Episode 53: Duck Privates (featuring Nick Santa Maria)

books

Jan 25

According to some sources, there are other classic comedy teams, besides the Marx Brothers. I’ve never believed that, myself — it just doesn’t seem true. But there’s some value in occasionally cracking the window of our Marx-centric world and paying some attention to artists who would be considered the Marxes’ peers, if the Marxes were not quite so peerless.

Toward that end, in Episode 53, we peer at Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, through a Marxian lens. They happen to be the subject of an excellent new book, The Annotated Abbott and Costello, written by Matthew Coniam and frequent guest Nick Santa Maria. Nick joins us for a discussion of the similarities, differences, and connections between A&C and G&H&C&Z, and he and Matthew attempt to woo A&C skeptic Noah Diamond with carefully selected film clips.

This is also the first new episode since the official launch of The Marx Brothers Council Podcast on Patreon! That means our Patreon members (at all subscription levels) can enjoy our first Monthly Bonus Segment, available on our Patreon page. (And this one is a video bonus segment!) It also means that the first of our monthly Patron Postcards is working its way through the mails right now, on its way to the physical mailboxes and personal collections of our Patreon members at the Left-Handed Moths, Students of Huxley, and Firefly’s Cabinet levels. (To learn more about our subscription tiers, and to start your subscription now, just head over to our aforementioned Patreon page, or hit the bit orange Patreon menu button right here at marxbrotherscouncilpodcast.com.)

Recording Episode 53: Coniam, Diamond, and Santa Maria throw the ball to Naturally

Official description: “With Matthew and Nick’s book The Annotated Abbott and Costello hitting the shelves, it is the perfect time to debate the duo’s appeal…or lack thereof, to Marx Brothers fans.

“We almost entitled this ep ‘Nick & Matthew Meet the Skeptic: Noah Diamond,’ as he has been resistant to Abbott & Costello’s charms so far. The guys put Noah to the test with choice clips to gauge his reaction (sorry folks, no ‘Who’s on First?’). Will his preconceptions be shattered?

“The guys also discuss the differences between the two teams, try to decipher exactly what is going on in Bud Abbott’s head...and wonder if Bud, in fact, was the funnier of the pair. We know you’ll enjoy this as sure as 7 x 13 = 28.”

Watch the clips: Nick notes that the Abbott and Costello clips in this episode are better if you watch them, rather than just hearing them. For listeners who’d like to do that, the clips discussed are: “Jonah and the Whale” (The Abbott and Costello Show, 1952); this scene from The Noose Hangs High (1948); the “turkey sandwich” scene from Keep ‘Em Flying (1941) (starts at 17:13); the dice game from Buck Privates (1941) (starts at 17:48); and two scenes from Who Done It? (1942), the soda counter scene (starts at 5:37) and the telephone routine (starts at 51:20). (Obviously, we encourage you to purchase these films for your collection.)

Note for early birds: When a new episode is released, it might not appear at all of the locations below right away. If you visit your favorite podcast provider and the previous episode is still the most recent one you see there, be patient! And above all, don't worry.