The title today refers, of course, to the classic comedy routing “Who’s on first?” as was made famous by Abbot and Costello.
But it wasn’t written by them. Nor even performed originally by them.
Turns out it was a sort of vaudeville standard, and Abbot and Costello were just really, really good at doing that routine about the time that vaudeville was being supplanted by radio, and eventually, by television. Vaudevillains, it turns out, would take material from other vaudevillians at the drop of a hat (which was probably another routine that was widely popularized from the stage, hat dropping being the wildly humorous thing it is, or was) and Abbot and Costello were really good at getting on radio and TV.
There’s probably an analog in current digital parlance. Feel free to consider and comment about such.
Milton Berle was especially well known for stealing other vaudevillians’ material.
If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. – Uncle Miltie
gotta use his REAL NAME Shelley.
plus HE WILL BE the Cabbage to TOSSED!
The beginning of the end for vaudeville was sound movies (“talkies”).
Fortunately some of the best made it into radio and television.
[James Lindley]:
Sadly, some true gems didn’t become as wildly-popular as they should’ve been.
One such, had a comedian saying to a (purported) streetwalker:
“It’s Girls like you who make Men like me”
make Girls like you make Men like me!”
—
Take a moment, & think about it.
NOH BE MEAN TO DAH SHELLEY!!!