Bud Abbott: The Straight Man Who Built Comedy Gold
William Alexander “Bud” Abbott (October 2, 1897 – April 24, 1974) was an American comedian, actor, and producer. He was best known as the straight man in the comedy duo Abbott and Costello, one of the most successful entertainment partnerships of the twentieth century.
Early Life and Education
Abbott was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on October 2, 1897, into a show business family. His parents, Rae Fisher and Harry Abbott, had met while working for the Barnum and Bailey Circus—she was a bareback rider of German Jewish background, and he was a concessionaire and forage agent. Bud was the third of four children.
The family relocated to Harlem when Bud was a toddler, then moved to the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, where his father became a longtime advance man for the Columbia Burlesque Wheel. During summers when burlesque was on hiatus, his father worked at Dreamland Park in Coney Island. Bud dropped out of grammar school to work at the park. In his teens, he signed on as a cabin boy on a Norwegian steamer but was soon forced to shovel coal; he worked his way back to the United States a year later.
Career and Achievements
In his late teens, Abbott began working in the box office of the Casino Theatre in Brooklyn, a burlesque house on the Columbia wheel. He spent the next few years in burlesque box offices, rising to treasurer. In 1918, while working in Washington, D.C., he met and married Jenny Mae Pratt, a burlesque dancer and comedienne who performed as Betty Smith. They remained together until his death 55 years later.
In 1923, Abbott produced a cut-rate vaudeville tab show called Broadway Flashes, which toured on the small-time Gus Sun circuit. When he could no longer afford to pay a straight man, he began performing in that role himself. He continued producing and performing in burlesque shows on the Mutual Burlesque wheel, working with veteran comedians like Harry Steppe and Harry Evanson as his reputation grew.
Abbott crossed paths with Lou Costello in the early 1930s while producing and performing in Minsky’s Burlesque shows in New York. They worked together for the first time in 1935 at the Eltinge Theatre on 42nd Street, after an illness sidelined Costello’s regular partner. They formally teamed up in 1936 and performed together in burlesque, minstrel shows, vaudeville, and stage shows.
In 1938, they received national exposure as regulars on the Kate Smith Hour radio show, which led to roles in the Broadway musical The Streets of Paris in 1939. Universal signed the team for their first film, One Night in the Tropics, in 1940. Despite having minor roles, Abbott and Costello stole the film with several classic routines, including an abbreviated version of “Who’s on First?” Universal signed them to a two-picture deal; the first film, Buck Privates (1941), became a major hit and led to a long-term contract with the studio.
Director Arthur Lubin, who helmed the team’s first five starring films, later observed: “I don’t think there has ever been a finer straight man in the business than Bud Abbott. Lou would go off the script – because he was that clever with lines – and Bud would bring him right back.”
Notable Events and Milestones
During World War II, Abbott and Costello were among the most popular and highest-paid stars in the world. Between 1940 and 1956, they made 36 films and earned a percentage of the profits on each. They ranked among the Top 10 box office stars from 1941 through 1951, placing No. 1 in 1942. During a 35-day tour in the summer of 1942, the team sold $85 million worth of War Bonds.
They had their own radio program, The Abbott and Costello Show, throughout the 1940s, first on NBC from 1942 to 1947, and then on ABC from 1947 to 1949. In the 1950s, they introduced their comedy to live television on The Colgate Comedy Hour and launched their own half-hour filmed series, The Abbott and Costello Show (1952–54).
Relations between Abbott and Costello grew strained by egos and salary disputes. In burlesque, they split earnings 60/40 in Abbott’s favor, as the straight man was viewed as the more valuable member. This eventually changed to 50/50, but after a year in Hollywood, Costello insisted on a 40/60 split in his favor, which remained for the rest of their careers. Costello also demanded the team be renamed “Costello and Abbott,” but Universal rejected this because the studio had been promoting “Abbott and Costello” for years. Abbott’s top billing created a “permanent chill” between the partners, according to Lou’s daughter Chris Costello in her biography Lou’s on First.
Their relationship was further strained by Abbott’s alcohol abuse, which he used to manage epileptic seizures. In mid-1945, they were not on speaking terms after Costello fired a maid and Abbott hired her. Costello refused to speak to Abbott except when working. In 1946, their box office ranking dropped out of the Top 10, and Universal split the team in character roles for two films: Little Giant and The Time of Their Lives. Abbott resolved their personal situation by suggesting that the team’s planned civic center for underprivileged children be named after Costello’s son, who had drowned before his first birthday. The Lou Costello Jr. Youth Foundation opened in Los Angeles in 1947.
Additional Resources
Abbott’s legacy as one of comedy’s greatest straight men remains documented in film archives, radio recordings, and television broadcasts spanning decades. Readers seeking deeper insight into his life, his partnership with Lou Costello, and their cultural impact can explore comprehensive biographical resources and the extensive filmography available through Wikipedia and other entertainment history archives.
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