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Post by Doghouse6 on Jun 20, 2017 14:51:04 GMT
I don't think I've ever spoken to anyone else before who also considers Bud "a highly skilled comic," so thanks for that, first of all. I'll be honest: though he's the straight man of the duo, I find him far funnier than Lou Costello, but then I was never all that fond of Abbott and Costello ( ...Meet Frankenstein notwithstanding) to begin with. (the Marxes are pulling a con on the world, whereas the world is pulling a con on Fields). The Marxes are creating their surreal fantasyland, then, and Fields has lived and is living in his: they act, and initiate the act, whereas he reacts to the world around him. In turn, you're the first who's articulated what I've always thought: that Bud's actually the funnier of the two. It's him that I always keep my eye on while Lou's doing his shtick (which easily wears thin) and, while Bud is doing shtick as well, he disguises it with in-the-moment commitment and timing that make it feel spontaneous, adding up to Bud conveying subtlety where Lou is being obvious. That becomes especially clear when watching routines (such as "7 X 13 = 28") that they used in multiple films and TV shows: it's Bud that keeps 'em fresh. I singled out those comparisons of the Marxes and Fields because I like them so much, I want to see them displayed there where I can admire them. |
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