Editing Abbott and Costello (section)

==Film==
In 1940, [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] signed them for a musical, ''[[One Night in the Tropics]]'' starring [[Allan Jones (actor)|Allan Jones]] and [[Nancy Kelly]]. Cast in supporting roles, Abbott and Costello stole the picture with several classic routines, including "Who's on First?". Signed to a two-picture contract, their second film, ''[[Buck Privates]]'' (1941), directed by [[Arthur Lubin]] and co-starring [[The Andrews Sisters]], was a massive hit, earning $4&nbsp;million at the box office and launching Abbott and Costello as stars.<ref name="auto"/>

Their next film was a haunted house comedy, ''Oh, Charlie!''; however, ''Buck Privates'' was so successful that the studio decided to delay the release so the team could hastily film and release a second service comedy. ''[[In the Navy (film)|In the Navy]]'' (1941), co-starred crooner [[Dick Powell]] and the Andrews Sisters, and initially out-grossed ''Buck Privates''. Loew's Criterion in Manhattan was open until 5 a.m. to oblige over 49,000 customers during the film's first week.<ref name="auto"/>

''Oh, Charlie'' went  back into production to add music featuring the Andrews Sisters and Ted Lewis. The film was eventually retitled  ''[[Hold That Ghost]]'' (1941).<ref>Palumbo, Ron. ''Hold That Ghost: The Complete Filmscript'' Bear Manor Media, 2018.</ref> The duo next appeared  in ''[[Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942 film)|Ride 'Em Cowboy]]'' (1941), with [[Dick Foran]], but its release was delayed so they could appear in a third service comedy, ''[[Keep 'Em Flying]]'' (1941). This was their last film directed by [[Arthur Lubin]]. All of their 1941 films were big hits, and Abbott and Costello were voted the [[Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll|third biggest box office attraction]] in the country in 1941.

Universal loaned the team to [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] for a musical comedy, ''[[Rio Rita (1942 film)|Rio Rita]]'' (1942). During filming Abbott and Costello had their hand and foot prints set in concrete at what was then "[[TCL Chinese Theatre|Grauman's Chinese Theatre]]". Back at Universal they made ''[[Pardon My Sarong]]'' (1942), a spoof of South Sea Island movies; and ''[[Who Done It? (1942 film)|Who Done It?]]'' (1942), a comedy-mystery.

In 1942, exhibitors voted them the top box office stars in the country, and their earnings for the fiscal year were $789,026.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=October 18, 1944 |title=111 Film Toppers earned close to $18 mill in '42 |url= https://archive.org/stream/variety156-1944-10#page/n97/mode/1up|journal= Variety|page = 6 |access-date=July 28, 2016 }}</ref> The team did a 35-day tour during the summer of 1942 to promote and sell War Bonds. The Treasury Department credited them with $85&nbsp;million in sales.<ref name="auto" />

After the tour the team starred in ''[[It Ain't Hay]]'' (1943), from a story by [[Damon Runyon]]; and ''[[Hit the Ice (film)|Hit the Ice]]'' (1943).

Costello was stricken with [[rheumatic fever]] upon his return from a winter tour of army bases in March 1943 and was bedridden for approximately six months.<ref name="Lou-First">{{cite book |last1=Costello |first1=Chris |last2=Strait |first2=Raymond |title=Lou's on First: The Tragic Life of Hollywood's Greatest Clown Warmly Recounted by His Youngest Child |date=15 December 1982 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-312-49914-3 |url=https://openlibrary.org/works/OL3891122W/Lou%27s_on_first |language=en}}</ref> On November 4, 1943, the same day that Costello returned to radio after a one-year hiatus due to his illness, his infant son Lou Jr. (nicknamed "Butch" and born November 6, 1942) died in an accidental drowning in the family's swimming pool.<ref>Lou's on First: The Tragic Life of Hollywood's Greatest Clown Warmly Recounted by his Youngest Child {{ISBN|0-312-49914-0}}</ref> Maxene Andrews remembers visiting Costello with sisters Patty and LaVerne during his illness, and remembered how Costello's demeanor changed after the tragic loss of his son, recalling, "He didn't seem as fun-loving and as warm...He seemed to anger easily...there was a difference in his attitude".{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

After Costello recovered, the duo returned to MGM for ''[[Lost in a Harem]]'' (1944) then were back at Universal for ''[[In Society]]'' (1944), ''[[Here Come the Co-Eds]]'' (1945) and ''[[The Naughty Nineties]]'' (1945). Their third and final film for MGM was ''[[Abbott and Costello in Hollywood]]'' (1945).

In 1945, a rift developed when Abbott hired a domestic servant who had been fired by Costello. Costello refused to speak to his partner except when performing. The following year they made two films, (''[[Little Giant]]'' and ''[[The Time of Their Lives]]''), in which they appeared as separate characters rather than as a team. This was likely the result of the tensions between them, plus the fact that their most recent films had not performed as well at the box office. Abbott resolved the rift when he suggested naming Costello's pet charity, a foundation for underprivileged children, the "Lou Costello Jr. Youth Foundation." The facility opened in 1947 and still serves the [[Boyle Heights, Los Angeles|Boyle Heights]] district of Los Angeles.

Abbott and Costello reunited as a team in ''[[Buck Privates Come Home]]'' (1947), a sequel to their 1941 hit. In ''[[The Wistful Widow of Wagon Gap]]'' (1947) they were supported by [[Marjorie Main]]. They signed a new contract with Universal which allowed them to appear in films outside of their studio contract.<ref name="auto" /> The first of these, ''[[The Noose Hangs High]]'' (1948), was distributed by [[Eagle-Lion]].

The team's next film, ''[[Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein]]'' (1948), co-starring [[Bela Lugosi]] and [[Lon Chaney Jr]], was a massive hit and revitalized the duo's careers. It was followed by ''[[Mexican Hayride]]'' (1948), an adaptation of a [[Cole Porter]] musical without the songs. They followed with ''[[Africa Screams]]'' (1949) for Nassour Studios, an independent company which was released through [[United Artists]]. Back at Universal, they returned to horror comedy with ''[[Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff]]'' (1949).

The pair was sidelined again for several months when Costello suffered a relapse of rheumatic fever.<ref name="Lou-First"/> They returned to the screen in ''[[Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion]]'' (1950). They returned the following year in ''[[Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man]]'' (1951); then ''[[Comin' Round the Mountain]]'' (1952), a hillbilly comedy.

Their first color film, ''[[Jack and the Beanstalk (1952 film)|Jack and the Beanstalk]]'' (1952), was an independent production distributed by [[Warner Bros.]] After filming ''[[Lost in Alaska]]'' (1952) back at Universal, they made a second independent color movie, ''[[Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd]]'' (1952) co-starring [[Charles Laughton]], which was also distributed by Warner Bros.

At Universal, they starred in ''[[Abbott and Costello Go to Mars]]'' (1953) and ''[[Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' (1953). They were forced to withdraw from ''[[Fireman Save My Child (1954 film)|Fireman Save My Child]]'' in 1954 due to Costello's ill health, and were replaced by lookalikes [[Hugh O'Brian]] and [[Buddy Hackett]] along with [[Spike Jones and his City Slickers]]. Their last two films for Universal were ''[[Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops]]'' (1955) and ''[[Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy]]'' (1955). In 1956, they appeared in their final film together, ''[[Dance With Me, Henry]]'', an independent production released through United Artists.