Bud Abbott And Lou Costello were not only famous for their vaudevillian double act but they also starred in a successful Comedy franchise that in volume, exceeds the Carry On movies. The couple made a number of films between 1940 and 1956; that’s a staggering 36 in 16 years.
Starting out on the stage then radio they became the most popular comedy team of the 1940s and 1950s, and the highest-paid entertainers in the world during World War II so it was logical for them to go into the movies
Their co-stars were many and varied and included famous names like Charles Laughton, The Andrews Sisters, Dick Powell and Adele Jurgens. They most notably starred in a number of Horror Comedy Movies alongside such Pre-code stars as Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney JR, Bela Lugosi. These films not only featured the famous Hollywood monsters but had those recognisable faces playing parts.
The Invisible Man, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Dr Jekyll And Mr Hide and The Mummy were all met by the iconic duo along with Ghosts, Pirates, Aliens, Killer Apes and Ghouls.
Much of their horror output is considered close to being cannon by horror fans, with Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein getting the most kudos.
It's a fine line to have genuine horror in horror comedy but these two managed it
Abbott And Costello were not as surreal as their predecessors The Marx Brothers, nor as versatile as The Ritz Brothers but their cinematic output was watched by many and formed a major part of post war filmgoing experience in the states.
The closest to them in terms of profile were Bob Hope And Bing Crosby and their "Road To..." movies were a staple for many years. The difference being that they were stars in their own right. Bud & Lou came as a pair.
They were the last of the wisecracking comedy acts of the era that relied on slick routines and old school experience, they were followed on the big screen by much broader comedy in the shape of The Three Stooges and Martin & Lewis.
These Abbott And Costello movies represent a kind of purity in concept; "let them do their thing and the rest will take care of itself"
