Remembering Abbott & Costello’s ‘Who’s On First’ [VIDEO]

Friday (March 6^th) was Lou Costello’s 109^th birthday, and although he passed away in 1959, he, along with his partner Bud Abbott, left us one of histories most precious comedic routines.’ Who’s on First’

Introduced back in the 1930’s and based on an old Burlesque skit, the concept is simple, a baseball team with players names like  ‘Who’  ‘What’ and  ‘I Don’t Know’ and an inquisitive person asking about the team and the players. Thus, who’s on first? In which the person explaining would say, yes, because ‘Who’ happens to be the name of the first basemen.

Abbott and Costello perform the routine several times throughout their career, and rarely didn’t it the exact way each time.

The routine was named Best Comedy Sketch of the 20^th Century by People Magazine, and since it was a baseball skit, it plays continuous on screens at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York

There is also a recorded copy in the National Registry at the Library of Congress.

No matter how many times I hear this, it still remains hilarious.

Check out the full version video of Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s On First”