Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Vaudeville

I'm not much of an Abbott & Costello fan but they probably didn't write this joke anyway:
Costello: I've been experimenting with shortwaves!

Abbott: When did you start experimenting with shortwaves?

Costello: Ever since I got slapped by a tall WAC!
It's a joke so clean you could tell your grandparents! And for those people who AREN'T grandparents, here's some context: a WAVE, a WAC, and for additional bonus points, a WREN.

PS: Overheard on the March 7, 1946 edition of the "Abbott and Costello Show."

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm not a big Abbott & Costello fan, but I do like some of their material like "Who's on First?"

I have two recordings of "Who's on First". One being the polished version, and the other being a rougher one. It is interesting to hear how they edited and fine tuned the routine.

Adam Thornton said...

I think poor Abbott & Costello were forever dogged by "Who's on First," sort of the way musicians are dogged by their One Big Hit. I've heard quite a few guest appearances by A&C, and they always seem to be doing "Who's on First."

And it it ain't broke...I just heard this spin on the same routine.

COSTELLO: The person who invented electricity was a man named Watt.

ABBOTT: What's his name?

COSTELLO: Exactly.

ABBOTT: His name was "Exactly?"

COSTELLO: No, Watt's his name.

ABBOTT: WHA-WHA-WHA, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HIS NAME!!!

Anonymous said...

One of the curses of fame, I suppose. You don't always get to choose what will make you famous. I don't know if they just couldn't come up with anything better than "Who's on First?" or they just couldn't break away from it. I don't know if they even enjoyed doing the routine as much as the audience enjoyed hearing it.

I'm sure there are many performers who absolutely hate doing the stuff their audience just loves. No job is perfect. Everyone dislikes doing something about their job, and those in show business are no different.

Adam Thornton said...

Absolutely! It's hard to know whether or not to sympathise with little bands that had a big hit. Those people tend to feel like prostitutes...but isn't most work a form of prostitution anyway? Though usually without the sex.

I'd prefer not to imagine either Abbott or Costello having sexual intercourse

Anonymous said...

I think show business is definitely a form of prostitution. As a performer what are you selling? Only yourself.