Saturday matinee movie: Abbott and Costello

When I was a child, there were a number of black-and-white movies shown on TV Saturdays. There was Ma and Pa Kettle, The Bowery Boys (whom I absolutely detested), The Little Rascals (didn’t really like, but would watch in a pinch), Shirley Temple, and Jack Benny. I loved “The Horn Blows at Midnight” (recall I was only a little kid). Another Saturday mantinee movie staple were “The Road to…” movies with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour.

But my absolute favorite was Abbott and Costello.

Who’s on First? Etc.

For the uninitiated, “Bud” Abbott and Lou Costello were an American comedy team who wrote and starred in movies in the 1940s and 50s. The also worked on radio and TV.

They’re most famous for their “Who’s on First?” routine, the most perfect American short comedy sketch ever. I’m not exactly going out on a limb when I say it’s tightly written and superbly performed.

Power dynamics played out in this publicity photo: Abbott on top, Costello underneath.

A brief overview of their movies by Kit and Morgan Benson includes an indication of their enormous popularity:

Their film debut “One Night in the Tropics” (1940) soon brought audience demand for more, and their film “Buck Privates” (1941) grossed a then-record profit of $10 million. Many more movies continued throughout the 1940s and 1950s, when they began mixing comedy with classic horror films, in such movies as “Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein” (1948), “Abbott and Costello meet the Invisible Man” (1951), “Abbott and Costello meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1953) and “Abbott and Costello meet the Mummy” (1955).

Saturdays are Best!

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Abbott and Costello movies were in constant rotation on TV Saturdays. I reckon I started watching them at around age 6 or possibly earlier—but I was definitely hooked by age 7.

I looked forward to their escapades all week (and you know how time drags when you’re a kid). Finally, Saturday would arrive and a new movie would be shown. When their movies aired I felt completely absorbed into their black-and-white world. Bliss.

Biographical details made a big impression on me. I remember learning that Costello’s only son drowned in the backyard swimming pool. I thought this was solid proof of a cruel God: it didn’t make sense that a good God would allow tragedy into the life of someone who had brought joy to so many.

I also remember being astonished upon learning that in comedy teams, the “straight man” always made more money. This seemed unfair and I was outraged with a child’s indignation. Surely the most important performer was the one who whooped and spun around and worked hard to make people laugh? Or so it seemed by my child’s reasoning. (Of course, I now realize the straight man role does require quite a bit of talent and is absolutely crucial for the comedy to work. Still, a 50/50 split does seem more fair.)

I haven’t seen an Abbott and Costello film in more than twenty years. I do remember that the monster films were my favorites, and that I really hated “The Naughty Nineties” (except the Who's on First? routine), and I really liked “The Time of Their Lives.” The latter was rarely shown on TV, for some reason, so if you managed to see it you were really excited at this rare opportunity.

Two things made a big impression on me: 1) how mean Abbott treated Costello, and 2) how gorgeous women seemed to always be around, and (as I recall) interested in Costello. The first has to do with comedy and the second gender relations. Both subjects in fact have to do with power.

Children appreciate Abbott and Costello in a way adults cannot. We become more cynical, more mature, and less open to play and general silliness when we grow up. As adults, our language becomes more sophisticated; our motivations and needs are supposed to be more sophisticated as well.

I leave you with an insight from a movie reviewer at the Internet Movie Database. Lee Eisenberg from Portland, Oregon, reviewing “Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man” notes in passing:

These movies sometimes seem like they were just excuses for everyone to goof off. If so, then they did [it] well.

Ooooh, I concur.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Related links:

Abbott and Costello entry at Wikipedia.

Find a Grave: Lou Costello (with alternative biography).

Some movie reviews at Internet Movie Database:

"Buck Privates" (1941; I swear I clearly remember the dialogue in the Quotes section, but I cannot remember the set-up. What an innocent world.) - see reviews by Ralph Michael Stein from New York, N.Y. and classicsoncall from Florida, New York.

"Ride ’Em, Cowboy" (1942) - review by Gary170459 from Derby, UK.

"Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) - review by TikiReaper from the United States

Related blog post: “Matinee Movie of the Week” by Burningbird.