Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were a comedy duo that began in 1938 and was the most popular comedy team in all of radio and television throughout the 1490s and early 1950. The radio show first aired October 8, 1942, though the two had worked together on many projects a few years prior. This particular episode shared above was called Bank Robbery, which aired October 15, 1942 and was their third radio episode.
The show's target audience was adults, likely 20-40, though the duo was popular with all ages. My opinion is based on a few things: First, the show was sponsored by Camel cigarettes, and several ads and scripted plugs were part of the broadcast. At the very end of the broadcast is a 30-second ad for Prince Albert pipe tobacco. Next, the jokes revolved around mature matters and current events; getting handsy with an attractive woman, death threats, WWII era ration cards, and, of course, bank robberies. That isn't to say this was a show for mature listeners; the dialogue is very light-hearted. Finally, Abbott and Costello incorporated periodic musical interludes into their shows, which featured current, popular artists. I think this is most telling that the audience was younger adults, we as people tend to get set in our musical tastes the older we get.
To listen to this program, you must be able to pay attention as the quips may go over one's head, especially if unfamiliar with vernacular of the time. That being said, I laughed quite often. The duo was successful because they had a type of humor-pair that resonated with everyone. It was also interesting to listen to the live sound effects. Pre-recorded sound effects did not exist, of course, and so you'd hear a door shut, or shoes tapping as if walking up stairs. The team was very adept at rapidly delivering punchlines in the descriptive manner that one would expect from a listen-only program. At the time, more people were tuned into radio as an entertainment form than television, and so advertising in this medium would be much more effective. Most people owned, or had access to, a radio, but television was still coming of age.
Comments
Post a Comment