Who’s on First
Probably one of the funniest skits ever. Notice the rapidity of the delivery and the reactions of Costello.
(BUD) ABBOTT AND (LOU) COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN
1948
CHARLES T. BARTON
This is a spoof of the universal horror films and manages a wild array of stars from them as well as other studios. The cast includes Bela Lugosi (Dracula), Lon Chaney Jr. (Wolf Man), Glenn Strange (Frankenstein monster) Jane Randolph (RKO’s Cat People)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello are a “double act” or “Comedy duo” with 2 performers pretty similar in age, sex, ethnicity and so on but having very different personalities. Some variation is possible as in George Burns and his wife Gracie Allen. The straight man (also known as feed, dead wood, or stooge) is usually someone who seems reasonable and serious The other member of the pair who is seen as “the funny man” (banana man or comic) is generally depicted as funny, less educated or less intelligent, silly, or unorthodox. If the audience identifies primarily with one character, the other will often be referred to as a comic foil. The term "feed" comes from the way a straight man is wont to set up jokes and "feed" them to his partner.
Laurel and Hardy are a good example of an early comic duo. Others were Gallagher and Shean, Burns and Allen, Smith and Dale, Martin and Lewis and on television the Smothers Brothers and Rowan and Martin from Laugh In a typical examples. The Blues Brothers and Cheech and Chang are also examples. In the case of Abbott and Costello, Abbott is the straight man, while Costello is the comic
Lou Costello was born in Patterson New Jersey (1897–1974) was in burlesque and had performed in Coney Island as well as other places. Costello (1906–1959) likewise had appeared in Burlesque as well. He had worked in Hollywood and actually appears in a Laurel and Hardy silent short – a boxing film called Battle of the Century. His career in film was unsuccessful and he went to Ann Corio’s show (a strip teaser or ecdysiast (ex dizy ast). He warmed up the audience before the “top banana” and wound up getting all the laughs.
Both men worked together for the first time in NY in 1935 when Costello’s partner became ill and Abbott stepped in to cover. People including Betty, Abbott’s wife suggested they pair together. They worked a number of vaudeville routines into their act which include the Susquehanna Hat Factory and Niagara Falls Slowly I turned…..
In 1938 they appeared in the Kate Smith Comedy Hour. Smith was a major singer known for her rendition of God Bless America. On the radio the two men had similar voices and it was hard to tell them apart in the rapid fire dialog. Costello began to use a higher pitched childlike voice. During the 2 years they were on the program they did their “Who’s on First” routine for the first time. After 2 years, they moved to a revue on Broadway. In 1940 they made their first film One Night in the Tropics for Universal Studios where they had supporting roles and did “Who’s on First” again. The underlying structure of that routine has been used many times by the two.
After One Night in the Tropics (1940) they got their own radio show and in 1941 they made their second film which saved Universal from near bankruptcy.
Paterson Museum
2 Market Street
#102
Paterson, N.J. 07501
(973) 321-1260
The museum has been showing special photo exhibits celebrating Costello’s 110th birthday.
The film distributed by Universal is a spoof of the Universal monster movies. It is often consider Abbott and Costello’s best film. Universal had been making horror films since the early days but it is with Dracula in 1931 that the major Universal horror films are thought to begin. Frankenstein and The Mummy quickly followed (and so did sequels) with the Wolfman appearing in 1941. Some of the sequels put the various monsters in the same films. Generally by the time Abbot and Costello appears, the monsters have been watered down and become nearly comical. So the move to an actual comedy is not surprising – especially since comedy and horror seem to have such a affinity for one another
A number of routines are included in the film:
Typical is Bud’s frustration that Costello attracts women who ignore him.
There are a number of verbal lines repeted in the film as well.
Universal horror films.
Although Universal started making horror films in the 20’s (Hunchback of Notre Dame is 1923), the sort of Golden Age of monsters starts in 1931 with the production of Dracula and continued to 1954 with the appearance of their last popular monster – The Creature from the Black Lagoon. This is the last of their monsters to occur in a series (son of; ghost of, etc. in this case, Revenge of the Creature, and The Creature Walks Among Us)
At the time of this film Abbott and Costello had appeared in 20 films together(this was their 21 – Costello had done bit parts and extra work in 7 others before teaming up with) and so their personalities were already well established for movie goers.
Genres are difficult to work with as a concept. The term itself is often thought of as something irrelevant to film making (but not marketing) but an argument can be made that people like certain things and not others and some genres have things that some people like and others do not. So genres can be seen as having “set pieces” pieces which are the points that people who like that genre come to see. So what are the set pieces for “horror” and what are the set pieces for “comedy”. What are the set pieces in this film?
AFTER THE FILM
Sound and image relations
Opening cartoon plus rather heavily orchestrated “horror” score. Film proceeds to transformation of Talbot into wolf. Dracula transformation is cartoon.
The use of Lon Chaney as the wolf man, Lugosi as Dracula, Glenn Strange (and Chaney) as the Monster all resonate with the original films and give it the proper horror feel. (Strange broke a bone while playing the Monster in the scene where he throws out the window and rather than delaying the filming, Chaney took on the role which he had played in previous movies. Chaney is the only actor to have played all four of he major Universal monsters – Wolf Man (The Wolf Man 1941), Dracula (Son of Dracula, 1943) the Frankenstein Monster (The Ghost of Frankenstein 1942) and the Mummy (The Mummy’s Tomb 1942). All the monsters in the film basically play their parts straight – except when the monster is frightened by Costello ("Don’t worry he won’t hurt you"). Talbot plays it straight even when getting caught in trees delaying his attack on Costello
Sight gags + verbal. Verbal on phone; Chick takes advantage of harasses him about phone or bell. Chick gets Wilbur to climb on cases. Balancing act on cases Union man works 16 hours a day – 8 hours belongs o 2 unions – confusion imitates MacDougal.
Entry into House of Horrors – filmed like horror film. Rain, shadows, music. We are allowed in on the “joke” – for example we see the blade of the ax against Wilbur’s back.
Repeated visual gags: candle moving on the boxes, Lou sitting on monsters lap, the revolving panel, Bud and Lou running from the monsters, etc..
Verbal
So round so firm so fully packed (relies on audience knowledge of a phrase used as a catch phrase in Lucky Strike cigarette phrase)
I saw what I saw what I saw (repeated by Abbott I saw what I saw when I saw it)
I turn into a wolf You and 20,000 other guys
Both horror and comedy have similar build ups and breaking of tension so they work well together.
By and large, the music tends to be horror film music, not comedy music. The action and lines van be either.
Tension built by “close calls” escape is release. Is it humorous? Maybe. If the person escapes the disaster, the disaster itself may be seen as funny – at least the release is.