Bud Abbott

Carole Costello, the daughter of comedian Lou Costello and daughter-in-law of entertainer Dean Martin, has died of a stroke at age 48. Her death Sunday at Valley Presbyterian Hospital was the second time in eight days that tragedy struck the Martin family. On March 21, Martin's son, Dean Paul Martin, was killed when the Air National Guard F-4 jet he was piloting crashed. Miss Costello was married to another of Martin's sons, Craig Martin.

Besides Stiller and Meara, there have been countless popular comedy teams over the decades. One of the biggest was Bud Abbott and Lou Costello , who were movie and radio superstars from the '30s to the '50s. Lanky straight man Abbott and burly gag man Costello were both veteran burlesque entertainers by the time they were first paired in 1936. They hit the big time two years later on "The Kate Smith Radio Hour," where they first performed their signature routine, "Who's on First?"

A memorial for Jules Glazer, an accountant who handled finances for celebrities such as Bud Abbott and Lou Costello and later managed campaign finances for Democratic candidates, will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Skirball Cultural Center and Museum, 2701 W. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Glazer, 77, died Oct. 7 in Palm Desert.

When television started creeping into households across America after World War II, numerous producers and stars from the golden age of radio instinctively realized the handwriting was on the wall; to survive, they had to move to the new medium . Some made the transition and became even more popular on the small screen, such as family comedies like "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" and "Blondie," police dramas such as "Dragnet" and westerns such...

Bud Abbott's and Lou Costello's paths to the San Fernando Valley began on the East Coast with Abbott growing up in Coney Island, N.Y., and Costello in Paterson, N.J. After teaming up in 1936, with Abbott playing straight man to the portly Costello, they quickly became headliners on the vaudeville and burlesque circuit. Their success led them to radio, Broadway, film and TV, with their "Who's on First?" skit becoming a classic.

GOOD reading, but I believe one little point was left out of the Lou Costello story ["A Birthday Bash for Lou Costello," June 18.] We were reminded that Lou was born in Patterson, N.J. -- he was a "New Jersey-Born Film Comic." That he was, and he would have been 100 this year. And he was half of the comedy team of Abbott & Costello. And so on. But without straight man Bud Abbott, they wouldn't have been a pair. I think just a little more about Bud would have been a perfect accent.

I was looking forward to last week's letters regarding "The Devil Made Him Do It" (by Robert Strauss, Feb. 26), knowing that The Times' astute readers would be raking World Class Egomaniac Jerry Lewis over the coals. Who could ever tire of that? (Mind you, there was a time in my life when I loved Jerry Lewis so much you would have thought I was French, but then I turned 6.) Jean McGraw let Jerry have it for discovering the joys of parenting only after raising five sons, and ignoring his sons' mother.

When television started creeping into households across America after World War II, numerous producers and stars from the golden age of radio instinctively realized the handwriting was on the wall; to survive, they had to move to the new medium . Some made the transition and became even more popular on the small screen, such as family comedies like "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" and "Blondie," police dramas such as "Dragnet" and westerns such...

A belly laugh is a wonderful thing. But there is something even more magical when an entire movie theater shares one. For the holidays, the American Cinematheque is serving up nine nights of belly laughs with its "Too Much Monkey Business: The Marx Bros., Abbott & Costello and the Three Stooges!" festival. The family-friendly retrospective, which begins tonight, includes 17 feature comedies and 14 short subjects starring three of the greatest movie comedy teams of all time.

" 'Who's on First?' is the funniest sketch in the history of comedy teams in show business. I laugh every time I hear it. Abbott and Costello were comedic geniuses." --Larry King If ever a formula for laughs transcended the decades, it was the wheeling banter about the whos, whats and wheretos of a baseball team. Beautifully slapped into America's consciousness by a pair of seasoned burlesque comedians named Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, the routine known as "Who's on First?"

GOOD reading, but I believe one little point was left out of the Lou Costello story ["A Birthday Bash for Lou Costello," June 18.] We were reminded that Lou was born in Patterson, N.J. -- he was a "New Jersey-Born Film Comic." That he was, and he would have been 100 this year. And he was half of the comedy team of Abbott & Costello. And so on. But without straight man Bud Abbott, they wouldn't have been a pair. I think just a little more about Bud would have been a perfect accent.

A belly laugh is a wonderful thing. But there is something even more magical when an entire movie theater shares one. For the holidays, the American Cinematheque is serving up nine nights of belly laughs with its "Too Much Monkey Business: The Marx Bros., Abbott & Costello and the Three Stooges!" festival. The family-friendly retrospective, which begins tonight, includes 17 feature comedies and 14 short subjects starring three of the greatest movie comedy teams of all time.

A memorial for Jules Glazer, an accountant who handled finances for celebrities such as Bud Abbott and Lou Costello and later managed campaign finances for Democratic candidates, will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Skirball Cultural Center and Museum, 2701 W. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Glazer, 77, died Oct. 7 in Palm Desert.

" 'Who's on First?' is the funniest sketch in the history of comedy teams in show business. I laugh every time I hear it. Abbott and Costello were comedic geniuses." --Larry King If ever a formula for laughs transcended the decades, it was the wheeling banter about the whos, whats and wheretos of a baseball team. Beautifully slapped into America's consciousness by a pair of seasoned burlesque comedians named Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, the routine known as "Who's on First?"

Bud Abbott's and Lou Costello's paths to the San Fernando Valley began on the East Coast with Abbott growing up in Coney Island, N.Y., and Costello in Paterson, N.J. After teaming up in 1936, with Abbott playing straight man to the portly Costello, they quickly became headliners on the vaudeville and burlesque circuit. Their success led them to radio, Broadway, film and TV, with their "Who's on First?" skit becoming a classic.

I was looking forward to last week's letters regarding "The Devil Made Him Do It" (by Robert Strauss, Feb. 26), knowing that The Times' astute readers would be raking World Class Egomaniac Jerry Lewis over the coals. Who could ever tire of that? (Mind you, there was a time in my life when I loved Jerry Lewis so much you would have thought I was French, but then I turned 6.) Jean McGraw let Jerry have it for discovering the joys of parenting only after raising five sons, and ignoring his sons' mother.

He is the Rookie of Spring, an unofficial title the world bestows each March upon one unsuspecting kid. The title is both an honor and a potential curse, and the honoree receives, free of charge, a small army of reporters and photographers to follow him around Florida or Arizona with relentless zeal. This spring he is Jim Abbott, left-handed pitcher, California Angels. Abbott is nervous and embarrassed, conditions he covers with his poise.

Besides Stiller and Meara, there have been countless popular comedy teams over the decades. One of the biggest was Bud Abbott and Lou Costello , who were movie and radio superstars from the '30s to the '50s. Lanky straight man Abbott and burly gag man Costello were both veteran burlesque entertainers by the time they were first paired in 1936. They hit the big time two years later on "The Kate Smith Radio Hour," where they first performed their signature routine, "Who's on First?"

He is the Rookie of Spring, an unofficial title the world bestows each March upon one unsuspecting kid. The title is both an honor and a potential curse, and the honoree receives, free of charge, a small army of reporters and photographers to follow him around Florida or Arizona with relentless zeal. This spring he is Jim Abbott, left-handed pitcher, California Angels. Abbott is nervous and embarrassed, conditions he covers with his poise.

Carole Costello, the daughter of comedian Lou Costello and daughter-in-law of entertainer Dean Martin, has died of a stroke at age 48. Her death Sunday at Valley Presbyterian Hospital was the second time in eight days that tragedy struck the Martin family. On March 21, Martin's son, Dean Paul Martin, was killed when the Air National Guard F-4 jet he was piloting crashed. Miss Costello was married to another of Martin's sons, Craig Martin.