife, Anne Battlers, with whom he would have four children.
A chance encounter with straight man Bud Abbott in 1931—a cashier who subbed for Costello's usual straight man in Brooklyn who had fallen ill—led to a lifelong partnership when the two formally became a comedy duo five years later. An appearance on the radio show The Kate Smith Hour led to a film contract with Universal Studios, and by their second film, Buck Privates, the duo had accomplished the highest-grossing Universal film to date. They continued to be among the biggest comedy stars throughout World War II and beyond, and they were honored by New York Mayor Fiorella LaGuardia for raising a record-breaking multi-million-dollar amount for war bonds during the war.
In 1943, an attack of rheumatic fever would leave Costello unable to work for almost a year. Upon his intended return, he suffered tragedy when his only son, Lou, Jr., drowned to death as an infant on the day Costello was supposed to return to the radio. Nonetheless, Costello performed his radio broadcast, and the audience learned of his personal tragedy only later.
At the dawn of television, Abbott and Costello found success as hosts of The Colgate Comedy Hour on NBC and stars of The Abbott and Costello Show on CBS. In 1956, they made their final television appearance together on The Steve Allen Show, where it was announced that a recording of their famous "Who's on First!" routine had been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The following year, they dissolved their partnership after filming their final film together, Dance with Me Henry.
At the end of their partnership, both Abbott and Costello found themselves in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service for back taxes. Sadly, Costello had little time to work to repay the debt, as he died on March 3, 1959 of a heart attack. His remains were interred in the Calvary Cemetery in East Los Angeles.
Roles
Starring Roles
| Series | Role | Year(s) | Season(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Abbott and Costello Show | Himself | 1952–1953 | 1 | 2 |
Guest Starring Roles
Specials and Made-for-TV Movies
Talk, News and Game Show Appearances
| Series | Episode | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| The Ed Sullivan Show | December 4, 1955 | |
| This Is Your Life | Lou Costello | November 21, 1956 |
| I've Got a Secret | June 26, 1957 | |
| The Steve Allen Show (1956) | March 9, 1958 | |
| The Ed Sullivan Show | November 16, 1958 |
Producer
| Series | Year(s) | Credit | Season(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I'm the Law | 1953 – | Producer |
Memorable Moments
Awards and Accolades
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
- TV Star
- Motion Picture Star
- Baseball Hall of Fame, USA
- Recording of "Who's on First?" comedy routine at museum
- Montclair University, USA
- Named the Abbott and Costello Center after him and Bud Abbott
- United States Postal Service, USA
- Honored with a stamp in 1991
Trivia
- In the early days of his work with Bud Abbott, their pay was split 60/40, with Abbott receiving the larger share, in keeping with an old Vaudeville tradition that the straight man received the larger share. In their later film work, that split was corrected to favor Costello.
