DJSkyler.com

Comedian Lou Costello was born 100 years ago today. Lou’s hometown of Paterson, New Jersey held a birthday bash for him over this last weekend. Lou’s future partner, Bud Abbott, was already 10 and 1/2 years old in 1906. They didn’t meet until 1931.

It’s great to witness that Abbott & Costello’s celebrity is growing today, thanks to increased access to their work on DVD and cable TV. They’ve certainly surpassed Laurel and Hardy in popularity, it seems. I’ve heard many a teenager relate how great Abbott and Costello are, but few young people have experience with Laurel and Hardy (who are not currently found on television).

Anyway, it’s a nice 100th birthday gift for Lou that Abbott and Costello is so well known to 21st-Century fans. Their films regularly show up on the Turner Classic Movies channel. Universal Studios released most of the team’s films on DVD in very low-priced box sets. The 1950’s television series has been released in a series of well-mastered volumes. And old-time radio collectors transfer many surviving episodes of the radio shows over the internet in mp3 format.

Only time will tell how long people will pay attention to entertainers from the distant past. Lou Costello should be proud that at 100, he continues to bring in the laughs.