Lou Costello Biography

Fast Facts

• A statue of him was erected in the historic downtown section of Patterson, New Jersey, in 1992
• In 2009, he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame
• Moved to Hollywood in 1927 to pursue an acting career, but was forced to hitchhike his way back home after he was only able to find work as a laborer at MGM and Warner Brothers
• Quote: "Comics are a dime a dozen․ Good straight men are hard to find․"
• Frequently mentions his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey, in a majority of his works
• Often used pratfall techniques in his comedic sketches
• Performed his "Who's on first" routine for President Franklin D․ Roosevelt
• Greatly admired comedic legend Charles Chaplin's work
• Only starred in one film without his comedy partner Bud Abbott
• Was the inventor of the first commercial automatic ice machine