Editor’s note: Monmouth Timeline is grateful to Nancy Bierbrauer for contributing to this Timeline story.
William Alexander “Bud” Abbott was an American actor, best known for his film comedy double act, as straight man to Lou Costello. Born (perhaps – see below) on October 2, 1897, in Asbury Park, he was born into a show business family. Abbott worked in the box office of several theaters before becoming a comedian and producer of burlesque shows on Broadway, where he allowed Costello (who was from Paterson, N.J.) to appear with him when his own partner was ill. They formally teamed up in 1935. Their signature routine, “Who’s on First?”, was carried through from stage to radio and then to their films, “One Night in the Tropics” (1940) and “Buck Privates” (1941).
The duo would go on to make 36 films. During World War II, they were among the most popular entertainers in the world, and sold $85 million in war bonds.
Abbott and Costello launched their own long-running radio show in 1942, and then a live TV show. But by 1955, they were felt to be over-exposed, their film contract was terminated, and the partnership split soon afterwards. Costello died in 1959, and Abbott’s attempts to work with new partners did not succeed. In his last years, he was troubled with serious tax problems and heavy drinking to stave off epileptic seizures. Groucho Marx declared Abbott to be the best straight man in the comedy business. Abbot and Costello are among the only entertainers with thee stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for their achievements radio, TV and movies.
Timeline Mystery: Exactly where was Bud Abbott born?
Virtually every biography notes that Bud Abbott was born in Asbury Park, but the birth dates vary. The most common year cited is 1897. His bio on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), however, states that, “When Bud was three his family moved to Asbury Park, New Jersey, which he later, erroneously, listed as his place of birth.” This biography does not provide a birth year.
So where was Bud Abbott born? Somewhere, a birth certificate exists – maybe. In the late 19th century, many children were born without documentation. Some sources refer to his draft card as verification of Asbury Park as his birthplace.
Nancy Bierbrauer enjoys looking into historical mysteries and dug deeper into the question of where Bud Abbott was born, and came up with the following:
“Bud’s father was Harry Abbott. While it’s possible there was more than one person with that name in Asbury Park at that time, a man named Harry Abbott placed an advertisement in the Asbury Park Press in July of 1897 announcing that his Orange Cider product was now available for sale at 220 Cookman Ave., placing him at that address, three months before Bud’s presumed birth month of October 1897.
This business was also listed in the 1897 Asbury Park Directory.
“I questioned if this was simply Harry’s place of business and he lived elsewhere, but the ‘h’ indicates it’s a home,” said Nancy. “I suspect, like many, he lived at this address and also sold his product from it. I also searched for info about this address and found an ad for the same year where someone was selling their furnishings (beds, rugs, and other household items). So, my guess is that businessmen lived there with their families and also sold their products from there.”
The Asbury Park Press announced the birth of Harry W. Abbott’s new son:
“I’ve seen many errors and variations in stories in old newspapers, but I do believe this one is accurate (except for the new little fellow’s name),” said Nancy. “And how prophetic it was to wish that the new baby’s career ‘be as bright as the queen city for which he is named.’”
The Harry Abbott family was later found in the 1900 census in Brooklyn, N.Y. William Alexander is listed as Alexander W, age 2, born “Oct 1897” in New Jersey. “This census was taken on June 16, 1900, and “Bud” would have been age two and turning three just four months later,” said Nancy. “The variation of his name is a common thing to find in census records.” If this is the same Harry W. Abbott known to be the father of Bud, this census indicates the IMDB biography is inaccurate in saying Bud Abbott himself was responsible for erroneously saying he was born in Asbury Park, as his parents had registered this while he was still a baby.
Sources:
Asbury Park Abbott. (1897). Asbury Park Press, Asbury Park, N.J., October 2, 1897, P. 1.
Boyd’s Directory of Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, et al. (1897). Boyd’s U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995.
Advertisement, Abbott’s Original California Orange Cider. (1897). Asbury Park Press, Asbury Park, N.J., July 31, 1897, P. 5.
Bud Abbott, Straight Man To Lou Costello, Is Dead. (1974). The New York Times, April 25, 1974, p. 42.
Thomas, Bob. (1977). Bud and Lou; The Abbott and Costello Story. J.B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, Pa.
Thank you for this wonderfully-researched piece! This Harry Abbott was, indeed, Bud’s father. A few months before Bud’s birth his older siblings, Olive and Harry, Jr, participated in the Asbury Park Baby Parade. The article containing this information says “They are the children of Harry W. Abbott, of Orange Cider fame.” (Asbury Park Press,” August 23, 1897).