Fun fact: In the beginning of the skit, the gentleman who hands them the props is a guy named Mel Blanc. He was a cast member on such shows as Abbott and Costello and The Jack Benny Show (another comedian of the time). He eventually became famous as the voice actor who brought Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and so many others to life.
There's a documentary on Blanc somewhere on YT. I knew he did a lot of work back then, but the truth is that he did a TON of work. Apparently he walked from studio to studio doing shows and voice recordings all the time. He had to have been making serious bank off his high demand.
@@fermisparadox01oh, so many. He was Mr. Spacely on The Jetsons, Captain Caveman, Yosemite Sam (my personal favorite 🙂), the list goes on for awhile. He even did the sound effect of Jack Benny's automobile. He's considered by many to be the greatest voice actor ever.
Disinformation. They are represemted in The Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, but UA-cam personell idiotically don' t understand the distinction between disinformation and misinformation and only have the ability to report misinformation. Yet then again neither dies the general public. Anyway, I reported this commebt as misinformation since the actual correct reporting of disinformation is non-existant.']
@@sheilah8516 From a Google search: Abbott and Costello are not “in the Hall of Fame,” as inductees, but rather their work is in the Museum and the Library. 2. It is far from the truth that they “had nothing to do with baseball,” as this comedy routine is among the most popular and beloved segments of American popular culture.
No this is not random. This is a practiced skit which they are famous for. They first performed it on radio then brought it to the stage. They were supporting actors in the movie, One Night In the Tropics, and performed this skit along with some of their other skits and were signed to a 2 year movie deal. There Abbott and Costello started out as a Burlesque comedy duo and appeared on Vaudeville, film, radio, and television. They had their own tv show and made many movies together.
My understanding is that they started out separately in Burlesque, but once they teamed up they were able to moved up to Vaudeville where they became famous for this "Who's On First" bit. There's a couple of other things of theirs can be found here on UA-cam.
I'll object to "first radio, then stage", since they performed in burlesque and Vaudeville, which are stage media. They were among the best successes in transitioning from Vaudeville to radio, TV, and film. "Talkies", i.e. film with sound, became more popular than Vaudeville and killed it. Europe has its own tradition equivalent to Vaudeville--touring live performance, going back many centuries.
I think I heard that they did not originate the skit. The baseball skit origins is lost in the history of Vaudeville and the writer(s) of it is now unknown. Abbot & Costello did the skit in Vaudeville and brought it from the stage to radio and film. Their version is the best and it now belongs to them indelibly.
It is classic. Almost everybody in America has seen it multiple times and laughed just as hard each time. It is so classic it is the Baseball Hall of Fame.
This is just like listening to my grandparents over dinner!! What’s even funnier is that he ended up mostly deaf and God bless her. She ended up 90% blind. Those conversations were even funnier!! She kept telling him to turn down the television and he kept pretending he couldn’t hear her replying “WHAAT?!” and she’d ask him to turn down the tv again and he’d respond, “WHAAAT??!!” then she’d usually say “if you’d turn down the tv you could hear me!!” And then she’d finally leave the room… then he look at us kids and laugh and laugh!! They were perfect together!!♥️♥️They were married for 68 years before he passed. They were a beautiful couple!!! And I bet conversations like this are still going on in Heaven!! I love you, grandma and grandpa!!!♥️👴🏻 ♥️👵🏻♥️
You better believe it. You can't just do it, you have to think 2 lines ahead WHILE still talking at full pace. It doable, but you both have to be on your game.
I've seen 4 separate videos of this skit. They are all a somewhat different. In one Lou asks when will you tell me the name of a player then asks about the pitcher
Especially since messing it up on Lou’s part would only require 1 look of comprehension about Hu(Who), or any of the other players. Also why punctuation and voice inflection matters.
A story goes that a Japanese player named Hu made it to first base in a game. The announcer was excited to finally be able to say that Hu was on first.
It wasn't random. They performed this skit many times in countless venues over many decades. It never gets old and expanse generations, bringing laughter to all ages. I am 80 and I still have not grown tired of hearing these two talented men even though I was a child when I first heard it on the radio.
"Who's On First" has gone down in comedic history as one of the best comedy routines of all time. Bud Abbott (the straight guy) and Lou Costello have been gone for many decades, but their simple clean humor lives on. Refreshing, isn't it?
You have to understand that they have been together so long their timing is absolutely brilliant. They make it look effortless. You are witnessing comedic genius!!!
Abbott and Costello are hysterical. They did movies - check out Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy. My favorite movie of theirs was The Time of Their Lives.
I and a friend memorized & performed this sketch for a church dessert theater many years ago. Took TONS of playing/rewinding of an old cassette tape to learn it. Got plenty of laffs!
They had their own show back in the day doing skits. Even better, they did monster movies with comedy. I think the best one was Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein because it also has the werewolf and mummy in it. Bud Abbott is the tall guy, and Lou Costello is the chubby guy. He started a club for inner city kids, and they both stayed friends the rest of their lives.
Listen how fast and well-rehearsed they are! I had to show this reaction to my father, who grew up with this comedy. It's fast, it's funny, it's "punny," and it doesn't belittle anyone but themselves. Pure comedy. Love it!
As a kid in grade school, my buddy and I did this bit in the talent show. My God it was hard to get right, and even harder than that NOT to laugh every second we were trying to memorize it all.
Abbott and Costello were most famous for this comedy routine. It's one of the most iconic comedy skits of all time. There are occasionally cultural references to it or imitations of it so it's a good piece of entertainment history to know.
Abbott and Costello are the perfect examples of the comedy duo that use "the straight man" and "the funny man." Just like the Smother Brothers, many others, and to an extent, Penn and Teller. This was rehearsed into perfection. This sketch alone has been a building block for comedians everywhere.
Abbott and Costello had done this skit so much and it was so frequently requested that they could make it seem spontaneous and add new twists and not miss a beat!
Yep, that was a skit by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. It was done many multiple times for audiences all over the country. Relating to your comment about the seemingly different roles the two played off each other, it was (and still is) a common thing to have a duo comedy pair with one being the silly, slapstick-type and the other being the no nonsense type. A couple of other examples from the early days of TV and movies, in the order of silly 1st and no nonsense 2nd, were: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy; Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. More recent examples are: Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder; Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong; Chris Farley and David Spade; Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele; and Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller, to name just a few.
The "who's on first" bit had already been performed by Abbott and Costello numerous times, and was pretty famous by the time this was filmed. You can even hear a couple people in the audience specifically request "who's on first" after the first person says "baseball"
Abbott & Costello hit with this routine, later known as "Baseball", in 1937 in a live touring theater variety show called Hollywood Bandwagon, part of the vaudeville theater circuit. They performed it for a national radio audience for the first time on The Kate Smith Hour in 1938. Lou Costello said it was based on a crosstalk routine from minstrel shows in the early 20th century called "Who's the Boss". There was also a British comedian, Will Hay, who performed a crosstalk routine in the early 1930s in music halls, in which he's a teacher talking to a schoolboy named Howe who used to live in Ware but since moved to Wye. You can imagine.
The Marx Brothers also did crosstalk routines in all their movies although none of them were as long or complicated as Who's on First.. They were between Groucho as the straight man and Chico as the comic.
My grandpa had this on laser disc and I watched this and other movies of them. It was hilarious. This was in the 80’s and I was only 8. Silly comedy was just right for me at the time and they hit a home run.
Abbott and Costello were absolutely legendary comedians almost completely based on this routine. They did several movies, but this is true genius. Thanks for the reaction.
I soooo miss watching these guys on Sunday afternoons back in the 70s. This was one of the BEST TV SHOWS OF ALL TIME!! Abbott n Costello meet the mummy , werewolf, In the army now ... 😅😅😅😂😂😊❤❤❤ and soo many more ❤❤❤
Abbott and Costello were a comedy team in America from the 1940s and 1950s. They came out of the burlesque theater era, then radio and finally had a TV show towards the end of their careers. i remember may happy times watching them as a kid.
I'm 75 and these guys were big when I was a child. They were considered brilliant and had to be just to remember that routine, which they began doing on the radio. BTW, this was a script they created and memorized the routine.
Yes it was a live performance and my dad loved this skit he even got a tea shirt with all the players on it.. look them up for other skits. Keep safe all 🥰🥰🥰🥰💖💖💖🙏🙏🙏🙏
Thisis the only skit that's in the baseball hall of fame, it's played continuously. these two first played this in the movie (1945) The Naughty Nineties
Two of America's greatest comedians, The Abbott and Costello Show 1952-1957 and numerous Movies, I grew up watching 👀 them in the 50's and 60's, "Abbott and Costello meets Frankenstein" a Classic😅 Peace ✌️ Gary 😊 great reaction 🤣
I've seen this countless times, growing up. When i was going through training to be a police dispatcher, they made us watch this to show the importance of clear communication. 🤣
I'm happy you're finally introduced to these two, but also sad that so many reactors have never known the joy that was Abbott & Costello. In my youth there were two comedy duos often mentioned: Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello. There were other great duos, but these stood out. These guys were masters of word play comedy. "Who's On First" was their best, but there were several others. My favorite was their one abusing race horse terminology. I've not checked but its possible that some of the other word-play routines have been posted to UA-cam. The pair also had a 1950s TV series, which I believe this clip comes from, frequently did radio (some recordings of which survive) and did several movies as well, many of them pairing the duo with a Universal Studios monster like Frankenstein or the Mummy.
They started out on the Vaudeville circuit, roughly equivalent to your Music Halls. They follow the well established arrangement of comedy duos, a straight man and a funny man.
Comedy Gold!! This is a classic routine I knew about for most of my young life before I finally watched it when I was about 12 or 13 and it was hilarious. (By the way - no this was not ad lib'd - it was rehearsed). Future suggestion: "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" with Bela Lugosi reprising his role as Count Dracula - just awesome!! Another by the way - 1940's American shows and movie had a lot of fast talkers - it was a fad at that time.
The routine had been practiced for decades, which is why the audience could request it. What's amazing is that Abbott, the straight man, could keep those deadpan answers.
The typical take in Vaudeville, and for Abbott and Costello, was split 40% for the comic and 60% for the straight man, because setting up the jokes and keeping a straight face was considered the harder skill.
This was a scene in the Abbot and Costello television show of the 1950s, so the whole framing device with the audience requesting this (already very famous) bit was scripted into the show.
It was a routine they had done and everybody loved it as much as you so they always requested it cuz they wanted to see it get done again and again and especially when they did live shows with the original skit was done on their show the Abbott and Costello show ... It was all slapstick comedy from back in the day
When I was in college back in the dark ages as my son calls it, the 70’s, our college president and the dean did this routine at our variety show. It brought down the house!
Love this skit! I grew up in the '60's and '70's and watched their show in reruns every Sunday after church. They are icons of comedy! Their movies were great too!
Watch their movie “The Naughty Nineties” it contains the entire who’s on first routine. Plus it’s a funny old movie. The “Who’s on First Routine” is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Abbott and Costello's 'Who's on First' skit was very popular back then. The pair also made a few movies. My favorite one since childhood is 'Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'.
I was sooo young remembering this and the Three Stooges. I got 3 rat boys for free with cage. They are Moe, Curly and Shemp. I always forget the fourth Stooge. Yes there were four as one passed away or something. Can’t remember exactly. Can’t remember right now the 4th Stooge 😢 LARRY. ❤ the stooges and that’s my 3 rat boys names!
I actually have had this type of conversation when trying to explain this to people before realizing I was doing the same confusing thing and stating the players names clearly.
My kids love Abbott and Costello. I showed them a few of their movies and they think it’s wild how movie makeup has changed. I recommend you watch Abbott and Costello meet Dracula. Also there’s a video floating around of some kids doing a Shakespeare twist on this gig. It’s just as funny.
At the time of this show, everything on TV was done live. The mistakes were evident but often funnier than what was written in the script because the actors had to think on their toes to improve corrections to fit. The actors often had to do all the advertisements too. It was a great time in television. But this is a practiced skit performed live.
I love that you made a reaction video for this. Someone else also has one, but watching you enjoy it is fabulous. They were a brilliant comedy duo! All scripted, but genius!
I'm 39 and I grew up watching abbott and costellos shows movies and skits and everything I watch even now I end up crying cause I laugh so hard.. I will forever love them.. their show are rehearsed but executed effortlessly.. amazing comedians.. forever my favorites
They were really doing a benefit performance for The Retired Actor's Home. The audience knew the routine, and it was the one they wanted to hear...so the one guy DID bring the props on the hopes they would ask what the audience wanted to see.
It's called a "Routine, bit or skit". Comedy acts perform routines that they write before hand. Abbot and Costello were very Famous for their acts and their movies from the 30s and 40s and into the 50s. The speed with which this woks is so amazing and they never messed it up anytime I have ever heard it. you might want to watch the MARX BROTHERS and Moe Larry and Curly. I showed this bit to my son when he was about ten in 1992 and he laughed hysterically. It is one of his favorite comedy skits.
A piece of Americana, transcends time. When talking to someone with a confusing situation, circular, back to the the original confusion, sometimes I'll grin at the person I'm talking too and say, " Who's on first?" The clue that we aren't understanding each other.
This is a very famous comedy bit that they did many decades ago. They were very big in the 1940s, 50s, probably 30s, and even as late as the 60s. They were on television in and the movies.
This is very well scripted act that they rehearsed exhaustively. Scripted, but delivered entirely in one take with no cut-aways or cue cards. Amazing. A favorite; great choice and excellent review!
I'm not sure I'd call this "scripted", so much as "outlined". I've heard or seen three different recordings of this skit, and they are all very different from each other.
I believe Abbott and Costello were comedians from the 1940s and 50s. I remember watching their movies in the 70s. They were old and black and white but I loved them as a kid... Back when comedy was rated G for the whole family ❤
🎭⚾HANG SOMETHING ON YOUR WALLS⚾🎭 I think you were wondering if this was improved...no, it is a written skit they did...and many famous people have recreated it.
If you want to see them in something bigger, one of their better films is the classic Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein. Also staring Bella Lugosi as Dracula and Lon Cheney Jr as the Wolf Man.
Fun fact: In the beginning of the skit, the gentleman who hands them the props is a guy named Mel Blanc. He was a cast member on such shows as Abbott and Costello and The Jack Benny Show (another comedian of the time). He eventually became famous as the voice actor who brought Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and so many others to life.
There's a documentary on Blanc somewhere on YT. I knew he did a lot of work back then, but the truth is that he did a TON of work. Apparently he walked from studio to studio doing shows and voice recordings all the time. He had to have been making serious bank off his high demand.
Barney Rubble, Elmer Fudd
I didn't know that was Mel Blanc, such a huge talent, thanks for the info!
@@fermisparadox01oh, so many. He was Mr. Spacely on The Jetsons, Captain Caveman, Yosemite Sam (my personal favorite 🙂), the list goes on for awhile. He even did the sound effect of Jack Benny's automobile. He's considered by many to be the greatest voice actor ever.
You're very welcome. I'm old enough to remember him from Abbott and Costello, The Jack Benny Show and Burns and Allen. Lucky me. 🙂
Seventy years on and this skit is still comedy gold.
80+ years for this recording, and 90+ for the earlier versions of this routine
That's how you know it's a timeless classic.
It always brings a smile to my face, and at least one chuckle. If I'm awake and really into comedy I just can't stop laughing.
'Naturally' is like saying 'of course'
Abbott and Costello were inducted into the baseball hall of fame because of this routine!!!!😂😂😂😂
No they weren't. IT plays at the HOF
Great fact, thanks
Disinformation. They are represemted in The Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, but UA-cam personell idiotically don' t understand the distinction between disinformation and misinformation and only have the ability to report misinformation. Yet then again neither dies the general public. Anyway, I reported this commebt as misinformation since the actual correct reporting of disinformation is non-existant.']
@@chrischar9428 Abbott & Costello were inducted into the baseball HOF in 1956 along with a recording of this bit which is on continuous play.
@@sheilah8516 From a Google search: Abbott and Costello are not “in the Hall of Fame,” as inductees, but rather their work is in the Museum and the Library. 2. It is far from the truth that they “had nothing to do with baseball,” as this comedy routine is among the most popular and beloved segments of American popular culture.
This is one of the greatest comedic acts in US history
Totally agree with you 👍 💯!!!!
Could easily be argued that it IS the best of all time.
THE Greatest 🙂
No this is not random. This is a practiced skit which they are famous for. They first performed it on radio then brought it to the stage. They were supporting actors in the movie, One Night In the Tropics, and performed this skit along with some of their other skits and were signed to a 2 year movie deal. There Abbott and Costello started out as a Burlesque comedy duo and appeared on Vaudeville, film, radio, and television. They had their own tv show and made many movies together.
I'm sure they sent kids and grandkids to college on this skit!
My understanding is that they started out separately in Burlesque, but once they teamed up they were able to moved up to Vaudeville where they became famous for this "Who's On First" bit. There's a couple of other things of theirs can be found here on UA-cam.
@@DoyleRichards-v1l Correct. They initially had other comedy partners before they were paired together and comedy gold was born.
I'll object to "first radio, then stage", since they performed in burlesque and Vaudeville, which are stage media. They were among the best successes in transitioning from Vaudeville to radio, TV, and film. "Talkies", i.e. film with sound, became more popular than Vaudeville and killed it. Europe has its own tradition equivalent to Vaudeville--touring live performance, going back many centuries.
I think I heard that they did not originate the skit. The baseball skit origins is lost in the history of Vaudeville and the writer(s) of it is now unknown. Abbot & Costello did the skit in Vaudeville and brought it from the stage to radio and film. Their version is the best and it now belongs to them indelibly.
That was a live event, but the “who’s on first” bit was already famous by then so the audience requested it.
Yep, it was a skit request from the audience.
It is classic. Almost everybody in America has seen it multiple times and laughed just as hard each time. It is so classic it is the Baseball Hall of Fame.
This is just like listening to my grandparents over dinner!! What’s even funnier is that he ended up mostly deaf and God bless her. She ended up 90% blind. Those conversations were even funnier!! She kept telling him to turn down the television and he kept pretending he couldn’t hear her replying “WHAAT?!” and she’d ask him to turn down the tv again and he’d respond, “WHAAAT??!!”
then she’d usually say “if you’d turn down the tv you could hear me!!” And then she’d finally leave the room… then he look at us kids and laugh and laugh!! They were perfect together!!♥️♥️They were married for 68 years before he passed. They were a beautiful couple!!! And I bet conversations like this are still going on in Heaven!! I love you, grandma and grandpa!!!♥️👴🏻 ♥️👵🏻♥️
That is one of the most difficult bits to pull off without messing up.
You better believe it. You can't just do it, you have to think 2 lines ahead WHILE still talking at full pace. It doable, but you both have to be on your game.
@@EvHervey 100% truth
I've seen 4 separate videos of this skit. They are all a somewhat different. In one Lou asks when will you tell me the name of a player then asks about the pitcher
Rainman did it.
Especially since messing it up on Lou’s part would only require 1 look of comprehension about Hu(Who), or any of the other players. Also why punctuation and voice inflection matters.
A story goes that a Japanese player named Hu made it to first base in a game. The announcer was excited to finally be able to say that Hu was on first.
I've got a picture of Hu with his foot on first base.
I need to see if that’s on UA-cam too!
It'd have been amusing if they'd had ajother one 2nd base named Watt
Yeah that was so funny.
it IS on youtube....its a fact!
"Abbott and Costello" have a skit, 7 times 13 equal 28. Very funny!
Testing your math skills since 1945.
I really loved that one- everything they did was great!
another ICONIS skit....just hilarious
Id love to see him react to it!
I was going to suggest this as well
Thank you Lewis. I haven't seen Abbott and Costello in a long time. Glad you enjoyed the laughs 😂😂🤣🤣
Lewis, I'm so happy you enjoyed this !! Especially considering it's almost 100 years old now. This is genuine, honest to God comedy. 😅
It wasn't random. They performed this skit many times in countless venues over many decades. It never gets old and expanse generations, bringing laughter to all ages. I am 80 and I still have not grown tired of hearing these two talented men even though I was a child when I first heard it on the radio.
That makes 2 of us!😜
"Who's On First" has gone down in comedic history as one of the best comedy routines of all time. Bud Abbott (the straight guy) and Lou Costello have been gone for many decades, but their simple clean humor lives on. Refreshing, isn't it?
You have to understand that they have been together so long their timing is absolutely brilliant. They make it look effortless. You are witnessing comedic genius!!!
Abbott and Costello are hysterical. They did movies - check out Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy. My favorite movie of theirs was The Time of Their Lives.
That one is my fave too!!!!
My favorite too!
Revolutionary ghost Lou, loved it.
So good!!!
"Who's on first" is an American classic, that's one of just of many of there acts. I love that they have no script
Abbott and Costello are hilarious
I and a friend memorized & performed this sketch for a church dessert theater many years ago. Took TONS of playing/rewinding of an old cassette tape to learn it. Got plenty of laffs!
They had their own show back in the day doing skits. Even better, they did monster movies with comedy. I think the best one was Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein because it also has the werewolf and mummy in it. Bud Abbott is the tall guy, and Lou Costello is the chubby guy. He started a club for inner city kids, and they both stayed friends the rest of their lives.
You need to watch Guzzler gin by Red Skeleton..
Every Sunday morning at 11:30 - 1 PM were the movies. Abbott and Costello meet the.....
Listen how fast and well-rehearsed they are! I had to show this reaction to my father, who grew up with this comedy. It's fast, it's funny, it's "punny," and it doesn't belittle anyone but themselves. Pure comedy. Love it!
As a kid in grade school, my buddy and I did this bit in the talent show. My God it was hard to get right, and even harder than that NOT to laugh every second we were trying to memorize it all.
Abbott and Costello were most famous for this comedy routine. It's one of the most iconic comedy skits of all time. There are occasionally cultural references to it or imitations of it so it's a good piece of entertainment history to know.
In America when there is a bit of confusion going on it isnt unlikely to hear someone say "its like who's on first around here."
Abbott and Costello are the perfect examples of the comedy duo that use "the straight man" and "the funny man." Just like the Smother Brothers, many others, and to an extent, Penn and Teller.
This was rehearsed into perfection. This sketch alone has been a building block for comedians everywhere.
This is slapstick comedy😂 they had a style that was just funny. We will never get that kind of comedy again.
Abbott and Costello had done this skit so much and it was so frequently requested that they could make it seem spontaneous and add new twists and not miss a beat!
Yep, that was a skit by Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. It was done many multiple times for audiences all over the country. Relating to your comment about the seemingly different roles the two played off each other, it was (and still is) a common thing to have a duo comedy pair with one being the silly, slapstick-type and the other being the no nonsense type. A couple of other examples from the early days of TV and movies, in the order of silly 1st and no nonsense 2nd, were: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy; Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. More recent examples are: Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder; Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong; Chris Farley and David Spade; Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele; and Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller, to name just a few.
The "who's on first" bit had already been performed by Abbott and Costello numerous times, and was pretty famous by the time this was filmed. You can even hear a couple people in the audience specifically request "who's on first" after the first person says "baseball"
Abbott & Costello hit with this routine, later known as "Baseball", in 1937 in a live touring theater variety show called Hollywood Bandwagon, part of the vaudeville theater circuit. They performed it for a national radio audience for the first time on The Kate Smith Hour in 1938. Lou Costello said it was based on a crosstalk routine from minstrel shows in the early 20th century called "Who's the Boss". There was also a British comedian, Will Hay, who performed a crosstalk routine in the early 1930s in music halls, in which he's a teacher talking to a schoolboy named Howe who used to live in Ware but since moved to Wye. You can imagine.
The Marx Brothers also did crosstalk routines in all their movies although none of them were as long or complicated as Who's on First.. They were between Groucho as the straight man and Chico as the comic.
My grandpa had this on laser disc and I watched this and other movies of them. It was hilarious. This was in the 80’s and I was only 8. Silly comedy was just right for me at the time and they hit a home run.
Abbott and Costello were absolutely legendary comedians almost completely based on this routine. They did several movies, but this is true genius. Thanks for the reaction.
I soooo miss watching these guys on Sunday afternoons back in the 70s. This was one of the BEST TV SHOWS OF ALL TIME!! Abbott n Costello meet the mummy , werewolf, In the army now ... 😅😅😅😂😂😊❤❤❤ and soo many more ❤❤❤
Abbott and Costello were a comedy team in America from the 1940s and 1950s. They came out of the burlesque theater era, then radio and finally had a TV show towards the end of their careers. i remember may happy times watching them as a kid.
This was one of their normal routines that they were famous for 😅🤣😂🤣😂!! It's what we call oldies but goodies 😉 ❤!!!
I'm 75 and these guys were big when I was a child. They were considered brilliant and had to be just to remember that routine, which they began doing on the radio. BTW, this was a script they created and memorized the routine.
Yes it was a live performance and my dad loved this skit he even got a tea shirt with all the players on it.. look them up for other skits. Keep safe all 🥰🥰🥰🥰💖💖💖🙏🙏🙏🙏
This is a practiced routine, but performed live and they occasionally respond to the audience reaction.
I haven't heard "Who's on first" in years! Still as hilarious as the first time! 😂😂
Thisis the only skit that's in the baseball hall of fame, it's played continuously. these two first played this in the movie (1945) The Naughty Nineties
Two of America's greatest comedians, The Abbott and Costello Show 1952-1957 and numerous Movies, I grew up watching 👀 them in the 50's and 60's, "Abbott and Costello meets Frankenstein" a Classic😅 Peace ✌️ Gary 😊 great reaction 🤣
80 years and an entire ocean away and this is still funny AF.
thats comdey gold right there !
I've seen this countless times, growing up. When i was going through training to be a police dispatcher, they made us watch this to show the importance of clear communication. 🤣
I'm happy you're finally introduced to these two, but also sad that so many reactors have never known the joy that was Abbott & Costello. In my youth there were two comedy duos often mentioned: Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello. There were other great duos, but these stood out. These guys were masters of word play comedy. "Who's On First" was their best, but there were several others. My favorite was their one abusing race horse terminology. I've not checked but its possible that some of the other word-play routines have been posted to UA-cam. The pair also had a 1950s TV series, which I believe this clip comes from, frequently did radio (some recordings of which survive) and did several movies as well, many of them pairing the duo with a Universal Studios monster like Frankenstein or the Mummy.
They started out on the Vaudeville circuit, roughly equivalent to your Music Halls. They follow the well established arrangement of comedy duos, a straight man and a funny man.
Comedy Gold!! This is a classic routine I knew about for most of my young life before I finally watched it when I was about 12 or 13 and it was hilarious. (By the way - no this was not ad lib'd - it was rehearsed). Future suggestion: "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" with Bela Lugosi reprising his role as Count Dracula - just awesome!! Another by the way - 1940's American shows and movie had a lot of fast talkers - it was a fad at that time.
They are funny. I have a lot of their movies. My favorite movies are "The Time of Their Lives" & "Hold That Ghost".
The routine had been practiced for decades, which is why the audience could request it. What's amazing is that Abbott, the straight man, could keep those deadpan answers.
The typical take in Vaudeville, and for Abbott and Costello, was split 40% for the comic and 60% for the straight man, because setting up the jokes and keeping a straight face was considered the harder skill.
I haven't heard this one in years!!! Love those two
As I’ve seen this at least a hundred times, watching Lewis watch it for the first time was gold!!!
It was live, but who's on first was their most famous "routine." Abbot and Costello knew it like the back of their hands.
This still cracks me up!
Your reaction is much like mine when I first saw it as a kid before school age. My Dad was laughing the same way!
This was a scene in the Abbot and Costello television show of the 1950s, so the whole framing device with the audience requesting this (already very famous) bit was scripted into the show.
I remember watching this with my dad. Freaking awesome, there will never be anyone like these
They’re no Laurel and Hardy 🤷🏻♂️
@@Desmond.TuTu. I know, they are Abbott & Costello, it say's who they are
It was a routine they had done and everybody loved it as much as you so they always requested it cuz they wanted to see it get done again and again and especially when they did live shows with the original skit was done on their show the Abbott and Costello show ... It was all slapstick comedy from back in the day
When I was in college back in the dark ages as my son calls it, the 70’s, our college president and the dean did this routine at our variety show. It brought down the house!
These guys were in Vaudeville performing on stage before moving up to movies in Hollywood. They're classics.
Love this skit! I grew up in the '60's and '70's and watched their show in reruns every Sunday after church. They are icons of comedy! Their movies were great too!
This is pure genius.
It never gets old 😂😂
Love seeing your reaction! A lot and Costello are awesome. Try watching Tim Conway and Harvey Korman’s skit “The Dentist”!
CLASSIC Sketch!
Watch their movie “The Naughty Nineties” it contains the entire who’s on first routine. Plus it’s a funny old movie. The “Who’s on First Routine” is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Abbott and Costello's 'Who's on First' skit was very popular back then.
The pair also made a few movies. My favorite one since childhood is 'Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein'.
A few is an understatement they have 39 movies together the movie (1948) Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein was their 22 film
I've managed to find all 39 films, their great
I was sooo young remembering this and the Three Stooges. I got 3 rat boys for free with cage. They are Moe, Curly and Shemp. I always forget the fourth Stooge. Yes there were four as one passed away or something. Can’t remember exactly. Can’t remember right now the 4th Stooge 😢 LARRY. ❤ the stooges and that’s my 3 rat boys names!
I actually have had this type of conversation when trying to explain this to people before realizing I was doing the same confusing thing and stating the players names clearly.
My kids love Abbott and Costello. I showed them a few of their movies and they think it’s wild how movie makeup has changed. I recommend you watch Abbott and Costello meet Dracula. Also there’s a video floating around of some kids doing a Shakespeare twist on this gig. It’s just as funny.
Classic skit. Love this! More comedy plz!
At the time of this show, everything on TV was done live. The mistakes were evident but often funnier than what was written in the script because the actors had to think on their toes to improve corrections to fit. The actors often had to do all the advertisements too. It was a great time in television. But this is a practiced skit performed live.
I love that you made a reaction video for this. Someone else also has one, but watching you enjoy it is fabulous. They were a brilliant comedy duo! All scripted, but genius!
I'm 39 and I grew up watching abbott and costellos shows movies and skits and everything I watch even now I end up crying cause I laugh so hard.. I will forever love them.. their show are rehearsed but executed effortlessly.. amazing comedians.. forever my favorites
My 6th grade teacher had us do this routine once. Honestly, the wit was wasted on us, but it was still fun.
They were really doing a benefit performance for The Retired Actor's Home. The audience knew the routine, and it was the one they wanted to hear...so the one guy DID bring the props on the hopes they would ask what the audience wanted to see.
An absolute gold routine! Now you need to watch Jeff Dunham and Peanut spoof this skit with "Password"
The Carol Burnett show had a skit with Harvey Corwin and Tim Conway called the “Dentist”.
Try not laughing your bum off.
YOU WILL ABSOLUTELY LOVE THESE TWO A TRUE CLASSIC ❤❤❤
It's called a "Routine, bit or skit". Comedy acts perform routines that they write before hand. Abbot and Costello were very Famous for their acts and their movies from the 30s and 40s and into the 50s. The speed with which this woks is so amazing and they never messed it up anytime I have ever heard it.
you might want to watch the MARX BROTHERS and Moe Larry and Curly. I showed this bit to my son when he was about ten in 1992 and he laughed hysterically. It is one of his favorite comedy skits.
A piece of Americana, transcends time. When talking to someone with a confusing situation, circular, back to the the original confusion, sometimes I'll grin at the person I'm talking too and say, " Who's on first?" The clue that we aren't understanding each other.
Another great skit of theirs is 13x7=28. It will test your math skills.
Best comedy skit of all time. For those that don’t know they were a comedy team back in the 60’s.
Way before 60s
Abbott & Costello's joint career spanned more than 20 years, from 1935 to 1957.
This is a very famous comedy bit that they did many decades ago. They were very big in the 1940s, 50s, probably 30s, and even as late as the 60s. They were on television in and the movies.
This is very well scripted act that they rehearsed exhaustively. Scripted, but delivered entirely in one take with no cut-aways or cue cards. Amazing. A favorite; great choice and excellent review!
I'm not sure I'd call this "scripted", so much as "outlined". I've heard or seen three different recordings of this skit, and they are all very different from each other.
They did movies too. One had a ghost moving things, but only when Costello was looking. Funny
Absolutely fabulous routine, anything from Abbott and Costello is well worth watching
They made some incredibly funny movies. I really liked their monster movies but I'd watch any move they made.
I believe Abbott and Costello were comedians from the 1940s and 50s. I remember watching their movies in the 70s. They were old and black and white but I loved them as a kid... Back when comedy was rated G for the whole family ❤
In the movie Rainman, Raymond is obsessed with this skit.
I don't know how they did this.
I would've messed up sooo many times 😂😂😂
🎭⚾HANG SOMETHING ON YOUR WALLS⚾🎭
I think you were wondering if this was improved...no, it is a written skit they did...and many famous people have recreated it.
From 1942-1947 they were some of the highest paid actors in Hollywood. This bit still makes me laugh!!
If no one has suggested it yet, I would check out their math routine. There are several great routines but I think you'd enjoy their arithmetic.
A couple of comedy Legends , watched them growing up
This was one of their bits. This was practiced and rehearsed and some live many times before this.
I've heard them (and others doing some variation on it) do this routine dozens of times over the years. I still laugh.
I love watching old, classic, shows and movies. It’s still entertaining and I like experiencing and getting to know by gone eras.
Legends. And this is definitely a classic comic routine
Sometimes I'll confuse people at work at do this they eventually catch on but it's funnier the longer they dont
This routine is a classic. They use to have a half hour comedy show on TV.
... yeah .. they lived at mr. field's boarding house .. lol
It was a famous set routine that they did. Funny every time I watch it.
If you want to see them in something bigger, one of their better films is the classic Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein. Also staring Bella Lugosi as Dracula and Lon Cheney Jr as the Wolf Man.