Bud's last line is hysterical! A priceless moment in made for TV movie history! I'd like to thank Gilbert Gottfried for turning me onto this movie. LOL
Universal studios hollywood movies on TV's show interview review biography documentary on Netflix with oasr awesome picture awards TCM hollywood movies on Amazon prime channel on the best part
Watched this when it first aired, hadn't seen it in years. Now even older and more mature, it's stunning what a fabulous job the cast did on this. There was, actually, a lot was missing but the overall "feel" was authentic and hearttouching to the depth of my soul! Harvey and Buddy as Bud and Lou were SUPERB!
My mother met Bud Abbott and Lou Costello during a bond drive, when she was 13. She shook hands with Lou as Bud was smiling at her! I was born at the wrong time,lucky girl!
Buddy Hackett did a fabulous job sounding like Lou Costello! Great cast in this TV movie too! Michele Lee, Harvey Korman, Robert Reed, Arte Johnson! I learned new things about legendary ABBOTT & COSTELLO viewing this enjoyable film!
Sorry to disappoint you but there were SO many mistakes made about Bud & Lou in this movie that when Chris Costello was asked about her opinion of this movie she answered "Well, at least they got the names right".
It’s amazing to me, how much people carry their whole lives, yet nobody knows about it but them. I had no idea Abbott or Costello had such pain and sorrow, which testifies to the fact that they were a good team, because they made the world happy anyways. Every good team has that, the ability to shine even as everything around them rains.
Powerful. I was weeping in several places. I had no idea Buddy Hackett could act like that -- always thought of him as just a clown. Not surprised at Korman's command of the role though. Thanks for posting this.
All I got out of it is there’s a DVD release, which is true. I just looked it up on Amazon. I’m not sure about the rest, maybe they were trying to Google it and it all went terribly wrong?
I'm sorry that this piece of Hollywoodized trash doesn't depict your cousin Mr.Abbott and his former comedy performer partner..Mr.Costello Accurately and respectfully..Eric.
And that strawberry shake thing is a complete lie they made up, those weren’t his last words it’s gross to say it’s a fine tribute it’s horrible in so many aspects
@@byHexted that strawberry shake thing DID take place but earlier in the day. From what I've heard Lou had his bed moved because the light was uncomfortable to him. He was commenting on how much better the bed was after the moved when he died.
Anyone who doubts Harvey Korman's dramatic ability should see this. Playing it straight and subtle yet pained, I found more fascinating than Hackett, though Hackett did a good job as Lou. Michele Lee was a pleasant surprise and Arte Johnson was also impressive for a simple bio film. I don't know why people are often surprised when a comedian turns out to be a good dramatic actor as well.
Buddy Hacket was also a good dramatic actor. I remember seeing an episode of the TV show The Rifleman. There was a family of men led by a very unfriendly and evil father. I didn't know it was Buddy Hacket playing the part until the credits rolled.
Good movie, good portraying bud Abbott by Harvey korman and lou costello by Buddy Hackett. and Lou's last words were said to a nurse who was the only one in the room with him said his last words were "I think I'll be more comfortable." Rest in peace mr lou costello and mr bud Abbott along with mr Harvey Korman, and Mr Buddy Hackett.
Who's Robert Reed ? Buddy Hackett plays Lou Costello. Harvey Korman plays Bud Abbott. I know Robert Reed but don't remember him being in an Abbott and Costello bio..
If you want an accurate depiction of Costello, read his daughter's biography. For Lou being her father, she does a pretty good job of being unbiased, and makes sure to bring up his flaws as well as his strengths. If you want an accurate depiction of Abbott, read "Bud & Lou: The Abbott & Costello story" by Bob Thomas. It's a very unbiased and accurate depiction of the both of them, but it really made me love and appreciate Bud just as much as Lou.
Annie, the Bob Thomas book is a disgrace and that's what this movie's based on. It is nothing but a hatchet job and written from the point of view of their crooked manager Eddie Sherman
People who knew Costello said that he never did quite get over the death of his son. They said he lost a lot of joy inside him that he prior to the tragedy, and became more easily angered. In order to salvage their friendship, Bud approached Lou about making the school for underprivileged kids dedicated to his son, a gesture that deeply touched Lou. Even though Bud was an alcoholic, due to his epilepsy and mixed with medication, and there were rumors of him drinking heavily on set and Lou not liking it, yet Abbott's son said his sad always worked straight. Between them, Costello was the more ambitious of the two, and wanted to do more, while Bud was content with what they had done, so the two ended their 21 year partnership amicably, and when Lou died, after the duo had broken up around two years earlier, Bud's daughter said that when he read the news, that he broke down and wept, the first time she could ever remember seeing her father do that, and she said that he said he had just lost one of his best friends.
When you think of all the War Bonds they sold for America during WWII, that alone should have absolved their debt. I always say, Life is as fair as you MAKE IT.
As a kid, I always liked Buddy Hackett because he reminded me of Lou Costello. That man was made to play this role. Fantastic acting all around. It made me so sad to know how poorly they were treated by the gov't, and that they both suffered so much in their personal lives.
@@byHexted Don't aggravate yourself over people's stupidity. When the comedian Jerry Lewis died, people actually sent comments confusing him with the rockabilly singer, Jerry Lee Lewis.
I used to work for a lady who was a dead ringer for Lou Costello. Her name was Louise and she lived on Prospect Ave and Intervale... and she was Italian. She was also a hopeless junkie!🙄
I saw this when it first aired as well. Had a profound impact on me at the time. This will now be the 2nd time seeing it in my life. I'm more aware of the real story, but appreciate this effort nonetheless.
58:10 This part is especially haunting to me. My parents used to tell me how many times I crawled out of the playpen. Please, if you have a child, don’t underestimate it’s ability to escape if it has the willpower and the earnest desire to do so. Children know very little of how dangerous the world we live in is, making it all the more easy for tragedy to catch them off guard. Watch them like a hawk! Nothing is more important than seeing that child grow up.
Great bio of Abbott and Costello. Only seen it once before. They do the Who's On First routine really good. This movie should be played on TV again , like today. It's well made and beats the reruns we pay a hefty cable bill for.
Sorry but you need to watch them perform it or hear them from the radio recordings. The version done in this movie was way too SLOW - and that was the problem with the entire movie, especially Buddy Hacket. I feel his task was nearly impossible - him trying to imitate Costello's quick timing while his natural timing was slow.
@@wesleycook7687 and if my opinion was unique you might have a point but I've heard more people complain about Hackett's portrayal of Costello than praise him. BTW - You DO understand I was ONLY talking about the comedy bits. I've seen Hackett in dramatic roles and he was very good. I stand by what I said, Hackett's timing is 180 degrees opposite of Lou Costello's and that IS a fact.
1978 I was 22 years old (and I was really into the Punk Rock/New Wave scene back then), and I did see this biopic on TV (NBC). When I was a kid growing up in the 60's, I really enjoyed watching Abbott and Costello movies on TV. The first one I saw was in 1961 or in 1962, my all time favorite one, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. For me it was both funny and scary. During the that time in the 60's, I see a comedy movie on TV with Buddy Hackett and he played a goofy fireman. As kid back then I wasn't quite sure if it was Lou Costello or not. Sort of looked like him, but not really. After seeing this movie a couple of times on TV with Buddy Hackett as a goofy fireman, I realized it was not Lou Costello. This TV movie about Lou and Bud is not all that good, but interesting. To me Harvey Korman's looks do come somewhat close to Bud. Buddy Hackett does look like a bit like Lou. (I thought he was when I first saw him in the movie that I mentioned when I was a kid.) I do believe that Harvey Korman and Buddy Hackett did their best to play the roles of Abbott and Costello. Two fine actors and comedians. This biopic could have been done much better. Last time I saw this TV movie of Bud and Lou was sometime in the 80's. Thanks for the upload! I found out that the movie that Buddy Hackett played the part of the goofy fireman was the 1955 movie Fireman Save My Child, which originally Abbott and Costello was suppose to be in. But Lou came down with health complications and he could not do the film. Buddy Hackett and Hugh O'Brian replaced Abbott and Costello to do the movie. From what I remember about that movie, it was pretty good and funny.
A lot of people have been critical of this film; remember this was a made for TV movie and I think allowances have to be made for the material.. Both of these comics had tragic ends. Burlesque was a oral tradition that was passed down from comics to comics. Bud was in the business end of show business until he teamed up with Lou; compulsive gamblers, they squandered a great deal of money, never having good business management. The movie hits the major parts of the basics of their career. The film is rife with historical errors but wasn't made as a documentary. Can't understand why Abbott was made to look like a bachelor when he had a large family. Bud Abbott tried to work with Candy Candido another burlesque comic and they were funny to a point but the act was short lived. Abbott earned money doing voice over work in cartoons based on A&C. Hounded by the IRS until he died. Abbott was a victim of cancer and passed away at 78.
Your point? You seem to, on the one hand relay tragic ends (not really but the media would have you believe so) and on the other try to say that the movie is okay because it depicted tragic reality AND that it played with the facts. In fact, it told only the sensationalist side of things and left out a lot of the good deeds the two men did and a lot of the love they had for each other and for their families and their country and studio, both of which did them dirty in the end but Bud didn't die as broke as they say and Lou died before his time but left a loving family behind him. This movie sucks. It's awful in EVERY way.
Harvey Korman in a dramatic role. I am IMPRESSED. After being so used to seeing him convulsing with laughter at Tim Conway's antics, this is different. Every actor needs to test new waters. Then there's Artie Johnson, another comedian playing it straight. And Robert Reed (Brady Bunch) playing a bad guy....sort of.
LOVE ABBOTT AND COSTELLO!!!! BUDDY HACKET DID A GREAT JOB AS LOU COSTELLO. SCENERY SEEMED REALISTIC.WODERFUL MOVIE FOR MY COLLECTION EVANGELIST ROGER MANSOUR
Like many I saw this when it came on. Never forgot it but they did fail to mention Lou's other children, he also had 3 girls. Two were born before his/their son. Also his and Abbott's tv show. They also didn't mention Abbott's marriage and 2 children. It was more focus on Lou's life. Thanks so much for sharing this 🎭
Not his actual last words, this film is based on a bio that has things that The families of both men deem untrue and/or took place but what happened didn't happen the way that it's presented in the book.
@@thomashumphrey4953 I'm not an authority on the subject, but I think they do this to make it more dramatic, because they think people will find it more entertaining. At least that's my opinion.
@@thomashumphrey4953 Who cares ? It's a good story of the life of two great comedians that gave their all for the war effort but was forgotten by this country when they hit rough times. The Government could have worked with them instead of taking everything they had at once. And waiting until they weren't needed anymore or a household name to most was a stab in the back . By the 1950s, Bud and Lou was making second rate movies like Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein. Later they did a few commercials. But our great Government waited until they were at rock bottom to say " you owe us back taxes". As long as the Government needed them,they said nothing. Why didn't they say something then? Bud and Lou should have paid their taxes when they were on top and the IRS ignored it until they were almost broke. Did the IRS even remind them even once in the almost 10 year period? No.
We must have watched two different movies. Hackett was good in the serious scenes but was HORRIBLE in the comedy scenes. I really don't blame him for trying to do the impossible and use another comedian's timing.
I cannot comprehend you morons, do you not realize everyone who saw this movie makes fun of it for how horrible the ending is? Literally the people who are in charge of their estates have talked about how insanely bad this ending is, it’s literally as bad as it possibly could be it couldn’t be worse, misquoted his last words and made up this bullshit, dude refused to try to talk like bud, then they have that corny laughable scene of him fake crying then them playing unfitting audio clips over it. It isn’t one of the saddest endings ever because they picked a sad topic and did it horribly what is wrong with you people
Thank You Booker so much for posting this A&C biopic....I have been looking to see this for years, but it has never appeared before on RU-vid...I know it has gotten poor reviews but I want to see it for myself....thanks again!
I'm inclined to believe that this isn't entirely accurate to the lives of Mr. Abbott and Mr. Costello, but it's neat to see Harvey Korman and Buddy Hackett in dramatic roles.
When it comes to bio-flics, you gotta take 'em with a grain of salt. I guess they get people interested in the actors or subjects of the story so that HOPEFULLY, we'll do more research. Big movie bio-pics aren't much different. They hone in on a specific aspect of the person's life. For example, in *"What's Love Got to Do with It?"* the story focused, mainly on Tina's life with Ike. There was a life after him. *"Man on the Moon"* dealt, a lot, with Andy Kaufman's out-there antics, when there was, no doubt, other stuff that came before the fame. I saw the film and then bought both books about him.
@@MeanMrMayo Maybe if you post this a dozen more times (like you have been doing) someone will start to believe it. Yes, Costello was a star and he did make demands like those trailers. But he believed he EARNED them. They saved Universal from bankruptcy and how did Universal treat them? Low budgets, yep. Believed in their talents and treated them with respect? Nope - if you watch they didn't let Bud & Lou star in any movie by themselves until their 4th movie and after they were finished filming it, Universal changed their minds and added musical scenes to the beginning and end. Did money made by Bud & Lou movies pay for some executives homes? Yep. They got caught when one day one of the boys were passing a store window that many people were looking in to. He looked and saw a small home projector playing an A&C movie. With more investigation they learned that Universal was selling their movies to be used with those small projectors. A&C sued and the investigation proved the executives were skimming money off the top and using it for themselves; money that A&C by contract had the rights to 25% of the money. So, bottom line. Costello wasn't a perfect angel but at the same time he wasn't a wild eyed monster either.
This is a pretty depressing biopic for Bud and Lou. It never even mentions that Lou had 3 daughters or that Bud was married and had kids of his own. While they did lose their mansions to the IRS in 1955 Costello had a couple hundred thousand dollars in the bank when he died in 1959.They never mentioned that they had a syndicated TV show or "Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein" which was one of their biggest box office films we've all seen or their Saturday Morning Cartoon Show after Lou died which Bud did voice work as himself.
@@kevinbutler1955NYC All dramas about comedians are inherently depressing for the same reason all comedies about drama queens are inherently liberating. As Mark Twain once said laughter is mankind's one invincible weapon and once you get sucked into the boring predictable soap operas of drama queens you've been disarmed and entered the gates of Hell which as Dante says in the Divine Comedy have "Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here" engraved on them. Comedy tends to require far greater intelligence to create than drama which any idiot can create.
Always! ALWAYS! I find stuff as soon as I STOP looking for it! THANK YOU for posting! As a rule, I don't like Buddy Hackett but I tolerated him here. Plus, I think this is the first time I've EVER seen Harvey Korman in a DRAMATIC role. Then Arte Johnson as Eddie, Michelle Lee and Robert Reed, who would've preferred going to his own funeral over another episode of the Brady Bunch. As for the man of Lou Costello, he was a jerk!
Buddy Hackett was a funny man like Lou Costello and they did know each other. He loved playing the role but might not have liked the way the film turned out.
I have Long said ... This film is THE MOST Sad and Painful I have ever seen. And I own 5,000 DVD's. Their lives just move from one tragedy to the next. They made us laugh. BUT they paid the price.
Amazing how many people on here liked this film. Harvey and Buddy did a good job playing the guys, but it really wasn't a tribute to them. We don't see much of Bud's life and he seems to be single when he was married and had kids. I know the families didn't like it.
Second time Hackett took over the role of Lou Costello. First time was for the 1953 film “ Fireman, Save My Child”. The boys started filming, but Lou got ill and couldn’t finish the film. Some of the far shots of A&C are still in there, so substitutes were used- Hugh O’Brien as Abbott and Buddy Hackett as Costello. Spike Jones and the City Slickers ended up being the stars of the movie.
Is anybody watching this movie after seeing Abbott and Costello meet Jerry Seinfeld? I have, and if you watch Seinfeld discussing the history, careers and personal lives of these American legends in said film, everything that Seinfeld shows and describes are displayed very neatly.
Please find out how great a man Lou was by watching him on this was your life. It's on RU-vid under Lou Costello interview. What he was truly like is on display on that program. By the way, this film doesn't even get Lou's later life and his death right. Read his Daughters book, Lou's on First.
I agree with you Don Diego Vega and Kenny..that book by Messers:Thomas and Sherman and that damn TV movie are a lie and a damn disgrace to the boys..Chris' book about her dad and "A&C In Hollywood"(The book)by Ron Palumbo and Bob Furnemak tell the truth about them and their work.
Another thing, I know Abbott struggled with the tax issue for a good while (and I think he may have just paid it off in 1966 or 67 when he was hired to voice the cartoon) but this movie depicts Lou as being in hock to the IRS until he died (at least it appears it does). That's not true. Lou owned the rights to their TV show so he was able to pay off his debt.
If the users of "You Tube"want the real story of Abbott & Costello? May I suggest that they read:Ms.Chris Costello's Book about her famous father:"Lou's On First" and"Abbott & Costello In Hollywood"(The Book)by Ron Palumbo and Bob Furnemak.
I'm sure Lou Costello wasn't perfect off-camera (and I am inclined to believe he was no saint) but I refuse to believe he was this bad. Plus, Lou and Anne had three other kids that are nowhere to be found here and to the best of my knowledge he and Anne were still together when he died.
. THIS IS YOUR LIFE was just one public moment out of Lou's life. People who worked with him, including directors, said Lou on movie sets was very unreasonable and a terror.
Speechless. Somewhat. Left me feeling very depressed, although may be true. They made us laugh. and Like Stan & Ollie should have left us with that, not depression. Other films Like "Stan & Ollie" and "The 3 Stooges" 2000tv docudrama, were much better. even so, RIP Bud & Lou.
@@KarstensCreationsKC So Trump is your cover-answer to celebs and politicos and their nearest-dearest ones kicking and shrieking not to have to pay their taxes? What kind of calculator are you using? I use a paper and pencil. Two Americas, that's what we've got. Two Americas. Happy to be on whatever side you're NOT. I'm not yet done withering at the roots over the War Criminals you idiots are thrilled to enable by hurriedly forgetting. Not Trump? Not fashionable, doesn't calculate. What did you say? Oh, Trump! Right, you DO have it covered. Have you heard that 1) he looks like an orangutan (source: TWITTER) and 2) he bangs his daughter (source: Bill Maher)? Get out there and re-spread that around. You guys forget quickly.
This TV movie didn't tell the truth..Lou did repay the IRS and he didn't die broke..(He didn't die a millionaire)but he and his wife and third daughter Chris didn't live in poverty. Lou also didn't suffered his first massive heart attack..while he was performing in "The Minsky Follies of 1958"..he suffered that heart attack after completing work on his last movie without Bud Abbott"The 30 Foot Bride Of Candy Rock".
This whole thing was a total exaggeration of these events. After Bud and Lou did their best to get money for the US Gov't during WW2, the gov't turned around and did this...
I have to thank Gilbert Gottfried for reminding me of this movie! There will/could never be another Bud & Lou. . .that's why this movie is "cringe worthy"!
This movie was extremely fictionalized for the sake of TV drama. Lou was never that mean. He stubborn, but he was always very well liked by his coworkers. And Abbott, though an alcoholic, was NEVER drunk during a performance. He was always very professional.
No what really happened was..Bud took his medicine for epilepsy with booze..which slurred his speech and gave the impression that he was drunk during the boys last performance with The Las Vegas revue"Midtown Revisited"..also Lou was told a lot of lies by others that Bud had paid off his debts to the IRS and that he could retire and that Slapstick was no longer in vogue and Lou should break up the act and do dramatic work on tv and in the movies..only part of that story is true..Slapstick was being replaced by the dirty joke type of comedy of Lenny Bruce...and Lou knew that he and Bud could no longer perform their type of humor for audiences..but? Bud needed to work..he was still paying monies to The IRS to pay off the debts that were created for the team by their crooked business manager and accountants and bookeepers.Bud didn't want the team to break up..but..Lou foolishly believed in the lies about Bud's debts being repaid and that we wanted to retire..and the act had no where else to go..so Bud and Lou broke up.
@@kevins.butler3402 What medicine???? Lou had to punch Bud in the stomach to stop him from having a seizure. There was no medicine for epilepsy at that time! Try reading "Lou's on First".
I'm referring to the info that Bud Abbott,Jr.(Bud and Betty Abbott's son has stated in the "Biography tv tribute to the team)and the info from "A&C In Hollywood"(The Book).
Michelle lee and Buddy Hacket from the Love Bug and Harvey Korman from Herbie goes bananas, it’s weird seeing Carol Bennett and Tennese steinmentz kiss
In regard to the scene where Lou suffers a heart attack while walking through the corridors with Eddie Sherman (Arte Johnson), this never happened in real life. Lou Costello was stricken with a heart attack at home. He was standing between the bedposts clutching on to his chest, alerting daughter Chris to come get her mother. Sources conflict on the circumstances of his last day and final words. According to some accounts, he told visitors that the strawberry ice cream soda that he had just finished was "the best I ever tasted" and then died. By other reports, including those of several contemporaneous obituaries, the ice cream soda exchange occurred earlier in the day. Later, after his wife and friends had departed, he asked his nurse to adjust his position in bed just before suffering a fatal cardiac arrest. (Anne Costello died a few months after her husband.)
Who would think a movie about Abbot and Costello would be so depressing . It's one sad scene after another with the two of them complaining the whole time. And those are the funny parts. I mean did these guys ever like each other? It also makes you wonder, were they really ever funny??
I think that Gilbert only brings this abortion up every other episode of his podcast, replete with a reenactment of Buddy Hackett's epic death scene: "Ya know, thish ish the BESHT shtrawbewwy malted that I've ever tashted".
Yeah, it's right up there with the Cesar Romero orange wedge story, the Danny Thomas glass coffee table story, and the Paul Lynde nightclub story ("This place smells like cunt........I think").
Oh, I remember when this movie came out! I wanted to see a movie about Abbott and Costello. I sat down and started watching. Buddy Hackett as Lou? Beady-eyed little speech-impedimented Buddy Hacket? I started shaking my head. I went over and changed the channel. Never thought about it again. I think I'll watch it now, I am that desperate to know more since seeing the one where Abbott gives Costello a pistol with a command to shoot himself, and even the pet seal is upset. Comes on right after the dividing of the beans on Costello's plate on a yacht disabled by a storm. That's ugly stuff. As a kid, I just thought Abbott was excessively mean so Costello could be funny taking his abuse. As a grownup, I feel sick.
The IRS should have offered them a more reasonable settlement. A friend of mine owed the IRS $40K, and she was able to negotiate a lump sum payment of $11K. Yes, they were irresponsible with their taxes, but the IRS could have been more gracious considering how many war bonds they helped sell. Martin and Lewis both went on to great success after their act broke up. Conversely, Abbott and Costello were never very successful after the breakup as solo acts. They rank up there with the greatest comedy acts of all time and their legacy is enormous.
I know this was made for TV, but it's very low standard even for that! Hackett didn't do a good job impersonating Lou, I'm sorry to say. The movie left out huge, relevant chunks of their public lives. Bud and Lou deserve something much better.
Hackett's sensitive and nuanced performance in Buddy's death scene should be used to train acting students the world over. What a towering, naturalistic performance. It would be well worth bringing Hackett back from the dead to tour with a stage presentation of this script, even if a reanimated Hackett had to feed on human flesh (or blood), as long as it was provided by convicted killers or volunteers. He may be able to feed on recently dead people who have died of natural causes, eliminating the moral argument over whether he should be allowed to kill to survive, but all of this is a side issue. My point is, this is a performance worthy of writing an extra-long, meaningless RU-vid comment.
Buddy H just great! Great BH in Its a mad mad mad World in comedy! Then more serious in Bud and Lou! Like Michelle as his wife Anne more serious parts! Great movie!
Me too, although I didn't get everything that was going on. I think the problem is it doesn't show the whole picture of Lou and he seems angry and bitter a lot. Bud acts like a single man because at the time of this film, his wife Betty was still alive and they didn't want to pay her for her likeness. That's why she is only mentioned briefly. Same thing with the children.
