Picture this: Lou Costello, cigar in hand, newspaper spread out in front of him, minding his own business in the den. That’s when his daughter Chris walks in with a school friend. The friend sees Lou and starts feeling a little uneasy. According to Chris, her dad noticed and decided to ease the tension. He placed the cigar in the ashtray, neatly folded his newspaper, and stood up to greet her. But here’s the twist—Lou, being Lou, stumbled into a classic pratfall, bumping into the wall. Instead of embarrassment, the friend burst into laughter. “That was my dad,” Chris recalls with a smile.
From Vaudeville to Home Life
Now, you might know Lou Costello as one half of the legendary comedy duo Abbott and Costello. Their antics on the vaudeville circuit, radio, television, and a string of hit films in the '40s and '50s made them household names. But to Chris, who joined older sisters Patricia (Paddy) and Carole in 1947, Lou was just plain Dad. “He wasn’t the character from the show,” Chris explains. “He left that persona at the studio after a long day of work. At home, he was simply our father.”
A Quiet Side
At home, Lou didn’t always need to be the center of attention. “You can’t be ‘on’ all the time,” Chris says. “He was actually very quiet and content to relax.” She remembers her father enjoying westerns, sports, and prizefights on TV. He was also a passionate racing fan who often attended races and even raised horses at his ranch in Canoga Park, California. One of her favorite memories? A time when one of their racehorses chased Lou right into the family pool. “Classic Dad move,” Chris laughs.
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Strict But Loving
Despite their privileged upbringing, Lou and his wife, Anne, made sure their children understood the importance of good manners, respect, and education. “My father could be incredibly generous,” Chris shares, “but he also had his limits.” She recounts a story about her sister ditching school. As punishment, Lou decided not to give her the car he had planned to gift her for graduation. “He meant business when it came to our education,” Chris says.
Family Ties
Family was everything to Lou. So much so that he even moved his mother to a house in Sherman Oaks, just a stone’s throw away. “My dad was the epitome of an Italian Catholic,” Chris says. “He adored his mother and made sure she was always close by.” Chris remembers fondly how they would bring jelly doughnuts to visit her grandmother. “I’d drive with him the short distance to her house,” she says. “He’d let me sit on his lap and pretend I was driving by holding onto the steering wheel. Those were magical moments.”
A Heart for Kids
Lou had a soft spot for children, whether they were his own or complete strangers. In 1947, he opened a recreation center to serve underprivileged youth in memory of his infant son, who tragically drowned four years earlier. The center is still going strong today. Chris also shares a heartwarming story about Lou overhearing a little girl begging her mother for an expensive doll in a toy store during Christmas. Quietly, Lou went to the cashier, bought the doll, and asked them to tell the little girl it was from Santa Claus. “That’s just the kind of person he was,” Chris says with pride.
In 1959, Lou suffered a heart attack and passed away just three days before his 53rd birthday. “Of course, I love for him to be remembered as a great comedian,” Chris says. “But I also want him to be remembered as a great humanitarian. He believed that money was meant to help others.”
Legacy Lives On
“Abbott & Costello: Who’s on First?,” an exhibit filled with memorabilia, including costumes and props from the iconic comedy duo, is currently open at the Hollywood Museum. If you want to learn more or grab tickets, head over to thehollywoodmuseum.com.
