Thursday, September 30, 2010

Who is on First?

Ah, baseball--the sport that has endured walk-outs, steroids and crazy antics of players and fans alike.  I started thinking about it after seeing the advertisement for Ken Burns' documentary, The Tenth Inning.  Ken must love baseball because this is his 2nd documentary on the sport.

I grew up in a baseball family not because of my father, but my mother, who loved it.  My mom was a fan of the National League and during every World Series the television would be on and my mom would be rooting for the National League team.  She, of course, had her favorite team--the L.A. Dodgers.   I know one of the highlights of her life was going to a Dodger's game when we lived in California.  She could scream and yell at Umpires and players alike with the best of them.

Got me to thinking about the old Abbott and Costello routine of "Who's on First".  This routine evolved from early burlesque sketches around the turn of the last century.  Abbott and Costello paid $15 to writer (Michael J. Musto) to write the script and for years performed the routine to live audiences, radio and in movies. I read that each time it was performed, it was a little bit different but always a big hit.

The skit became so well known that in 1956 a gold record of  it was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.  If you know the routine, it is fun to watch it again.  If you have never seen it before, here's your chance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA85pv8M

1 comment:

  1. i remember the first time i heard that routine...laughed myself silly at 9 years old. it's got a great spot in cooperstown as well. love it!

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