The Annotated Abbott and Costello: A Complete Viewer’s Guide to the Comedy Team and Their 38 Films

Abbott and Costello are often considered afterthoughts of comedy history, but Coniam (The Annotated Marx Brothers) and Santa Maria believe the duo possessed an authenticity of character that their peers lacked. To that point, they’ve crafted a film-by-film guide to a career that can be divided into two periods: the 1940s war era of Buck Privates, and the monster era, encapsulated by Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Their films were typically vehicles for established routines, preserving classic sketches like “Who’s On First” on celluloid. While Costello admitted their humor could be corny, it was also beloved by the public. Each chapter provides a film commentary with plot breakdown and time references to key routines. The authors evenly divide the chapters, which is unfortunately the book’s downfall. Coniam is clearly a fan, and his excellent writing, perceptive commentary, and contextual references are lessened by the often flippant comments of his coauthor. Santa Maria employs sophomoric jokes, critiques too subjectively, and his chapters are far less engaging. It does cover every film, and there’s much to recommend. But it would have been vastly superior had it only been written by Coniam.