Lou Costello

Lou Costello was an American actor and burlesque comedian born and raised in Patterson, New Jersey. Along with partner Bud Abbott, they comprised the comedy duo of Abbott and Costello and starred in dozens of films throughout the 1940s and 50s. While Abbott typically played the straight man during their sketches, Lou was usually the loveable goof, who often became the slapstick victim to Abbott's frustrations. Many of their films were produced by Universal Pictures, which invariably brought Bud and Lou into a variety of monster mash-ups with some of Universal's more recognizable commercial commodities including Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Frankenstein Monster. Abbott and Cotello split up in 1957 after enduring severe financial troubles with the IRS. Costello died of a heart attack on March 3rd, 1959, four days before his 53rd birthday.

Notes & Trivia

 * Lou Cotello was famous for intoning the panicked cry of "HEEEEYYY ABBOTT!."


 * Originally, Lou Costello had no interest in working on Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein after reading the initial script treatment. Citing it as "crap", he noted that his daughter could write better material. Lou became more agreeable to the film when he learned that Charles Barton had been attached to the project as director. Barton had directed some of the more popular Abbott and Costello films in the past.


 * Lou Costello's first meet-up with the classic Universal Monsters also happened to be the final appearance of the Universal Monsters.