Another comedy duo: Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Besides Stiller and Meara, there have been countless popular comedy teams over the decades. One of the biggest was Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, who were movie and radio superstars from the ‘30s to the ‘50s.
Lanky straight man Abbott and burly gag man Costello were both veteran burlesque entertainers by the time they were first paired in 1936. They hit the big time two years later on “The Kate Smith Radio Hour,” where they first performed their signature routine, “Who’s on First?” Signing with Universal in 1939, they starred in numerous hit comedies including the 1941 favorite “Buck Privates.” They took their act to TV in the 1950s, but split up after their final film, 1956’s “Dance With Me Henry.” Costello died in 1959; Abbott in 1974.
