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Lou's on First
A biography of Lou Costello of the popular comedy team of Abbott and Costello, including his rise to fame and the tragedy of losing his only son. His story is told with candor and affection by those who knew and worked with him. A touching and affectionate look at a man who only wanted to make people laugh.
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First published July 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
October 20, 2017
Lou's on First by Chris Costello is a book about Lou but I had to remember it is written by his daughter. I did seem a bit biased in many places. It was good but it was easy to read between the lines in some places. I did learn a lot and learn about others around him. It was very interesting. If anyone is an oldie like me and remembers watches his movies as a kid, this might interest them.
December 19, 2016
I first read this book years ago, in paperback form. Chris Costello is on Facebook, and somehow I stumbled across her page, read some of her posts about her dad, and decided to reread it. (BTW the book wasn't on Kindle yet, and I put in a request - first time that seemed to work, as the book came out a few months after.)
Lou Costello was a complicated man with a really good heart. That's my takeaway. This book is of course told from the viewpoint of his daughter, and it's more about home life than it is about his craft, but it's a great insight into Hollywood of the day.
Lou Costello was a complicated man with a really good heart. That's my takeaway. This book is of course told from the viewpoint of his daughter, and it's more about home life than it is about his craft, but it's a great insight into Hollywood of the day.
July 27, 2011
This biography was a little frustrating to me; it mostly gets 3 stars because it was about Lou Costello and because I teared up at the end. I don't expect a biography written by the subject's daughter to be objective, but there were parts of it that seemed very defensive, and it included WAY too many excerpts of people "in the business" providing quotes about how nice and funny he was. It was also related in a strange order; it was somewhat chronological, but there were a lot of parts told out of place with no year attached to the events and then sometimes brought up again later, making it a little hard to get a good grip on the narrative of his life. It was a little meandering and too many inconsequential names were brought up, as well.
I'm also not totally convinced it was very fair to Bud Abbott; even though the author isn't exactly unkind to him, she seems to go out of her way to include a lot of excerpts of people favoring Lou over Bud and barely ever mentions him without mentioning his drinking problem. I believe that Bud Abbott was known to be a really nice guy, generally. Meanwhile, Costello's insistence on the 60/40 partnership for the rest of their career to exact revenge for Abbott's larger share in their only very early days is sort of a brief aside.
I don't mean to complain too much about the book. I'm still giving it three stars, and it was a mostly touching account of Lou Costello as a family man, which is very endearing, and I'm glad I read it.
I'm also not totally convinced it was very fair to Bud Abbott; even though the author isn't exactly unkind to him, she seems to go out of her way to include a lot of excerpts of people favoring Lou over Bud and barely ever mentions him without mentioning his drinking problem. I believe that Bud Abbott was known to be a really nice guy, generally. Meanwhile, Costello's insistence on the 60/40 partnership for the rest of their career to exact revenge for Abbott's larger share in their only very early days is sort of a brief aside.
I don't mean to complain too much about the book. I'm still giving it three stars, and it was a mostly touching account of Lou Costello as a family man, which is very endearing, and I'm glad I read it.
May 31, 2020
I’ve always been a huge fan of Abbot & Costello I remember watching them with my Dad & laughing are butts off Mom thought we were crazy(I don’t think she got the humor lol)This book was a fun book to read,I never knew just how generous Costello was he always gave to his friends & anyone who needed a little help.If anyone loves Abbot & Costello’s humor & want to know more about him this is definitely the right book to read.
April 11, 2024
the relationship between a girl and her dad is so specific but no one wants to talk about it because it’s easy to just say “daddy issues!” and laugh it off without addressing generational traumas
June 21, 2022
Admittedly biased account of the life of the former comic by his youngest child. Thoroughly researched (whether from other sources or on her own), it dwelt on his career with Bud Abbott, their movies, his relationship with his family and his financial woes (which may have been slightly understated). He seemed to be the leader and more aggressive of the pair of comics (and he demanded to be paid more, and got it). Died just into his 50s, and now gone more than 60 years, it was nevertheless interesting to hear (on the audio CD) about his life.
November 26, 2020
This informative but redundant biographical account from the daughter of Lou Costello has its moments of humor, emotional details regarding Chris's alcoholic mother, and sharp insights about Hollywood. Yet while Bud Abbott is not portrayed much, other figures appear (shyster managers, hangers-on--of which there were 1000s--and various performers) with equally meager characterization. The creative process of the making of over 36 movies isn't covered much after 1945, and more than enough anecdotes follow about Costello's generosity and compulsive gambling. Still worth reading for its exciting chapters.
January 7, 2019
Lou Costello is brought to life by his daughter, Chris
This is a well written book about Lou Costello and his world. It is full of great stories about one of America's most beloved comedians. His rocky relationship with his partner, Bud Abbott, his difficult relationship with wife and family, and the tragic loss of his baby son, bring Costello to life in a real and often tragic way. This is a not to be missed book if you are a fan of the great team of Abbott and Costello.
This is a well written book about Lou Costello and his world. It is full of great stories about one of America's most beloved comedians. His rocky relationship with his partner, Bud Abbott, his difficult relationship with wife and family, and the tragic loss of his baby son, bring Costello to life in a real and often tragic way. This is a not to be missed book if you are a fan of the great team of Abbott and Costello.
July 3, 2019
Enjoyable Read
Heartfelt biography of one of the funniest men in show business. It told the story of Lou Costello from his daughter's perspective. It was compelling biography that showed the life of Lou Costello and the many lives that he had touched. I very thorough and fun read.
Heartfelt biography of one of the funniest men in show business. It told the story of Lou Costello from his daughter's perspective. It was compelling biography that showed the life of Lou Costello and the many lives that he had touched. I very thorough and fun read.
January 14, 2018
Informative
I love Lou as an actor and after reading this book my respect is even higher. The only criticism I have is the writing is a bit choppy and I was confused sometimes what part of his life I was reading.
I love Lou as an actor and after reading this book my respect is even higher. The only criticism I have is the writing is a bit choppy and I was confused sometimes what part of his life I was reading.
March 14, 2024
I'm astonished there are so many ratings of this book, as well as the relatively high score. It's not a good book in the sense of being well-written or insightful. And it's about someone who died 70 years ago and had his last heyday in the early days of TV, so it's hard to imagine who even watches Abbott & Costello movies these days. I mean, they were fun when I was a kid, but they're hardly works of art. But I guess the duo's fame really has been sustained more than I realized; I didn't know another peer when I was a teen who enjoyed their movies.
Anyway, this book is by his youngest daughter, who was 11 or 12 when he died. She put this together with a ghost-writer to be comprehensive and to correct various inaccuracies about Lou Costello that surfaced in his later years. Based on the immense number of people she says spoke to her about her father and the various books and archives she reviewed, it seems the author has done a good job of research. And yet, it's hollow because she apparently never had a serious conversation with him about his upbringing, start in the business, comedic ideas, rise to fame, relationship with his wife, relationship with Bud Abbott, his addiction to gambling, or a thousand other things. I'm not blaming her for this, given that she was 11 when he died, but this absence makes the book unsatisfying. She tells you stuff about him and quotes various managers and friends and directors and actors/actresses he worked with, and that's it. That and speculation, particularly about the central event of his adult life, the death by drowning of his only son when the boy was just under a year old. The author of this book and people she quotes say Costello fell apart then, lost his joy of life, began to drink too much, blamed his wife for the son's death, and so on. And yet, she's speculating about it because she wasn't even born when it happened.
Despite the flaws, the book would have interest for anyone who likes stories about the rise to fame and fortune. Lou Costello grew up middle class in Paterson, New Jersey in the early 20th century. He was always the class clown and said he wanted to be a movie star from the first time he saw a movie. His parents indulged him in the sense that they didn't prohibit it, and he moved to Hollywood as a teen, but failed to get onscreen time in the period of silent pictures (two scenes in one film when a stunt man didn't show up). He returned to New Jersey and worked for about a decade to build his comic act, and at one point the more established Bud Abbott asked him to become a partner. They clicked and became regional stars on the burlesque scene and then the slightly higher class vaudeville scene in the 1920s. Their big break was radio with Kate Smith, and for those shows Costello raised his voice a notch so it would be distinguished from Abbott (a producer's suggestion), and everything snowballed from there. They went to Hollywood during the Depression, and they rode the wave of prosperity as World War II loomed. And for the next 15 or so years, about 1937 to 1952, they were among the biggest acts in show business and earned millions.
Lou was apparently the most generous guy who ever lived. The daughter tells a dozen stories of him handing out $50 or $100 bills to everyone in a restaurant or casino, and of dozens of hangers-on at their large home in California, and extravagant gifts like cars and furs. He apparently lent money to people with no intention of ever getting it back, and every star and starlet quoted in the book says he was a delight to work with because he was kind and funny and showed up on time. His ad-libbing in films took some getting used to, but the actors enjoyed it, and he helped numerous people either reach stardom (The Andrews Sisters) or found work for aging vaudeville guys he knew when he was on his way up. This guy was a mensch.
But of course there are warts. These are alluded to mildly in this book. Bud Abbott had a drinking problem. Both Abbott and Costello gambled way too much on cards and horses, and they were terrible gamblers. Each was busted by the IRS for failing to pay taxes and failing to declare income, losing their prized homes in the process. They spent too much on their homes and servants, seeking to outdo the other. They had a couple of fallings-out over money mostly. Lou was a big fan of Joe McCarthy, the proto-Steve Bannon who found a subversive under every mattress. The daughter says her father never cheated on her mother, though the mother suspected he did and they had a distant relationship after the son's death --- so one would suspect he was rather busier than his daughter would admit.
As a final note, the book doesn't do a great job of explaining what made them click, though the author tries. She mentions their impeccable timing and their ability (with a writer) to update proven vaudeville routines and keep them fresh. And when you see the movies, you see the speedy repartee and zaniness that is so charming, and Lou really is lovable and Bud irascible. But you wouldn't get it from this book. What you do get, however, and it's lovely in its own way, is a man who achieved his dream and seemed determined to make everyone his friend. And that's better than most of us do.
Anyway, this book is by his youngest daughter, who was 11 or 12 when he died. She put this together with a ghost-writer to be comprehensive and to correct various inaccuracies about Lou Costello that surfaced in his later years. Based on the immense number of people she says spoke to her about her father and the various books and archives she reviewed, it seems the author has done a good job of research. And yet, it's hollow because she apparently never had a serious conversation with him about his upbringing, start in the business, comedic ideas, rise to fame, relationship with his wife, relationship with Bud Abbott, his addiction to gambling, or a thousand other things. I'm not blaming her for this, given that she was 11 when he died, but this absence makes the book unsatisfying. She tells you stuff about him and quotes various managers and friends and directors and actors/actresses he worked with, and that's it. That and speculation, particularly about the central event of his adult life, the death by drowning of his only son when the boy was just under a year old. The author of this book and people she quotes say Costello fell apart then, lost his joy of life, began to drink too much, blamed his wife for the son's death, and so on. And yet, she's speculating about it because she wasn't even born when it happened.
Despite the flaws, the book would have interest for anyone who likes stories about the rise to fame and fortune. Lou Costello grew up middle class in Paterson, New Jersey in the early 20th century. He was always the class clown and said he wanted to be a movie star from the first time he saw a movie. His parents indulged him in the sense that they didn't prohibit it, and he moved to Hollywood as a teen, but failed to get onscreen time in the period of silent pictures (two scenes in one film when a stunt man didn't show up). He returned to New Jersey and worked for about a decade to build his comic act, and at one point the more established Bud Abbott asked him to become a partner. They clicked and became regional stars on the burlesque scene and then the slightly higher class vaudeville scene in the 1920s. Their big break was radio with Kate Smith, and for those shows Costello raised his voice a notch so it would be distinguished from Abbott (a producer's suggestion), and everything snowballed from there. They went to Hollywood during the Depression, and they rode the wave of prosperity as World War II loomed. And for the next 15 or so years, about 1937 to 1952, they were among the biggest acts in show business and earned millions.
Lou was apparently the most generous guy who ever lived. The daughter tells a dozen stories of him handing out $50 or $100 bills to everyone in a restaurant or casino, and of dozens of hangers-on at their large home in California, and extravagant gifts like cars and furs. He apparently lent money to people with no intention of ever getting it back, and every star and starlet quoted in the book says he was a delight to work with because he was kind and funny and showed up on time. His ad-libbing in films took some getting used to, but the actors enjoyed it, and he helped numerous people either reach stardom (The Andrews Sisters) or found work for aging vaudeville guys he knew when he was on his way up. This guy was a mensch.
But of course there are warts. These are alluded to mildly in this book. Bud Abbott had a drinking problem. Both Abbott and Costello gambled way too much on cards and horses, and they were terrible gamblers. Each was busted by the IRS for failing to pay taxes and failing to declare income, losing their prized homes in the process. They spent too much on their homes and servants, seeking to outdo the other. They had a couple of fallings-out over money mostly. Lou was a big fan of Joe McCarthy, the proto-Steve Bannon who found a subversive under every mattress. The daughter says her father never cheated on her mother, though the mother suspected he did and they had a distant relationship after the son's death --- so one would suspect he was rather busier than his daughter would admit.
As a final note, the book doesn't do a great job of explaining what made them click, though the author tries. She mentions their impeccable timing and their ability (with a writer) to update proven vaudeville routines and keep them fresh. And when you see the movies, you see the speedy repartee and zaniness that is so charming, and Lou really is lovable and Bud irascible. But you wouldn't get it from this book. What you do get, however, and it's lovely in its own way, is a man who achieved his dream and seemed determined to make everyone his friend. And that's better than most of us do.
February 16, 2024
One of the best biographies I've ever read. Co-written by Raymond Strait and Lou Costello's youngest daughter Chris Costello, it depicts an honest, warts-and-all story of the beloved, pudgy half of one of the greatest comic teams ever. I really appreciated the many anecdotes that come together like a jigsaw puzzle to construct the portrait of a very complex and unique individual who in spite of some serious personality flaws as a man and as a husband deeply cared and championed those close to him. Meticulously researched (a lot of the story sketchings occurred before Miss Costello was even born) the book both shattered and solidified my fandom for the gentleman--so vivid was this chronicle it was as if I grew up in the Costello household. A poignant, sometimes tragic yet inspiring tome that I couldn't put down; I was saddened when there were no more pages left to read. Great book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2025
The book is focused primarily on Luke Costello. Not a full comedy team of Abbott and Costello. Written by Costello‘s youngest daughter, Chris, she provides an intimate look into the life of her father who happened to be one of the greatest clowns of all time. It was an easy read. The book made me laugh and cry. The author’s writing makes you feel as if you were there. It’s a personal look into the life of her father, his relationships with his family, his highs and his lows, his career and his health. His life wasn’t always filled with laughs. Even through his tragedies, he continue to make the world laugh. Some topics must not have been easy to reveal, yet the author plugs through. As they say “The Show Must Go On“. It’s a very good book. Worth reading.
December 29, 2017
Loved Abbott and Costello
Always loved Abbott and Costello as a child and that was why I wanted to read this book. There was a lot in it that I really didn't care about, (business) but I enjoyed learning about his family and his children. I only wish there had been pictures of Bud through the years and his family.
Always loved Abbott and Costello as a child and that was why I wanted to read this book. There was a lot in it that I really didn't care about, (business) but I enjoyed learning about his family and his children. I only wish there had been pictures of Bud through the years and his family.
October 16, 2023
This one took me a while but I enjoyed it. As a big fan of Abbot and Costello, this is about as close a book to a bio of their comedic genius. I stared this book in the hospital when I was ill and I’m glad I can put this behind me. I saw Lou this summer when I visited LA. I am thankful for the opportunity.
August 8, 2017
What a read.
While this was not the greatest store ever told, it was a loving tribute from a child to her father. An insightful look at one of the best comedian teams of all time.
While this was not the greatest store ever told, it was a loving tribute from a child to her father. An insightful look at one of the best comedian teams of all time.
October 22, 2017
Thank you Mr. Costello
I watched Abbot & Costello movies all through my childhood and enjoyed every one of them. This book makes Lou a real person for me. Thank you Christy for sharing your father with the rest of us.
I watched Abbot & Costello movies all through my childhood and enjoyed every one of them. This book makes Lou a real person for me. Thank you Christy for sharing your father with the rest of us.
May 11, 2019
Loved this fantastic book!!
This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. A true love story of how Lou Costello loved his family, friends & Bud Abbott and how they and the world loved this dear, caring, GOOD MAN!!!
This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. A true love story of how Lou Costello loved his family, friends & Bud Abbott and how they and the world loved this dear, caring, GOOD MAN!!!
May 15, 2020
This was an interesting look back at the life of a favorite comedian, Lou Costello from the team of Abbott and Costello. They were full of laughs anf brought smiles to many people during the difficult years of depressin and WWII. However, real life was colored by tragedy.
February 25, 2021
Audiobook: A bit slow at times, but the constant hi-jinks and the inimitable comedy of Lou Costello shine through. A master of comedic timing with bits and skits that still hold up after all these years.
September 17, 2021
This book was Chris Costello's biography, with a little bit about Lou Costello. Very little about his partner Bud Abbott. I always loved Abbott and Costello movies but this book was quite the letdown.
November 14, 2022
I adore Abbott and Costello, so this was a treat to read. Lou's life through the eyes of his daughter Chris. He led a fascinating life and, as with reading "Dean & Me," I learned a lot about the entertainment industry in the 1930's and 40's. Worthwhile read for any fan of the duo.
July 12, 2023
Written by his daughter so obviously going to be a bit biased but I found it to be a really heartwarming and great book mostly about his family life. I enjoyed the many anecdotes from all the different people who were around him, family, Hollywood and business associates alike.
September 24, 2025
I learned a great deal about Lou. I never knew about his son and how it impacted his life. It is a very interesting story. We never know what people have to deal with and how a clown has a broken heart. A must-read for fans of Abbott and Costello.
May 18, 2017
I loved this book which gave much insight into the life of comedy and tragedy that Lou Costello endured.
February 27, 2018
A great read
One of the best biographies I have read. He was a truely great human being. Highly recommended a great read
One of the best biographies I have read. He was a truely great human being. Highly recommended a great read
November 6, 2021
A comedian from my youth. He was so funny, but some aspects of his life are so sad. Worth a listen.
April 18, 2022
awesome book
A most enjoyable book about Lou Costello and his family. Also about Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.
Very much worth reading.
A most enjoyable book about Lou Costello and his family. Also about Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.
Very much worth reading.
August 13, 2022
I really enjoyed this biography of Lou Costello. It gave us an insight into his life and family.
February 3, 2023
Sometimes the funnier the person is in public, the sadder they are in private.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews