The Abbott and Costello Show
Classic burlesque routines adapted for television.
The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Premiering in syndication in the fall of 1952 and running two seasons to the spring of 1954, it is considered among the most influential comedy programs in history. The series was cited by Entertainment Weekly and Time magazine among the greatest TV shows of all time, and Jerry Seinfeld credited it as the inspiration for his own sitcom, Seinfeld.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Sitcom
- Director
- Jean Yarbrough
- Starring
- Bud Abbott
- Lou Costello
- Hillary Brooke
- Gordon Jones
- Sidney Fields
- Joe Kirk (1952–53)
- Joe Besser (1952–53)
- Composer
- Raoul Kraushaar (Season 1); Mahlon Merrick (Season 2)
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 2
- Episodes
- 52
Facts from the source article.
Overview
The show was designed to bring Abbott and Costello's burlesque routines to television in a format they could control, avoiding the limitations of live TV and the musical or romantic elements of their films. The duo played unemployed entertainers sharing a Los Angeles rooming house. The supporting cast included Sidney Fields as the landlord, Hillary Brooke as a neighbor, Gordon Jones as Mike the Cop, Joe Kirk as Mr. Bacciagalupe, and Joe Besser as Stinky. A pet chimpanzee named Bingo appeared in several episodes until it was fired after biting Costello. The second season retained the rooming house setting but dropped Brooke, Kirk, and Besser, and scripts were structured more like two-reel comedies.
Production notes
Production began in May 1951, after Abbott and Costello joined the rotating hosts of The Colgate Comedy Hour. Episodes were filmed around the team's other commitments. Lou Costello owned the show; Bud Abbott worked on salary. Alex Gottlieb produced the first two episodes, and Jean Yarbrough, who directed every episode, took over producing thereafter. Pat Costello was listed as producer nominally. Eddie Forman wrote the first five episodes; Sidney Fields was credited for the remaining 21 of the first season. Second-season scripts were primarily by Clyde Bruckman (15 shows) and Jack Townley (10). First-season episodes opened with a stage framing sequence and a montage of scenes from the duo's early Universal films; these were dropped in the second season. No laugh track was used; audience reactions were recorded at theater screenings.
Broadcast history
The show was sold into syndication by MCA Inc. to about 40 local stations, airing on different days and times across the country. In New York City, it began on WCBS-TV on December 5, 1952, after network programming had signed off, leading some to mistakenly think it was a CBS network show. Second-season episodes aired in New York on NBC's flagship station WNBT but were not carried on that network. The only network broadcast occurred when CBS repeated first-season episodes on Saturday mornings in 1954–55. Reruns continued from the late 1950s to the 1990s, and the series appeared on MeTV and Decades in the 2010s and 2020s.
Home media
Shanachie Entertainment released a 13-volume VHS series beginning in November 1992, followed by a 13-volume DVD series starting in January 2003. Passport Video issued 100th Anniversary Collection sets for Season 1 (September 5, 2006) and Season 2 (October 3, 2006). E1 Entertainment released a complete series collector's edition on March 30, 2010, and individual season sets in 2012 and 2014. ClassicFlix released Season 1 on Blu-ray on December 14, 2021, and Season 2 on January 30, 2024, using 4K scans of the original camera negatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in The Abbott and Costello Show?
The Abbott and Costello Show stars Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Hillary Brooke, Gordon Jones, Sidney Fields, Joe Kirk (1952–53), Joe Besser (1952–53).
Which network aired The Abbott and Costello Show?
The Abbott and Costello Show aired on Syndicated.
How many episodes of The Abbott and Costello Show are there?
The Abbott and Costello Show has 52 episodes across 2 seasons.
More in Television Series by Universal Television
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