"I'm asking you who's on first." "That's the man's name." "That's who's name?" "Yes."
- Abbott and Costello, Who's On First
I enjoy comedy. There is nothing like a good laugh to lighten the spirits. I look for humor everywhere. Sometimes it finds me first.
While scouting future subjects at a local cemetery my eye caught something that made me do a double-take. It also made me laugh. If I had not been paying attention I would have missed it.
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello were a comedy team who achieved great fame on stage, radio, television, and film during the 1940s and the mid-1950s. They met in 1936 when Bud was brought in as a last-minute substitute for Lou Costello's regular straight man. It was magic.
Their baseball-themed routine “Who’s On First” is one of the most well-known comedy performances in the history of the genre. If you've never seen or heard “Who’s On First”, this link https://youtu.be/kTcRRaXV-fg will bring you up to speed. Bud and Lou are also the only non-sports individuals to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Everything they did the audiences always wanted more. Their first movie, Buck Privates, grossed a record profit for that time. More movies followed, putting the comedy of Abbott and Costello into classic horror, creating films like "Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein" and "Abbott and Costello meet The Mummy".
Their popularity began to wane toward the end of the 1950s. As much as they were encouraged, neither wanted to try out new material. Between this and up and coming duos like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis their act was growing stale. Then trouble with the IRS forced them to sell their houses and other valuables. By the end of their careers, they were fairly broke. They split up in 1957.
After the break, Lou appeared on some television shows and in a movie that was ultimately released after his death. He died of a heart attack at the age of 52 in 1959 and was buried in the main mausoleum of Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles, CA.
In 1961 Bud paired up with another comedian, and while they did have some success, he ended the partnership feeling that there was no one who could match Lou Costello. After some additional work on television and voice-overs, his health began to fade. He had his first stroke and then broke a hip. He spent his last years bedridden. Bud Abbott passed away from cancer in 1974 at the age of 79. He was cremated and his ashes scattered in the Pacific Ocean.
Now you know that my headstone find has nothing to do with Bud and Lou except for the last names. But, what were the odds of finding that combination?
On that particular day, humor found me once again. It just goes to show that even in a sad place you can find a reason to smile.
Photographs taken by Christine Shephard and all written copy may not be used in any other format or publication without express written permission.
Photo of Abbott and Costello - History Things. Information on Bud Abbott and Lou Costello - Mental Floss and Find A Grave. Clip of Who's On First - YouTube.
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