I thought I would start a Bud and Lou thread as couldn't find one on here. A lot of people think Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein is their best movie but I would go for Who Done It? followed by In Society. Later ones are easier to watch IMO though, Abbott is more a friend to Costello instead of trying to con him
The last mention of their material I heard was a few years ago by Barnesly Bard Ian McMillan on Have I got News for You.
Prompted by Chinese President Hu's visit he cited their famous 'who's on first,' much to Paul Merton's annoyance who regards himself as top authority on all things black and white and funny.
'Who's on First' - about the finest comedy routine ever.
Unlike Laurel and Hardy, never found A&C funny, not even when I was a little kid and would pretty much laugh at anything. In much the same way, I never found the tediously endless slapstick of The Three Stooges funny.
Quote: Tim Walker @ December 16 2009, 4:31 PM GMTUnlike Laurel and Hardy, never found A&C funny, not even when I was a little kid and would pretty much laugh at anything. In much the same way, I never found the tediously endless slapstick of The Three Stooges funny.
I'm with you there Tim. And the short one was very mean to the tall one in real life apparently.
He looked the type...
Then again, IIRC, Laurel and Hardy didn't get on that well in real life.
Horne and Corden, of course, are great mates. 
Quote: Baumski @ December 16 2009, 2:39 PM GMT'Who's on First' - about the finest comedy routine ever.
The Who's on First sketch is parodied (or perhaps paid homage to) by the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, with the spoof bizzarely included as an Easter egg on Disc 2 of the Patrick Troughton era Doctor Who serial The War Games. I thought it was dreadful until the very end when there was an exact line from the original. Who's on First seems to have been the inspiration for the whole "We have clearance, Clarence. Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor?" scene in Airplane, as well as the Buddy, Andy, Howie bit in the sequel.
Quote: Tim Walker @ December 16 2009, 4:54 PM GMTHe looked the type...
Then again, IIRC, Laurel and Hardy didn't get on that well in real life.
Horne and Corden, of course, are great mates.
no Laurel and Hardy got on ok apparently but the thing about Abbott and Costello is true, Costello insisted on being paid more
I too am not a big A&C fan. (don't read that sentence out load, it sounds like I want to kill Mandela).
I know that Paul Merton gets a raging stiffy for all the old black and white comedy stuff, but most of it is so of it's time and impossibly dated, that I can't get anything from the humour.
There are obvious exceptions like the Marx Brothers and bizarrely, the Bing Crosby / Bob Hope stuff but in my opinon, they're the exception and not the rule.
Yes, I'm a philistine, let the lambasting begin.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ December 16 2009, 11:18 PM GMTYes, I'm a philistine, let the lambasting begin.
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ December 16 2009, 11:18 PM GMTlambasting
My mistake. 
<3 A&C btw.
lambasting? Lamb basting! Nil Putters, you rascally rabbit.
Now I must go, I'm on an Easy Jet flight back to Philistinia - which Sootyj and Moonstone keep attacking for some reason.
Abbot and Costello are kings of the old school comedy teams in my book. I'm a little surprised at the criticisms. While they might not have had a great relationship throughout their careers; they clearly did get along overall. They were both living better then your average person regardless of who was paid more.
Yes I also read that L&H got on very well, infact were great mates in real life. I think some faded studio person started to spread some rumours in a book about their difficult relationship, just to make some money for himself but it was completely rubbished by many others. He simply picked up on the fact that Hardy began to spend a lot of time away from the studio, playing golf and generally enjoying his celebrity, while Laurel stayed behind, slaving over the next routines. But this didn't bother Laurel, or the studio, because that's what worked the best. Hardy wasn't jealous of Laurel's creative supremacy, and Laurel wasn't envious of Hardy's Hollywood lifestyle and large coterie, as Laurel was a natural loner. Apparently everybody was happy with the arrangements, including the studios.
In the episode of 'Extras' with Les Denis, the little fat fool Gervais is the panto genie who looks just like Lou Costello.
Quote: Kenneth @ December 16 2009, 9:18 PM GMTThe Who's on First sketch is parodied (or perhaps paid homage to) by the Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre, with the spoof bizzarely included as an Easter egg on Disc 2 of the Patrick Troughton era Doctor Who serial The War Games.
Harry H Corbett does also does a nicked version in Carry On Screaming. There's a lot of pastiches of that routine, usually funnier than A&C. My favourite is from Leslie Nielsen in Police Squad who turns up to ask witnesses how many times Mr Once shot Mr Twice.