![]() ![]() Later, John Grant, an ex-straight man who became their head writer, added more to their repertoire. On the other hand, a single gag in a long sketch could be fleshed out to become a routine of its own.Īt first, Bud and Lou tailored and honed routines to their unique personalities and chemistry. ![]() Three or four haunted house gags could be fused to create an entirely new sketch. A series of quick, unconnected gags were organized into a Crazy House scenario. Who's On First? came together by cherry picking bits from older routines like Watt Street and Who's the Boss, and updating the context. Dozens of singers did the same catalog of standards it was an artist's unique interpretation that made a song a hit, or a singer a star.Īs burlesque comics played with older, proven gags, "new" routines also evolved. Another analogy can be found in popular music. It was not unlike jazz in that regard, with each comedian riffing on a basic melody or composition. In this way, a comic built his own version of a routine. ![]() He put the dialogue into his own words, injected local or topical references, current jokes, or his own idiosyncratic pieces of business. A comics worth was measured by how he embellished, and freshened up the old material. When these big circuits crumbled in the early 1930's, the boys, along with hundreds of other comics, landed in the erratic and fiercely competitive world of stock burlesque. Lou Costello began in a tiny stock company then graduated to the big time on the Mutual wheel. When he transitioned into performer, Bud worked in shows on the Columbia and Mutual circuits. Bud Abbott, by starting his career in the box office, had an invaluable education watching a new show every week for several years. Rookie burlesque comics learned the material by watching other comedians perform. Physical bits went back much further, at least as far as the Renaissance and the commedia dell'arte. Wordplay and cross-talk routines were popular in 19th century minstrel shows, and much of that material carried over into 20th century burlesque. These routines were based on a shared body of sketches and situations that had been passed down for decades or even centuries. Bud and Lou performed the same routines on radio, in movies, and on TV that they performed when they started out in burlesque. This issue will spotlight more of Abbott and Costello's timeless skits).Įvery Abbott and Costello fan, whether knows it or not, is a burlesque fan. (In June of 2016 we published our first Timeless Routines issue, followed by Part 2 in January of this year. Co-author of Abbott and Costello in Hollywood ![]()
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