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69 Years Ago, Abbott and Costello’s Feud Took a Very NSFW Turn

Errol Flynn claimed an obscene film shown to Costello’s family deepened the comedy duo’s legendary final feud.

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Few comedy duos from the early part of the 20th century were as successful as Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Between 1935 and 1957, the pair dominated in every medium possible, from burlesque to radio to screens both big and small. But despite their enormous popularity, problems eventually arose between the two as time went on. In fact, Abbott and Costello briefly split up in 1945 for what Costello later called a “ridiculous” reason: Abbott enlisted the help of a maid that Costello had previously fired.

Their final breakup in 1957, on the other hand, was........

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