My name is Patrick Costello. It is pronounced both ways. In America one way in Ireland and parts of newfoundland it's pronounced the Irish way

This skit was first performed on Vaudeville performances. It is great because it was brought to the big screen and not lost to history like most Vaudeville skits. A great piece of history! Thank you!

This is not improvisation. It's absolutely perfect comic timing.

Abbott and Costello is the kind of comedy that is just as funny now as it was then. Pure genius

I've never seen anybody overthink anything and take all the fun out of it... but here it is.

Diane, This skit was a heavily practiced one especially by the time this version was recorded. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello first performed this on stage as part of their act. When they were given a contract to perform on radio they actually went through a period where they performed it at least once a month. The skit did change a bit over time, but the player names did not change. I actually used to own an old cassette tape made from one of their old radio shows. In that one instead of the team being for the Old Actors Home, that version has Costello planning on joining the Yankees to replace Joe DiMaggio who was injured at the time. As for the names: First Base - Who Second Base - What Third Base - I Don't Know Left Field - Why Center Field - Because Pitcher - Tomorrow Catcher - Today Shortstop - I Don't Give a Darn Right Field - (not named in this sketch.) As for the part with "Who" , "Naturally". They are playing on the lack of a comma and Costello not getting it. He's saying "I throw the ball to Who." The response is "Naturally" because as Who is on first you would naturally throw the ball to him.

This is one of the most famous classic comedy skits of all time. The timing is impeccable!

This skit honestly never gets old

Even watching this now after seeing it countless times over many decades, this still has me genuinely cracking up. Costello's performance just sells it for me every time.

I had to perform this in drama class in high school. I never giggled so much in rehearsal in my life.😂😅😊

They did this routine for decades varying in length from 5 to 40 minutes. About 30 years ago on a radio interview show on WNYC a PhD candidate was discussing his dissertation on this routine. He'd gathered over 200 recordings and over 100 written transcripts and found that no two were identical. This is the most common one taken from their TV show.

I've seen this skit about a dozen times and it still cracks me up. It can have me giggling like mad and in awe of the immaculate word play at the same time.

This sketch was very carefully crafted, and has been a classic for almost a century, now. It helps if you approach their routines with the idea that words were like Legos to these two.

Abbott and Costello were in what is considered to be the best horror film of all time by many. It was loaded with comedy as well. - "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein".

I grew up listening and watching this skit. Must have heard it a thousands times and it never fails to have me LMAO 50 years later. 🤣

Love your reactions. Here just wanted to mention by this time they have been doing this routine for many years [over ten for sure] and they never do it the same way twice. These two have been working together for so long they have developed an understanding of each other and the way this routine [as so many of theirs do] works is to follow each other's lead. By key phrases they move it along. They do "mess up" a little sometimes but it goes so fast it's easily overlooked as when either does miss a cue or lead incorrectly into the next line they correct each other to keep it moving. Notice in the video when Bud puts his hands on Lues arm he is trying to "cue" the next part of the bit. But Lou feels he has missed some more lines that he wants to add so he re-directs Bud into the next few "miss-understandings". [bud was trying to take Lou to the "receipts" part of the bit, but Lou will get there a little later after adding what he wants to {from all the ways they have of doing it} so Lou took charge of the direction for just the next short while, when usually it is the "straight man" that leads the "conversation". Bud, of course is the straight man in their acts] So Lou took over for just a few more of their practiced lines before relinquishing the lead back to Bud. Notice at just a few seconds later Lou now touches Bud on his shoulder and says [seemingly as part of the routine, they do it so well] [Touching each other must be the cue to the other he's talking to him more directly, not as much a part of the routine as it is some messaging to each other to help or guide the other] "I'm going to stop asking you soon". That is Lou re-assuring Bud that he will bring it back to the receipts part soon enough and that he knows where they are in the sketch [and he is letting Bud know he did pick up on the direction bud wanted Lou to go]. From there they go very smoothly. I know Bud has to correct Lou in a "lead up" line later on. You'll notice, as Lou is negotiating the middle of the pitcher's name bit Bud has to help Lou to lead him into the next miss-understanding [I'm calling the joke punch lines that. I don't know how else to describe each line] He has to ask Lou "what time what?" to get Lou to ask the question again, only phrased correctly for the joke [miss-understanding line] to work. [Lou needed to ask, "what time tomorrow you going to tell me who's pitching [Lou missed adding "who's pitching" to the whole line that he first fed back to Bud] [first he asked, "what time tomorrow you tell me the pitchers name?". He missed the important part: who's pitching] This is how smoothly they work together and how they can move so fast through it. They have several practiced remarks to each "lead in" and can use them as they feel to, to move the story along. Very polished team. [the best in the nation in their prime] [that lasted over ten years] Basically from vaudeville, the duo comedy routines often had a "straight man" [leading the direction of the story] and a kind of dim-witted man who made the routines funny. Basically, the dim-witted guy got all the laughs. They truly were the best of that fading art from the vaudeville days. Again, love your reactions. [I watched a couple react to this a while back and the guy didn't get it till almost the end! He really thought Bud wasn't answering Lou!] [But the weirdest of all was a girl reactor who Never Did understand the routine! She got all the way through and NEVER Understood that those were the names of the players!!] [needless to say, all she had was anger for Bud for not telling Lou what he wanted to find out and she didn't like the humor] [felt sorry for her] Of course you got it right away, as you should if actually listening to it, and it's great fun to watch your following it as the routine progressed. So, keep up the reactions! Love to be a part of them when I get a chance to watch. Good work!

Abbott and Costello did a weekly TV show when I was a child and they were great. They were among the most popular comedians in America in the 1950's. To me, the best part of the old routines is that they can be incredibly funny without curse words and without being offensive. I have seen this routine many times and it never gets old. Yes, watching Diane react to this added to the effect. Very enjoyable video.

They wrote the entire skit, but during this filming it was all done in one take without stopping. They had perfect timing and everything they ever did. This is even more incredible when you realize that they hated each other in real life. A few years after this skit, they decided to end their relationship for good because the hatred had gotten so bad.

They first did this skit on The Kate Smith Hour radio show on March 24, 1938, and copyrighted it in 1944. So, by this performance, they had done it hundreds of times. That is why their timing is so perfect.

In brief: Laurel and Hardy were big in the 1920s and 1930s. The Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges were big in the mid-1930s, but lasted throughout the 1940s. Abbot and Costello became most popular in the late 1940s. Martin and Lewis became big in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s.

The timing of Abbott and Costello is perfect. This is a classic.

just classic. and still funny especially if you haven't heard it at 9 trillion times 😂🇺🇲

They never did this routine exactly the same way every time, so there are a couple thousand versions of it. Pure genius! I've seen it maybe 100 times, and amazed by the perfect delivery every time.

The greatest comedic team ever. I have always loved this skit

Editor Diane saying "stop copying me" got me 🤣 Abbott and Costello are great! Who's on First is one of their classics and it's brilliant.

They did this routine so many times on stage they had that flow where it seems improvised. There's actually a few flubs in this but they just immediately get back on track and keep going.

The comedians were definitely responding to the key word, Who, what, I don't know, responding with a set number of responses that also elicit another response. It is a brilliant execution of planned chaotic miscommunication. It is their original material. It became so popular that the the skit you watched has been inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown NY. It runs on a loop all day, and is the only non sport memorabilia to ever be inducted into the hall of fame.

Greatest skit ever written and delivered. You just witnessed the Holy Grail of all skit comedy

You'll want to watch this again with a little background; mostly that all the audience already knew of the routine, but they now get a chance to actually see it. It's like a great play you're already have as part of your own history. Who's On First was a sketch created in the '30s, performed on stage and radio. Knowing what line is coming next doesn't distract from the fun; the anticipation and execution is what people love. It's fair to compare to the song Hallelujah being covered by dozens (or hundreds) of performers, this Abbott and Costello routine is a duo-test for children and adults alike.

The “oh that’s our shortstop!” is one of the best punchlines ever 🤣

Abbott and Costello's Who’s on First is the most iconic sport skit ever

Ah, the classic skit by this duo. The excelled at wit and word play with some physical comedy thrown in. They are one of the classic classic comedy duo's. A little baseball knowledge is helpful to land the jokes.Couldn't make first hour club cause at CFR. The reaction to this video was more animated than I expected but as usual left me smiling.

They were in the movie, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), co-starring Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr, was a massive hit and revitalized the duo's careers.

Watching your brain start to fry at about the 9-minute mark was about the cutest thing ever. I never cease to laugh at this bit and watching you react to it going in completely blind with no idea about it, the premise or baseball made it just that much more enjoyable. Thanks for making this 🤣

This was the first comedy routine, clean comedy routine, I ever heard. Love these 2 guys! Wish they were still around.

They were the most popular comedians of the 1940s and early 1950s. They were stars on radio, movies, TV and they even had a show on Broadway. In 1942 they were the top box office attractions in the country in the movies. They were on the top box office attraction for eight years between 1941 and 1951. Who’s on first is considered the greatest comedy routine of all time. This is from there early 1950s TV show. They may 36 movies together between 1940 in 1955. I’ve been one of the biggest fan since I was six years old in 1961.

" Who's on 1st " is a classic bit that was made famous after WW2 and into the early 1950s . Laurel and Hardy came much before , around the late 1920s .

Your reaction is priceless, however I have watched and listened this "bit" so many times and I can't stop laughing every time I watch it.

Absolutely _brilliant_ , classic wordplay comedy. *Love* this routine! 🤣

I crack up everytime I watch these two! Absolute LEGENDS!

Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello, and The Three Stooges were all contemporaries throughout the 30's and 40's. Watching you react to this skit was fun. It was clear at the end you were having trouble keeping up with the names yourself. 😄

I am so glad the the planet Ireland is getting to enjoy some of our favorites on Earth.

This is one of my favorite skits! It’s a classic and most people know it here in the states

Abbott and Costello, laurel and hardy and the three stooges are all amazing comedian groups from the 40's and 50's. They still make me laugh so hard ill cry

An updated variant of this routine was about a concert that had the bands The Who, Guess Who, and Yes performing 😁

Yea it helps to know baseball to really appreciate the joke. It's been famous here in the states for generations. Even in the baseball hall of fame.

I have heard of this comedy routine for so many years, but this is the first time I've seen anyone react to this. I found it to be quite humorous and I am glad that you had managed to enjoy it Diane. Have a great weekend and be well!

Arguably the best known classic comedy bit ever. I still love watching it. :)

Today, Diane reacts to Abbott and Costello And she’s looking stylish in a jacket that’s plaid The routine almost turned her brainhead to jello But she’s got a heart on her face, so fun was had 🖤

This is the greatest skit ever

A classic skit perfectly performed. You looked as confused as Lou once they got going.

To see your realisation of this famous skit, priceless xx

This is a classic from old time comedy. It seems like such a simple skit but is it so complicated. I tried to perform in my Junior High School drama class ... I could not get my lines down because they weave together in just the right way but sound so much the same.

I am doing a version of this routine right now in Pantomime in Wales and am very pleased to report that it still works with audiences of all ages.

The best version of "Who's on First" is from the movie "The Naughty Nineties". The whole routine is done without mistakes or hesitations. This version which wasn't as smooth as the movie version.

I've been familiar with this skit for almost 50 years and you're the first person that I've ever seen watch it with a look of bewilderment. DG

Ah yes a video that requires both sports and numbers, two of Diane's favorite things in life!

Abbott and Costello made 36 movies together between 1940 and 1956, a staggering number. Their most famous film is Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein(1948), which actually features them meeting FOUR of the classic Universal monsters.

Matter of opinion if it's the greatest but it does run on a continuous loop at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and is most definitely a comedy classic My semi regular request for the elephant or dentist sketch from the Carol Burnett show

Genius. They did this at first time of asking.

abbott and Costello were superstars. hard to believe they've slipped into obscurity. Glad that you have discovered them!

This was such a fun watch. It has been some time since I'd last seen it. Almost as fun as watching Diane nearly have a short-circuit trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Lol. Early in the skit Abbott tells Lou that they give players very strange nicknames followed by the two of them bantering back and forth a few of examples. Such as Sticky Fields and Boobie Barber. This was to clue the audience that Abbott (playing the straight man) would be using comical, unexpected nicknames for the names of players while Lou, playing the dimwitted comic, would mistake these so-called nicknames for their literal meaning. I think perhaps you missed this "clue" and that would explain why it took you quite some time to catch on. Even so it was great fun to watch it again and watch you follow along trying to figure it out 🤪. Abbott and Costello's skit called "7 x 3 = 28" is also really fun to watch as Lou proves how 7x3 = 28. It's another Must See or Must React To.

There was a Tiawanese Baseball player that played for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2010, who's name is Chin-Lung Hu. The first time after he singled, the game announcer said this "Ladies and gentlemen, I have waited my whole life to say this, Hu is on first."

Abbot & Costello had been doing this popular routine for 20 or 30 years, by the time this video was filmed. They could read each other's minds by this time, so they were able to real time mix it up a little to make it seem fresh. Of course, most of the audience in the video had heard it many times, but it almost never got old!

One of the most hilarious routines ever

Pure comedic genius! Over the head of pretty much everybody until you watch several times.

This is my favorite comedy bit of all time. I have listened to it sooooooo many times. I've even listened to it on repeat for hours. It just never gets old to me. I just laugh and laugh and laugh.

What of the greatest comedy routines.

One of the best skits ever. Just the way they play off each other and don't ever miss a beat. Everything was scripted perfectly. They never break down for a moment. You need to check out Abbott and Costello skit...13x7 is 28! Love your reviews!! Cheers!

I'm old and still love this old skit about the sport I loved to watch and play.

This was scripted, though they had modified it over the years. The earliest recording of this sketch is a radio broadcast they did in the late 1930s. Thanks for reacting to this, Diane!

absolutely hysterical, and no cursing.

This is probably the most famous comedy skit ever!

Their timing is perfect.

Abbott and Costello we're just brilliant comedians.

They are where Mel Brooks got the "Hey Abbott" for "Robin Hood Men in Tights"

Baseball has two positions, batters and fielders. All baseball teams switch between batting (hitting the ball with a bat and running the bases) and fielding (catching the ball and trying to strike batters out) each inning. There's four bases the batters have to run to complete score (Home Run), 1st base, 2nd base, and 3rd base - and a fielder guards each base. The 4th base is called Home base and it's defended by a catcher. The pitcher throws the ball to the batter, who tries to hit, and catcher catches it if the batter misses. If the batter hits and it's a run, he has to go round each base until the other fielders retrieve the ball (usually these are out fielders) and the in fielders strike them out. If you get struck out 3 times, the teams switch, if both teams played that inning, it goes into the next inning. There's no limit to how many runs you can get in an inning, but given the various skills of each team's batter (every member of the team will bat when it is their turn), the scores don't go up too high. But the games are LOOOONG because there's 9 innings. There's lots of other rules too, but that's basically it.

They did it a thousand times and never the same way twice.

Back in the day, people couldn’t so readily watch or listen to things like that over and over in a shirt stretch. So they couldn’t process it and dissect it the way we do today. In its day, this was a brilliant piece that amazed listeners.

they are huge i'm 63 and when i was a lid they wer on sat tv all the time alll the time a golden oldie this is a classic bit of american whos on first

That is probably the most famous comedy sketch they've done. It's right up there with how they do math.

Always a classic...lol Yes, the act was pre-written and followed to a tee. That's why it is done so smoothly. And in the USA, we say, "CAH....stello". Like...idk...Like a stellar car. At least we have for as long as I can remember it.

This is A CLASSIC!

This skit was first introduced (at least to a wider audience) on radio, and became their most well know skit. It is still legendary today, and a lot of comedians still use it to learn how to "riff" off of common words.

I love those guys. They used to make movies like “Abbot and Costello meet the Mummy” or Dracula and they were hilarious. It’s a treat when I get to see them.

This is my all-time favorite sketch of theirs. No matter how many times I've seen it, I am rolling on the floor with laughter.

It's an old skit that they did and they're so familiar with it that it can be improved. They know it so well that they can make changes and still get it. It is a brilliant piece of work. Others have tried it but nobody does it better.

Timeless comedy!

So brilliant in both writing and in execution...one of the most iconic and classic comedy skits of all time! 😊

Don't overthink it, just go with it. It's a carefully crafted well rehearsed classic comedy routine by a pair of the best comics ever.

A timeless piece of comedic art.

Good pick of vid, a classic. I'm a 42 Y/O English guy, and been a fan of their films since i was a kid in the 80's.

You look so confused !!! That's probably heard there's a million times in my life. One of my favorites of all time !!

It's not tightly scripted, but they worked very well off of each other. They knew the general script (and you can tell, because it changes from recording to recording) and knew each other very well. Bob and Ray are another great duo.

I never get tired of the Who’s on first skit. Probably my all time favorite comedy sketch. A fabulous modern comedian is Gabriel Iglesias, also known as Fluffy.

They are icons in America! 🙂

When you crossed your eyes at about the 6-minute mark I just about fell outta' my chair with laughter! LOL! 😂

They probably performed this routine close to 1000 times between 1936 and 1955. They actually preserved many of the classic burlesque routines that were lost, in their movies and on TV.

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were a comedy team that started out in the Vaudeville Circuit, and became famous for a series of comedy films that they starred in during the 1940s and 1950s. They also did a lot of appearances on radio, and starred on two early television series; “The Abbott And Costello Show” on ABC in 1953 (this sketch, which was done on radio and television numerous times, was part of an episode of this TV series), and as one of a group of rotating hosts on “The Colgate Comedy Hour”, which aired on NBC from 1950 to 1956. Abbott and Costello were working very hard in the 1950s, and the workload took its toll on them. They broke up in 1956. Lou Costello died of a heart attack in 1959.

They had been doing this routine for years in local Vaudeville shows for years and perfected it