The Abbott and Costello Show (radio program)

The Abbott and Costello Show
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
in the NBC radio studios in 1942
GenreComedy
Running time30 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
SyndicatesABC
NBC
TV adaptationsThe Abbott and Costello Show
StarringBud Abbott
Lou Costello
AnnouncerKen Niles
Frank Bingman
Jim Doyle
Michael Roy
George Fenneman
Written byMartin Gosch
Howard Harris
Hal Fimberg
Don Prindle
Ed Cherkose
Len Stern
Martin Ragaway
Paul Conlan
Ed Forman
Pat Costello
Produced byMartin Gosch
Original releaseJuly 3, 1940 (1940-07-03) –
June 9, 1949 (1949-06-09)
Sponsored bySal Hepatica
Camel (cigarettes)

The Abbott and Costello Show is a comedy program from the era of old-time radio in the United States. It was broadcast first on NBC and later on ABC, beginning on July 3, 1940 and ending on June 9, 1949.[1]

Format

Film stars Bud Abbott and Lou Costello adapted their talents to radio for the 30-minute weekly comedy program. Vincent Terrace, in his book, Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows, wrote, "Many of the skits revolved around Bud and Lou's efforts to succeed in some sort of business venture."[2] The sketches were often culled from their vaudeville act.[3]

Abbott and Costello became one of the top radio comedy acts of the 1940s.[4]

Personnel

Supporting players included Elvia Allman (usually as Mrs. Niles, fictional wife of announcer Ken Niles), Joe Kirk (Costello's brother-in-law, most often as a heckler), Artie Auerbach as Mr. Kitzel, Iris Adrian (as Costello's sometimes girlfriend Lena Genster), Mel Blanc (many characters, including guest spots as Bugs Bunny), Sidney Fields (as Melonhead), Wally Brown, John Brown, Sharon Douglas, Verna Felton, Frank Nelson, Kent Rogers, Martha Wentworth and Benay Venuta. Guest stars included Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, the Andrews Sisters and Lucille Ball.

Singers appearing on the show included Amy Arnell, Connie Haines, Marilyn Maxwell, Susan Miller and Marilyn Williams. The vocal groups were the Delta Rhythm Boys and the Les Baxter Singers. Orchestra leaders were Skinnay Ennis, Charles Hoff, Matty Matlock, Jack Meakin, Will Osborne, Freddie Rich, Leith Stevens and Peter van Steeden.[2]

Schedule

Abbott and Costello debuted on radio on Kate Smith's program in 1938. They continued performing on the show until the summer of 1940.[5] Their first program of their own was a summer replacement for The Fred Allen Show in 1940. After a hiatus of two years, the show returned as a regular network program in the fall of 1942 and ran through the spring of 1949.[1]

Starting date Ending date Network Sponsor
July 3, 1940 September 25, 1940 NBC Sal Hepatica
October 8, 1942 June 27, 1947 NBC Camel cigarettes
October 1, 1947 June 9, 1949 ABC Sustaining

Beginning in 1947, the programs were recorded and made available via transcriptions to stations outside of the regular ABC network.[6]

A related program, The Abbott and Costello Children's Show, was broadcast on ABC beginning December 6, 1947 and ending March 26, 1949. It was sustaining[1] and featured child performers and included quizzes and games.[3]

A catchphrase from Abbott and Costello's radio show, "I'm only three and a half years old" was often quoted in Looney Tunes cartoons and Tex Avery's cartoons for MGM.[7] Even Bugs Bunny's famous catchphrase, "Ain't I a stinker?" was borrowed from Lou Costello.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 2–3. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
  2. ^ a b Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. Pp. 5-7.
  3. ^ a b Reinehr, Robert C. and Swartz, Jon D. (2008). The A to Z of Old-Time Radio. Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 978-0-8108-7616-3. Pp. 11-12.
  4. ^ MacDonald, J. Fred (1979). Don't Touch That Dial!: Radio Programming in American Life, 1920-1960'. Chicago: Nelson-Hall. pp. 150–151. ISBN 0-88229-673-6.
  5. ^ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. P. 10.
  6. ^ Hammerston, Claude (August 21, 1947). "Abbott And Costello In "Waxed" Radio Show". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  7. ^ "RADIO ROUND-UP: Miscellaneous Catchphrases |". cartoonresearch.com.
  8. ^ "Tex Avery". lambiek.net. Retrieved March 29, 2021.