Question 1

Why is the 'Who's on First' routine in this film considered the best version?

Accepted Answer

The scene of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello doing their classic 'Who's on First' routine is run continuously at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and is regarded as the best version of the routine in existence.

Question 2

What laughter can be heard faintly during the 'Who's on First' routine?

Accepted Answer

The laughter belongs to the film crew and director Jean Yarbrough. After numerous re-takes, Yarbrough couldn't get them to stop laughing, so he left the giggling in.

Question 3

How does this film accurately depict a show boat?

Accepted Answer

A show boat was not a self-contained steamer but a barge moved by a 'tow boat' pushing it. This film is one of the few to depict that correctly, unlike the 1936 and 1951 versions of 'Show Boat'.

Question 4

Why was the 'Who's on First' sequence added after the rest of the film was shot?

Accepted Answer

Universal executives thought the film didn't have enough laughs, so they wrote in 'Who's on First,' which Abbott and Costello had been performing for years on stage and radio.

Question 5

Who is generally believed to have written 'Who's on First'?

Accepted Answer

Although Abbott and Costello copyrighted it as the 'Abbott and Costello Baseball Routine,' 'Who's on First' is generally believed to have been written by John Grant.

The Naughty Nineties

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