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The Abbott and Costello Show

  • TV Series
  • 1952–1957
  • TV-G
  • 25m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in The Abbott and Costello Show (1952)
The Abbott And Costello Show: The Pigeon
Play trailer2:00
53 Videos
84 Photos
SlapstickComedyFamilyMystery

Bud and Lou are unemployed actors living in Mr. Fields' boarding house. Lou's girlfriend Hillary lives across the hall. Any premise would lead to slapstick, puns, lots of gimmicks from their... Read allBud and Lou are unemployed actors living in Mr. Fields' boarding house. Lou's girlfriend Hillary lives across the hall. Any premise would lead to slapstick, puns, lots of gimmicks from their movies.Bud and Lou are unemployed actors living in Mr. Fields' boarding house. Lou's girlfriend Hillary lives across the hall. Any premise would lead to slapstick, puns, lots of gimmicks from their movies.

  • Stars
    • Bud Abbott
    • Lou Costello
    • Sid Fields
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.1/10
    1.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • Bud Abbott
      • Lou Costello
      • Sid Fields
    • 19User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Episodes52

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos53

    The Abbott And Costello Show: The Pigeon
    Trailer 2:00
    The Abbott And Costello Show: The Pigeon
    The Abbott And Costello Show: Public Enemies
    Trailer 1:57
    The Abbott And Costello Show: Public Enemies
    The Abbott And Costello Show: Public Enemies
    Trailer 1:57
    The Abbott And Costello Show: Public Enemies
    The Abbott And Costello Show: Beauty Contest Story
    Trailer 1:33
    The Abbott And Costello Show: Beauty Contest Story
    The Abbott And Costello Show: Private Eye
    Trailer 2:00
    The Abbott And Costello Show: Private Eye
    The Abbott And Costello Show: Efficiency Experts
    Trailer 1:51
    The Abbott And Costello Show: Efficiency Experts
    The Abbott And Costello Show: South Of Dixie
    Trailer 1:15
    The Abbott And Costello Show: South Of Dixie

    Photos84

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    Top cast99+

    Edit
    Bud Abbott
    Bud Abbott
    • Bud Abbott
    • 1952–1954
    Lou Costello
    Lou Costello
    • Lou Costello
    • 1952–1954
    Sid Fields
    Sid Fields
    • Sid Fields…
    • 1952–1954
    Gordon Jones
    Gordon Jones
    • Mike Kelly…
    • 1952–1954
    Bobby Barber
    Bobby Barber
    • Hercules…
    • 1952–1954
    Hillary Brooke
    Hillary Brooke
    • Hillary Brooke…
    • 1952–1953
    Joe Kirk
    Joe Kirk
    • Mr. Bacciagalupe…
    • 1952–1953
    Milt Bronson
    Milt Bronson
    • Police Sergeant…
    • 1952–1954
    Joe Besser
    Joe Besser
    • Stinky Davis…
    • 1952–1953
    Donald Kerr
    • Engineer…
    • 1953–1954
    Bingo the Chimp
    Bingo the Chimp
    • Bingo the Chimp…
    • 1953
    Joan Shawlee
    Joan Shawlee
    • Cash Register Lady…
    • 1953
    Ray Walker
    Ray Walker
    • Policeman…
    • 1952–1954
    Murray Leonard
    Murray Leonard
    • Doctor…
    • 1953
    Veda Ann Borg
    Veda Ann Borg
    • Angry Wife…
    • 1953–1954
    Renie Riano
    Renie Riano
    • Helen Davis…
    • 1953–1954
    Lucien Littlefield
    Lucien Littlefield
    • First Man…
    • 1953–1954
    Dorothy Granger
    Dorothy Granger
    • Arguing Wife…
    • 1953
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews19

    8.11.4K
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    Featured reviews

    Movie Nuttball

    Great Show!

    When this show was on I watched it every time I could! I thought that the characters were really funny and all had great personalities. The comedy in My opinion was really funny. It was really cool all of the great acts they did. In My opinion these actors are some of the funniest and talented ever seen. In fact, The things that goes on in this series' cartoons are in My opinion nuts which that is what makes them hilarious! There are so many to like and laugh at and the silly things they do! If you like the The Three Stooges and the Abbott and Costello feature films then I strongly recommend that you watch this show today!
    10kurtack

    Genius Surrealism

    For the love of . . . Cecil! This stream of Burlesque bits, connected by the flimsiest - and surreal-est - of segues is very funny.

    Lou does tend to ad-lib, but watch also Abbott. He's hysterical! He was really the best "straight" man. He kept Lou on track. But, he also echoed Lou's actions in the background, as a sort of punctuation.

    And, of course, Mr. Fields, with all his relatives.

    Hard to pick a favorite bit. "Loafin'"; "Gold Ore"; "Floogle Street"; "Vacation".

    Don't forget "Hold That Cuckoo!", the quiz show the boys went on. Lou wins 1,000 pieces of bubblegum. A few days after the show, Abbott says "Are you still chewing that gum?", slaps Lou, the gum falls on the sidewalk in front of Mr. Fields' Rooming House, where a "Mr. Rednose" (Bobby Barber), slips and falls on the gum, gets up claiming he broke his leg,and ends up suing Mr. Fields. They all go to court, where Lou drives the judge crazy. And, "I'm positive!" about that!
    Joevegany

    Abbott and Costello Show... Funniest show ever.

    I remember watching these shows at a very young age, and laughing until I felt my side would split. These are certainly the best programs ever to ride the airwaves! Collect the tapes and let your childern enjoy this trully," Good, clean, fun."
    Russell Dodd

    Great fun

    The first series(with the montage of earlier films in opening credits) was excellent. Very funny and great atmosphere. They hardly made any sense and the scenes with Stinky seemed to be used mostly to pad out the episodes. Most enjoyable.

    The second series(Where Costello yells"Heeeeeeey Aaabbooooott!!) concentrated more on plot and the laughter was all from children and was less funny. Only a handful of episodes stood out. Half the cast left after the 1st series and they were sorely missed and Sid Field's character was toned down for some reason.

    This nostalgic fun should please the viewer. Always good for laugh. Good fun and good atmosphere.
    frankfob

    The grandfather of modern sitcoms?

    Sitcoms had been around for a few years when this show premiered, but none of them were anywhere near as funny (Jerry Seinfeld is on record as saying this show was the inspiration for his creating "Seinfeld") as this one. The premise of the show lent itself to Bud & Lou's reprising many of their most famous routines, and it was good to see them back in action. The two of them--especially Costello--seemed to have regained the spark they once had before a string of movie failures and the team's personal and physical problems (Lou's infant son had fallen into their backyard pool and drowned several years previously, a tragedy Lou never got over; Bud--unknown to many at the time--had epilepsy and his seizures were becoming more serious) combined to send their career into a tailspin, and this show was their chance to revive it. Even though Costello was no longer a young man (he was in his mid-50s when the series debuted) he could still take the pratfalls he was famous for, and the team's exquisite sense of timing seemed to have resurfaced (in one episode they did their famous "Lemon" gag that was simply amazing to watch). A first-rate supporting cast and a somewhat more adult atmosphere (Costello had a major--and completely understandable--case of the hots for beautiful Hillary Brooke, and he and Joe Besser's wonderful Stinky had some quite nasty fights) elevated this show beyond just kid's fare.

    Although it lasted only two seasons, this is a very fondly remembered show. It holds up well and is just as funny today as it was back when it was first shown.

    Best Emmys Moments

    Best Emmys Moments
    Discover nominees and winners, red carpet looks, and more from the Emmys!

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    Related interests

    Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
    Slapstick
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family
    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Even though he was a middle-aged man of 46 when the show began, Lou Costello did most of his own stunts on the show. An athlete in his youth, he was actually a stuntman in Hollywood for a time back in the silent era before he teamed up with partner Bud Abbott, and was renowned for taking spectacular pratfalls in his films and on stage. Stuntmen were used for the more potentially dangerous stunts--being knocked through walls, getting hit by cars, etc.--but most of the falls you see Costello take were actually done by him. For example, in the episode The Tax Return (1954), there's a scene in which two crooks break into Bud & Lou's apartment, and a rather knock-down, drag-out brawl erupts. Although it looks like a stuntman is doubling for Lou in the fight scene, at one point the "stuntman" turns around and it is very clear that it actually is Costello doing the fighting.
    • Quotes

      Bud Abbott: Just mark down, "Dear druggist".

      Lou Costello: "Dear druggist"... Go ahead.

      Bud Abbott: Here's what you want. You want seven milligrams of sulfursilic monosetic acid diluted in seven micrograms of tincturized chlorophyll. Have you got that?

      Lou Costello: All but one part.

      Bud Abbott: What part?

      Lou Costello: The part that comes after "Dear druggist".

    • Connections
      Featured in Hey, Abbott! (1978)

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    FAQ17

    • How many seasons does The Abbott and Costello Show have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 14, 1957 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Memorable Entertainment
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El show de Abbott y Costello
    • Filming locations
      • Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA(Studio, 1952-1953)
    • Production company
      • Television Corporation of America
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 25m
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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