Quantity:

Express Checkout with PayPhrase

What's this? | Create PayPhrase

More Buying Choices

37 used & new from $4.43

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Share with Friends

Share your own customer images

Search inside this book

Tell the Publisher! I�d like to read this book on Kindle Don�t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.

Lou's on First: The Tragic Life of Hollywood's Greatest Clown Warmly Recounted by his Youngest Child (Paperback)

~ (Author) "AS A KID my father seldom got more than a base hit when he played sand-lot baseball..." (more)
Key Phrases: bird aviary, youth foundation, New York, Lou Costello, Uncle Pat (more...)

4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

List Price:	$13.95
Price:	$10.04 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save:	$3.91 (28%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Monday, November 23? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

18 new from $8.37 17 used from $4.43 2 collectible from $13.00

Formats		Amazon Price	New from	Used from
Hardcover Available from these sellers. Published June 30, 1981	Hardcover, June 30, 1981	--	$79.98	$9.81
Paperback $10.04 In Stock. Published December 14, 1982	Paperback, December 14, 1982	$10.04	$8.37	$4.43

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Stan and Ollie: The Roots of Comedy: The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy

by Simon Louvish

3.8 out of 5 stars (17) $13.46

The Noose Hangs High

DVD ~ Bud Abbott

4.3 out of 5 stars (16) $9.99

The Abbott & Costello Story: Sixty Years of "Who's on First?"

by Stephen Cox

4.0 out of 5 stars (7)

Abbott and Costello: Funniest Routines, Vol. 1

DVD ~ Bud Abbott

4.8 out of 5 stars (5) $8.99

Harpo Speaks!

by Harpo Marx

4.8 out of 5 stars (93) $13.60

› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review

" . . . an affectionate look at Lou Costello by the comedian's youngest child . . . more than suds and the underside of Hollywood. It is a warm tale by a loving daughter and has its share of laughter."--Los Angeles Times

"Costello comes to life in these pages."--Baltimore Record

" . . . a loving, deeply felt chronicle of the rotund little comedian who enjoyed a phenomenally successful career, but suffered a tragic personal life . . . [told] with engrossing, touching dedication."--Films in Review

"Lou Costello's daughter is not without objectivity as she relates her father's life, cramming the story full of amusing and poignant anecdotes."--Booklist

" . . . lots of nuggets here for Costello's many fans."--Santa Barbara News-Press

" . . . a tender, intimate, and altogether deserving portrait of a man who had the gift of making people laugh. . . . "--Fresno Bee
-- Review

Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Paperback: 276 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (December 15, 1982)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312499140
ISBN-13: 978-0312499143
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #55,125 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Authors

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Raymond Strait

Chris Costello

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
AS A KID my father seldom got more than a base hit when he played sand-lot baseball. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
bird aviary, youth foundation

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Lou Costello, Uncle Pat, Eddie Sherman, Bud Abbott, Buck Privates, Los Angeles, Kate Smith, New Jersey, Andrews Sisters, Universal Studios, Africa Screams, Alex Gottlieb, John Grant, Bobby Barber, Las Vegas, Ted Collins, Milt Bronson, Ann Corio, Arthur Lubin, San Fernando Valley, William Morris, Charles Barton, Robert Arthur, Sherman Oaks

New!
Concordance | Text Stats

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 6 books:

Red Skelton: An Unauthorized Biography by Arthur Marx on page 190
Cary Grant by Lane Harris in Front Matter
Damon Runyon by Jimmy Breslin on page 5
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Library of Fear and Fantasy Series) by John Grant on page 133
This Was Burlesque by Ann Corio on page 18

See all 6 books this book cites

4 books cite this book:

The Abbott & Costello Story: Sixty Years of "Who's on First?" by Stephen Cox on page 33, page 166, and page 176
High Visibility: The Making and Marketing of Professionals into Celebrities by Irving J. Rein on page 331
Hollywood Remains to Be Seen: A Guide to the Movie Stars' Final Homes by Mark J. Masek in Back Matter
On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio by John Dunning in Back Matter

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

(What's this?)

Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.

joe guse(1)

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

17 Reviews

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chris Costello tells the true story of her father's life., March 31, 2003

By	Kevin S.Butler (Mamaroneck,New York,USA) - See all my reviews

In this bio.Chris Costello(Lou's Costello's third daughter)tells the true story of her father's life.And gives us all real insight into who Lou Costello really was.She covers his life from his humble beginnings in Patterson,New Jersey to his cross country trek to Los Angeles,Cal. to try and be a movie star.To his difficult days as a studio laborer(Studio set designer)and stuntman to his early days as a Burlesque clown working with several partners and the true story of how Lou Costello first met Bud Abbott and how they really teamed up.She also tells what caused the problems between the two men and the actual events that lead to the untimely death of the little brother that she never really knew(Lou Costello Jr."Little Butch")and the real cause of the team's second and final breakup.There are also insights into Lou's family.His relationship with his Wife Ann(Which was not as bad as what was depicted in Mr.Bob Thomas'book:Bud & Lou)and his three daughters.And the problems that were instigaited by Lou's mother:Mrs.Helen(Lolly)Cristillo and the team's manager:Eddie Sherman.Both Mrs.Cristillo and Mr.Sherman made an effort to destroy Poor Lou's career and personal life.This is one of the few bios on a famous performer that shows us a more three dimenstional look at this talented but troubled clown.Without the book turning into an ugly scathology.A book worth having.Bravo Chris! Kevin S.Butler.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I COULDN'T PUT THIS BOOK DOWN, February 10, 2004

By	Christopher Williamson "Frazzled Father" (Merrick, NY United States) - See all my reviews

Chris Costello does an amazing job of letting you know who Lou Costello the person was. I very much enjoyed the family man attributes of Lou Costello, always going out of his way to entertain people, especially children. Many people can write books about Bud and Lou, but with Chris' book you can an inside the house look at a man we all know and love. After reading the book I felt like I knew Chris and her family personally. Bravo Chris on a job well done.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is a warm look at a very funny and warm man, October 13, 1999

By A Customer

I bought this book back in 1979 and I have not put it down since. It is the true story of a clown that had his heart broken more than once but always had a smile and a warm heart for those he loved and those he never knew. I live one town over from Paterson NJ where Lou was from and I had the pleasure to meet his daughter Chris at a fan club gathering and if Lou were with us today he would be very proud of his little girl. God bless Lou and Bud and God Bless Chris for sharing her very special story with us.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 17 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Related to writer of this book
Purchased this book prior to leaving for my son's wedding in Northern California. Chris and I were born the same year and have never met. Read more

Published 15 days ago by McCusker Family

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed
I liked this loving tribute to Lou Costello by his youngest daughter. Sometimes it was a little too warm and sweet for my tastes, but it was filled with very interesting nuggets... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Ron

5.0 out of 5 stars loved it
as a fan of lou costello all my life i never really new much about the real lou till i read this book by his daughter chris. Read more

Published 17 months ago by Sotirios Dimitrios

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sad Story About A Very Funny Man
Like every kid in America, afternoons after school meant watching television and who better to watch than Abbott and Costello?

This book took me by surprise. Read more

Published 24 months ago by Joseph Albanese

5.0 out of 5 stars received faster than expected
I found out from a local bookstore that this particular edition of Lou Costello's life was out of print and that their supplier unable to procure. Read more

Published on October 10, 2007 by Susan A. Garber

5.0 out of 5 stars A loving honest bio
It seems as though a lot of bios written by the children of famous parents run to the two extremes of villifying the parent or sugarcoating the parent. Read more

Published on October 9, 2007 by Anyechka

5.0 out of 5 stars SAD STORY OF 1/2 OF ABBOTT & COSTELLO
Starts with his early years.
The beginning of Abbott & Costello.
21 years later , the break-up of Abbott & Costello.
They were two opposites. Read more

Published on July 25, 2007 by Frank A. Buongervino Jr.

4.0 out of 5 stars Lou the Saint......?
As a book written by his daughter it is very selective in its memory of Lou Costello...second hand memory mostly since she is Lou's youngest child and only witnessed his final 10... Read more

Published on July 22, 2007 by Dirk De Bruyne

5.0 out of 5 stars Lou's On First
I loved reading this book. Very insightful. Book came in great condition and in a very timely fashion. Read more

Published on February 24, 2006 by Susanna C. Beaudrow

5.0 out of 5 stars Lou's On First- First Rate!!
This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about one of the greatest comedians of all time, Lou Costello. Read more

Published on January 18, 2006 by Michael Lovaglio

› See all 17 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }

Customer Discussions

This product's forum

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Start a new discussion

Topic:

First post:

Receive e-mail when new posts are made

Prompts for sign-in

Guidelines

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
biography Movie Stars	3	2 hours ago
biography Does the media owe Michael Jackson Another Huge Apology!	47	4 hours ago
biography What are some of the best biographies of women you've ever read.	136	5 hours ago
comedy Have You Written A Funny Book - Come Tell Us About It	37	6 hours ago
comedy Can you come up with a Porno title?	151	12 hours ago
biography What is the best biography of a woman?	29	12 hours ago
comedy Has Conedy died for sitcoms?	2	12 hours ago